Page 73 of Dead in the Water

He ignored the urge to look back until he was halfway up the harbour steps. Then he stared at the boat.

Leaving with one person less than they arrived with must be hard to deal with.

That was probably the reason for the weird vibes Flynn had got from them.

Even if there was more to it, they were about to leave. Lily clearly hadn’t found anything of any substance, or she’d have been in touch – with the sergeant if not with him. There was nothing more to do other than get on with his shift and hope they hadn’t overlooked anything suspicious about Joseph Whittaker’s death.

Lily had felt pretty stealthy until she’d snagged a cable opening a drawer in Russell’s room and knocked a small lamp to the floor. Thankfully, it hadn’t broken. Setting it back in its place on the vanity table, her eyes landed on a scrunched-up receipt. Carefully, she unfurled it and her eyes widened at the price he’d paid for a couple of items of jewellery.

Presumably, a gift for Kerry. Possibly what she’d found in her room.

The thought of the two of them sneaking around behind her husband’s back gave Lily a feeling of deep despair over how deceitful people could be.

With her eyes on the receipt, she considered again how odd it was for Russell to bargain so hard over the price of Joseph’s share of the boat. It didn’t make sense, especially after what James had said about him paying the full amount.

Folding the scrap of paper again, Lily replaced it and contemplated her next move. As well as being fruitless, her search felt desperate and risky.

The group could arrive at the boat at any moment. She should really leave and avoid awkward questions.

She’d tried her best. At least she could say that much.

Stepping into the corridor, she walked automatically to Kerry and Vic’s room. After opening the door, she paused. She’d already searched it so she felt as though she was clutching at straws. As she debated whether it was time to give up, her eyes landed on the door at the corner of their room. The en suite, presumably.

Swiftly, she crossed the room. The bathroom was compact with a toilet and sink and a cubicle shower. A quick search of the cupboard under the sink didn’t reveal anything and there was nowhere else to look unless she wanted to root through their washing.

Briefly, Lily stared at the washing basket.

Then she was back in the bedroom, opening the slim cupboard with the hats. Her eyes went to the bundle of washing at the bottom. Except it wasn’t really a bundle.

Lily pulled the white shirt out and gave it a quick shake out. Why was one shirt scrunched at the bottom of the cupboard?

It took a few second for her to notice the stains. Just a few spots along the chest.

Squinting, Lily took a closer look.

Maybe it was nothing.

But if it was nothing why wasn’t it in the wash basket with the rest of the laundry?

A chill went all the way down Lily’s spine. She needed to get off the boat and hand the shirt over to the police. They could check to see if the stains were as dubious as she suspected.

Out in the hallway, voices from the dock had her freezing in place. Despite not being able to hear anything clearly, she would swear one of the voices was Flynn’s.

She couldn’t tell if her increased heart rate was caused by his proximity, or the thought that she was about to be caught trespassing. It would probably be a good time to pop out and make her presence known. She could say she’d just ducked inside to look for them and she’d have Flynn around for support if any of them took issue with it.

On the steps up to the galley, she instinctively flattened herself against the wall when someone entered from the other side. Her slightly lower position kept her out of sight.

Except she shouldn’t be out of sight. She was supposed to give up with the sneaking around and get herself off the boat before she made herself even more suspicious. The stairs didn’t make a sound when she ascended a step. Her eyes dropped to the shirt in her hands.

How would she explain that?

Briefly, it crossed her mind to put it on. She could knot it at the waist and they may not think anything of it. On second thoughts, she hastily tied it around her waist while trying not to dwell on the fact that it may well have Joseph’s blood on it.

She was all set to reveal herself when Joyce’s voice reached her loud and clear from the galley.

“My heart can’t take this! I just lied to a police officer.”

Instinct had Lily backtracking into the hallway without making a sound.What had she just heard?

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