“Hopefully.”
“Theodosia, you are a dear soul. And I know I asked for your help . . . well, I actually begged for your help. But the more I hear about international jewel thieves, the more I worry that you might be in danger. That you might put yourself out there a little too far.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Brooke looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“What if I wore an exotic piece of jewelry to the Heritage Society show tonight?”
“Well, sure,” Brooke said. “It’s no problem if you want to borrow something. I’ve still got a few choice pieces stashed in my safe.”
Theodosia decided she should probably clarify her request. “I mean I want to wear a spectacular piece of jewelry as bait.”
“Bait?” Now comprehension dawned on Brooke’s face. “Oh no, honey, there’s no way I could let you do that. You flash some major jewels around and it really could put you in danger. I mean, what if this guy or gang who robbed me crashes the party? Or the same person who robbed that woman at the opera? If they see that you’re wearing a particularly tasty piece of jewelry, they might decide to go after you!” She shook her head. “No, it’s simply too dangerous.”
“But don’t you see, that’s exactly what I want to happen. I want this guy or gang or whatever they are, to be enticed and then . . .”
Brooke lifted an eyebrow. “Rob you? Hurt you?”
“I was thinking more like they’d get swarmed by the police and arrested.”
“I see the method to your madness. But still . . .”
“Listen, this might be our only chance of catching these guys,” Theodosia said. “They might be moving on soon. To better pickings in another city. Please, I really want to do this.”
“Yes, I’m getting the idea,” Brooke said. “I see the determination in your eyes.”
“Then let me do it, for goodness’ sake.” Theodosia drew a deep breath. “For Kaitlin’s sake.”
“Theodosia . . .”
“Timothy Neville has assured us there’ll be plenty of security present.”
“Sure there will,” Brooke said. “Did they hire armed guards from Fort Knox? Or, better yet, is SEAL Team Six standing by?”
When Theodosia didn’t reply, when she continued with her slightly imploring look, Brooke took her hand and squeezed it. “Okay, Theo. You win. This is against my better judgment, but we’ll find something fabulous for you to flash around tonight. But I want you to swear on a stack of Bibles that you’ll be super careful. That you’ll promise not to take any unnecessary risks.”
“I promise,” Theodosia said, even though she figured she might be taking a huge risk. But she was tired of chasing after shadows and anxious to make something happen. Exactly what, she figured she’d have to wait and find out.
? ? ?
When Theodosia finally swung into the Indigo Tea Shop it was almost eleven o’clock.
“There you are,” Drayton said. He looked up from behind the counter, where he was packaging up two dozen chocolate chip scones in indigo-blue boxes for a take-out order. “We haven’t been terribly busy with morning tea service . . . we’re about half-full as you can see. But the phone has been ringing off the hook for take-out orders. It seems like every coffee shop, B and B, and anxious hostess in a ten-block radius wants to get their paws on a dozen of our scones. Like immediately. So Haley had to ramp up and bake another four dozen.”
“Was that a problem?” Theodosia asked.
“No. Haley pretty much took it in stride. You know what a little trouper she is. And the kitchen’s all toasty warm and smells heavenly. Like somebody blended sugar, chocolate, and cinnamon to concoct some kind of delicious foodie perfume.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Theodosia said. “But I think I’ll go check on Haley and see how she’s doing.”
? ? ?
“You want to hand me that aluminum mixing bowl?” Haley asked abruptly as Theodosia stepped into the kitchen. As Drayton had predicted, it was toasty warm and smelled heavenly. If chocolate was your idea of heaven.
Theodosia glanced sideways. “The big one on the top shelf?”
“Yup. That’s it.”
Theodosia grabbed the bowl, bobbled it slightly in her hands, and then passed it over to Haley. “Drayton said you had to whip up a few more pans of scones?”
Haley gave a quick nod. “Yeah, we’ve been crazy-busy with take-out orders. So I baked another four dozen chocolate chip scones and now I’m going to whip up three dozen maraschino cherry scones. Once that’s done, I’m going to collapse and call it a day.” She grabbed a canister of sugar and popped off the top. “We’re still planning to close early today, right?”