Written in Stone (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

plates. “He works for you, Michel, and he happens to have an interesting heritage. If Noah ends up filming his story, a five-minute interview focusing on your sous-chef’s American Indian background won’t diminish your segment. In fact, anything Noah films from this kitchen enhances your reputation. Isn’t this your domain? Aren’t you the king of this castle?”
    She smiled, perfectly aware that she was laying it on thick, but Michel’s face smoothed over and the shadow she’d seen cross his features vanished.
    “Dodged that bullet,” she told Haviland as they got into the Range Rover.
    At home, she changed into a nightgown and sat in the living room, the memory jug on the coffee table. Despite The Boot Top’s success, Olivia felt deflated. The meaning behind the jug’s decorations remained elusive, and though she stared at it and talked to it and touched it, it refused to divulge a single secret.
    When the moon rose above the ocean, painting the water with a soft, white glow, she turned away from the jug, climbed up the stairs, and went to bed. It didn’t take long before the sound of Haviland’s breathing, mingling with the sigh of the waves, lulled her to sleep.
    * * *
    Olivia was reluctant to spend another day with the
Talk of the Town
crew, preferring to wile away the morning walking on the beach followed by breakfast and a writing session at Grumpy’s Diner.
    However, she wasn’t about to leave Noah Wiseman on his own in her restaurant. If they could just make it through today’s filming, the director would take his cameras elsewhere. He’d head to the docks to shoot the fishermen unloading their catch of fish, shrimp, oysters, muscles, and crab, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers and suspicious glowers from the vessels’ captains. Early the next morning, he’d capture the colors and energy of the farmers market and then wander around downtown until lunchtime, searching for the quintessential summer moment, such as a child licking an ice cream cone, or two lovers sharing a milkshake.
    But right now, he was at The Boot Top, nibbling almonds and making demands of Candice.
    As the crew got to work, Michel and the rest of the kitchen staff prepared a stunning array of desserts. By the time the dishes—chocolate soufflé with a side of hazelnut ice cream, lemon cheesecake with cherry compote, Grand Marnier crème brûlée, apricot and candied ginger pie, white chocolate espresso torte, peach sorbet with sesame brittle—were lined up on a white tablecloth to be filmed, the kitchen was redolent with the caramelized scent of warm sugar and melted butter.
    “Brilliant!” Noah declared and gave Michel a pat on the back. “I love it! All of it!” He then mimed a smoking motion to Willis and the pair disappeared outside.
    Michel came into Olivia’s office and flung himself down on the extra chair. He looked exhausted. His eyes were bloodshot and his skin wan.
    “You’d better go home and put your feet up for a few hours,” Olivia suggested.
    “What, and have Willis get picked up for his own show while I’m gone? Not a chance.” Michel wasn’t too tired to sulk.
    Olivia hid a smile. “You were a triumph. Pierce Dumas will see it, as will Shelley Giusti and a million television viewers. This is what you wanted. Try to enjoy it.” She reached over and touched his arm. “Have you ever worked this hard before? Weren’t the dishes you made over the past two days some of the finest of your career?”
    He nodded.
    “Then be happy! You’ll be on camera again this weekend as a celebrity judge. Before long you’ll be a media sensation and I’ll have to worry about you leaving me.”
    “Never,” Michel said solemnly. “Who else would put up with my artistic temperament?” His forehead creased as he frowned. “But if Willis Locklear makes one move to take my place in the sun this weekend, I will kill him.”
    Olivia knew Michel was merely being dramatic, but the person standing in her threshold didn’t know Michel the way she did.
    Candice glanced at Michel, her expression that of a spooked animal. Olivia took note of the young woman’s wide eyes and then her glance moved to the crewmember beside Candice. His handheld camera was pointing at Michel and the red record light was on.
    Olivia smiled and calmly assured Candice that Michel was only kidding. Then, she stood up and gently closed her office door in their faces.
    On the other side, she distinctly heard Candice say, “Didn’t