Page 100 of The Maid's Secret

“Probably not,” says Stark.

“If the Bees have a legit claim on the egg, why didn’t they just say so when it first appeared on their show?” Juan asks.

“Because they’re hiding something,” says Angela as her fiery hair sways.

“We should let the Bees read the diary entries and hear what they have to say,” I suggest.

“That’s exactly what we shouldn’t do,” Stark replies. “They may not deny the connection, but they won’t reveal the truth either. If we want to get to the bottom of this, we have to ambush them.”

“But how?” asks Gran-dad.

“A sting,” says Angela as she suddenly pops to her feet.

“Tell me more,” says Stark as she puts her coffee down.

“The note. It’s telling us what they want us to do,” says Angela. “We need to follow their advice. Molly needs to sell the egg.”

“I don’t understand,” Mr.Preston says.

“If the Bees are really behind the egg’s disappearance and return,” Angela explains, “we’ll only know why once there’s a winning bid on it. The second that egg is sold and the Bees are alone together, they’ll discuss their motives and their plans. If we’re listening in, we’ll piece it all together. We’ll know what they’ve been up to this whole time—and why.”

“Bingo,” says Juan.

“They know the hotel has no surveillance—‘guest privacy is paramount at the Regency Grand,’ ” says Mr.Preston. “What if that’s why they insisted the auction happen there in the first place?”

“So no cameras could catch anything going on outside of the tearoom,” I add.

“Remember,” Angela says. “The Bees have no idea that we know they’re connected to all of this, which is why the plan only works if we keep that diary a secret.”

“It’s our ace in the hole,” says Stark.

“So we set up a ruse to make it appear that the egg has been bought by some big, rich collector,” says Angela.

“And we hold the auction at the hotel,” Stark adds, “but this time, we have hidden eyes and ears and cameras everywhere.”

“Mark my words, the second that auction is over, if we’re listening in and the Bees don’t know it, we’ll know what they’ve done,” Angela says.

“They won’t see it coming,” I add.

“But to do that, doesn’t Molly have to agree to sell the Fabergé?” asks Juan.

“Of course,” says Stark. “Molly, do you agree?”

“Agree to what exactly?” I ask.

“To stinging the bees,” says Angela.

“And to sayinghasta luegoto the goldenhuevo,” says Juan.

“Molly, it’s worth a try,” says Detective Stark. “The only way to crack this egg is to sell it.”

—

Chapter 30

Dear Molly,

Life is unpredictable. Like an episode ofColumbo,it never turns out quite the way you think it will. Some hitch takes things in a new direction you could never have foreseen from the outset.