Page 53 of Dead in the Water

“She’s very pretty,” Lily said quietly.

“Who?” Russell asked, then noticed his phone. “Oh, Lisa? Yes. A beauty, she was. Passed away a year ago, but I think about her often.”

Lisa?Was he talking about Joseph’s wife?

“Come on, then.” Russell swayed slightly as he stood. “I should walk you home. It’s pitch black out there and they don’t seem to go in for streetlights in a big way here.”

“Umm…” Under normal circumstances, Lily would have insisted she was fine alone. But she’d really like to quiz him about the woman in the photo, and find out if it really was Joseph’s wife. She was sure Russell was harmless, but letting him walk her home in the dark seemed like a pretty foolish move.

Across the room, Sean cleared his throat. With his jacket on, he was clearly waiting to leave. He quirked an eyebrow when he caught Lily’s eye.

Beside her, Russell pushed his phone into his pocket, oblivious to Sean’s presence. “Just need to visit the gents,” he said, patting Lily’s arm as he passed her. “I’ll be right back.”

As soon as he was out of the room, Sean strolled over. “He’s walking you home?”

“The conversation was just getting interesting.”

“Okay, but you realise his motives for walking you home might not be purely about your safety.”

“I don’t think his motives are dodgy. I suspect he’s just a lonely guy who gets an ego boost from talking to young women.”

“I think it’s dodgy,” Sean stated flatly. “Tell him you’re fine alone. There’s no crime on this island, so it’s not as though it’s dangerous to walk home alone. Or I can walk you… I’m heading home anyway.”

“No offence, but that doesn’t seem like a less creepy option.”

He curled his lip in a playful scowl, but seemed to take the joke as it was intended.

“Could you do me a favour?” She kept an eye on the door, looking for Russell returning. “Could you follow us? Then I can continue the conversation but not have to worry about getting myself arrested for assault if he tries anything. Or I’ll at least have a witness to say it was self-defence.”

He smiled approvingly. “It’d actually be fun to see you beat up an old guy.”

“I don’t intend to beat him up. Not unless he does something inappropriate.”

“Okay. I’ll follow.”

“Be discreet.”

His smirk was all confidence. “You won’t know I’m there unless you need me.”

“Thank you,” she said, then moved to wait for Russell in the lobby.

He arrived at the same time as her and made an elaborate gesture towards the door. The air outside was pleasantly fresh, but not overly cool. Russell was entirely off balance as they descended the steps and Lily wondered whether he was even capable of walking her home, or if she’d end up having to deal with him passing out at the side of the road.

“Was Lisa your girlfriend?” she asked, breaking the silence and glancing up at the almost-full moon in a show of nonchalance.

“No.” He smiled fondly. “Just a friend. She was already taken when I met her.”

Lily nodded. Given how drunk he was, she wondered whether he’d even remember the conversation tomorrow.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking,” Lily said. “Was Lisa Joseph’s wife?”

His bark of laughter made her flinch. “Don’t miss much, do you?” he said amiably. “She was. Though what she saw in that strait-laced bore I’ll never understand. They seemed happy, though.”

“Have you always had that picture of the two of you on your phone?”

“No. That wouldn’t have gone down well, would it? Now that Joseph is gone I can remember her properly. We were good friends and now I can remember her without worrying about upsetting her husband.” He belched loudly and pressed a hand to his chest. “I thought your place was close, but it feels as though it got farther away.”

“Maybe because you keep veering from side to side,” Lily muttered under her breath before adding loudly, “Almost there!”

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