I squeezed Sin’s hand as we walked down the Kinders’ steps. “You were right.”

He smiled. “Happens occasionally. But it doesn’t solve anything. Just gives us one more thing to investigate. Maybe moves us closer to an answer.”

“But it makes perfect sense. If Dora somehow got these other two tinkers to put up the same kind of toys, and they get disqualified from the competition, she wins by default. I mean, it’s perfect.”

“I agree. If it is her, I guess starting rumors about me and trying to make it seem like your cousin is after the throne are her way of distracting people from what she’s up to.”

“Or maybe she wasn’t hoping to distract anyone but us. You know, get us off on the wrong path. Still, seems like a lot of effort to go to just to win a competition. Especially going after you. What if you’d decided to go home like you originally offered? Her distraction would have been gone pretty quickly.”

“Maybe she knew you wouldn’t let me go. You didn’t, after all. And stirring people up is a great smoke screen. Especially if you can make them afraid. And who better to do that than a necromancer?”

We hopped into the crawler, Sin behind the wheel.

“I guess so. Something about it feels like a real reach to me. For a tinker to rely on the complicated lives of the royals to cover her deception? How would she know enough about us to even make us part of her plan?”

“You said yourself nothing stays secret in the palace.”

“True.” I rolled that thought over. “You know, when we were in the square waiting for the toys to be revealed, I could have sworn I heard people calling you a necromancer in the whispers that were going around, but I didn’t understand how anyone would know that. That information wasn’t hidden, but it wasn’t published either. All I can think is that someone overheard my parents or my aunt and uncle talking about you.”

Sin stared at me in that way he had that meant he was stuck on a thought. He started to slowly shake his head. “Maybe it wasn’t any of your family.”

“Then who?”

“Yesterday, when we were on the Segways in the hall, you said something about falling in love with a necromancer as we passed those housekeepers.”

My mouth fell open. “You’re right. I did. So much for taking my own advice about not saying anything in front of staff that I don’t want repeated.” I groaned, frustrated at myself. “I’m going to ask Mamie to give me everything she’s got on Dora Frigit in the morning. In fact, if it’s okay with you, I’ll drop you at the paper for your interview, then go see Mamie. I want to know if Dora’s got friends in the palace. Friends that would give her the kind of details she could use against us.”

“I’m good with that plan. Let’s keep this ball rolling.”

I looked over at him. “Oh, this ball is gonna roll. But first…” I bit my lip as I smiled.

His brows rose. “What?”

“I still want chocolate cake.”

“You just had hot chocolate,” he teased. “Really good hot chocolate.”

“That was like an appetizer. I need the main course now.”

He laughed as he drove through the quiet streets. Amazing what a little info and the promise of sugar could do for our moods.

“You know, this could mean my cousin is in the clear. Or…” I tapped my fingers on my knee. “Could he be working with Dora? He’s always aligned himself more with the builders than the tinkers. Although I guess that will change to the decorators when he marries Umelia.”

“I guess anything’s possible.” He kept his eyes on the road as we went over the Meltwater River Bridge. “How can we find that out?”

“Mamie might be able to give us more info about access to the tinkers’ floor. I don’t know if the elevator records what badges are used, but that’s a place to start.”

“Can’t hurt to ask, right?”

“Right.”

He pulled through the palace gates and back to the south entrance. He parked, handed the keys to a valet, and we went inside.

I took his hand again and led him to the kitchens. There was no one there, which made the space feel even bigger. Everything sparkled like it was new.

He did a slow spiral, taking it all in. “This is some kitchen.”

“There’s a cook on call overnight too. Just in case someone gets a craving for something that isn’t in the family fridge.”

“The family fridge?”

I walked over to the stainless-steel double doors and opened them, showing Sin what I meant. “This. The chefs prepare food that’s easy to grab and go and put it in here for the family and palace staff. That way, if any of us gets hungry, we can help ourselves.”

“I like that.” He tipped his head toward the shelves of food in front of us. “Rather high ratio of sweet to savory, don’t you think?”

I reached in and hefted out the tall, triple chocolate cake that was almost always on hand. “I think it’s perfect. Grab some plates, would you?” I pointed with my elbow. “That first cabinet, middle shelf. Oh, and we need ice cream. And whipped cream. Forget plates, get those big bowls.”

“What? No sprinkles?” Sin laughed and went to the cabinet I’d indicated.

We destroyed two massive slices of cake with ice cream, whipped cream, and sprinkles, then finally headed back upstairs.

I was happy. I was in love with a great guy, full of sugar, and we were finally making progress in the Mysterious Case of the Double Robot Chickens. Life was good.

“You think the cats missed us?” Sin asked.

I laughed. “Only if their food bowls are empty.”

“Let’s check.” Sin unlocked his door.

Spider and Sugar were sitting there, waiting on us.

Sugar got to her feet. “Food food food.”

Sin grimaced. “That is really going to take some getting used to. I had no idea she had such a one-track mind.”

