Page 27 of Dead in the Water (Lily Larkin Mysteries #4)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The morning jog around the island did little to dispense Flynn’s frustrations.

In fact, it had the opposite effect. Since he’d usually have invited Lily to join him, her absence was a constant reminder of their rift, which he had no idea how to fix.

If she wanted space, he supposed he’d have to give it to her – even though the idea of it pained him.

His shift didn’t start until after lunch and the free time did nothing to help his mental state. Arriving at the station early, he greeted PC Hill at the front desk, then went through to the sergeant’s office.

“Any word on the post-mortem?” he asked, taking a seat.

Sergeant Proctor looked up from his computer screen. “I can’t imagine we’ll hear anything until tomorrow at the earliest.”

“What about Joseph Whittaker’s son? Have you heard any more from him?”

“I went through everything with him yesterday. As far as I know he was planning on sorting through his father’s things on the boat today. I wasn’t expecting to hear from him.” He tilted his head. “How’s Lily?”

“Fine,” he said distractedly. “Do you know much about boat ownership?”

“Can’t say it’s my area of expertise. Why?”

Flynn tapped on the arm of the chair. “Can you think of any reason it would have been advantageous for the other boat owners if Joseph sold his share?”

“You’ve lost me,” the sergeant said.

“Lily overheard one of them saying that Russell buying Joseph’s share would be good for the rest of them. But I can’t see why?”

He gave a slow shake of his head. “Assuming they all keep the same share of the boat, I can’t see why it would make any difference financially.”

“Me neither. It’s weird, isn’t it?”

The sergeant shrugged. “Maybe she overheard wrong.”

“Maybe.”

“Has she found anything else?”

Flynn scratched at his jaw. “Two of them are having an affair.”

“Who?”

“Kerry and Russell.”

“I really wish this kind of thing surprised me.” He sighed and his features turned serious. “Does Lily still think Mr Whittaker’s death wasn’t an accident?”

“She’s still looking into that theory. It doesn’t seem as though she’s found anything definitive.” He drummed his fingers again. “I thought I might nip down to the harbour and see if the son needs anything…”

Leaning back in his chair, the sergeant laced his fingers across his chest. “You know the drill – we don’t get involved in the personal side. We’ve done all the official stuff, now we step back and leave him to it.”

“It’s different over here,” Flynn argued. “There isn’t the same access to other support services, so our role is more flexible, right?”

The sergeant lifted an eyebrow. “You seem to only use that argument when it suits you.”

“I don’t see any harm in going down and asking how he’s doing, and if he has any further questions.”

“What’s your real motive?”

“It’s partly that,” Flynn argued.

“And the other part?”

“The other part is gathering more information in case Mr Whittaker’s death wasn’t an accident.” He leaned out of his seat. “I’ll be professional, and if he doesn’t want me around, I’ll leave immediately.”

After a long exhale, the sergeant gave a subtle nod. “Don’t ask inappropriate questions.”

“I told you I’ll be professional.” Flynn was out of his chair in an instant. He pretended not to notice his superior rolling his eyes as Flynn thanked him and rushed away.

Five minutes later, the wind whipped around him as he strode down the harbour steps and landed heavily on the jetty.

A couple of fishermen stood beside a weather-beaten boat and tipped their chins in greeting as he passed.

There was no one to be seen or heard on Faith , and no reply when Flynn called ‘hello’ as he stepped aboard.

Ducking his head, he followed the few steps below deck and called out again.

No reply.

Maybe James had finished packing everything up and gone back to the hotel.

The luxurious seating area in the galley made Flynn’s eyes widen, just as they had the previous evening when he’d done a quick internet search to check the price range of yachts this size.

Venturing further, he descended another few steps into a narrow hallway. He called out again as he approached an open door.

The guy who’d been bent over a large cardboard box straightened up. He was probably only a few years older than Flynn. The weariness on his features didn’t shift as he moved to sit heavily on the edge of the bed.

“I thought I’d been over everything with Sergeant Proctor,” he grumbled. “What else do you need from me?”

“Everything is taken care of.” Inwardly, Flynn winced, concerned he’d made an error in judgement by coming to the boat. “I didn’t mean to bother you. I only wanted to check in and see if you had questions about anything.”

“Sergeant Proctor went over everything. Unless you think he’s missed something?”

“No,” Flynn said quickly. “I’m sure he didn’t.”

The guy removed his glasses and rubbed at the corner of his eye. “Sorry. I’m not usually so grumpy.”

“No apology necessary. You can be as grumpy as you want. And I’ll leave you in peace if you’d prefer. Or if there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word.”

“I’m not sure there’s anything you can do to help, but I appreciate the offer.”

Flynn extended his hand and introduced himself. “If there’s anything we can help with, just call the station. Even if it’s something small. We’re happy to help if we can.”

“Thank you.” James dragged his hands through his already mussed up hair.

“I thought the other boat owners would be around to help.”

A shadow of a smile passed over James’s face. “Keith was here, but he wasn’t much help. Then Joyce turned up. She kept blubbering and it was driving me mad. I snapped at the pair of them and told them to leave.”

Flynn smiled sadly.

“I know they mean well and were only trying to help. I shouldn’t have been so short with them.”

“I’m sure they won’t hold it against you, given the circumstances.” Flynn leaned against the door frame. “I assume you know them pretty well.”

He nodded. “Since I was a teenager. My parents used to be very fond of their little group of friends.”

“Used to be?”

“Apparently if you want to stay friends with people, you shouldn’t buy a yacht with them.”

