Written in Stone (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

Just as Olivia was confessing that the presence of the starfish necklace among the rest of the clues troubled her deeply, Rawlings walked in. He looked weary and dejected, and the Bayside Book Writers knew better than to ask whether he’d made any headway in the investigation.
    The chief accepted a bottle from Millay and drank half of it down, eyes closed and head tilted back. “Man, I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was.”
    “There’s food too.” Olivia gestured at the soup pot and oval platter containing the remaining two sandwiches.
    Rawlings loaded a plate, and in between bites of grilled cheese, told them the bad news. No one had seen anything suspicious at the powwow, lab work on the blood tests wouldn’t commence until Monday at the earliest, and the inhalants used to spike Talley’s inhaler—and undoubtedly Willis’s cigarette too—could have been stolen from any number of places. “A doctor’s office, for example,” Rawlings said. “A hospital. Even dentists and veterinarians have this stuff on hand.” He sighed and sank down in his favorite club chair. “All we know for certain is that Talley’s inhaler was tampered with. However, we have no leads.”
    “What about Natalie’s medical file?” Olivia asked.
    “There’s a tiny notation on her chart reading ‘MH’ followed by a question mark. That’s all.” Rawlings took an enormous bite from his sandwich and chewed mechanically, gazing at some point in the middle distance.
    Millay’s eyes narrowed. “So one of the doctors suspected Natalie had malignant hyperthermia during Talley’s birth, but he scribbled some note in the margin and went on with his day? She nearly died and he was probably thinking about being late for his tee time.”
    “And years later, it did kill her.” Harris looked at the chief. “Right?”
    Rawlings nodded. “Natalie was given general anesthesia after fracturing her leg. Neither Fletcher, Judson, or Annette were within miles of that grocery store the night in question. I believe it was a genuine accident. A case of bad luck.”
    “Well, Willis’s death had nothing to do with luck,” Olivia said very softly. “Look, I want to go back to Munin’s place tomorrow. We might find an answer in those newspapers or tucked away in one of her glass jars.” She silently pleaded for Rawlings to agree with her decision. When he didn’t respond, she squared her shoulders and raised her chin, making it clear that she wasn’t asking for permission.
    “Okay,” he eventually said. “Ask Harlan to take us over and I’ll run it by Sheriff Poole. But it’ll just be the three of us. Munin’s home is a crime scene now.”
    Laurel waved him off. “No worries. If I don’t spend the day with my family, my boys are going to start calling the nanny mommy. But I’ll type up my interview notes after church. Maybe there’s a useful nugget hidden in those scribbles.”
    “I’m going to the hospital,” Millay said. “Make sure those deputies are staying sharp.”
    Harris sulked. “What about me? What can I do?” He directed the question to Rawlings.
    “Research.” The chief handed Harris a folder. “I made a list just for you.”
    Puffing his chest out with pride, Harris tucked the folder into his laptop case. He then put a packet of papers on the coffee table and uncapped his green ballpoint pen. “Shall we commence with the critique?”
    “You’re practically drooling,” Millay growled. “Did you hate it that much?”
    “Au contraire!” Harris protested. “When Tessa was captured by the Wyvern Warriors, I thought she was toast. Then I thought the imprisonment scenes would get old quickly, but being inside Tessa’s head,
really inside
for the first time, has fleshed her out in a way that makes me believe she exists. I totally have a crush on her.”
    Olivia laughed. “A gryphon-riding, tough-as-nails hottie? No surprise there.” She glanced at her own copy of the chapter and scanned her favorite part, which described a growing attraction between Tessa and her captor, a handsome, magnetic prince who ruled over the people who’d been her race’s enemies for millennia.
    Looking up from the pages on her lap, Olivia said, “Millay, you always leave me hungry for more. Take the end of this chapter, for instance. I don’t know if you’re going to use this newfound romantic tension to bring these warring races together or if the prince will end up betraying Tessa.”
    “He’d better not!” Laurel