Page 17 of A Poisonous Plot

“That’d be good. Let me know if you do.”

He promised he would and told her he’d talk to her later.

Over the course of the day, Lily frequently reminded herself that Flynn would let her know if he found anything out. She tried calling the hospital herself but couldn’t get any information from the receptionist.

The sun was on its slow descent towards the horizon and Lily was curled in her armchair watching the waves roll onto Porthcressa Beach when she spotted Flynn wandering along the promenade in his uniform. In a flash, she was out of the chair and heading downstairs.

“Did you find anything out about Glynis?” she asked as she opened the door to the shop.

His grimace caused a deep sense of dread to unfurl in Lily’s stomach. “She’s in intensive care, so I couldn’t see her, but she’s not doing great.”

“She’s going to be okay, though?” She opened the door wider, but Flynn made no move to come inside.

“The doctor’s concerned about her heart.”

“What?” Lily frowned deeply. “I thought it was a stomach bug.”

“It’s not clear what it is, but it’s causing an abnormal heart rhythm. Though, the doctor said that could also be because of dehydration. They’re monitoring her for now and treating the symptoms. They’re also running some tests to figure out exactly what it is. And they have a helicopter on standby to take herto the mainland if she doesn’t improve in the next twenty-four hours. Or if things get worse.”

“That’s terrible.” Pressing a hand to her chest, Lily inhaled deeply. “I thought it was the same as what I had, but this sounds far worse.”

“Given her age, maybe whatever it is has just affected her more severely.”

Lily’s eyes bulged. “So you think I gave her this?”

“No.” He offered a sympathetic smile. “I wasn’t blaming you, but I asked when her symptoms started and it was the same night you were ill. Which seems like a weird coincidence. There’s no way to know for definite though, and it doesn’t really matter, anyway.”

“Except now I feel horribly guilty.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said, tilting his head. “And now that she’s in the hospital Glynis will probably be back to full health in no time.”

“I hope so.” She tipped her head. “Are you coming in?”

“I need to get back to the station, but I’ll talk to you later.”

As he walked away, Lily wrapped her arms around her middle and stared across the promenade at the deserted beach.

No matter what Flynn said, she knew guilt would continue to gnaw at her.

She only hoped Glynis would make a speedy recovery.

Chapter Eight

Worryingover Glynis gave Lily a disrupted night of sleep. Without a lot of hope, she called the hospital as soon as she woke to see if she could get any information. This time the receptionist on duty was much more sympathetic. While she wouldn’t go into details, she told Lily that Glynis’s condition was stable. That was a relief, at least.

According to hospital policy, only immediate family could visit her in intensive care, but as Lily ended the call, she’d already decided to try her luck in person later. First, she needed to collect her order from the garden centre.

A delivery on her doorstep made her stop on her way out of the door.

Curiously, she picked up the cellophane-wrapped basket to read the tag. The typed writing welcomed her to the island, but gave no indication of who it was from. Peering through the wrapping at the assortment of foods, Lily suspected it was from the owner of the shop. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d left something for Lily – there’d been a note when she’d first looked around the shop, and more recently a file containing ice cream recipes.

A pang of irritation gripped Lily as she returned inside to deposit the basket in the back room. If the owner wanted to be in touch, it would be much easier if she’d be upfront about it. The anonymous messages were getting tedious.

Putting it out of her mind, she set off across the island. Bright blue skies and gentle gusts made it a pleasant trip, which lifted her mood. She even felt a tingle of excitement about finally opening the shop.

It faded as soon as she reached the garden centre and was once again faced with the realisation that she didn’t really know what she was doing.

“It’s more than I thought,” she told Gordon, who had everything ready and waiting for her.

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