Page 14 of Dead in the Water (Lily Larkin Mysteries #4)

Chapter Fourteen

When Lily had first visited St Mary’s, she stayed in a bed-and-breakfast in a quiet corner of the island. It was where she’d met Oscar – the eighteen-year-old who did some gardening and odd jobs at the holiday accommodation.

He also worked at the Star Castle Hotel. Which Lily hoped was about to come in useful.

In his message, he’d said he was at work. Lily had replied that she was on her way and needed to talk to him. At the top of the steep path up to the hotel, he stood looking out over the bay.

“Nice to see you,” he said with a knowing smile. “Are you working on a case?”

She grinned. “Are we in a crime TV show?”

“Feels like it when you’re around.” His smile faded. “I assume it’s not a coincidence that a guy who was staying at the hotel died, and then you wanted to meet me here?”

“Now it seems you’re the detective,” she told him lightly, then toed her shoe in the dirt. “I spoke to Joseph Whittaker at the ice cream shop. Probably less than half an hour before he died. He seemed like a nice guy. And he said some things that made me wonder if someone had it in for him.”

Oscar nodded gravely.

“Did you have much to do with him and his friends when they were here?”

“I checked them in, and I saw them around the place a few times. They all seemed pleasant enough.”

“There were six in their group, right?”

He nodded slowly. “Two couples and two single guys. Off on a sailing trip together. It sounded cool in theory, but I’ve seen their yacht and it looks pretty cramped for six people. I reckon it could get stressful quickly.”

“They all seemed to get on well, though?”

“For the most part…”

“What does that mean?”

“Apparently they had a barny in the bar the first night they were here.”

“Did you hear what it was about?” Presumably that had been when Joseph had broken the news that he didn’t want to continue with the trip, but she’d like to be sure.

“Not personally. Sean told me about it. He was working in the bar that night. I think he saw quite a bit of them while they were here. Judging by all the stories he’s been telling.

He reckons a woman in the group was flirting with him.

It’s all he can talk about.” He pointed at the hotel.

“He’s working now. I can introduce you if you want.

He’s pretty full of himself, though. I only believe about fifty per cent of the things he tells me. ”

“I’d like to talk to him if he’s around.”

“My boss is out at the moment,” Oscar said as they set off towards the striking castle with an outer wall in the shape of a star. “She probably wouldn’t appreciate you nosing around, so you shouldn’t stay too long. Also, you know they’re still staying here, right?”

“Who?”

“The yacht group,” he said lightly. “The friends of the dead guy.”

“No, I didn’t know that. How come?”

“I guess they need to hang around for a few days and they didn’t want to stay on their boat, so they’re staying here.”

“Have you seen them recently?”

“No. And if they appear, you have to promise not to badger them.”

“Umm…” She scrunched up her nose as her investigative instincts sparked with excitement.

“Promise,” he said sharply.

She straightened up. “I promise not to interrogate them or anything… but they were in the ice cream shop the other day, so it probably wouldn’t be out of place for me to strike up a conversation if I see them.”

He looked entirely sceptical. “Just don’t upset anyone, and don’t let my boss catch you.”

“I’ll be discreet,” Lily promised as she pulled at the door.

In the depths of the building, the Dungeon Bar lived up to its name. Originally a prison in the castle's basement, it could easily have been claustrophobic, but the gentle background music and soft furnishings gave a cosier vibe.

The barman, Sean, was a tall wiry guy who looked to be around Lily’s age - late twenties. After shaking Lily’s hand across the bar, he walked around to perch on a stool beside her.

“Lily wanted to ask you about the guy who died,” Oscar said, then glanced back the way they’d come. “I should check on reception. I’ll be back in a bit.” He wandered away, leaving Lily and Sean alone in the empty bar.

“So, do you think someone killed the guy?” Sean whispered, leaning close.

Lily rested her elbow on the bar. “Not necessarily. But I spoke to him before he died, and he mentioned some problems between him and his friends. I thought I’d ask a few questions and see what comes up.”

“You’re a private investigator, right?”

“No. I’m an ice cream seller.”

