Written in Stone (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

agreeably. He then looked at Harris. “Did you find a match for that class ring?”
    “Oh, yeah, let me go back to that window.”
    The Bayside Book Writers ate and chatted about their Saturday plans while Harris worked his magic. A pair of waitresses removed the appetizer platters and passed out glasses of ice water and a fresh supply of napkins. They returned carrying dishes loaded with Hudson’s specialty: a surf and turf entrée of grilled beef tenderloin and lobster tails served with a side of spicy garlic-shallot butter.
    Olivia’s friends clapped in delight, but she didn’t welcome the sight of such heavy food. For some reason, the mound of grilled meat made her think of her father and of Hudson’s conviction that he’d seen Willie Wade’s double walking around the Croatan National Forest.
    “This is for you.” A waitress placed a dinner plate in front of Olivia. “Hudson made you a lighter entrée. This is a filet of orange roughy in a ginger and scallion sauce with a side of greens.”
    “Thank you.” Olivia smiled at the waitress and then put a forkful of the flaky fish in her mouth and sighed in contentment. The sauce was subtle and soothing and the fish was so tender that it practically melted on her tongue. She imagined Hudson taking pains over her entrée, willing her to be nourished and comforted by his food, and she was. Every bite felt infused by warmth and affection and she was silently grateful for the bizarre chain of events that had brought Hudson Salter into her life.
    “Ha!” Harris shouted and brandished his phone in the air. “Here we are. The hornet was the mascot of Littlefield High School in Lumberton.” His self-satisfied grin quickly faded as his eyes met Olivia’s. “Lumberton again, huh? This can’t be coincidence. Munin must have been trying to get across a message about that place, but what was she trying to tell you?”
    Rawlings frowned. “You said the hornet
was
the mascot. Why?”
    Harris pointed at his phone. “Littlefield stopped being a high school in the nineties. Looks like it became a middle school instead. Kids go to Lumberton High now and their mascot is a nasty-looking pirate. Check it out. He’s even got a dagger clamped between his teeth.” He titled the screen to allow Millay a glimpse.
    “So this ring belongs to someone who graduated from Littlefield when it was still a high school,” Olivia said. “Someone who loved his or her school, because giving the ring to Munin would have been a sacrifice.”
    “Who loves high school?” Harris spluttered. “Hell is made of dental offices and high schools! No offense, Laurel.”
    She smiled. “None taken. The sound of Steve’s drill is worse than nails on a chalkboard.” She shuddered in distaste.
    Ignoring the exchange between her two friends, Olivia put her fork down and pushed her plate away. She was frustrated. Too many facts cluttered her thoughts. The Lumbee, the KKK, a casino, a class ring, and a young girl left with a valuable inheritance in the form of a desirable parcel of land. The word “inheritance” struck a chord. Where was the rest of Talley’s family?
    “Millay? What about Willis’s and Talley’s parents? Did you find anything more specific about them?” Olivia asked.
    “Not a thing on the dad. Not even his name,” Millay replied. “As for the mom, she apparently died from post-surgery complications.”
    Olivia stared at her friend. “That’s it? There were no more details on what caused her death?”
    Millay shrugged. “Most of my info came from old newspaper articles. I tried to hunt around for more on the mom, but all I came up with was a photo of her winning the Miss Lumbee title back in the day. Her name was Natalie Mitchell and she was drop-dead gorgeous.” She flinched over her choice of phrase. “I mean, she was smoking hot.”
    Wondering if Natalie also resembled Munin, Olivia asked Millay if she’d brought a printout of the image.
    “I was at the library and the pay-per-page printer was busted.” Millay’s tone was apologetic.
    “Don’t worry, I’ll look on the computer later. There can’t be too many pictures of a Miss Lumbee named Natalie Mitchell,” Olivia said.
    Laurel dabbed at her mouth with her napkin and checked her watch. “I’d better get going. Steve’s parents are watching the boys and they want to be back at their place in time to watch reruns of
30 Rock
.”
    “Man, I love that show. Alec Baldwin is a genius.” Harris glanced