Page 38 of Death on the Rocks (Lily Larkin Mysteries #1)
Chapter Thirty-Eight
From Lily’s point of view, PC Grainger seemed to grow about a foot as he stepped into the windowless room with a large desk at one side and a small table with a few plastic chairs at the other.
“Sorry to disrupt your schedule,” he said to the captain in a tone that commanded the attention of everyone in the room. “Hopefully, I won’t keep you long.”
“Happy to help,” the captain said, while looking utterly torn, as though he wanted to be annoyed but was responding instinctively to PC Grainger’s manner. “Should I…?” He indicated the door.
“You can stay,” PC Grainger said, before briefly scrutinising each of the other people in the room.
“Is there a problem?” Alanna asked haughtily. “Because we’ve been wanting to get away from these islands for days and I’d appreciate you not messing things up now that the weather is cooperating.”
“I’ve no desire to hold anyone up,” PC Grainger said.
“Unfortunately, we do have a problem, though.” A frown wrinkled his forehead, giving him an even sterner demeanour.
“As you may guess, it’s concerning the death of Mr Vincent Roth.
Sadly, what initially appeared to be a tragic accident may not have been that at all.
” He paused, seemingly observing the reactions in the room.
Lily did the same, noticing the quiet gasp from Mrs Miller and the way Alanna bit down on her lip as she wrung her hands.
“What on earth are you suggesting?” Mr Miller asked.
“I don’t like to suggest anything,” PC Grainger replied. “I’m informing you that we’re launching an investigation into Mr Roth’s death. We’re no longer satisfied it was an accident.”
“You think someone killed him?” Mr Miller asked.
“Oh, my god,” Alanna whispered, clutching at Marc’s arm.
“Murder?” Flora’s voice came out high-pitched. “You can’t be serious?”
Deadly, Lily thought and stifled a laugh at her inappropriate sense of humour. Then she kept her gaze firmly on PC Grainger since focusing on his fierce demeanour seemed the best way to ward off an extremely inappropriate fit of the giggles.
“We’ve already been gathering evidence,” PC Grainger informed those in front of him. “Once the forensic team is involved, it shouldn’t take long to build a clear picture of the exact nature of Mr Roth’s death.”
“Why did you stop the boat?” Oscar asked, a protective arm around Katie, who’d lost all the colour from her cheeks.
“Given that you were all in contact with the deceased in the days leading up to his death, we will need to interview you all more thoroughly.”
“So we’re stuck here?” Alanna asked. “You’re saying we’re not allowed to leave?”
“I don’t think he’s saying that.” Marc slipped an arm around Alanna’s waist while his eyes went to PC Grainger. “Are you?”
“I won’t be forcing anyone to stay,” PC Grainger replied levelly. “But given the gravity of the situation, I’m asking you all to stay on the island voluntarily while we carry out our investigation.”
Good move, Lily thought. As inconvenient as it was, anyone who was innocent shouldn’t put up too much of a fuss about staying.
“I just want to see my daughter,” Mrs Miller said through a sob. “And my grandchildren. Is that too much to ask?”
“You can,” Rodney told her. “He said it was voluntary. That means we can still go if we want.”
“You are absolutely at liberty to leave if you choose,” PC Grainger said, still sounding utterly calm and in control.
“However, we would be extremely grateful for your cooperation with our investigation. And, as I mentioned, once the forensic team is involved, we expect to get answers quickly. If any of you have failed to mention anything which would contribute to the investigation, it would be in your own interests to amend that now.”
“Oh, my goodness!” Mrs Miller covered her face with her hands momentarily. Then removed them to glare at her husband. “You have to tell him everything.”
Rodney stared back at her.
“Just tell him the truth and we’ll figure it out together.”
“The truth?” Mr Miller said, doing a fantastic impression of a man who had no clue what his wife was talking about.
“About where you were when Vinny died,” Mrs Miller said. “You lied to the police. But all lies come out, eventually.”