Page 23 of Dead in the Water (Lily Larkin Mysteries #4)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Walking into the restaurant at the hotel, Lily felt a stab of guilt over ignoring Flynn’s messages. She’d had a busy day, though. Also, they’d spoken the previous morning, so it wasn’t as though she’d been ignoring him for long.

Forcing her mind to the present, she smiled as she weaved through tables to join her dinner companions at the far side of the room.

“I hope you’re up for a double date,” Russell said, eyes twinkling as he stood and pulled out the chair beside him.

“Oh, for god’s sake!” Kerry muttered. “Don’t put the poor girl off her food.”

“James didn’t feel up to it,” Russell explained. “And Joyce felt it was disrespectful to go out for dinner while James hid away in his room.”

“She’s ridiculous sometimes.” Kerry sipped her water, leaving a bright red lipstick stain on the rim. “What difference does it make if we go out or not? It doesn’t change anything. And James wanted to be alone, so it doesn’t matter to him what we do.”

Lily hid her disappointment at not getting to meet James and picked up a menu. “How is he?”

“As you’d expect,” Kerry said.

Vic’s attention had been fixed on his phone, but he placed it face down on the table. “The police screwed up the arrangements for Joseph’s body, so that hasn’t helped things.”

“I don’t think they screwed it up,” Russell said. “I think they changed the plans on purpose.”

“It screwed things up for James,” Vic argued. “Which seems a little insensitive at a time like this. I don’t see why they couldn’t have held off…”

Finally, Lily could get a word in. “What happened?”

“They moved the body to the mainland this morning,” Russell said. “Apparently, the coroner wanted the post-mortem carried out immediately.”

She cursed herself for ignoring Flynn’s calls. He’d probably wanted to tell her about it himself, and her precious pride had got in the way of the investigation.

“Is that normal?” she asked.

“Apparently there’s always a post-mortem for an unexpected death.” Kerry shot her husband a wary glance. “That’s what the sergeant told you, isn’t it? It’s just routine…”

“Yes.” Vic reached for his phone again. “That’s what he said.”

Kerry tapped her red nails against her glass. “James considered not making the trip, since he mostly wanted to view his dad’s body, but he decided to come over anyway. He’ll sort through his dad’s things on the boat tomorrow. I think he just needs to feel he’s doing something.”

“It’s probably good that they’re getting the post-mortem done quickly,” Russell said. “It’s not something you want to have hanging over you for ages.”

“I don’t even see why they need a post-mortem.” Kerry huffed and picked up her menu. “But let’s not talk about such morbid things at the dinner table.”

When the food arrived, it was delicious, but the atmosphere as they ate was decidedly dreary. Kerry spent most of the meal complaining about Joyce and exclaiming repeatedly about how they needed to eat, and questioning what good it did anyone for them to eat in their rooms.

Aside from that, Lily spent the time attempting to ignore her now overwhelming guilt about not responding to Flynn’s messages and calls.

When Seren messaged her in the middle of the main course, she had no reservations about discreetly typing out a reply with her phone held under the table, but her speed at responding to Seren only intensified her guilt over ignoring Flynn.

As soon as she got home, she’d message him and tell him she was fine, but had had a busy day. Pushing her empty dessert plate away, she decided it was a good time to call it a night.

“How about we move to the bar for another drink?” Russell said, before Lily could speak.

“It’s been a long day,” Kerry said. “I’m sure we’re all ready to hit the hay.”

Russell ignored the suggestion. “Lily?”

“I imagine she wants to get home to bed,” Kerry said tightly. “It’s probably where you should be heading, too.” Her eyes went pointedly to the empty whiskey glass in front of him.

Again, he ignored her. “Shall we?” he said to Lily as he stood.

She hesitated – an overwhelming part of her insisting she should go home, while a quieter, more insistent voice in her head whispered that she might as well see if she could garner any more information.

Maybe Russell would let his guard down when they were alone.

Especially if he continued to consume alcohol at the rate he’d been doing over dinner.

“Maybe just one more drink.”

Kerry muttered something Lily couldn’t make out, then schooled her features into a wide smile and wished Lily goodnight.

“Don’t mind her,” Russell said as they walked out of the restaurant. “She gets jealous when she sees other people having fun.”

