Page 8 of The Sunken Truth (Lily Larkin Mysteries #5)

Chapter Eight

The superintendent’s sharp features remained blank as he scanned the Old Town Inn with a critical eye.

Leaning back in his chair, he regarded the room with its solid oak tables and chairs, about half of which were occupied.

Finally, he took a sip of his pint and flicked his gaze to Flynn over his glass.

“I’m assuming this isn’t usually your first choice of pub.”

“There are two pubs on the island,” Flynn said flatly. “They’re both good.”

“Yes, but I’m assuming you didn’t bring me to your favourite.”

Flynn shrugged. “I like it here. If I go to the Mermaid Inn more, it’s because it’s closer to my place.”

“You didn’t want to take me there because you’re more likely to bump into people you know?”

He’d hit the nail directly on the head, but Flynn wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting it. He was also determined to remain calm, no matter how much the superintendent provoked him. And he had no doubt that his plan for the evening was to provoke Flynn .

“It’s hard to go anywhere on this island without bumping into people I know,” he said, then took a sip of his Coke.

“You didn’t fancy a beer?” the superintendent said.

Flynn shook his head. “I tend not to drink much. We’re unofficially on call around the clock over here.”

The superintendent wiped beer foam from his top lip as he set his glass on the table. “Sergeant Proctor tells me you settled in well.”

“Yeah.”

“You like it?”

“I do,” he confirmed.

“I’m surprised. I thought small town policing would drive you crazy.”

“I thought so too, but it’s grown on me.”

“Has that got anything to do with the woman at your place this evening?”

Flynn didn’t have an answer for that and merely shrugged.

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“No. Just a friend.”

“I see.” His smirk made the muscles in Flynn’s jaw tense up and he attempted to relax them while the waitress brought their food out.

They ate in complete silence, with Flynn having to force each mouthful down despite not having eaten anything since lunch.

“You’re not overly chatty this evening,” the superintendent commented eventually.

Flynn released a breath. “If I’m honest, I’m wondering why you’re here.”

“Fair question,” the superintendent replied, pushing his empty plate away from him. “I suppose I’ll be honest too. A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Sergeant Proctor singing your praises.”

“Oh?” Flynn said when the superintendent looked at him expectantly.

“I always thought Graham was a level-headed sort of person, so I’ll admit that it came as quite a surprise.” The mirth in his eyes made Flynn’s blood pump harder and he reminded himself of his intention to remain calm.

When he didn’t get a reaction from Flynn, he kept talking. “I thought I’d come and see how you were doing for myself. You’ll be back in London soon and our paths will cross from time to time. I wondered if we couldn’t smooth things over.”

Flynn’s eyebrows shot up. He glanced dubiously at his drink, wondering if someone had spiked it and he was hearing things.

“That would be good,” he said slowly. “Being over here has been a great experience for me. I’ve learned a lot from Sergeant Proctor. I know you and I haven’t seen eye to eye in the past, but I can promise you I’m dedicated to my job.”

“I can’t argue with that.” He looked as though he’d like to, though. “Listen, I’ll be here for a few days and I’ll be keeping a close eye on things in that time.”

“Okay,” Flynn said.

“I’m interested to see if what the sergeant said about you is right.”

With a glimmer of hope that he might have a shot of getting the superintendent on side, he nodded eagerly. “I appreciate you taking the time to visit.”

“It wasn’t just about you. I was doing the rounds of a few stations, and Graham always complains that they get overlooked out here.”

“I hope you’ll enjoy your visit,” Flynn said, then made a show of looking at his watch. “I start work early tomorrow so I might head off. Do you know your way to the hotel?”

“I’m sure I’ll manage.” He waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Flynn half-heartedly offered to get the bill and was happy that the superintendent insisted on getting it.

Walking out of the pub, he breathed a sigh of relief.

That had gone nowhere near as badly as he’d expected.