“That’s an excellent cover for your investigator business.”

Inwardly, she groaned at his leery smile. “It’s not a cover. I’m not hiding anything. Do you know anything about Joseph and his friends, or not?”

He held his hands up in a defensive gesture, but his smarmy smile didn’t shift. “They drank in the bar every evening during their stay.”

“Which was how long?”

“Three nights.”

“Oscar said they argued on the first night?”

“Things seemed to get a little heated. They weren’t rowdy or shouting or anything, but voices were raised and the conversation was tense.”

“Did you hear what it was about?”

He nodded. “They were arguing about their sailing route. I guess some of them wanted to go to Spain and round to the South of France, but some of them wanted to stay around the British Isles.” He lifted a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.

“Just the one guy, I guess. And he’s dead now.

” His eyes flashed with mock excitement.

“Do you think they bumped him off to settle their argument?”

Lily ignored the sarcastic remark. “Do you have anything else useful to tell me?”

“One woman kept flirting with me, which was a little disturbing since she’s about twice my age and her husband was with her.”

“Do you know their names?” Lily asked.

He shrugged again. “I heard the guy who died was called Joseph. I don’t know about the rest of them.” He turned and looked towards the door. “Come with me,” he said, sliding off the stool and striding across the room.

“Where are we going?” Lily asked as they walked back up to the reception area which was now empty except for Oscar, who stood at the computer.

“Look up the guests,” Sean said, sidling up beside Oscar. “The friends of the dead guy. We need their names.”

A small smile tugged at Lily’s lips. He might be annoying, but he was useful.

“We can’t give out guest information,” Oscar protested. “It’s confidential.”

“We only want their names.” He nudged Oscar aside and tapped on the keyboard. Then he glanced up at Lily and tipped his chin in a beckoning gesture. “There are photos of them as well. We take copies of the passports.”

“You aren’t allowed back here,” Oscar said when Lily walked around the desk to join them.

“I’m only having a quick look.”

“Why have you got your phone out then?” he asked in a panic. “You can’t take photos of the information.”

“I’m not.” She patted his arm. “Just making a note of their names.”

“This is the one who kept flirting,” Sean said, bringing up the photo of the slightly glamorous woman with red hair who’d been uncomplimentary about Lily’s coffee. “Kerry Cooper,” Sean announced. “She has an annoyingly loud laugh.”

“Keep your voice down,” Oscar said, glancing nervously around.

After scrolling some more, Sean brought up a picture of Kerry’s husband, Vic. The larger, bald guy.

“Here’s the other couple,” Sean said. “Joyce and Keith Hughes. I liked them. Quiet and polite, but friendly.”

“What about the other guy?” Lily asked.

“Oh, yeah.” Sean brought up another page with Russell Hart’s information and photo. “He drank like a fish and tipped generously. I’d like more customers like him. I’m not sure I trust anyone who’s that flashy with money, though. If anyone killed the guy, my bet would be on him.”

“Shh!” Oscar hissed.

Lily stared at Sean. “Really?”

“No.” He laughed. “I was joking. And I don’t actually think anyone committed murder at the harbour.”

She had the names at least, Lily consoled herself. Even if she hadn’t got any other new information.

“Thanks,” she said, walking out from behind the reception desk.

“I can tell you something fishy…” Sean leaned on the desk, his upper body sprawling across it. “On the second night, when they came into the bar, they came without the dead guy.”

Lily gritted her teeth at the lack of respect in his tone. “Where was Joseph?”

“Went to bed early, I think. His friends were plotting to ditch him and head off down to Spain without him. I thought they were just talking about leaving him behind.” He grinned. “But I guess they could have been alluding to more sinister measures.”

Lily glared at him. “This isn’t a joke.”

“Sorry,” he said, chuckling. “It just sounds far-fetched that they’d kill him. They’re just normal people, not killers.” A jolt of laughter burst out of him, and his eyes slid to Oscar. “Can you imagine that mousy little lady killing someone in cold blood?”

“Did they really talk about leaving Joseph?” Lily asked, frowning at Sean.

