A Deadly Cliche (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

to collect herself. “Was he injured during the storm?”
    “Yes, but the hurricane didn’t club Felix on the back of the head with a seven iron.” Laurel’s eyes flashed with anger. “The person robbing his house did.”
    Stunned, it took Olivia a couple of minutes to notice that Laurel served her coffee in a mug emblazoned with red hearts and a “World’s Best Mom” slogan. Laurel drank from a white mug bearing the text, “I Perform Cavity Searches.” When she put the cup down on the counter in order to add another splash of milk, Olivia could read the script on the backside of the mug. It said, “Don’t Worry, I’m a Dentist.”
    Olivia was momentarily distracted from the subject at hand. Not for the first time, she wondered what kind of man Laurel’s husband was. Did that mug reflect his sense of humor? He wasn’t especially friendly when he’d opened the door. Olivia recognized that he was clearly busy, but she detected a lack of interest as well, as though anything to do with Laurel was likely to be insignificant. Stirring a bit of milk into her own coffee, Olivia vowed to do everything in her power to help Laurel become a household name in Oyster Bay. In time, Steve would view his wife with new eyes, but for now, Olivia’s role was to listen.
    “If this just happened this morning, how did you find out so quickly?” she asked her friend gently.
    Laurel shrugged. “Female phone tree. Christina Quimby, the woman we interviewed last week, heard the news from a woman on her tennis team. That woman, Tina, is April’s neighbor. Tina saw the ambulance and the cop cars arrive and ran next door. I bet she had the story out to twenty people before April’s husband, Felix, made it to the hospital.” Laurel gave Olivia a sad grin. “Tina might be a gossip, but at least she rushed April’s kids over to her house so they didn’t have to see their daddy being wheeled out on a stretcher or watch their mama fall apart.”
    “Another robbery,” was all Olivia could think to say.
    Joining her at the table, Laurel let out a long sigh. “I guess this is when I figure out if I’ve got what it takes to be a real reporter.”
    “What are you planning to do?”
    “Drop the kids off at my in-laws and then go to the hospital,” Laurel answered resolutely. “I’ll say the boys have been worried sick about Grandpa and Grandma and wanted to see them as soon as it was safe. My mother-in-law will just eat that up. I’ll pretend to drive off in search of diapers, even if it means I have to sit through one of her lectures on how I need to learn to plan ahead.” She reached for Olivia’s hand. “I don’t know how much we can find out, but I’d love to have you with me.”
    Olivia gave Laurel’s hand a maternal pat. “Not only will I go with you, but I’ll make sure you have a giant box of diapers so you can keep your cover intact.”
    For the first time since Olivia had walked through the door, Laurel smiled. “Just once, I’d like to be around when you wave your magic wand. I’ve never actually seen one before.”
    Standing, Olivia pulled her wallet from her purse and waved it in the air. “Sure you have. It’s called a Visa card. Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo!”

    It took thirty minutes to get Dallas and Dermot dressed for the short drive to their grandparents’ condo. Befuddled by how complicated the act of leaving the house was for Laurel, Olivia watched as her friend loaded Cheerios into small baggies, filled sippy cups with organic apple juice, and stuffed spare outfits, bibs, and diapers into an oversized sack.
    “Is this your typical exit routine?” Olivia asked, aghast.
    Laurel scooped one of the boys onto her left hip and held on to the second with her right hand. “Are you kidding? This was fast! Look, I’ll meet you at the hospital. Maybe you’ll bump into Rawlings. He’s sure to know something by now.”
    Olivia was torn over the idea. She would like to worm information out of Rawlings, but she was uncertain whether he’d be willing to speak with her about an ongoing case or anything else for that matter.
    Back in the Range Rover, Olivia checked her cell phone and was pleased to note that her service had been restored. She put the phone on speaker mode and called Michel with an additional grocery list. He let loose several expletives in French, causing Haviland to bark excitedly in reply. She’d just pulled into the hospital parking garage when she received a call from Will