Page 52 of Artful Deceit

“He said he was having a clear out and he kept offering things. I can’t say no to free stuff – the universe might think I’m ungrateful and stop offering it.”

With a quick shake of her head, Lily moved the case aside. “I need to check the other bag too.”

Saffron emptied it out, shaking it until the bed was no longer visible beneath the mound of clothes and scarves and toiletries.

“Can we still be friends?” Saffron asked once Lily had rummaged through it. “You don’t think I’m a weirdo, do you?”

“No,” Lily said, because what was one more lie on top of all the others she’d told in the last week? “I’m just glad you’re not a thief.”

And that she’d eliminated one more suspect.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Lily spottedMartha standing at the top of Porthcressa Beach when she returned to the ice cream shop. She had her phone to her ear, and Lily contemplated whether she could sneak close enough to eavesdrop, but just as she was pondering it, Martha turned and spotted her. She waved and gave a weak smile.

No eavesdropping this morning then.

Frustrated by her lack of current leads, she continued to the shop.

With Saffron off her list of suspects, that left Martha and Silas. If it was someone from the retreat, anyway. She didn’t like to think too much about that because if it wasn’t someone connected to the retreat, she really was at a dead end.

Her gut told her Martha was her most likely suspect.

Just as she stepped inside the ice cream shop, her phone rang, and she sighed before answering the call from Len.

“What happened with Saffron?” he asked. “Did the police question her?”

“No.” She swallowed hard as she moved back outside. “I went to talk to her myself. She let me search her things.”

“And?”

“It wasn’t her.”

“You’re sure? Why did she need a new suitcase?”

“Gideon had been giving her random things from his house, and she won’t say no to free stuff. There was so much that she needed an extra suitcase for it.”

“You’re sure it wasn’t stolen goods.”

“If she’d stolen this stuff, I’d say she did someone a favour. It was a load of old junk. Pots and pans and random household items.”

“That’s a bit of a letdown. I thought with our combined information we’d cracked the case.”

“I’m afraid not.”

“What’s your next move then?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking of questioning Martha, and maybe Silas. It all feels futile, though. I’m missing something, I’m sure of it.”

“What about Gideon?”

She bobbed her head from side to side. “I don’t know what to think.”

“What do you usually do when you’re investigating?”

“Mostly just keep bothering people and snooping around until I hit on something useful.”

“That’s what you should do then.” His enthusiasm gave Lily a burst of positivity. “Need any help?” he asked.