A Killer Plot (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

wasn’t one to swoon at the mention of a celebrity’s name, but Cosmo looked so forlorn and eager for praise that she did her best to appear impressed. “You must be very talented.”
    “Oh, I am.” Cosmo’s smile grew. “Cam and I—our stars were on the rise.” He touched Olivia on the elbow so that she’d meet his eyes. “I’m not going back to LA without answers. My future was with Camden and now that’s gone. Just like that!” He snapped his fingers. “I can’t even think about living through another day until the evil creature who stole my best friend away is caught!” He put his head in his hands and sighed. “Could you help me find a decent place to stay? I don’t have anywhere to go.”
    “There’s really only one decent option in town. That is, if you want to avoid the tourists and their boisterous children. I’ll get you a room at a bed-and-breakfast called The Yellow Lady.”
    Cosmo leaned heavily against the headrest. “Ugh! Creaky floors and saggy mattresses covered by old quilts. Nosy innkeepers and housemaids going through my pockets? There’s nothing more modern?”
    “Oyster Bay is a town in transition, I’m afraid.” Olivia was struck by an inspiration. “I have a cottage on my property. It’s small, but it has a kitchen and a living room and overlooks the ocean. Do you think you’d be more comfortable there?”
    “ Do I? Oh, I’d so rather be away from prying eyes and close to you. I’ve never needed a friend as much as I do now!” Cosmo gushed sincerely.
    Simultaneously flustered and pleased by his boyish need, Olivia began to give commands to the phone installed in her car’s dashboard. “Call The Yellow Lady,” Olivia ordered. As the computer complied, Olivia told Cosmo, “You’ll have to stay there tonight. The cottage isn’t set up for guests and I’ll need to buy a bed first thing tomorrow. I’d also like to be there when you go into Camden’s room. My friends and I, the ones from Camden’s writing group, believe there could be a clue within the pages of his manuscript.”
    “The book about the Talbots? Do you think he was killed because of some connection to that family?” Cosmo’s voice was tight with anger.
    “I don’t know, but here’s why I view Blake as a suspect.” She repeated the conversation she and Camden had overheard between Blake and Heidi St. Claire.
    Cosmo shook his head. “Blake may pretend to be tough with his black leather pants, wallet chain, and shiny combat boots, but he’s almost as soft as I am. But from how Camden’s talked about that boy, I could believe he’d pay someone to do something horrible. He’s got plenty of money to burn.”
    “Not enough for a tour bus, if Camden’s fictitious account is accurate,” Olivia remarked.
    “Well, the word on the street is that Daddy Warbucks doles out a monthly allowance and Blake isn’t happy with the amount. Dean Talbot is his son’s manager, you know, so he controls the band’s finances.”
    This was news to Olivia. “I thought he was in real estate.”
    Chuckling dryly, Cosmo said, “Honey, he’s got his hands in more pies than the pastry chef at Spago.” He paused. “That’s one of Wolfgang Puck’s restaurants.”
    “In Beverly Hills, yes. I’ve eaten there.”
    Cosmo sighed again, this time with relief. “Thank God I’ve got you! I thought I’d be surrounded by the cast of Deliverance !”
    “Hardly. In any case, Camden paved the way for you by charming half the town. Even the Republicans loved him.”
    “That’s my Cam,” Cosmo whispered.
    They fell silent for a while. Olivia had left the interstate and the Range Rover was now cruising down an empty two-lane highway. Cosmo cracked his window and inhaled, closing his eyes so that his long lashes lay against the smooth skin of his cheek. “I smell the ocean.”
    I want to protect this boy, to shield him from further harm, Olivia thought, feeling relieved she’d invited him to stay on her property. Not only would it keep the Bayside Book Writers in the investigative loop, but she could watch out for Cosmo. No one could approach her house or the lighthouse keeper’s cottage without Haviland’s knowledge, and Olivia’s private school education had taught her marksmanship with both bow and arrow and hunting rifle. She could load and fire the Browning BPR rifle she kept in the downstairs coat closet with lethal precision.
    “This is our county line,” she informed Cosmo.
    Haviland shuffled