And that was the problem, Kat could tell. Amelia Bennett wasn’t going through official channels. If anything, she was taking the most unofficial channel available, and something in Kat’s gut didn’t trust it. She’d learned at a very young age not to trust anyone. Anything. It was perhaps the one thing that was going to allow her to live to a very old age.
But it wasn’t going to let her have a merry Christmas, Kat could tell already.
“I have many reasons for coming here, one of which is the Director,” Agent Bennett said. “Technically, he’s my superior, though I loathe to use the word. Director Hoyt does not approve of me and my rapid advancement. There have been…comments. If this were in his hands, and if he knew I had a personal connection to the case, well, I cannot predict what would happen. And I don’t like taking chances.”
Gabrielle and Kat shared a smile. “We understand.”
“The Magi’s director is my oldest friend, you see,” Agent Bennett admitted, unashamed. “When Elizabeth called me, she wasn’t calling Interpol. She was calling her friend.”
Kat felt the pieces start to fall into place.
“You’re not here because the egg was stolen. You’re here because your friend needs someone to find the egg and resteal it before anyone finds out.”
Gabrielle smirked and crossed her long legs. “I see our reputation precedes us.”
But Agent Bennett was quick to shake her head. “This isn’t about my friend, girls. Or…it’s not just about her. It’s…”
This was hard for her, Kat could tell. So she and Gabrielle sat silently, waiting until Agent Bennett found the words.
“The Magi brought the gifts, you know. To the baby Jesus. They were the wise men and they brought the gold and the frankincense and the myrrh. They brought the gifts! This whole tradition started because of them, and now… Charities are only as solid as their reputations, and if this got out, well… The Magi Miracle Network has been distributing gifts to low-income families around Great Britain for decades. Ever since…ever since I was a little girl.”
And just like that, Kat knew exactly why Amelia Bennett had forced her way inside Uncle Eddie’s kitchen. She wasn’t looking for a Fabergé egg. She wasn’t hoping to help her friend. No. She was looking for a very specific kind of peace, and Kat knew better than anyone that, sometimes, it has to be stolen.
“Don’t worry, Agent Bennett. I think we understand.”
At Gabrielle’s words, Agent Bennett drew a deep breath and started to stand.
“Forgive me, girls, if I leave you with the dishes. I have a red-eye back to London and it’s not going to wait on me.”
She pushed her chair in, reached for her purse and took a slightly unsteady step toward the door.
“Agent Bennett?” Kat’s voice stopped her. “Thank you. For coming. For…trusting us.” Because trust, Kat knew, was one of the few things in life that could only be given.
“I do hope you’re right, girls.”
“Right about what?” Gabrielle asked just as Agent Bennett reached for the brownstone’s back door.
“You and I have been on the same side in the past,” the woman said with a smile. “I liked it. But if you are mistaken… If one of your people decided to break your uncle’s rules, then I’m afraid the next time you see me I’ll have my badge.”
“I understand,” Gabrielle said, almost laughing, the thought was so preposterous. “But you don’t have to worry. You yourself said it was an inside job.”
“That’s right.” Agent Bennett nodded. “Just my friend, some of the staff and the chairman of the board knew the egg’s location.”
“Yeah,” Gabrielle said. “So someone on the staff or the board got greedy. We’ll find him. Or her.”
“That’s the other reason I came to see you.” This time, she looked only at Kat. “The Magi Miracle Network was founded fifty years ago by a woman named Hazel Hale. I believe you know her grandson. He’s the new chairman of the board.”
Now Kat had a name for the dread that had been rising in her gut. It had a face. And that face was smiling its charming, devil-may-care smile. And things were going to get a whole lot worse before they got better.
“Don’t worry,” Gabrielle said. She didn’t even glance in Kat’s direction. “We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“I’m sure you will. Thank you, girls.” Agent Bennett slipped into a heavy wool coat and wrapped a cashmere scarf around her neck. “I’ll give Nick your best.”
She was in the dark alley. She was walking away, when Kat finally found the words to ask, “Agent Bennett? Which one was it? Which egg?”
Agent Bennett looked up at the cold, dark sky, almost as if she could see snowflakes up there, waiting to fall. “Why, I believe it was Gold. Myrrh is owned by a private collector in Hungary. I’m not exactly sure who has Frankincense…”
Agent Bennett trailed off, then walked away.
She never heard Kat say, “I do.”
Eleven Days Before the Auction
Upstate New York
Kat was at home in the darkness. Her steps were soft and her eyes were sharp, and the feel of the tools in her hand was as natural as breathing.
She was also used to the sound of her cousin’s voice in her ear, saying, “This is crazy.”
“It is crazy,” Kat agreed. “But we can’t ring the bell. You know that. We’d never hear the end of it if we rang the bell.”