Virginia Davies Clark, the quilt Bee leader, or Queen Bee, as the others in the group called her, are set to expand their Bee Hive Quilt Bee by inviting newcomer Amanda Radford, a retired engineer, into their group. Amanda is well known for her crafty patchwork and her exquisite, prize-winning quilts. She recently moved from Galveston to Georgetown, Texas. She joined the Quilt Guilds in Georgetown and in Round Rock. Her crafty reputation could perk up the Bee Hive Quilt Bee's patchwork proceedings, especially as they prepare for the upcoming quilt show. But when they arrive at Amanda's home, they find her dead inside the front door, and a couple of her exquisite, prize-winning quilts missing. But the fact that Amanda had investigated extinct volcanos in Texas, especially one with special diamonds and that she had a contract with the Department of Defense to build a portable super laser caused Virginia to dig deeper. She and her friend Natalie North uncover an espionage ring and illegal arms traders who will kill for the wall hanging, design manual, and the special laser. Virginia's is not one to leave a mystery unraveled. She must stop the killers from establishing a fatal pattern.