Page 73 of A Poisonous Plot

A sound from the garden had Lily’s ears pricking.

“Hello?” Arthur called questioningly.

Automatically, Lily ducked down despite already being out of view.

“Lily,” Flynn said weakly, as he lowered himself to lie flat on his back. With a feeble arm movement, he pressed a button on his walkie-talkie, but his hand fell away and his eyes closed before he could manage any more.

“Good idea,” Lily said, then frowned as Arthur called out again, his voice louder now. “Okay,” she murmured, peering at the walkie talkie. “I can figure this out. Press this button, right?” Moving her face close to the device, she whispered frantically. “We need help. There’s been an accident. We’re on the Isles of Scilly at Arthur Penrose’s house. PC Grainger has been poisoned. You need to get in touch with Sergeant Proctor and send him here. And an ambulance too. To Arthur Penrose’s house. Quick! Also, I’m turning the radio off so you don’t speak and give us away. I need to keep us hidden.”

She clicked the radio off before she removed her fingers from the button, hoping someone had heard the message.

“Is someone there?” Arthur’s voice was close now and Lily’s heart rate went crazy. Flynn’s arm twitched and she clutched at his hand while pressing her other hand to his cheek, which was worryingly pale.

“Don’t you dare die on me,” she said, her voice a hushed whisper. His eyes opened the tiniest slit and relief flood through her. His hand squeezed hers.

“You’re not going to die,” she told him, annoyed at herself for panicking when she needed to stay calm and reassure him. As his eyes closed again, she moved her mouth beside his ear. “It’s going to be fine,” she whispered. “You’ll sleep for a few hours, and then you’ll wake up as though nothing happened. I’ll take care of everything until then. There’s probably an ambulance on the way already, and Sergeant Proctor will be here any moment, I’m sure of it.”

At least she hoped so. But what if the message hadn’t gone through? She could get Flynn’s phone and call Sergeant Proctor. Or she could call the station from her own phone. She was reaching into her pocket when the greenhouse door opened wider, screeching on its tracks.

“What’s going on?” Arthur asked, filling the doorway with his large frame.

“Flynn is hurt.” Lily stood to put herself between Flynn and Arthur. “I need to get him out of here.”

Arthur might be bigger than her, but Lily knew how to handle herself. Her uncle had always made sure of it.

Slowly, Arthur shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t let you go anywhere.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Arthur’s lipswere parted as he stared at Lily. The piercing shriek of the door as he closed it behind him sent a shiver up Lily's spine. She could definitely defend herself against him. If it were a case of incapacitating him for long enough for her to do a runner, she wouldn’t be at all worried.

The problem was, it wasn’t herself she was worried about. It was Flynn, passed out on the floor, that had her heart racing and her brain searching for the best way out of the situation.

“Why are you in my greenhouse?” Arthur asked, while his hands fumbled in the pockets of his fleece jacket. “And what did you do to PC Grainger?”

Lily squinted, slightly concerned about what he was searching for in his pockets. “You can’t have expected to get away with it forever,” she said. “You must have known you’d get caught at some point. This needs to stop now.” She looked him right in the eyes and he tilted his head as though trying to figure out what to do with her.

She shifted her gaze to Flynn, comforted by the steady rise and fall of his chest. Maybe the effects really might not be as bad as with Gordon. Maybe he’d only be unconscious for a few moments.

If he could wake up about now, it would be helpful.

“Is he okay?” Arthur patted the pockets of his jeans, then scratched his head.

“Yes,” Lily said confidently. “He’s okay, and we need to make sure he stays that way. If you help him, everything will be better for you. You can apologise for what you’ve done, and things won’t be so bad. We really need to get him medical attention, though.” She pressed her lips together, hoping the tactic would work.

“Yes,” Arthur said. “He needs an ambulance. What did you do to him?”

“I didn’t do anything,” she said. “He touched your plant.”

“Which plant?”

She pointed, hoping she wasn’t being foolish by drawing attention to the potential weapon in the room.

“Another sleeping beauty.” Arthur’s eyes widened as he took a step towards it. Then his gaze flicked to Flynn. “His hand is bleeding.”

“I know,” Lily said. “He needs an ambulance.”

“Yes.” Arthur patted his chest, then unzipped his jacket and reached inside to pull out his mobile. “I’m going to call Sergeant Proctor. He’ll come and arrest you, and he’ll send the ambulance. PC Grainger will be fine.”

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