Page 68 of Dead in the Water

“That’s what you’re paying her for.” Seren stood too. “Don’t forget your wine.”

“Do you want it?”

“It’d be wasted on me.” She put it in Lily’s hand.

“Me too. I’m more likely to drown my sorrows with it than save it for a special occasion.”

“At least you’ll be drowning your sorrows in style.” Seren smiled and called goodbye as she wandered away.

Looking down at the bottle, Lily felt an overwhelming surge of self-pity. What with the situation with Flynn, and thedisappointing conversation with Maria, things definitely hadn’t been going her way recently.

There was also her fruitless investigation.

She had no shortage of reasons to drown her sorrows.

Chapter Thirty

As hard as she tried,Lily couldn’t put Joseph’s son out of her mind. It felt like the one piece of the puzzle she hadn’t tried, and she knew it would niggle at her if she didn’t take one last stab at figuring out if there was more to Joseph’s death than an unfortunate accident. James would be on the boat clearing out his dad’s things and she could easily make an excuse to stop by.

Jessica had already said she enjoyed the extra responsibility, and didn’t bat an eyelid when Lily asked her if she’d be okay alone again. When she had a twinge of unease at leaving Jessica alone so much, she told herself she’d never worked a job where she’d preferred it when the boss was around. Leaving Jessica to manage things was probably doing her a favour.

At the top of the harbour steps, she looked down at the boat tied up at the end of the floating jetty. She’d expected someone to be on deck. Surely, while James was clearing out his dad’s things, the rest of the boat’s occupants would be around for moral support.

Or maybe he’d wanted to be left alone.

A memory of clearing out her uncle’s flat came back to her. When he’d died, Lily hadn’t told any of her friends, so there’dbeen no offers of moral support. Not that she’d have taken them up on it, anyway. It felt like a job she’d had to do on her own.

Her stomach tightened as she thought of the paperwork she’d uncovered while going through his things. It was a good thing shehadbeen alone – she had no idea how she’d have explained it all.

Shaking the unhelpful thoughts away, she walked slowly along the jetty while rehearsing what she might say to James. She wanted to tell him she’d met his dad and see where the conversation went. In her head, James was as warm as Joseph had been, but maybe he’d have a less open personality, and striking up conversation wouldn’t be so easy. Especially given that he was grieving. Maybe he wouldn’t be keen on chatting with a stranger.

“Hello!” Lily called when she reached the boat.

The lack of reply wasn’t overly surprising. Nor did it deter Lily. She stepped aboard and headed down the few steps into the galley, where she shouted hello again.

All was silent as she ventured further into the boat.

Joseph’s door was open and Lily frowned when she looked inside. Several cardboard boxes and a suitcase sat beside the vanity table. Every surface was bare and the bed stripped.

Lily must have missed James.

She cursed herself for not coming sooner.

Glancing further along the hall, she made a split-second decision.

The door to Kerry and Vic’s cabin opened soundlessly when Lily pressed the handle.

A sequinned cream blouse hung on a cupboard door, and a few more items of clothing were strewn on the bed. The small vanity table was bursting with perfume bottles and various lotions.

Her heart rate increased as she craned her neck to check the coast was clear in the hallway.

All was silent.

She’d surely hear if anyone came back to the boat.

Opening the cupboard with the blouse hanging on it, she faced a solid wall of clothing. For a small space, Kerry really knew how to pack a lot in.

Closing the door quietly, Lily pulled the door of a slim cupboard. Her eyes darted over the selection of hats – mostly men’s – each on their own shelf. At the bottom was a bundle of washing. Quickly, she moved to the drawers. She didn’t know what she was looking for, but closed each drawer again immediately when all she found was clothes. A drawer below the vanity table held a couple of small, velvet-covered jewellery boxes. Instinct had Lily opening them each in turn. One held a gold necklace with a large sapphire. The other had matching earrings.

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