Moving as silently as I could, I hid behind one of the tapestries. Diana leaned close to the pedestal but didn’t touch it. After a few seconds, she straightened up and walked very slowly around to the back, squinting as if she were trying to see some hidden detail from the right angle.

For a moment I imagined Diana Yip climbing up on that pedestal, striking a pose, and turning into a statue herself.

Don’t be silly, I scolded myself. Women don’t just turn to stone.

Suddenly Diana dropped out of sight. I pulled back the fabric, stretching to see where she’d vanished to without giving my own hiding spot away.

I could just make her out crouched behind the pedestal, tilting her head back and forth. What was she up to? Was Diana somehow involved in the disappearance of her goddess namesake? She had been so upset when they’d had to cancel the second half of the performance … but maybe she had her reasons for not wanting the show to go on. Even so, if she already had the statue, why would she try to steal a pedestal out from under the Duchess’s nose? It seemed like a lot of work for a pretty unremarkable hunk of plaster.

And the pedestal seemed like it was pretty well-guarded. A gray box on the far wall looked like it might be a control panel for a security system. Black plastic bubbles were mounted in the corners near the ceiling—probably cameras. I waited for Diana to trip the sensors. She was so close to the pedestal, within arm’s length. She reached out her hand and stroked the plaster surface. I braced for the shriek of an alarm, but nothing happened. Maybe the alarm was silent? I listened for footsteps in the hall, security guards rushing to defend the Duchess’s property. Still nothing.

Diana was listening too. Now she knew the pedestal had no defenses.

I couldn’t let her carry out whatever her mysterious plan might be right under my nose. I had to do something. Walking on tiptoe to keep my party heels from clicking against the marble floor, I slid out from behind the tapestry and tried to steel myself for a confrontation.

Just as I opened my mouth, Diana drew back her arm, balled her hand into a fist, and let fly a roundhouse punch to the side of the pedestal. The plaster gave way with a tremendous CRACK and the pedestal rocked on its base, then crashed to the floor.

I threw my hands over my mouth to stifle my cry of surprise.

Chief McGinnis and some of his officers were at the party just a few rooms away. I could have them back here in less than a minute.

But something about Diana’s actions stopped me from revealing myself. She wasn’t trying to steal the pedestal, not after she’d smashed it nearly in half. And I didn’t really believe that Diana would sabotage her own performance and her friendship with Mona Pearl over a statue. No, Diana was rummaging around in the debris, looking for something. If I stayed quiet a few seconds longer, she would lead me right to it.