Page 32 of Dead in the Water (Lily Larkin Mysteries #4)

Chapter Thirty-Two

After a fitful night, Lily cursed herself for sleeping longer than she intended.

The hotel check-out was ten o’clock, so she hoped she still had plenty of time before the group was at the boat.

After pulling on a pair of denim shorts and a T-shirt, she left her flat and the shop, intent on finishing the search of the boat that she’d started yesterday.

Maybe it was because she was still half asleep, but the sun dazzled her as she rushed along the promenade. At the top of the harbour steps, it felt especially blinding as the bright rays reflected off the tips of waves like a million blinking lights.

Swiftly but carefully, she made her way down the steps to the jetty. Her eyes scanned the boat as she approached it, but there were no signs of life. Nor was there anyone in the immediate vicinity.

Being caught snooping for the second time in two days would be hard to explain away. She couldn’t worry about that though. Time was ticking and this was her last chance to uncover anything untoward.

Slipping below deck, she moved stealthily along the corridor to Keith and Joyce’s room.

With a sense of urgency, she began blindly searching through every drawer and cupboard.

Like Kerry’s room, it was mostly clothes, toiletries and assorted trinkets.

Trying not to cause too much of a disturbance, she moved quickly and methodically.

Finally, she found a binder of paperwork at the bottom of the wardrobe and felt a brief stab of hope. It was quickly dashed as she skimmed through the documents – passports, and copies of birth certificates, bank records and vaccine certificates.

Nothing of interest to Lily.

There must be something. That became her mantra as she moved to search Russell’s room. If there was anything sinister going on she needed to find evidence.

And quickly.

Waking early, Flynn felt unsettled from the moment he opened his eyes.

He wasn’t entirely sure why he ended up at the harbour when he set off for a walk before work.

Probably because he couldn’t visit Lily.

Apart from anything else, he was dying to know if she’d found out anything more about the boat owners.

They’d be leaving today.

Apparently not anytime soon since there didn’t seem to be any sign of them on the boat. He contemplated stepping aboard to check if any of them were down below, but he hesitated.

There was no reason for him to be there, and he couldn’t even think of an excuse for his visit.

Maybe once they’d left and that whole situation was out of the way, Lily would be ready to speak to him again.

Not being around her felt like a constant ache, and he couldn’t help but wonder whether he was making a mistake by insisting they should only be friends.

For once in his life, he wasn’t being impulsive, and he wasn’t thinking only of himself.

Why did it still feel as though he was getting everything wrong?

A noise from the boat snapped him from his thoughts and he whipped his head towards the sound – a muffled bump. There was someone on board after all. Not that it mattered. He needed to get back home and change for his shift.

After a couple of steps, his attention was drawn to the group of people descending the harbour steps.

The three men carried a collection of small suitcases while Kerry and Joyce walked ahead with only handbags.

Apparently the noise on the boat hadn’t come from a person.

Something had probably shifted with the swell of the waves.

“Hello,” Joyce said as they approached him. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” He smiled warmly. “You’re gearing up to leave, are you?”

Kerry nodded. “At least the weather is on our side, even if not a lot else has gone right for our trip.”

“Heading straight back to St Ives?”

“Yes,” Joyce said, glancing at her husband, who arrived at her side. “It’ll be good to get home.”

“I’m sure. How long’s the trip?”

“We’ll be home by dinnertime,” Vic said. “If we get going soon, anyway. Was there anything else you needed from us?”

“No. I was just out for a walk.” He glanced around, hoping no one would point out that the jetty was an odd place for a stroll.

“We’ll say goodbye then,” Vic said, stepping around him with a suitcase in each hand.

“If there’s nothing else?” Joyce asked, her upper lip twitching as she smiled. “I mean, everything with Joseph is… umm… you don’t need anything from us? We can just go?”

“Of course,” Flynn said. “We have your details if anything else comes up.”

“Yes,” Joyce said. “And I just wanted to say thank you for everything. It’s been a difficult trip. I still can’t believe what happened. You don’t think about such terrible accidents happening to people you know, do you? But everyone has been so nice. We really appreciate everything you’ve done.”

“You’re welcome,” Flynn said while Kerry took Joyce by the elbow and ushered her onto the boat. After wishing them a safe trip, he wandered back along the jetty.

He ignored the urge to look back until he was halfway up the harbour steps. Then he stared at the boat.

Leaving with one person less than they arrived with must be hard to deal with.

That was probably the reason for the weird vibes Flynn had got from them.

Even if there was more to it, they were about to leave.

Lily clearly hadn’t found anything of any substance, or she’d have been in touch – with the sergeant if not with him.

There was nothing more to do other than get on with his shift and hope they hadn’t overlooked anything suspicious about Joseph Whittaker’s death.

Lily had felt pretty stealthy until she’d snagged a cable opening a drawer in Russell’s room and knocked a small lamp to the floor.

Thankfully, it hadn’t broken. Setting it back in its place on the vanity table, her eyes landed on a scrunched-up receipt.

Carefully, she unfurled it and her eyes widened at the price he’d paid for a couple of items of jewellery.

Presumably, a gift for Kerry. Possibly what she’d found in her room.

The thought of the two of them sneaking around behind her husband’s back gave Lily a feeling of deep despair over how deceitful people could be.

With her eyes on the receipt, she considered again how odd it was for Russell to bargain so hard over the price of Joseph’s share of the boat. It didn’t make sense, especially after what James had said about him paying the full amount.

Folding the scrap of paper again, Lily replaced it and contemplated her next move. As well as being fruitless, her search felt desperate and risky.

The group could arrive at the boat at any moment. She should really leave and avoid awkward questions.

She’d tried her best. At least she could say that much.

