Written in Stone (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

to retrieve it, fighting against the shadows creeping into the edges of her vision. She gritted her teeth and, clinging to the arm of the desk chair, sawed through the rope binding Millay’s wrist.
    Millay yanked out the bandana and took the knife. A high keening arose from Judson’s throat and Olivia could see why. Haviland had his mouth clamped around the man’s neck. He hadn’t applied enough pressure to sever the skin and was looking to Olivia for instructions.
    “Good work, Captain,” she whispered gratefully as the black fog drifted in over her vision. “Hold him. Wait for the chief.”
    And with that, she passed out.
    * * *
    Olivia reasoned that she couldn’t have been unconscious for long because when the harsh odor of smelling salts jarred her back to wakefulness, she was still on the hotel room floor. One pleasant change was that a pair of strong arms was supporting her torso and her head was pressed against a man’s sturdy chest. Rawlings’ chest.
    Without speaking, she pushed away the inhalant he’d placed under her nose.
    “Sorry,” he said, his lips hovering just above her hair. “A blast of ammonia is a nasty way to be brought back, but concussion victims need to stay awake.”
    Olivia buried her face in his shirt, hoping to escape the acrid smell of ammonia. His scent of sandalwood and coffee helped steady her and she breathed it in greedily. He’d come to her rescue, just as she’d hoped he would.
    “I will always come for you,” he whispered as if she’d spoken the thought aloud.
    “Haviland,” Olivia said, turning her head. She tried to take in the crowded room, but there was too much commotion for her muddled brain to process.
    Haviland, who’d been standing guard over her, moved forward and nuzzled her with his nose. She kissed him, putting an arm around his neck and drawing him against her. “My hero. You’ll be eating like a king for the foreseeable future.”
    Sheriff Poole approached the trio and, after shooting Haviland a nervous glance, squatted well out of the poodle’s reach. “Paramedics are here, Chief. It’s time for you to get your head checked, ma’am.” He smiled at Olivia.
    “Millay?” she asked.
    “She’s fine,” Rawlings assured her. “She’s waiting in the sheriff’s car.”
    Poole chuckled. “When the manager let me into this room, I thought I might have a gun fight on my hands. Instead, your dog had Mr. Ware pinned to the ground, his teeth hovering over the guy’s jugular. As if that weren’t enough, your friend had a knife pressed against his groin. That man was afraid to breathe, let alone move. I’ve never met anyone so eager to be cuffed and taken away.”
    Olivia tried to sit up unaided, but Rawlings refused to let her go. With his hands on her back, she was able to turn and look at him full in the face. His expression surprised her. The fear and worry he’d felt for her was quickly giving way to anger.
    “It was Judson,” she told him. “He killed Munin and Willis and tried to kill Talley.”
    “Maybe so,” Rawlings said in dangerously quiet voice. “But unless he confesses, we’ll have a helluva time proving it.”
    Poole rubbed his expansive chin. “Now that he’s out of harm’s way, he’s full of threats. He’s going to sue the hotel, the sheriff’s department, and especially you, Ms. Limoges. Said he’ll make sure your dog is put down if it’s the last thing he does.”
    “Everything that went on in this room happened because you and Millay committed a B and E,” Rawlings said unhappily. “Judson could stand in front of a judge and claim to have surprised a pair of thieves ransacking his room, after which he was attacked by a dog belonging to one of the intruders. He knows the law, Olivia. You and Millay might have compromised the whole case.”
    Olivia began to shake her head, but the movement hurt too much. “He’s proud of what he’s done. He’ll tell you everything.” She wasn’t completely certain that this was the truth, but she needed to believe that it was.
    “I hope you’re right,” Rawlings said and Olivia heard the fatigue in his voice. “But we’ll talk about it later. Right now, you have a date with an ER doctor.”
    “No way,” Olivia objected, recovering some of her pluck. “I am
not
climbing onto that thing.” She pointed at the stretcher parked in the hall. “And if I go to the hospital, they’re going to insist on observing me for who knows how long. I can’t leave