The Last Word (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

on his side to guide him through the biggest purchase of his life. To show you my appreciation, I’ve brought you a gift certificate to The Boot Top. I’d like to treat you and Mr. Banks to a memorable dinner.”
    Millicent accepted the gift with obvious pleasure. “How lovely! But this is quite unnecessary. I was merely doing my job.”
    “I know. Still, men don’t always know how to express themselves, and Harris would approve of me doing so on his behalf.” Olivia noticed a folder on Millicent’s desk bearing Harris’s name. “Was his offer accepted?”
    Hesitating, Millicent walked around her desk and examined her computer screen. “The sellers have agreed to the price via e-mail, but they haven’t signed any papers yet. The husband plans to swing by after work. I’m certain everything will work out just fine.”
    Olivia didn’t share the agent’s optimism. She had to act fast to ensure that the sellers signed the necessary documents before Nick could present an offer that would make their heads spin.
    “Mrs. Banks, I know I’m behaving like an overprotective sibling, but I just want to see that everything’s in order before I head in to the restaurant. Can I persuade you to drive the paperwork to the sellers now instead of waiting until later this afternoon?” Without giving Millicent a chance to protest, Olivia continued. “In short, I’d like to offer you an incentive. You see, I’ve noticed your fondness for Chanel bags and I have a contact in New York City who can send me the grand shopper tote from the upcoming line. I’d be more than glad to acquire one for you if you’d only do me the favor of getting those papers signed directly. I can guarantee that you’ll be the first woman in the county to possess Chanel’s newest gem.”
    Millicent had a dreamy look in her eyes. “I’ve seen photos of that bag in Vogue . It’s magnificent.” She shook the image away. “But I can’t accept, Ms. Limoges. It’s too expensive and there’s really no need to offer me gifts. The seller is a man of honor. If he’s given me a verbal agreement, then he’ll stand by it. By five thirty, the offer will be accepted.”
    Not if Nick Plumley offers twice the amount, Olivia thought anxiously. She needed to get Millicent out of the office with that paperwork.
    “You can accept a gift knowing that I can afford a crate of Chanel bags,” Olivia remarked flatly, reaching down to stroke Haviland’s black curls. “But money can’t buy friends. Not a true friend like Harris in any case. Because this house is important to him, it’s important to me. Please. Make this deal official.”
    Collecting her black-and-white Chanel hobo from her chair, Millicent shrugged. “Well, this old thing is a bit past its prime. I’ve got an appointment at three, but I can see the sellers before then.”
    “Thank you!” Olivia exhaled in relief. However, she remained where she was until the real estate agent had her paperwork and car keys in hand before following her out of the office.
    Olivia waited on the sidewalk as the older woman eased her Cadillac away from the curb. Millicent gave the tall, headstrong woman and her poodle a little wave before pulling onto Main Street.
    “Ma’am, is that your vehicle?” a man’s voice asked from behind Olivia. “The Range Rover? If so, you are currently obstructing the fire hydrant and I’m going to have to write you a citation.”
    Olivia fought back a guilty smile. “I’m sorry, Officer, but that’s not my car. I would never drive such a gas-hungry, environmentally unfriendly road hog.”
    “So you’re all about going green, huh? Word has it you don’t even recycle—that you toss empty whiskey bottles off the lighthouse landing right into the ocean.”
    Olivia feigned offense. “I most certainly do not! What a vicious rumor. Isn’t the chief of police above listening to idle gossip?”
    “Not when it concerns you.” Chief Rawlings had been grinning, but now his mouth drew into a tight line. “I have to rely on hearsay, seeing as how you seem to be avoiding me at every turn.”
    It was true. Ever since Olivia had gone to Okracoke Island to bear witness to the death of her father, she’d become even more aloof than usual.
    She hated that a man who’d disappeared thirty years earlier, letting his only child believe he’d been lost at sea, still had so much power over her. He’d begun a new life on Okracoke while Olivia had struggled to live hers as an