“She seems nice. Very self-assured.”

“You can say that again. Most people find it overbearing.”

“She’s a woman,” Lily stated. “People don’t like it when we’re confident and know our own minds.”

Grinning, he tilted his head. “I never said I find her over-bearing. Or at least I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

As they entered the bar, he headed straight for a table, but raised his hand to get Sean’s attention behind the bar.

“Whiskey for me,” he said. “Wine for Lily.”

Feeling slightly woozy already, Lily had absolutely no desire for more alcohol. She needed to keep a clear head.

“I’ll just be a second,” she said to Russell, who slumped onto the bench seat along the back wall. “I want to make sure the barman doesn’t give me the cheap rubbish.”

“Yes. You tell him you want the good stuff. No expense spared when you’re with me.”

She smiled sweetly as she left him.

“You on a date?” Sean asked quietly, sauntering over to stand directly across the bar from her.

“Don’t be gross.” She shuddered at the thought. “I’m just talking to him.”

“Judging by the way he was staring at your breasts when you walked in, I’d say he’s interested in more than your conversational skills.”

“You might be right,” she admitted. “This feels seedy. Please tell me to go home immediately.”

“And spoil my entertainment? No chance.”

“This is a really dubious way to get information,” Lily said, more to herself than Sean.

“It is what it is,” Sean said breezily. “Use what you’ve got, I say.” He tipped his head at her chest.

“You’re not making me feel better. I can’t imagine I’m going to find anything, anyway. I’m wasting my time.”

“Just talk to him and see what he lets slip while his guard is down. If he gets handsy or inappropriate, I’m right here. Give me the nod if you need me to step in.” He paused and a moment passed. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you sounded genuine. I’m used to sarcasm from you.”

“Sometimes I can be serious.” He shrugged. “When the situation demands it.”

“Can you do me a favour and give me a non-alcoholic drink that looks like wine?”

“Like non-alcoholic wine, perhaps?”

She smiled. “Have you got some?”

“Yeah. It’s not something I generally recommend.”

“I don’t care what it tastes like. I just can’t drink any more alcohol, but I’d rather he doesn’t know that.”

“Need to keep your wits about you, while he loses his.” He nodded approvingly. “You’re good at this investigating stuff.”

She opened her mouth to tell him she wished she was better, since she hadn’t got much useful information so far. Her jaw clenched and she kept the thought to herself. It was a conversation she would have had with Flynn and it felt strange to talk to someone else about it.

Besides, Russell was waiting for her.

“I’ll bring your drinks over,” Sean said.

“Thank you.” Lily took a breath, then plastered on a bright smile before turning back to Russell.

She’d stay for one drink and one drink only.

That was her plan. It went out of the window when they finished their drinks and Russell ordered another round without asking.

There was a hint of a slur to his voice as he continued telling her his dream sailing destinations.

He’d given up on the flirting, and Lily wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

It felt more comfortable, but she suspected it meant less chance of getting anything out of him.

He was finishing his drink when he pulled his phone from his pocket to check his messages. Lily only had time to see it had come from Kerry before he put the phone aside. The screen lit up with a notification of another message but he ignored it.

As curious as she was about the messages, the screensaver on his phone drew her attention too. She’d assumed he was single, but the picture of him and a brown-haired woman suggested otherwise.

“Who’s that?”

“An old friend,” he said, leaning back in his chair.

“She must be pretty special if she gets pride of place on your phone.”

He went to pick up his drink, only to find it empty. Lifting the glass, he called across the empty room to Sean. “Another one.” He pointed to Lily’s glass. “For both of us.”

Lily caught Sean’s eye and shot him a panicked look.

“I’m afraid it’s closing time,” he said. “Any more drinks will need to come from the minibar in your room. I have your bill here.” He wandered over with it and Lily’s eyes rounded at the numbers on the slip of paper.

“Bloody hell,” she whispered, apparently unable to control her mouth.

“Everything okay?” Russell asked, shifting in his seat to take his wallet out.

She blinked, checking she wasn’t misreading the bill. “The wine costs three hundred quid.” Looking at the glass, she felt slightly queasy at the thought of drinking something so expensive. Except she hadn’t even drank it.

