Written in Stone (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

enough,” the other man agreed. “Much easier to get ready for a storm. You know they’re comin’ and you know that, by and by, they’ll move on through.”
    Olivia sighed. “Still, we’ve had enough storms to last us a lifetime. I hope the big ones pass us over this year.”
    Captain Fergusson covered her hand with his and Olivia sensed that he knew she wasn’t referring to hurricanes, but to the number of violent deaths that had occurred in Oyster Bay over the past few years.
    She squeezed his hand. “I could use a season of peace and quiet.”
    “It’s all right, my girl,” he said as tenderly as possible. “Life ain’t always easy and it ain’t always fair, but there’s beauty in every day. You just gotta know where to look.”
    Olivia considered this. She looked around the room and decided that he was right. Tonight, the beauty had been in this rough place filled with rough people. It had been in their lore and their legends and the way in which their stories bound them all together, weaving a spell of binding that could never be broken.
    On impulse, Olivia told the captain about the storytellers’ retreat. “They’ll bring energy and tranquility and a little bit of magic to our town,” she said, smiling widely.
    For a long moment, the old fisherman didn’t respond. Then he rubbed his bristly beard and slurred into his cup, “Outsiders tend to bring us things that we don’t want. Sure, stories can be like a fire on a cold night. But they can burn too. There ain’t nothin’ can cut deeper or sting with more poison than words can. You’d best keep that in mind, Miss Olivia. Words have power and all things of power are dangerous.”
    And with that, he tossed back the last swallow of whiskey, slipped off his stool, and stumbled out into the night.

A BOUT THE A UTHOR
    Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. Ms. Adams has held many jobs, including caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children’s books, and novels. She now writes full time from her home in Virginia. For more information, please visit www.elleryadamsmysteries.com.



Berkley Prime Crime titles by Ellery Adams
    Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries
    PIES AND PREJUDICE
    Books by the Bay Mysteries
    A KILLER PLOT
    A DEADLY CLICHÉ
    THE LAST WORD
    WRITTEN IN STONE