Written in Stone (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

table in the far corner of the room.
    Without waiting for an invitation, Olivia took a seat next to Fletcher. It wasn’t long before the rest of the Bayside Book Writers had trailed over to the private nook.
    “This is Sheriff Poole,” Rawlings introduced the stout, round-faced man to his left. “If a crime was committed against Talley, the case falls under his jurisdiction. Together, with assistance from the Oyster Bay police and the park rangers of the national forest, we hope to get to the bottom of this.” He looked at Fletcher. “Mr. Olsen, the sheriff and I would like to ask you and Mrs. Stevens some informal questions about the Locklear family. In light of Ms. Limoges’s discovery that there might be a predisposition to malignant hyperthermia in the Locklear family, we now need to take a second look at the cause of death for both Willis and Natalie Locklear.”
    Fletcher was nonplussed. “Malignant what? I’m a lawyer, sir, not a doctor.”
    Rawlings gestured for Olivia to handle the explanation. Having already told her friends about the medical condition on the car ride over, she now gave the attorney a clear and concise summary. When she was done, she stared hard at Fletcher. “None of your Lumbee clients have mentioned malignant hyperthermia before?”
    “No.” Fletcher sounded sincere, but Olivia didn’t trust the man. With all that had happened within the last forty-eight hours, she couldn’t take that chance. She flicked her gaze to Rawlings and knew that he was studying the attorney very closely.
    “We’re going to need to get our hands on Natalie Locklear’s complete medical records, of course,” the sheriff began in a disarmingly pleasant drawl. “But I wonder if you have anything locked away in your office that could shed a little light on this mess. Chief Rawlings tells me that Mrs. Locklear nearly died in childbirth. Can you provide specific details about that event?”
    Annette interjected. “I remember hearing that it was a close call. My mother was still alive then and she told me what happened. The cord came before the baby and Natalie was rushed into surgery. She nearly died on the operating table.” She turned to Fletcher. “It was Talley’s birth, right?”
    “Yes, and I have loads of documentation on the event,” he said proudly. “You see, Natalie considered filing a suit against the hospital, but later dropped the idea. Said she had enough battles to fight and didn’t want to get drawn into another one. By that time, however, I’d gathered enough information to scare the hospital board into paying her bill. Without that big bill hanging over her head, Natalie decided to move forward and focus on her kids instead of suing the hospital.”
    Sheriff Poole put a hand under his doughy chin and leaned his elbow on the table. “I’m going to need to see everything you have on that incident.”
    Fletcher didn’t seem surprised by the request. “Oh, here comes Judson, my assistant. He’ll drive to the office this afternoon and fax over the necessary papers. I can’t leave Talley. Not now, knowing what we know.”
    “What do we know?” Judson asked, his eyes anxious, his hands clenched tightly by his side.
    “That someone might have tried to kill Talley, but she’s going to pull through.” Fletcher shook his head mournfully. “Judson, Willis may have been murdered. Maybe Natalie too.” Before Judson could demand an explanation, Fletcher pointed behind him. “You’ll have a man keeping watch over Talley, won’t you, Sheriff?”
    Poole examined his watch. “I’ve got a pair of deputies on the way. I’ll be right outside her door until they get here.”
    Fletcher touched Judson on the sleeve and quietly told him why he had to leave for Lumberton immediately. The sheriff handed Judson a business card with his cell phone and fax numbers. Judson accepted the card but seemed unable to leave the waiting room.
    “What about Talley?” He was obviously distraught over being sent away in the face of the shocking events. “What if she needs something when she wakes up?”
    Annette smiled at him. “I’m not going anywhere. Fletcher and I will make sure she gets the best care possible. And we’ll tell her why you had to go. She’ll be grateful to you for trying to find out what happened to her and her family.”
    Judson seemed to be on the verge of voicing another protest, but he finally nodded and turned to face Poole. “I’ll get those files to you before