The Last Word (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

He’d let Millay exert her charms and get enough alcohol into the couple’s systems before she eventually included him in the conversation.
    The newlyweds, now significantly more relaxed than they’d been upon their arrival, smiled at each other, chatted with Millay, and worked on their drinks. The moment Boyd’s whiskey glass was empty, their attentive bartender appeared like a bottle-welding jinn to refill it.
    “This is your free one,” Millay announced with a friendly dip of her chin and poured two more shot glasses worth of whiskey into Boyd’s tumbler. She then placed a brand-new beer alongside his pub glass, correctly assuming that the presence of the fresh pour would encourage him to drink down the rest of the first beer in a few gulps.
    By this time, Cora had finished her first martini and was studying the menu. When her second martini was half done, Millay told the Vickers that the wait list was moving along at a snail’s pace and that she’d be bringing them a complimentary appetizer platter within a few minutes.
    “Do you want to dine here or would you prefer to continue waiting for a table? I’d like you to stay, of course. I prefer a polite couple like you two to a bunch of horny golfers on a weekend trip away from their wives. I had to deal with enough of that sort last night.” She smiled, her beautiful face captivating the tipsy couple.
    Cora laughed. “Don’t worry, we’ll eat here. It looks like the band is back from their break. We’ve got great seats for listening to the music and won’t have to wait around for a waitress to bring us drinks.”
    “That is a plus,” Millay agreed and disappeared into the kitchen to fetch their appetizer.
    Olivia started in her seat when the band, a group of good-looking high school boys led by front man Cody Rigod, Chief Rawlings’ nephew, began the second half of their set with a rowdy rendition of “Get Off of My Cloud” by The Rolling Stones.
    It was now impossible to hear what anyone in the bar area was saying, and Olivia was reduced to casting covert glances at the Vickers as they devoured their appetizer and started in on their third round of drinks. However, it was plain to see that Millay was winning their trust. Judging by the way she leaned over to listen to what they were saying, Olivia assumed they were complaining about their afternoon.
    Then Millay’s eyes opened wide in shock and she pointed at Harris. He blinked in confusion and stared stupidly from his copy of The Barbed Wire Flower to the Vickers and back to the book again. Soon, all four of them were huddled together, trying to converse over the din.
    On the sly, Millay poured the newlyweds another round. Olivia noticed that Boyd was given another boilermaker, but Cora had been served a Blue Orange Martini.
    “Vodka, blue Curacao, and Cointreau. Nicely done, Millay,” Olivia mused aloud. “You must have had that ready to go in an extra shaker.” Signaling for a waitress, she placed an order for scallops with mushrooms in a white wine sauce and asked for a glass of Dr. Loosen Riesling.
    Ten minutes later, with the quartet at the bar still oblivious to the rest of the world, Olivia took her wine and went into the office to check on Haviland. He’d been fed a meal by one of the sous-chefs and was now taking an after-dinner nap on the carpet. A note on the desk read:
    Ms. Limoges, Michel gave me a few recipes for your dog and told me to take good care of him. Tonight Haviland had prime beef mixed with peas, carrots, and rice. He seemed to like it. Thanks, Danny.
    Olivia smiled. “Ah, Michel. I miss you. As soon as Kim can take over here, I’ll be back in my little office at The Boot Top where I belong.”
    Haviland had been dreaming, his paws flexing and shivering in his sleep, but at the sound of Olivia’s voice, he opened his eyes and raised his head an inch off the floor. She bent down and kissed his black nose. “Go back to sleep, Captain,” she whispered and returned to her table.
    The waitress arrived with her meal and fresh glass of Riesling. While Olivia savored the flavorful entrée, Cora and Boyd pushed their empty dinner plates aside and began to indulge in yet another round of drinks.
    “I’m going to have to put them up at a hotel,” Olivia murmured to herself. “They can’t drive back to Emerald Isle. They’ll be wrapped around a telephone pole trying to get out of the parking lot.”
    Suddenly, Millay made a comment and then gave a flippant shrug