Page 61 of Dead in the Water

“I don’t mind him. It’s just the situation I’m not a fan of. And Joyce at this moment.”

“She cries a lot,” Flynn said. “It’s a bit much.”

“It is,” James agreed, standing and surveying the room. “That’s not the only reason she annoys me.”

“No?”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s stupid. I used to think she was this lovely, sweet lady and then my mum said something that put me off her. It’s funny how an off-hand comment can stick with you.”

Flynn pursed his lips. “I hope you’re going to tell me what your mum said and not leave me wondering.”

He chuckled and some of the tension left his features. “Mum generally never said anything bad about anyone, but after a couple of glasses of wine, her tongue would loosen. She told me she didn’t trust Joyce, which I thought was odd. Joyce seemed like the most trustworthy of the bunch of them to me.”

A wistful smile hit his lips as though he was recalling the conversation. “Mum said Joyce always tells people what they want to hear, which makes her come across as a nice person, but it means you can’t trust a word she says. Kerry is loud and crass, but you always know where you stand with her. You never have to wonder what’s going on in her head because she has no qualms about speaking her mind, regardless of who she might annoy or upset.”

“It’s a valid point,” Flynn said.

“It was only a quick comment, but it made me see Joyce differently.”

“That makes sense.”

James groaned as he looked around.

“Are you sure I can’t do anything?” Flynn asked.

“No. I just need to get my head down and get it done.” He smiled at Flynn. “Thanks for stopping by.”

Flynn offered his condolences again before leaving. He ducked his head along the corridor and straightened up once he reached the galley. There, he stopped and listened.

The screech of gulls hit his ears first, along with the indistinguishable chatter of the fishermen. Quieter, but still easy to hear, was the steady slap of water against the boat. A boat engine hummed and footsteps sounded on the dock.

Even amid all that, Flynn was certain a large splash would stand out. Never mind at night when the harbour was considerably quieter. It bothered him as he left the boat. As did the fact that he couldn’t wander over and tell Lily about his chat with James and the feeling that she was right that someone on the boat should surely have heard Joseph enter the water.

He was rounding the corner onto Hugh Street when he noticed Glynis Ward walking slowly towards him.

“Hello!” he said, happy at the distraction from his thoughts. “It’s good to see you terrorising the streets again.”

She beamed. “If only! I’m so slow, I feel like a little old lady. Which I know is exactly what I am, but I never felt it before.”

“You look well, anyway. I’m sure you’ll be back to a heartier pace soon enough.”

“I will,” she said determinedly, then tipped her head. “Now tell me honestly, how much trouble am I in with Lily?”

His eyebrows pulled together. “How do you mean?”

“All this business with Maria. I assume Lily’s not happy with me for keeping it to myself?”

“Oh.” His smile slipped. “She isn’t happy with me either at the moment. I take it she approached Maria about the shop?”

“I assumed you’d already know.”

“I knew she suspected Maria owned the shop. That’s all.” It stung that she hadn’t mentioned it to him.

Glynis stared at him in confusion, then gave a small shake of her head. “She came over a couple of days ago to ask Maria aboutit. I was sleeping, but apparently things got a little heated and Lily was upset when she left.”

“So Mariadoesown the shop?”

Glynis nodded. “I encouraged her to tell Lily, but she wouldn’t hear of it, and it wasn’t my secret to tell.”

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