His features turned somewhat serious. “They said it was unfair of him to hold them back, and that they all owned the boat, so he didn’t get to decide for all of them.

Something like that anyway.” He peeled himself off the desk.

“But I guess they sorted it out because they were all in the bar the next night. They were playing cards and chatting. It all seemed amicable.”

“Thanks,” Lily said again, a little more heartfelt this time.

Oscar shifted his weight. “The boss will probably be back soon.”

“I’ll go.” She smiled warmly at him. “Thank you.”

He walked her to the door.

“How’s Katie?” she asked.

All the tension left him at the mention of his girlfriend. “Great, thanks.”

“Bring her in for ice cream sometime,” Lily said. “My treat.”

When he went back inside, Lily lingered for a few minutes, enjoying the view of Hugh Town and the boats swaying on gentle waves in the bay.

Setting off down the hill, it took her a moment to recognise the two figures walking towards her. With her head bowed, Joyce looked as meek and mild as she had in the ice cream shop. Her husband walked beside her with a hand at her back.

They would have walked straight past her, but Lily caught the man’s eye and smiled.

“Oh, hello,” he said.

“Hi.” She smiled at Joyce. “You were in my ice cream shop the other day. I’m Lily.”

“Yes,” Joyce said, her lips twitching in an attempt at a smile. “I remember now.”

“I was very sorry to hear about your friend. It’s so terrible.”

Tears welled in Joyce’s eyes. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

“It must have been such a shock,” Lily went on, hoping to encourage them into chatting.

Joyce merely nodded and glanced at her husband.

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet,” he said, rubbing his wife’s back. “It doesn’t seem real, does it, love?”

She shook her head and sniffed. “We don’t know what to do with ourselves. We can’t go home, but it’s not as though we can enjoy a holiday now.”

“How long will you stay?”

“We’re waiting for Joseph’s son to arrive.” Keith sighed. “I think he’ll be here on Thursday so it’s only a couple of nights, but time is moving slowly. It feels as though we’re stuck in limbo.”

“It would feel wrong to leave while Joseph’s body is still here anyway,” Joyce said. “And of course, James needs to go through his things on the boat.”

“James is his son,” Keith offered. “We owned a boat with Joseph.”

“Yes, I know.” Lily winced slightly when they looked at her questioningly. “I spoke to Joseph outside my shop on the evening that he died. He told me about the yacht.”

Joyce let out a faint gasp. “What else did he say?”

“Not much.” Lily chewed on her lip, choosing her words. “He talked about how he missed his wife and how he wanted to spend more time with his grandson.”

Joyce sobbed and was immediately enveloped by her husband’s arm around her shoulder, pulling her against his side.

“Sorry,” Lily said.

“James will be devastated,” Joyce spluttered into Keith’s chest. “And poor little Thomas will be heartbroken. He adores his grandad.”

“They’ll be okay.” Keith rubbed vigorously at Joyce’s back. “It’s awful, but they’ll be all right in the end. And I’m sure James will take comfort in knowing that his parents are together again. Joseph hasn’t been the same since Lisa died.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Joyce snapped, drawing away from him. “It’s no comfort at all. How does both of them being dead make anything better?”

Keith’s brow wrinkled, and he looked apologetically at Lily. “I was just trying to find something positive…”

“He was our friend, and he’s dead,” Joyce said, dabbing at her eyes with a soggy tissue. “There’s nothing positive about it.”

Lily offered a sympathetic smile. “Is there anything I can do?”

She shook her head. “We just need to get through the next few days, then we can go home.”

“I think we could probably do with a proper holiday,” Keith said wearily.

Joyce frowned. “I just want to be at home.”

“I can imagine.” Lily pressed her lips together then caught Keith’s eye. “If you get fed up with the hotel, come to the shop. Ice cream is on me.”

“Thank you. That’s kind.” He extended his hand. “I’m Keith, by the way. This is my wife, Joyce.”

After shaking his hand, Lily offered her condolences again.

As Joyce moved away, fixed to her husband’s side, Lily couldn’t help but think of Sean’s comment. It was quite laughable to think of her killing someone.

That didn’t mean it wasn’t possible.