Page 4 of Death on the Rocks

“Well I hope you have a good week.” He took a step away from her. “I’m Kit, by the way. I own the tourist train that runs around the island.”

“I read about that.” She recalled the flyer in her room with his smiling face on it. So that was why he felt so familiar. “It looks fun.”

His lips twitched at the corners. “It’s the number one rated thing to do on St Mary’s. Definitely not to be missed.”

“I’ll check it out,” she told him, raising a hand to wave as he backed away.

Turning back to the shop, she sucked in a deep breath. She’d found it. And her memories were real.

And the fact that there’d been a fire was just a coincidence. Wasn’t it?

Now, more than ever, she longed to speak to her uncle.

Dropping dead of a heart attack in his mid-fifties, leaving her all alone in the world and with a bunch of unanswered questions about her childhood, had been very inconsiderate of him.

Chapter Three

After a quick lunchin a cafe by the harbour, Lily made the gentle walk back across the island. Approaching the bed and breakfast, she spotted the gardener, Oscar, standing beside the low stone wall. With his head bent, he chatted to a girl around his age. Her sweep of long dark hair cast her face in shadow, intensifying her scowl as she spoke in a rush. She jabbed Oscar in the centre of his chest, punctuating whatever she was saying. Slowing her pace, Lily waited for them to notice her.

“He’s a creep,” Oscar snarled. “We should go to the police and tell them everything. He should be locked up.”

“I don’t care about that,” the girl said. “I just want––” Her head snapped to Lily. “Hi,” she said, her features softening.

“Hello.” Oscar rocked back on his heels and stepped casually away from his friend. “Have you been exploring the island?”

Lily nodded and moved automatically to the garden gate. “I had a wander around Hugh Town and got some lunch. Did the guy’s camera turn up?”

Oscar’s cheeks pinked, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other while his friend took a sudden interest in the gravel by her feet, pushing a couple of loose stones with the toe of her scuffed trainer.

“Not yet,” Oscar said. “He thinks someone might have slipped into the garden and stolen it, but we were all here and no one saw anything.”

“I’m sure it will turn up,” the girl said. “I better go.” She glared at Oscar, then wandered away down the lane.

“It’s a work camera,” Oscar said, leaning against the wall, then immediately straightening up again. “I guess that’s why he’s freaking out. He needs it for the job. He takes photos for Alanna’s blog. She’s kind of famous, I think. I hadn’t heard of her but Katie follows her blog.” He tipped his head in the direction of his retreating friend.

“Hopefully he just put it down somewhere without thinking,” Lily remarked. “I do that with keys a lot.”

Oscar cast a glance at the house. “Flora called the police to report it. Which seems premature if you ask me, but she said when it comes to guests she has to do everything correctly. Vinny’s not happy, though. He says he doesn’t want to spend his time dealing with the bizzies. He seems to have an issue with police in general. But then…”

“What?” Lily asked, jutting her chin out.

“Nothing.” He waved a hand dismissively. “I guess no one wants to have to deal with the police on holiday, even if it is a working holiday.”

“Yeah.”

Oscar’s eyebrows drew quickly together. “We don’t usually have problems like this. Thefts and whatnot. There’s hardly any crime on the island. As you can tell by the fact that the police officer arrived ten minutes after Flora called. They’re not exactly snowed under with work.”

“The police are already here?” Lily asked.

“Yes. Out in the garden. The scene of the crime.” His eyes flashed mockingly.

Lily took steps along the front path. “I didn’t think staying in a quiet little bed and breakfast would include so much drama.”

“It’s honestly not usually like this.” He tipped his head in a farewell gesture when she reached the front door.

Inside, the sound of raised voices drifted along the hallway. Slipping straight upstairs, Lily placed her backpack on the bed before tiptoeing to the window to reclaim her viewing spot.

Down in the garden, the small group stood around the table on the patio – Alanna and Marc at one side, and Flora and Rodney on the other. The uniformed police officer held court at the head of the table, his gaze following Vinny, who paced like a bee buzzing around the group.

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