The Last Word (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

robbing her of breath, of life.
    “Why would he give her a copy?” Olivia managed to ask after several long moments of silence.
    Rawlings threw out his arms in a helpless gesture. “Mrs. Vickers claims that Nick had come to view Ms. White as a sort of mother figure. He desperately wanted her approval and had convinced himself that she’d be so dazzled by his skill as a writer that she’d overlook the details of the escape scene. Perhaps he was convinced by his own fiction.”
    Disgusted, Olivia pushed the ice around in her glass with the tip of her finger. Suddenly, she was struck by a thought. “Did Cora talk about this to anyone else?”
    “She said that only her new husband knew what Mr. Plumley had done. She promised Boyd that he’d be able to open his own gym one day with the payments they received from Mr. Plumley. When they stole the painting from your house, they planned to sell it and use the funds to pay off their credit cards and secure a loan. Between the painting and the life insurance payout, they could finally climb out of debt.” Getting up slowly, Rawlings went back to his seat.
    “Cora knew that Nick had come to Oyster Bay in search of that painting. Evelyn must have told him about it, but why did he want it so desperately? Was he afraid that Kamler had written something about his father on the back instead of a love letter to Evelyn?”
    Rawlings rubbed his chin. “Perhaps he simply wanted to possess one of her treasures. They must have spent a great deal of time together and she obviously told him things she’d never told anyone else.”
    “That’s it!” Olivia’s eyes flashed. “Evelyn told him that her greatest treasures were in Oyster Bay. Treasure s . Plural. The painting was one of them, but the second was not made of canvas and paint, but of flesh and blood. I think Evelyn knew exactly who adopted the child fathered by Heinrich Kamler. That child’s been right here the whole time.”
    “Her son. The living reminder of the man she loved.” The glimmer in Olivia’s deep-sea eyes was reflected in the chief’s excited hazel gaze. “He’d be in his midsixties, just like our suspect, Mr. Hatcher.”
    “Exactly,” Olivia said, barely above a whisper. “Raymond Hatcher was raised by Agnes Hatcher. Dave was his adopted brother. Ray was brought into the Hatcher home from an orphanage months after James Hatcher was killed. Ray claimed to have never known the identity of his biological parents. So if Raymond Hatcher is Evelyn’s son, then he has two motives: money and revenge. Nick Plumley tarnished his father’s name and benefited financially from his mother’s story. Hatcher is big and strong. He could have easily strangled Plumley.”
    The chief’s face grew stony. “Could have, Olivia. Don’t form a lynch mob just yet.” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and made a call. “This long day is about to become a long night. I’ve got to order some coffee.”
    Olivia waved for him to stay put. “You have some time before your men bring him in. Please, let me order you something for dinner. If you’re going to be up for hours, you’ll need food.”
    Rawlings smiled at her, and she felt the warmth of it spread through her body. “Actually, if you could make me two dinners to-go, I’ll share a meal with Mr. Hatcher. It’s amazing what folks will say over a piece of steak and a bottle of beer.”
    “That’s quite an unusual interview technique,” Olivia quipped with a raised brow. “But then again, you never fail to surprise me.”
    The smile grew wider and warmer still. “Is that why you find me so irresistible?”
    Olivia was fully aware that the chief was teasing her, but she walked to his side and looked at him, hoping the intensity of her desire would leap from her eyes into his like a jumping spark.
    “That’s one of the reasons.” Her voice was deep and low, filled with the caress she longed to bestow upon him here, in front of everyone, if only she had the courage. “When this is all over, I’d like to discover more.”

Chapter 16
    The eyes indicate the antiquity of the soul.
    —RALPH WALDO EMERSON

    T hursday passed with Olivia attending to a vast array of tasks at both restaurants. She and Laurel also went on a whirlwind shopping excursion to prepare for the homecoming of her young nephew.
    To keep her mind off the fact that she hadn’t heard a word from Rawlings since he’d left The Boot Top to interview Raymond Hatcher, Olivia threw