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

Chapter Five

With his feet free, Flynn rolled up his trouser legs, then dangled his legs in the water and groaned at the blissful coolness.

“I’m not sure you’re supposed to enjoy yourself quite that much when you’re on duty,” Lily quipped. She’d flung her flippers onto the boat and climbed the ladder to sit beside him. “Whose boat is this?” she asked, peeling her wetsuit down to her waist.

“It belongs to the owners of the hotel. They’ve been feeding me sandwiches and trying to coax me into drinking shots with them.” He glanced behind as the three women laughed raucously. “I’d never have imagined a shipwreck would be such a cause for celebration. Find any gold, by the way?”

“Not yet.” She closed her eyes against the sun and smiled brightly.

“What’s it like down there? I’m imagining a scene from a Disney film with an almost perfectly preserved ship, sitting regally on the sand.”

“And divers swimming in through portholes to swim around the captain’s quarters?”

“Yeah.”

“In your imagination, do the divers also have mermaid tails?”

“Yep. And there are singing sea creatures.”

“It’s not exactly like that.”

“When you say not exactly… there are singing sea creatures, right? A grumpy crab or two?”

She laughed, and the sound made his stomach flutter. “The seabed is all stirred up, so visibility is terrible. I could just about make out what I believe is a boat’s mast and possibly a part of a ship’s deck. Mostly I could see silt and seaweed.”

“You had a good time, though?”

“I had a great time.”

“Hungry?” Seren called from Ted’s boat.

“Starving.” Lily jumped up and took a sandwich from the box Seren held out. Then her eyes slid to the women on the higher deck, and she waved sheepishly. “Sorry,” she said.

“Not at all,” the blonde woman said. “You’re very welcome. Can I tempt you to a tequila shot?” She raised the bottle and her gaze roamed over the others in Ted’s boat. “Who wants one? Kit Treneary come over here and have a drink with us!”

“We’re only having a lunch break,” he said cheerfully. “Then we’re going back into the water.”

“What’s your point?” the woman said, then fell into fits of laughter with her friends.

Lily came back to sit beside Flynn with a sandwich in each hand. “No wonder I caught you contemplating jumping overboard,” she whispered in his ear .

He knocked his shoulder against hers, then lowered his face to take a bite of her sandwich.

“You said you already ate!” she chastised.

“I did.” He chewed slowly. “That was purely to annoy you.”

She held his gaze, and her eyes sparkled. “I’m not sure anything could annoy me today.”

“Be careful… that sounds like a challenge to my ears.”

“I really don’t think even you can annoy me,” she said cockily.

A sudden influx of small waves rolled up to the boat, soaking Flynn’s trousers where they were rolled at his knees. When he cursed, Lily reached down and splashed more over his face.

Smiling, he stood. “You realise I’m an officer of the law, doing a very important job?”

“I actually wouldn’t have guessed that.”

As more waves rushed at the boat, Flynn finally looked up and registered the speedboat bobbing on the waves and heading slowly in their direction. He spotted Sergeant Proctor first, then the superintendent beside him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Flynn muttered while hastily rolling his trouser legs down. Not bothering with his socks, he shoved his bare feet into his boots.

“Uh oh!” Lily said merrily. “Sergeant Proctor caught you flashing your calves. You’re in trouble now.”

Ignoring her, Flynn pulled his shirt straight and locked eyes with the superintendent.

“PC Grainger,” he said as the boat bobbed on the waves.

Flynn flicked his chin. “Superintendent Brand. Good to see you again.” The blatant lie felt toxic in his throat and his reaction to seeing his superior was visceral and all-consuming. The man was on a mission to ruin Flynn’s life and so far he’d been doing a great job of it.

“I see policing over here is a little different from London. Not so much time for sunbathing back there. We stay in uniform when on duty, too.”

Flynn’s heart raced erratically. The desire to grab the nearest object and fling it at the superintendent was intense. Probably not the best idea, though. Especially since the nearest object was an oxygen tank.

“Just trying to keep cool,” Flynn said, feeling as helpless as a small boy.

The superintendent tipped his head. “As I say, things are a little different here.”

“It’s hot,” Lily piped up. “Surely you don’t have a problem with him keeping cool. He’s not much good to anyone if he collapses from heat stroke.”

A quick glance confirmed Flynn’s suspicion that everyone on the surrounding boats was watching the exchange.

“I have no problem with officers keeping cool,” the superintendent said, eyes sliding over Lily in a way that had Flynn’s fingers itching to grab the oxygen tank.

“I would just expect them to use their brain and keep cool by placing themselves in some shade.” He looked pointedly at the cover on the top deck.

“Everything all right out here?” the sergeant asked, smiling reassuringly at Flynn.

“Yes. Nothing to report.”

“No one’s found gold yet?”

“Not yet,” Flynn said.

“I’m giving the superintendent a tour of the islands,” he said. “I’ll see you back at the station later.”

Flynn barely breathed as the boat moved away again, slowly at first, then picking up speed when they were away from the dive site.

“Who was that?” Kit asked, while Lily’s questioning gaze held the same question.

“Superintendent Brand. He’s visiting the islands for a few days.”

“How come?” Seren asked.

Flynn shrugged. “Just checking in, I guess.”

“He’s not very friendly,” Lily said, concern in her eyes that hit him deep at his core. The last thing he needed was her sympathy.

“He’s kind of hot, though,” Keira quipped. “He’s got the broody and smouldering expression perfected.”

Seren chuckled. “He’s like fifty or something!”

“Yeah, but he looks good for it. He clearly works out.”

Forcing a smile, Flynn moved to the edge of the boat, closer to Kit and Seren. “I reckon it’s a bit pathetic that none of you found gold.”

“Maybe we did,” Seren said, leaning in to whisper. “But anyone with an ounce of sense wouldn’t bring it up here. Maybe we just moved it so we can come back for it when no one’s looking.”

“I see.” Flynn forced himself to concentrate on the banter. “So you’ll bring the treasure chest up later and stick it on eBay?”

Seren’s eyes widened in a comical show of offence. “No chance. We’ll keep it at home. Make a secret treasure room where we sit and examine our treasure from time to time.”

“That sounds pointless,” Keira said. “I want to sell my share. I’ll be putting it on eBay like Flynn says. He clearly knows a bit about shifting ancient gold.”

“Absolutely,” he joked. “It’s an area of expertise for me.” Grinning widely, he turned back to Lily .

The look she gave him made his chest ache. Because while he might have fooled the others with his light-hearted chatter, the intensity of her gaze told him she could see straight through it.