Page 18 of Death on the Rocks (Lily Larkin Mysteries #1)

Chapter Eighteen

She supposed the dead body had caused a lot of admin work for the small police force. Even if she did get through to them on the phone, they might not be able to come out immediately.

The solution she came up with was to retrieve the camera herself and take it to the police station. That way she could be sure the matter got the attention it deserved.

Her eyes landed on Oscar, cutting back a bush.

She’d have to wait for him to leave, so she could go back into the shed unnoticed.

Maybe the subterfuge wasn’t necessary but she couldn’t shake the notion that if there was a killer at large, it was surely better not to alert them to the fact that she was on to them.

The thought that someone at the B&B might have killed Vinny gave her a chill.

She couldn’t comprehend that any of them could really commit murder.

Perhaps it had been an argument that got out of hand.

That seemed more likely than anything premeditated.

Except, they’d stolen his camera first, so it clearly wasn’t entirely impulsive.

As far as Lily could tell, Oscar was regularly in and out of the shed.

Also, she could have sworn she saw a look of panic in his eyes at finding her in there.

Equally, he could just have been confused about finding a guest in the shed.

He’d also been quite open with her about being shaken up by Vinny’s death, so maybe that was what she’d seen in his features, rather than anything to do with the missing camera.

The Millers also had access to the shed. In fact, given that it was only secured with a sliding bolt, anyone could’ve hidden the camera in there. Maybe whoever did it, had done so entirely impulsively, and the shed was merely a convenient place to stash it in the short term.

Then again, the photos suggested whoever had stolen it hadn’t done it purely on impulse, but with a motive. Surely it would be a strange coincidence if the theft had nothing to do with the lewd pictures.

It occurred to her that if she’d known what was on the camera maybe she’d have stolen it too. Perhaps whoever took it had intended to pass it on to the police to investigate its contents.

Which begged the question of why they hadn’t done that. Had they been deterred by his death? Or had they broached the matter with him and the conversation had ended up with him dead?

That was, of course, if whoever took it was as repulsed by the photographs as she was. It was hard to imagine anyone not being, but it was also hard to imagine what kind of person took those kinds of photos in the first place.

One like Vinny, apparently.

“Are you sure you don’t want another coffee?” Oscar asked, appearing before her and breaking her thoughts.

“No, thanks.”

“I’m more than happy to grab you one before I head out… or something else to drink?”

She smiled politely as she declined again. “Are you leaving?”

“Yes. I’m done for the day. At least at this job. I have a shift at the Star Castle Hotel in an hour.”

Lily’s eyebrows rose. “You’re busy.”

“Keeps me out of mischief,” he said with a cheeky smile. “Anyway, I’ll probably see you tomorrow.”

She said goodbye and watched him disappear around the side of the house. Intently, she listened to him returning his gardening tools to the shed. As soon as it went quiet, she’d fetch the camera.

With a rush of adrenaline, she took tentative steps to the side of the house and caught sight of the back of Oscar before he disappeared along the lane.

Now was her chance. She’d grab the stolen goods and hand them in to PC Grainger with no one noticing.

“Hello, dear!” a friendly voice greeted her.

Turning, she tried to keep the disappointment from her face. “Hi, Mrs Miller.”

“Please…” She waved a hand in front of her face. “It’s Flora. I see you’re enjoying the garden.”

“Yes.” She took steps back towards the table and chairs.

“It’ll do you the world of good being out in the fresh air, even if it is such a miserable day.

Best not to keep yourself hidden away in your room.

Not after yesterday. We all need to keep our spirits up.

” She smiled sadly. “That sounds harsh, doesn’t it?

But life is for the living, isn’t that what they say?

And seeing death so close puts life into perspective.

We need to make the most of every moment.

Don’t let what happened yesterday stop you from enjoying your holiday. ”

“I’ll try not to,” she said, deciding not to mention that she wasn’t really on holiday.

A holiday implied some sort of break from everyday life.

She didn’t have a normal life to take a break from.

It occurred to her briefly that inheriting enough money that she might never need to work again may not be quite the luxury it sounded.

Having to work would probably be a good thing.

It would give her life some structure at least.

Broken from her thoughts, Lily frowned at the sound of Alanna’s high-pitched voice as she joined them on the patio.

“This weather is unbelievable,” she said, glaring at Mrs Miller as though it was entirely her fault. “I feel like a prisoner. We even tried to book a helicopter to get off the island, but they refuse to fly, same as the planes. It’s ridiculous. I’ve suffered a trauma and I want to go home.”

“It’s dangerous to fly in this weather,” Mrs Miller said. “But fog like this never stays long. Especially not in the spring. It’ll be a few days at the most.”

“ A few days! ” Alanna shrieked, then switched her gaze to Marc, who was leaning in the doorway. “She says it might take a few days. What are we going to do for a few days?”

He shrugged. “Just wait, I guess. What else can we do?”

Lily could empathise about waiting. How long would she have to wait for everyone to clear out so she could get back into the shed?

Since it didn’t seem it was going to happen anytime soon, she slipped away from the continuing conversation about the weather and went up to the relative peace of her room.

Half an hour later, she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and shifted to the door to better hear the conversation between Alanna and Marc.

“I can’t do anything about the weather,” Marc was saying patiently. “And since your attempt at bribing the helicopter pilot didn’t work, I’m not sure what else we can do.”

“My nerves can’t take this.” Alanna’s voice was only just audible through the door. “I swear I’m going to have a breakdown.”

“We’ll be home before you know it,” Marc said. “Why don’t you get on with writing that post about Vinny for your followers…”

Lily caught Alanna saying something about her fans missing her before the voices trailed off. Moving to the window, she spotted Mr and Mrs Miller in the garden – heads bent together as they chatted by the wall. That thwarted her plans to go back to the shed.

To kill some time, she set out in search of food. She spent an hour in a cafe at the other side of the island, and the daylight was fading when she returned to the house.

Bypassing the front door, she slipped stealthily around the side of the house and made straight for the shed. Quietly, she slid the bolt and opened the door. She’d be in and out within moments, then walk straight back to Hugh Town and the police station.

Except when she moved the plant pots aside, there was no sign of the camera.

Against logic, she pushed her hand into the corner and fumbled around as though she might have just missed it.

Nothing.

Frantically, she moved around the shed, checking every inch of shelf space.

Still nothing.

The camera was gone.