Page 72 of Dead in the Water

After a fitful night,Lily cursed herself for sleeping longer than she intended. The hotel check-out was ten o’clock, so she hoped she still had plenty of time before the group was at the boat. After pulling on a pair of denim shorts and a T-shirt, she left her flat and the shop, intent on finishing the search of the boat that she’d started yesterday.

Maybe it was because she was still half asleep, but the sun dazzled her as she rushed along the promenade. At the top of the harbour steps, it felt especially blinding as the bright rays reflected off the tips of waves like a million blinking lights.

Swiftly but carefully, she made her way down the steps to the jetty. Her eyes scanned the boat as she approached it, but there were no signs of life. Nor was there anyone in the immediate vicinity.

Being caught snooping for the second time in two days would be hard to explain away. She couldn’t worry about that though. Time was ticking and this was her last chance to uncover anything untoward.

Slipping below deck, she moved stealthily along the corridor to Keith and Joyce’s room. With a sense of urgency, she began blindly searching through every drawer and cupboard.Like Kerry’s room, it was mostly clothes, toiletries and assorted trinkets. Trying not to cause too much of a disturbance, she moved quickly and methodically.

Finally, she found a binder of paperwork at the bottom of the wardrobe and felt a brief stab of hope. It was quickly dashed as she skimmed through the documents – passports, and copies of birth certificates, bank records and vaccine certificates.

Nothing of interest to Lily.

There must be something. That became her mantra as she moved to search Russell’s room. If there was anything sinister going on she needed to find evidence.

And quickly.

Waking early, Flynn felt unsettled from the moment he opened his eyes. He wasn’t entirely sure why he ended up at the harbour when he set off for a walk before work. Probably because he couldn’t visit Lily. Apart from anything else, he was dying to know if she’d found out anything more about the boat owners.

They’d be leaving today.

Apparently not anytime soon since there didn’t seem to be any sign of them on the boat. He contemplated stepping aboard to check if any of them were down below, but he hesitated.

There was no reason for him to be there, and he couldn’t even think of an excuse for his visit.

Maybe once they’d left and that whole situation was out of the way, Lily would be ready to speak to him again. Not being around her felt like a constant ache, and he couldn’t help but wonder whether he was making a mistake by insisting they should only be friends. For once in his life, he wasn’t being impulsive, and he wasn’t thinking only of himself.

Why did it still feel as though he was getting everything wrong?

A noise from the boat snapped him from his thoughts and he whipped his head towards the sound – a muffled bump. There was someone on board after all. Not that it mattered. He needed to get back home and change for his shift.

After a couple of steps, his attention was drawn to the group of people descending the harbour steps. The three men carried a collection of small suitcases while Kerry and Joyce walked ahead with only handbags. Apparently the noise on the boat hadn’t come from a person. Something had probably shifted with the swell of the waves.

“Hello,” Joyce said as they approached him. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” He smiled warmly. “You’re gearing up to leave, are you?”

Kerry nodded. “At least the weather is on our side, even if not a lot else has gone right for our trip.”

“Heading straight back to St Ives?”

“Yes,” Joyce said, glancing at her husband, who arrived at her side. “It’ll be good to get home.”

“I’m sure. How long’s the trip?”

“We’ll be home by dinnertime,” Vic said. “If we get going soon, anyway. Was there anything else you needed from us?”

“No. I was just out for a walk.” He glanced around, hoping no one would point out that the jetty was an odd place for a stroll.

“We’ll say goodbye then,” Vic said, stepping around him with a suitcase in each hand.

“If there’s nothing else?” Joyce asked, her upper lip twitching as she smiled. “I mean, everything with Joseph is… umm… you don’t need anything from us? We can just go?”

“Of course,” Flynn said. “We have your details if anything else comes up.”

“Yes,” Joyce said. “And I just wanted to say thank you for everything. It’s been a difficult trip. I still can’t believe what happened. You don’t think about such terrible accidents happening to people you know, do you? But everyone has been so nice. We really appreciate everything you’ve done.”

“You’re welcome,” Flynn said while Kerry took Joyce by the elbow and ushered her onto the boat. After wishing them a safe trip, he wandered back along the jetty.

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