Page 13 of The Sunken Truth

“Or maybe the superintendent has something to hide. Maybe Flynn knows stuff about him and he’s trying to keep him quiet.”

“You’d think he’d be nicer if Flynn has secrets about him.”

“True.” She grimaced. “I hate talking about him behind his back.”

“I’m not a fan of it either. Surprisingly, I’ve come to really like Flynn. That’s the only reason I’m saying anything. I’d like to help him, but it’s difficult to know how when he won’t talk about it.”

“Maybe he’ll open up,” Lily mused, more to herself than to PC Hill. “We just need to be there and support him until he feels he can.”

“Thanks.” He patted her arm. “That’s good advice. You take care.”

“You too,” she murmured as he walked away.

Her stomach tightened thinking that Flynn was going through a tough time and wouldn’t share it with anyone. It also bothered her that he didn’t feel he could talk to her.

That wasn’t a productive line of thought, though. What she’d said to PC Hill was true – she just needed to be there for him.

Even if he didn’t want to talk.

Chapter Seven

Once the shopwas closed for the day, Lily nipped to the supermarket for drinks, then headed to Flynn’s place. He buzzed her in and was waiting in the open doorway to his flat on the first floor.

“Hey,” he said, eyebrows knitted together. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Thought you might fancy a drink.” She held up a six-pack of his favourite local beer.

“You should have messaged. I was planning on an early night.”

“It’s eight,” she said. “That’s extreme.”

“Yeah, well, I was just going to chill for a bit and go to bed.” He looked pointedly down at his grey joggers and white crewneck T-shirt. “I’m not exactly dressed for entertaining.”

“You don’t need to entertain me. And I reckon I’ll survive your casual attire.” She smiled as she waltzed past him and into the living room. After setting the beers on the coffee table, she looked back at Flynn, who hadn’t moved from the doorway and still had his hand on the handle.

“You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want,” she saidwith a sigh. “I just got the feeling you weren’t having a good day, so I thought maybe you’d like a drink and some company.”

“I won’t be good company,” he said sadly.

“You don’t need to be.” The anguish in his eyes cut right through her and she wished she knew how to get him to open up. Surely, whatever was going on would be easier to deal with if he talked about it.

Slowly, he closed the door. He’d only taken one step towards her when the doorbell rang. With a small shake of the head, he pressed the button to buzz whoever it was into the building.

“Are you expecting someone?” Lily asked.

“I’d hazard a guess and say it’s Sergeant Proctor or PC Hill. Apparently, everyone feels the need to check up on me this evening.”

Lily smiled. “You could just be thankful that you have such good friends.”

He managed a small smile and Lily took it as a win.

Footsteps sounded in the hall as soon as Flynn opened the door.

“Ah,” a deep voice said. “There you are. Do you usually just buzz people in without checking who it is?”

Flynn’s shoulders tensed. “I’m usually pretty good at guessing who it is, but I’m starting to think that using the intercom is a solid idea.”

Superintendent Brand stepped into view and looked into the flat.