“They went through that door,” I panted.
As soon as we reached it, Rek attempted to wrench it open, but it had already been locked again from the outside. All I could hear was the faint sound of disappearing footsteps.
Navid joined us, looking disappointed. “We lost them.”
A slow smile spread over my face. “But not for long, I’m betting.”
Rek regarded me with a raised eyebrow. “You’re thinking that if they have a key for this gate, they must be connected to Yasmine more closely than as mere guests at her party?”
“They’re definitely connected with her,” I said. “I couldn’t get a clear look at that third man, but I recognized his clothes. I accidentally stumbled on him earlier in an…err…intimate embrace with Yasmine.”
“You what?” he yelped.
I flushed. “Navid and I were briefly separated, and I was looking for him.”
Rek turned toward Navid, his jaw clenching, but I grabbed his arm.
“Leave poor Navid alone. It wasn’t his fault. I told him to go and follow a possible lead. I was fine. They didn’t see me, and I left immediately. The whole thing seemed very secretive, and I think we just found out why.”
“Yasmine in league with the gang of thieves.” Navid shook his head. “I never would have guessed it.”
“Maybe she wasn’t so very shrewd with her business dealings, after all.” I looked back toward the house. “Maybe her wealth came from somewhere else.”
“We need to send for Captain Jerome,” Rek said. “I’ll have her arrested immediately.”
I shook my head urgently. Something was growing in my mind, emerging from my earlier confusion, but it needed a moment to come to full flower. I held my hand up, and he waited in patient silence.
“That is the last thing we should do,” I said at last.
Both of them gave me a skeptical look, so I continued.
“Word of Yasmine’s arrest would be all over the city by dawn. Esai and his father would disappear, and we’d be right back where we started—constantly looking over our shoulders.”
Rek frowned. “My father is involved now. I can’t keep the situation from him this time.”
“No, of course not. But we don’t want to have Yasmine arrested. We now know she’s connected to the thieves, but she doesn’t have access to palace secrets. Finding Esai here still doesn’t tell us the identity of the traitor. It does give us an opportunity, though. All we need is a day.”
“You want to trick her into giving us information.” Rek’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t like the idea of you getting involved in this.”
“Actually it’s not me we need, it’s Navid.”
“Me?” Navid stared at me. “What can I do?”
“Tomorrow Nyla comes out of her mourning isolation,” I said. “We’ll tell your parents to hold a dinner in her honor. We’ll have them send an invitation to Yasmine.”
Navid’s brow creased. “You think you can somehow trick Esai’s location out of her over dinner?”
A smile spread over my face. “I’m hoping for better than that. After Esai’s failed first attempt, our household is on alert, the gate barred and guarded. So we know Esai and his father will be looking for an opportunity to get inside undetected. And as a widow, Yasmine will be entitled to bring a guest with her to the dinner. I’m hoping that will be too appealing an opportunity for Esai to pass up.”
“Surely he wouldn’t have the effrontery to stroll in as an invited guest after what he did last time!” Navid cried.
“I believe he would. And I hope he will. We’ll invite you, too, of course, Rek. And you should bring Captain Jerome, along with Samuel and Benjamin. The three of them, plus our household guards, should be enough to subdue Esai. But first we pretend to be oblivious and get any information out of them we can. After that, we arrest them both.”
“My parents might be a little surprised to discover their social standing has gone up enough to host intimate royal dinners,” Navid said wryly.
I grinned. “Never mind that. Rek isn’t going to turn down the invitation, are you?”
I shot him an impudent grin, and he shook his head, his lips quirking up in a wry smile.