“I heard it caused some tension.”

“Just a bit,” James said sarcastically. “They all got on so well when their friendship was limited to a meal every couple of weeks, and a weekend away every now and then. It was as though they didn’t really get to know each other until they bought the boat.

” He gave a subtle shrug. “My mum also got ill soon after they bought it, so I guess that didn’t help the situation. ”

“I’m sorry,” Flynn said softly, then glanced around the room. Clothes lay strewn across the bed, and open drawers displayed assorted papers and personal items. “Do you really need to do this now?”

“No. I could wait and do it back at St Ives, but I want it out of the way. Plus, I don’t like the thought that someone else might go through it.”

Flynn tensed. “They shouldn’t, since it’s not their property.”

“I’m not sure that would stop certain people.” He sighed. “Plus, it’s their boat.”

“Not entirely. Your dad owned an equal share of it, didn’t he? I’m assuming that share will pass to you?”

“As soon as it’s through probate, I’m selling it to Russell.” The bitterness in his tone was chilling. “I don’t want anything to do with it.”

“Do you get on with Russell?”

“I don’t mind him. It’s just the situation I’m not a fan of. And Joyce at this moment.”

“She cries a lot,” Flynn said. “It’s a bit much.”

“It is,” James agreed, standing and surveying the room. “That’s not the only reason she annoys me.”

“No?”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s stupid. I used to think she was this lovely, sweet lady and then my mum said something that put me off her. It’s funny how an off-hand comment can stick with you.”

Flynn pursed his lips. “I hope you’re going to tell me what your mum said and not leave me wondering.”

He chuckled and some of the tension left his features.

“Mum generally never said anything bad about anyone, but after a couple of glasses of wine, her tongue would loosen. She told me she didn’t trust Joyce, which I thought was odd.

Joyce seemed like the most trustworthy of the bunch of them to me. ”

A wistful smile hit his lips as though he was recalling the conversation.

“Mum said Joyce always tells people what they want to hear, which makes her come across as a nice person, but it means you can’t trust a word she says.

Kerry is loud and crass, but you always know where you stand with her.

You never have to wonder what’s going on in her head because she has no qualms about speaking her mind, regardless of who she might annoy or upset. ”

“It’s a valid point,” Flynn said.

“It was only a quick comment, but it made me see Joyce differently.”

“That makes sense.”

James groaned as he looked around.

“Are you sure I can’t do anything?” Flynn asked.

“No. I just need to get my head down and get it done.” He smiled at Flynn. “Thanks for stopping by.”

Flynn offered his condolences again before leaving. He ducked his head along the corridor and straightened up once he reached the galley. There, he stopped and listened.

The screech of gulls hit his ears first, along with the indistinguishable chatter of the fishermen. Quieter, but still easy to hear, was the steady slap of water against the boat. A boat engine hummed and footsteps sounded on the dock.

Even amid all that, Flynn was certain a large splash would stand out.

Never mind at night when the harbour was considerably quieter.

It bothered him as he left the boat. As did the fact that he couldn’t wander over and tell Lily about his chat with James and the feeling that she was right that someone on the boat should surely have heard Joseph enter the water.

He was rounding the corner onto Hugh Street when he noticed Glynis Ward walking slowly towards him.

“Hello!” he said, happy at the distraction from his thoughts. “It’s good to see you terrorising the streets again.”

She beamed. “If only! I’m so slow, I feel like a little old lady. Which I know is exactly what I am, but I never felt it before.”

“You look well, anyway. I’m sure you’ll be back to a heartier pace soon enough.”

“I will,” she said determinedly, then tipped her head. “Now tell me honestly, how much trouble am I in with Lily?”

His eyebrows pulled together. “How do you mean?”

“All this business with Maria. I assume Lily’s not happy with me for keeping it to myself?”

“Oh.” His smile slipped. “She isn’t happy with me either at the moment. I take it she approached Maria about the shop?”

“I assumed you’d already know.”

“I knew she suspected Maria owned the shop. That’s all.” It stung that she hadn’t mentioned it to him.

Glynis stared at him in confusion, then gave a small shake of her head. “She came over a couple of days ago to ask Maria about it. I was sleeping, but apparently things got a little heated and Lily was upset when she left.”

“So Maria does own the shop?”

Glynis nodded. “I encouraged her to tell Lily, but she wouldn’t hear of it, and it wasn’t my secret to tell.”

“Hmm.” Flynn sighed heavily. “Did Maria have any answers for Lily about her parents? Did she know them?”

“No. That’s what Lily was mostly upset about. It sounds as though she’d got it into her head that Maria was somehow connected to her parents.”

“I think she wanted that to be the case.” His heart sank at the thought that she’d been dealing with that revelation alone. No doubt that situation was another reason she’d thrown herself into the situation with Joseph’s friends.

“I’m on my way to speak to Lily.” Glynis touched his arm. “I called in yesterday, but she wasn’t there. Is everything okay between the two of you?”

He wasn’t sure how to respond. The easiest thing would be to say things were fine, but he didn’t have it in him to lie. “Things aren’t great,” he said eventually. “I’m sure we’ll work it out, though.”

“I’m sure you will.” She gave his arm a reassuring pat. “You take care.”

“You too,” he said as she ambled away.

Glancing along the road, he contemplated heading back to the station before deciding the sergeant wouldn’t mind if he took a little longer.

With a determined stride, he set off towards Glynis’s house. If he couldn’t get an account of the conversation from Lily, he’d get the information from Maria instead.