Why the heck had Sean added something so expensive to the bill? Surely Russell would take issue with it…

“You’re absolutely worth it,” he said, breaking her thoughts and tapping his card against the reader without even glancing at the bill. Then he pulled a bunch of notes from his wallet and handed them to Sean who thanked him and wandered away.

Lily blinked rapidly and stared at Russell as he made a meal of putting his wallet away. “Thanks,” she murmured.

“You’re welcome,” he slurred. “Thank you for your company.”

On the table, his phone lit up again. The smiling face of the brunette appeared behind the message notifications. She wasn’t someone Lily would ever have put Russell with. At a guess, she was probably a few years older than him and had a natural, graceful look about her.

“She’s very pretty,” Lily said quietly.

“Who?” Russell asked, then noticed his phone. “Oh, Lisa? Yes. A beauty, she was. Passed away a year ago, but I think about her often.”

Lisa? Was he talking about Joseph’s wife?

“Come on, then.” Russell swayed slightly as he stood. “I should walk you home. It’s pitch black out there and they don’t seem to go in for streetlights in a big way here.”

“Umm…” Under normal circumstances, Lily would have insisted she was fine alone.

But she’d really like to quiz him about the woman in the photo, and find out if it really was Joseph’s wife.

She was sure Russell was harmless, but letting him walk her home in the dark seemed like a pretty foolish move.

Across the room, Sean cleared his throat. With his jacket on, he was clearly waiting to leave. He quirked an eyebrow when he caught Lily’s eye.

Beside her, Russell pushed his phone into his pocket, oblivious to Sean’s presence. “Just need to visit the gents,” he said, patting Lily’s arm as he passed her. “I’ll be right back.”

As soon as he was out of the room, Sean strolled over. “He’s walking you home?”

“The conversation was just getting interesting.”

“Okay, but you realise his motives for walking you home might not be purely about your safety.”

“I don’t think his motives are dodgy. I suspect he’s just a lonely guy who gets an ego boost from talking to young women.”

“I think it’s dodgy,” Sean stated flatly. “Tell him you’re fine alone. There’s no crime on this island, so it’s not as though it’s dangerous to walk home alone. Or I can walk you… I’m heading home anyway.”

“No offence, but that doesn’t seem like a less creepy option.”

He curled his lip in a playful scowl, but seemed to take the joke as it was intended.

“Could you do me a favour?” She kept an eye on the door, looking for Russell returning. “Could you follow us? Then I can continue the conversation but not have to worry about getting myself arrested for assault if he tries anything. Or I’ll at least have a witness to say it was self-defence.”

He smiled approvingly. “It’d actually be fun to see you beat up an old guy.”

“I don’t intend to beat him up. Not unless he does something inappropriate.”

“Okay. I’ll follow.”

“Be discreet.”

His smirk was all confidence. “You won’t know I’m there unless you need me.”

“Thank you,” she said, then moved to wait for Russell in the lobby.

He arrived at the same time as her and made an elaborate gesture towards the door.

The air outside was pleasantly fresh, but not overly cool.

Russell was entirely off balance as they descended the steps and Lily wondered whether he was even capable of walking her home, or if she’d end up having to deal with him passing out at the side of the road.

“Was Lisa your girlfriend?” she asked, breaking the silence and glancing up at the almost-full moon in a show of nonchalance.

“No.” He smiled fondly. “Just a friend. She was already taken when I met her.”

Lily nodded. Given how drunk he was, she wondered whether he’d even remember the conversation tomorrow.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking,” Lily said. “Was Lisa Joseph’s wife?”

His bark of laughter made her flinch. “Don’t miss much, do you?” he said amiably. “She was. Though what she saw in that strait-laced bore I’ll never understand. They seemed happy, though.”

“Have you always had that picture of the two of you on your phone?”

“No. That wouldn’t have gone down well, would it?

Now that Joseph is gone I can remember her properly.

We were good friends and now I can remember her without worrying about upsetting her husband.

” He belched loudly and pressed a hand to his chest. “I thought your place was close, but it feels as though it got farther away.”

“Maybe because you keep veering from side to side,” Lily muttered under her breath before adding loudly, “Almost there!”