Page 23 of Death on the Rocks (Lily Larkin Mysteries #1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Walking at a brisk pace, Lily reached Hugh Town quickly.

As she passed Mr Greaves’ office, her mind briefly flicked to the other mystery – of why the owner of the ice cream shop was intent on shrouding herself in secrecy.

She’d come back to that conundrum later.

First, she had a destination in mind for a late lunch.

The Star Castle Hotel sat high on the hill, overlooking the harbour, and reached by a steep, narrow lane.

With a choice of restaurants, Lily opted for the one in the conservatory and admired the twisted grape vines which hung overhead.

On a sunny day it must have been stunning, but the lingering fog gave a cold feel despite the temperature being comfortable.

There was no sign of Oscar, but Lily kept an eye out while she tucked into her salmon salad. She declined coffee and dessert, choosing instead to pay her bill and explore the rest of the hotel.

The bar seemed a good place to sit and observe. A few people were seated nearby, and more came and went through the reception area.

Lily was almost at the bottom of her sparkling water when she finally spotted Oscar crossing the foyer. With his phone in his hand, he was too distracted to notice Lily, and she kept her gaze on him as he hovered by the reception desk.

After tapping away on his phone, he raised it to his ear then paced a few steps back and forth before shoving it roughly into his pocket.

With hunched shoulders he left quickly through the main entrance.

Lily offered the waiter a quick smile of farewell as she snatched her bag from beside her feet and made a dash for it.

Oscar hadn’t gone far. He leaned against the stone wall, staring at the boats bobbing in the harbour below.

“Hey!” Lily called cheerfully as she approached.

His fingers drummed against his thigh when he turned, and it took a moment for recognition to hit his eyes. “Oh, hi.”

“I had lunch in the restaurant,” she told him.

“Nice,” he muttered and turned away again.

Lily moved to stand beside him. “I heard you found Vinny’s camera.”

“Yeah.” He paused before saying more. “Do you think that sometimes things work out as they’re supposed to?” His voice had a faraway quality, as though he was thinking out loud.

“Maybe,” she whispered, but he didn’t seem to be waiting for a reply.

“Like sometimes when people die, it’s for the best…”

Unsure how to respond, Lily merely gave a quiet hum of acknowledgement.

He shook his head and looked at her. “I’m not saying he deserved to die or anything… but…” He cleared his throat. “Some people… well, some people aren’t very nice. Maybe Vinny wasn’t very nice?” It came out as a question and he was suddenly staring at Lily as though she might have all the answers.

“Maybe.” She smiled sadly. “I only encountered him a couple of times, but I didn’t find him at all pleasant.”

“I think he hated women,” Oscar said, looking towards the horizon again. “And I think he was a bully.”

Lily nodded. “I saw your girlfriend earlier,” she told him.

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said, surprise wrinkling his forehead.

“The girl I saw you with the other day…”

“Katie?” His eyes bored into Lily’s. “Where was she?”

“At the B&B. She looked upset.”

He swore under his breath. “When was this? Where is she now?”

“I don’t know. She was leaving when I saw her.”

“And she was upset?”

“She was crying. I think she’d been talking to Alanna.”

He swore again and pressed a button on his phone before holding it to his ear. “She won’t answer my calls,” he muttered.

Lily had a whole bunch of questions, but what she really wanted to know was if he’d been the one to steal the camera and if he knew about the missing memory card. Before she could ask a question, a tall woman stalked out of the hotel entrance and called out to Oscar.

“The room service won’t deliver itself,” she bellowed. “Are you working today or not? Because I’d appreciate it if you could get your head out of the clouds.”

Oscar moved the phone from his ear but continued to stare at it in his hand. “No. I can’t work today.” His gaze flicked up to the woman. “I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well. I have to go.”

The woman shouted after him, but he didn’t look back as he rushed away down the steep street.

Lily followed him, but he broke into a run. By the time she reached the lane at the bottom of the slope, she’d lost sight of him entirely.