Stepping into the corridor, she walked automatically to Kerry and Vic’s room.

After opening the door, she paused. She’d already searched it so she felt as though she was clutching at straws.

As she debated whether it was time to give up, her eyes landed on the door at the corner of their room. The en suite, presumably.

Swiftly, she crossed the room. The bathroom was compact with a toilet and sink and a cubicle shower. A quick search of the cupboard under the sink didn’t reveal anything and there was nowhere else to look unless she wanted to root through their washing.

Briefly, Lily stared at the washing basket.

Then she was back in the bedroom, opening the slim cupboard with the hats. Her eyes went to the bundle of washing at the bottom. Except it wasn’t really a bundle.

Lily pulled the white shirt out and gave it a quick shake out. Why was one shirt scrunched at the bottom of the cupboard?

It took a few second for her to notice the stains. Just a few spots along the chest.

Squinting, Lily took a closer look.

Maybe it was nothing.

But if it was nothing why wasn’t it in the wash basket with the rest of the laundry?

A chill went all the way down Lily’s spine. She needed to get off the boat and hand the shirt over to the police. They could check to see if the stains were as dubious as she suspected.

Out in the hallway, voices from the dock had her freezing in place. Despite not being able to hear anything clearly, she would swear one of the voices was Flynn’s.

She couldn’t tell if her increased heart rate was caused by his proximity, or the thought that she was about to be caught trespassing.

It would probably be a good time to pop out and make her presence known.

She could say she’d just ducked inside to look for them and she’d have Flynn around for support if any of them took issue with it.

On the steps up to the galley, she instinctively flattened herself against the wall when someone entered from the other side. Her slightly lower position kept her out of sight.

Except she shouldn’t be out of sight. She was supposed to give up with the sneaking around and get herself off the boat before she made herself even more suspicious. The stairs didn’t make a sound when she ascended a step. Her eyes dropped to the shirt in her hands.

How would she explain that?

Briefly, it crossed her mind to put it on. She could knot it at the waist and they may not think anything of it. On second thoughts, she hastily tied it around her waist while trying not to dwell on the fact that it may well have Joseph’s blood on it.

She was all set to reveal herself when Joyce’s voice reached her loud and clear from the galley.

“My heart can’t take this! I just lied to a police officer.”

Instinct had Lily backtracking into the hallway without making a sound. What had she just heard?

“I can’t believe it,” Joyce went on in her shrill, manic tone. “I lied to his face. What’s happened to me?”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Kerry said. “Let’s just get out of here and put this miserable time behind us.”

“But I lied,” Joyce said, an air of disbelief in her tone. “Do you think he knew I was lying?”

“Let’s put it this way,” Vic said. “I don’t think you should get any ideas about a career in acting.”

“Kerry’s right,” Keith said. “We should get out of here. We’ll all feel better when we’re away from this place.”

“I’ll put my luggage away,” Russell said. “Then we’ll set off.”

Panicking, Lily began walking backwards. If they were about to set sail, she really needed to get off the boat, but she couldn’t bring herself to give up on her investigations when she felt so close to a breakthrough.

“Why don’t you put your things in Joseph’s cabin?” Kerry said, just as Lily slipped into the nearest cabin – Joseph’s.

Leaving the door slightly ajar, Lily glanced around the bare room while her brain tried to come up with a plan to get her out of this situation.

When nothing came to mind, it seemed her only option was to face them. She could still claim she’d been looking for them, even if it was entirely unbelievable. It didn’t really matter what they thought as long as she got herself off the boat.

Surely they wouldn’t call the police on her. Especially not with Joyce so distraught about just having lied to the police.

What had she lied about? Lily needed more time to figure it out.

She was out of time, though, and psyching herself up to reveal herself when Joyce’s distressed voice reached her ears.

“Please don’t,” she said desperately, while a bustle of footsteps increased in volume. “Not so soon. It feels all wrong to take his room.”

They were heading right for Lily. Her heart felt as though it might burst from her chest.

“But it’s the biggest room,” Kerry grumbled. “Russell is our skipper now. You don’t seriously expect him to stay in that tiny box of a cabin when the captain’s room is free.”

“It seems disrespectful,” Joyce said.

“Maybe you could just hold off for a few days,” Keith put in. “When things aren’t so raw.”

“It’s also not fair for Russell to get the biggest room.” Joyce’s voice was quieter now. “There’s only one of him.”

“You already have a double cabin,” Kerry retorted, the shape of her visible through the crack in the door.

“A very small double cabin!”

“Please don’t start this again,” Kerry said. “You’ve been gunning for that room since Lisa died. You’re very selfish sometimes. Also, why do you want all the hassle of moving rooms? Keith likes your room as it is, don’t you, Keith?”

“It’s fine,” Keith mumbled. “Joyce would really like the bigger room, though.”

“She’s made that very clear,” Kerry said. “But it’s disrespectful to Russell. You realise we wouldn’t be able to keep the boat if it weren’t for him?”

“I actually don’t care,” Russell said dully. “If Joyce and Keith take the bigger room, I can have theirs.”

“Nonsense.” Kerry’s tone was firm. “You’re the captain, you get the bigger cabin, that’s all there is to it. Wouldn’t that be better for you anyway, Joyce? You can kick Keith out into the single room when he’s snoring.”

“The snoring isn’t so bad,” Joyce said.

“Anyway,” Kerry went on, talking over her. “Let’s put the luggage away and set sail. All hands on deck in ten minutes. How about that?”

As the door began to open, Lily panicked and took a step back into the empty wardrobe. If they were sailing in ten minutes, that gave her ten more minutes before she needed to be off the boat. She’d figure out how to go about that when the time came.

Thankfully, the sliding door of the wardrobe didn’t creak when she pulled it to conceal herself.