Page 29 of Death on the Rocks (Lily Larkin Mysteries #1)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

WEDNESDAY

After another night of disturbed sleep, Lily woke feeling defeated. Yesterday’s investigative attempts had provided more questions than answers, and at some point in the night she’d become entirely frustrated with herself for spending so much mental energy on it.

If the police didn’t deem it worth their time, why was she so determined to look into it?

Deep down, she knew the answer. It was the same reason she’d spent the last six months searching for an ice cream shop. She needed to keep her mind occupied to keep her from dwelling on the fact that she was all alone in the world with no idea what to do with her life.

Making a plan for her life would be a more sensible use of her time. Or she could use her remaining time on the island for a holiday. She could spend a few days relaxing and then go back to Truro and find herself a job to give some structure to her life.

The idea of a holiday didn’t spur any warm feelings. Especially when she pulled the curtains back and took in the thick fog which remained, hanging in the air like industrial smog. In a place renowned for its natural beauty, the weather made it difficult to get out and take in the sights.

Her phone pinged with a notification and she sank back on the bed as she opened her email. She’d signed up to Alanna’s blog and had a notification about a new post. Idly, she clicked the link.

Her shoulders tensed as she read the title: Heartbreak of Vinny’s Final Photographs.

It went on to describe how upsetting it had been for Alanna to look through Vinny’s most recent photos on his camera.

She’d uploaded a selection. Lily cringed as she peered at the ones she’d chosen to share.

All of Alanna. Given the circumstances, she could probably have chosen some scenes of nature, but apparently that hadn’t occurred to her.

Looking again, Lily realised she’d seen some of the photos before. When she’d found the camera in the shed. Which meant…

With a quick shake of her head, Lily went back to read the blog post again. It stated that Alanna had ‘the heartbreaking task’ of poring over Vinny’s camera the previous day.

When would she have had access to his camera?

Oscar had found it and handed it to the Millers, who had passed it to the police.

Had PC Grainger returned it to Alanna? He’d said it would be given to Vinny’s sister with the rest of his things, but maybe he’d let Alanna have it.

It seemed like an odd move, but then again so did not investigating his death properly.

Lily stretched her neck, contemplating. Maybe she should leave it alone. Even with the miserable weather, she should be able to find something to do that didn’t involve tying herself in knots trying to make sense of a situation that only made her more confused at every turn.

Her stomach rumbled, giving her the nudge she needed to get moving and go in search of food. When her conversation with Mrs Miller came back to her, she decided finding breakfast elsewhere would probably be a good idea.

Sadly, her attempt to slip out of the house unnoticed didn’t quite work out. Mrs Miller seemed to be waiting for her and popped out of the breakfast room as soon as her foot hit the stairs.

“Good morning,” she said, a slight quiver in her voice.

“Morning,” Lily replied with a polite smile. “I don’t need breakfast today, thank you.”

Mrs Miller didn’t respond until Lily reached the foot of the stairs. “I don’t blame you,” she said quietly. “But if you have a moment, I would like to speak to you.”

“I was just heading out,” Lily said.

“Please.” Mrs Miller tipped her head towards the living room. “I won’t keep you for long.”

With an impatient sigh, Lily changed course. As she passed the breakfast room, she spotted Marc sitting alone with a coffee in front of him. He looked up from his phone to give her a friendly smile.

In the living room, Mrs Miller closed the door behind them and Lily perched on the edge of the sofa.

“I wanted to apologise for yesterday,” Flora said.

“Okay,” Lily replied.

“I feel terrible.” Flora sank onto the arm of the couch. “I snapped at you and I shouldn’t have done. I barely slept for thinking about how rude I was.”

“I think we’re all a bit on edge at the moment.”

Flora managed a weak smile. “The weather isn’t helping. Being cooped up isn’t good for anyone.”

“I’m sure it will clear soon,” Lily said.

“About that,” Flora said. “According to the weather forecast, the fog should lift overnight tonight. I know our other guests are keen to leave as soon as possible, so I just wanted to check that you’re still planning to stay until Friday?”

“Yes,” Lily said slowly. “Is that a problem?”

“No, no,” Flora said quickly. “It’s not a problem at all.

It’s only that I’ve been desperate to see my daughter.

I’ve booked myself and my husband on the ferry tomorrow morning.

You’ll be here alone for your final night, but I’ve asked my neighbour to pop in and cook your breakfast. And if there’s anything else you need, I’ll leave her number.

That wouldn’t be a problem for you, would it? ”

“No.” Having the place to herself sounded like absolute bliss. “That’s fine.”

“Perfect. That’s all I wanted to tell you. And I’m sorry again for yesterday. I wasn’t myself.”

“Really, it’s fine.” Lily couldn’t ignore the look of despair in Mrs Miller’s features. “Are you okay?” she asked, giving the words the weight of a genuine enquiry rather than a polite nicety.

Mrs Miller wrung her hands in front of her.

“My nerves are a little fraught, that’s all.

I’m sure some time away is all I need.” She paused and caught Lily’s eye.

“I’m concerned about my husband, too. He’s been out of sorts recently.

You weren’t there, but he shouted at Mr Roth the other day.

It was so unlike him. It was like something snapped inside him. ”

Lily thought back, trying to recall the incident which she’d secretly watched from her window. Given the way Vinny had provoked him, she actually thought Mr Miller had been quite controlled.

“That’s why I got so upset yesterday when you suggested the police should investigate further,” Flora added.

“Why would that bother you?”

She shrugged. “If they ask more questions, it will come out that Rodney had argued with Mr Roth. It might look bad, I suppose.”

“But…” Lily frowned, stunned by the turn of the conversation. “You don’t think…”

“No,” Flora said quickly, before a flash of uncertainty hit her eyes. “No.” More firmly this time. “Of course not. It’s only that he was embarrassed about losing his temper, so I’d hate for him to have to relive it and have to answer police questions about it.”

“It’s normal that people lose their temper from time to time. I’m sure they’d see it for what it was.” Another thought struck her. “He was here in the house with you when Vinny died, so it’s not as though anyone could accuse him of anything.”

“Yes,” Mrs Miller said, the uncertainty returning to her voice. “We were together.”

Lily’s heart rate increased as she eyed Flora intently. “He was with you, wasn’t he? You sound as though you’re not sure.”

“He was here.” She nodded firmly but didn’t meet Lily’s eye. “Here with me the whole time.” The smile she gave Lily looked entirely forced. “Are you sure you don’t want breakfast?” she asked, her tone overly sunny.

“No, thank you.”

After watching Flora scuttle back to the breakfast room, Lily ventured to the front door with her mind whirring even more than it had been before.