Page 12 of The Sunken Truth (Lily Larkin Mysteries #5)

Chapter Twelve

Outside the sergeant’s office, Flynn reminded himself that the superintendent was likely to be around. Which meant he knocked and waited, rather than walking straight in.

At the sound of the sergeant’s voice, he pushed the handle and slowly opened the door.

“Hi,” he said, smiling at the sergeant and acknowledging Superintendent Brand with a flick of his chin.

“You were up and about early this morning,” Sergeant Proctor remarked. “I was surprised to get your message first thing.”

“Kit and Seren were heading out to the dive site at sunrise, so I thought I’d get a ride out with them.”

“How are things out there?” the sergeant asked.

“It’s been an interesting morning,” Flynn said, leaning against the sideboard and trying to pretend the superintendent wasn’t there.

The sergeant sat up straighter. “Many boats around?”

“Aside from us, just two… the two dive schools. Apparently visibility was much better this morning. They said the wreck was quite clear. One guy from the dive school”– he ch ecked his notepad for the full name – “Ryan Simmons. He claims he found an artefact down on the seabed.”

“That must have caused some excitement.” The sergeant grinned. “What was it?”

“He’s not sure. Some sort of small metal box.”

“Couldn’t he bring it up?”

Flynn shook his head. “There was a problem with his air supply. He had to surface quickly.”

The smile vanished from Proctor’s face. “Was he hurt?”

“No. He was with Lily, and she shared her oxygen with him. But it could’ve gone very badly.” Flynn hesitated for a beat. “It looks as though someone cut his hose. Not just the main one. The backup too.”

Silence descended on the room.

Sergeant Proctor stiffened, his expression darkening as he leaned forwards. “Someone cut his air hose while he was underwater?”

Flynn nodded. “That’s how it looks. There’s no fraying on the hose, no signs of wear. It’s a clean cut – like someone took a blade to it.”

“Bloody hell,” the sergeant muttered. “It could have been fatal. If someone really cut his hose, that’s attempted murder.”

Superintendent Brand said nothing, but his eyes locked on Flynn, unblinking.

“Did Ryan see who did it?” the sergeant asked, more forcefully now.

“No. He was focused on the artefact. And once he touched the seabed, a cloud of sand went up. Everyone reported the same – that he was surrounded by sediment when it happened.”

Sergeant Proctor exhaled slowly, one hand pressing against the desk like he needed something solid. “There’s no chance this was an accident? ”

“Not from what I saw and heard,” Flynn said.

“Any idea who might’ve done it?”

Flynn hesitated, flicked a glance at Superintendent Brand. “Ryan pointed a finger at the other dive school owner.”

“Harry Wright?” Sergeant Proctor said, his brow creasing deeply.

“You know him?”

“Yeah. Him and Ryan have had a rivalry for years. The friendly kind though, nothing serious. At least not as far as I could tell. But this…” He shook his head. “This is serious.”

Flynn nodded. “It didn’t feel friendly out there today. Harry swore he had nothing to do with it. Even offered to let me search the boat to prove he hadn’t taken any artefact.”

“Did you do a search?”

“No. Ryan didn’t want it in the end. He’s convinced Harry would have taken the artefact and hidden it underwater to retrieve later.”

The sergeant frowned. “No one went back down to look for it?”

“They all seemed to think it wouldn’t be worth it since the visibility was so low. Plus, everyone had jobs to get to.”

“I had a hunch that shipwreck might cause some issues,” the sergeant remarked. “But I never imagined anything like this.”

“I’m not sure where to go from here,” Flynn said. “There was no clear evidence of who did it, but something else seemed odd…” He tilted his head. “Do you know a man named Eustace Tremayne?”

“Yes. Completely eccentric and must be nearly a hundred years old. Lives over on Bryher. Don’t tell me he was out on the water… he barely leaves his house.”

“He wasn’t there, but apparently he’s been offering a cash reward for anyone who brings him anything from the wreck. He claims he has ten grand in cash at his house for anyone who brings him gold.”

The sergeant massaged his temples. “That sheds new light on the incident this morning. A cash reward certainly makes things more interesting for any treasure hunters.”

Finally, the superintendent spoke. “How much is the gold worth?”

“Who knows,” the sergeant replied. “Legally, you have to hand it in. Whoever finds it would get some payment related to the value of the item. But it could take a while to get the payout and there’s no telling how much it would be.”

“Which would make ten grand very appealing,” Flynn said.

“Yes,” Sergeant Proctor agreed.

The superintendent sat up straighter. “lt’s pretty stupid to announce he has ten thousand in cash at his home.”

For a moment, the sergeant stared at him blankly. “We don’t have robberies here,” he said eventually.

“Never?”

“Hardly ever.” Sergeant Proctor looked thoughtful. “I don’t remember any.”

“Seriously? There are no break-ins?”

“It wouldn’t even require a lot of breaking,” Flynn said. “Since most people don’t bother locking their doors.”

The sergeant braced his forearms on his desk. “What’s Eustace playing at?” he mused.

“Apparently, he claims to be related to the captain of the Isles Fortune.”

“Now that you mention it, I’ve heard him telling that story before. If it’s true, he might actually have a right to any goods that went down with the ship.”

“How do we find that out?” Flynn asked.

“By the end of the day we’ll be descended on by historians and other experts. No doubt they’ll have information for us.”

“What do you want me to do in the meantime? Should I get back out to the dive site and monitor things there?”

“No. I’ll send PC Hill out. I’m expecting a call any minute to say we have to close it to the public. Which would make life easier for us.” He leaned back in his chair. “Could you pay Mr Tremayne a visit? Clarify that he shouldn’t be offering to buy historical artefacts.”

“Sure.” Flynn nodded eagerly.

“After that, you can start asking questions and find out what happened on the dive this morning. We need to find out who sabotaged the diving equipment.”

Flynn hid his surprise and nodded curtly. “I can do that.”

The superintendent raised an eyebrow. “If you want that properly investigated, you could request a detective or two to come out here. It sounds as though it might warrant it.”

“PC Grainger can look into it,” the sergeant said firmly. “I find it’s easier to get information if we keep things low key. That’s if you feel comfortable looking into it?” he asked Flynn.

“Absolutely.”

“On his own?” Superintendent Brand asked.

The sergeant’s eyes were on Flynn. “Radio in if you need assistance. I’m sure you’ll be fine, though. Check in later and let me know what you find.”

“Will do,” Flynn said.

He left with a smile on his face.

Finally, he had something interesting to work on. Not to mention the ego boost of hearing the sergeant had so much faith in him.

Presumably, Sergeant Proctor knew him well enough to know he had no intention of investigating it alone.