Spider stood up and stretched. “Mama, Spider hungry.”

I shook my head. “It’s not just her.”

“Hey.” Sin stopped short. “He’s not wearing a collar yet, and I understood that. He really does talk.”

I grinned. “Told you. Maybe Sugar talking made him feel more comfortable.”

“Mama,” Spider said. “Hungry.”

“And bossier.” I scooped him up. “I’m sure you are, baby. We’re going to feed you.” I glanced at Sin. “I should just take him back to my place. No sense in feeding him twice, which is what will happen if he eats here.”

“Okay. See you in the morning?”

“Yep.” I leaned up to kiss Sin, and he met me halfway, his hands on my shoulders.

“Love you, Jayne,” he whispered as we parted.

“Love you, Sinclair.” I smiled at him as I hugged Spider a little closer.

“Spider loves Chicken Party.”

We burst out laughing.

Life was more than good. Life was incredible.

And I was absolutely ready to say yes.

The next morning went exactly as planned. After a quick breakfast, I dropped Sin at the Post and went to the factory to see Mamie. She was at her desk in a twin set and matching skirt of soft blue, her strand of crystal snug at her throat. A mother-of-pearl barrette held her hair back on one side.

I’d gone more casual in jeans, a dressy tee and my leather jacket. “Morning, Mamie. You look pretty today.”

“Good morning, Princess. Thank you. How are you?”

“In desperate need of information.”

Mamie smiled. “You’ve come to the right place.”

“That’s what I’ve heard.” I sat on the edge of her desk. “Is there a record kept of who’s used their badge to access the tinkers’ floor and when?”

She shook her head. “No, sorry.”

So much for that. “Where’s the constable on all this business with the Tinkers’ Tourney?”

“I don’t think she’s anywhere. She’s basically stood down after the incident with your uncle.”

“I see. Well, I need her to stand up, then. I need a background check on someone and I also want them placed under surveillance.”

Mamie nodded. “Then the constable’s your woman. That is her job, after all.”

“Good. Do you think I should go see Constable Larsen in person, or can I just send her a message?”

“A personal visit is always nice, but I’m sure you have a lot to do. Actually, I could call her in. The station is only a block away. I’m sure she’d be happy to come over here.”

“That would be perfect. It’ll give me time to see Uncle Kris. I assume he’s in?”

“He is. What else can I do for you?”

“I’d love any info you can give me on tinker Dora Frigit. That’s the woman I want surveilled. I want to know her history, who she’s friends with, who her family is, all that stuff. Can you help me with that?”

Mamie sat up straighter, going into work mode. “She’s the other tinker in the tourney, isn’t she? The Glitterskins creator?”

“Yes, that’s her. That’s who I believe is behind some of this. Maybe all.”

“I’ll pull her file and have it for you in a few minutes, although I’m not sure how much it’s going to tell you about her personal life.” Mamie reached for the intercom. “You want to see your uncle now?”

“Yes, please.”

She pressed the button. “Boss, your niece is here to see you.”

“Send her in!”

Mamie gave me the nod.

My uncle was at his desk, reading a copy of the Pole Post. He set it down as I walked through the doors. “Good article here. Excellent explanation of what happened. Your father told me about the approval for more security too.”

I took a seat. “Glad to hear it. The editor told me yesterday he’d be printing it today. I’ll read it when I get back. Sinclair is at the Post right now being interviewed.”

“Outstanding. That should help people get to know him.”

“That’s what we were thinking.” I sat back. “Can I ask you about someone? One of the tinkers?”

“Of course, Jaynie. Who is it?”

“Dora Frigit. What do you know about her?”

He leaned back and steepled his fingers over his chest. “She’s a good worker. Not one of the most exceptional tinkers, but very solid. Her late husband was a tinker, too, and they shared a workshop on the lab floor. I’ve given her some leeway since he passed because she never really seemed to recover from his death.”

“That’s sad.”

He nodded. “I’m starting to think that’s changed with her qualifying entry into the tourney. I just hope she doesn’t take this nonsense as another setback.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be the case. Mostly because I think she’s behind some of this nonsense. Maybe all of it.”

He pushed his glasses up onto his forehead and came forward in his chair to plant his elbows on the desk. “You have any proof of that?”

“Some.” I told him about the notes and the handwriting and the chicken sent to Lyla Kinder.

Uncle Kris pulled out a snow-white hanky and mopped his face. “If that’s true, then she’s disqualified. Son of a nutcracker, she’s more than disqualified. She’s fired. Permanently on the naughty list. Exiled, even. We can’t have that kind of underhanded business here.”

“I’m getting Constable Larsen on it. Having Frigit surveilled. See if anything more concrete can be drummed up.”

He nodded. “Good. You keep me posted. I want to know everything that’s found.”

I stood. “You got it.”

He winked at me. “Good work, Jaynie. I knew you’d figure this nonsense out.”

“Nothing’s figured out yet, but progress is being made.”

His smile grew. “That’s my girl.”