Page 53 of Death on the Rocks

“Does it? Vinny exploited women and was aggressive towards just about everyone he encountered. Is it really so shocking that someone hit back?”

PC Grainger stretched his neck and looked thoughtful. Presumably, he was searching for the most tactful way to remove Lily from the station.

“You’re not going to do anything about it, are you?” she asked with a sinking feeling.

Silently, he shook his head.

It didn’t matter, though. She’d told him everything she knew, and that was what she’d intended to do. She rose from the chair. At least she could leave with a sliver of dignity.

“Thank you for listening,” she said curtly, and was almost at the door when she gave up on the idea of a dignified exit. “If I could make one quick suggestion,” she said with a grimace.

He smiled with warm amusement. “Go on, then.”

“I’m absolutely not telling you how to do your job, so please don’t take it that way, but I think if I were you I would take a quick look through his things…” She trailed off as PC Grainger’s features visibly tensed. Maybe she’d gone too far, but it felt too late to backtrack. “I don’t see how it would hurt. If Vinny was up to something dodgy, you could probably find evidence on his laptop.”

She was talking quickly again, and was aware that it made her sound like some sort of paranoid, crazy person. The awareness didn’t help her slow down. “There’s probably a password, so I don’t know if you can somehow get around that, but you could at least look. Maybe it’s not password protected.”She paused and winced at the way PC Grainger was staring at her. “Sorry,” she said. “It was just a thought. Although maybe you’re not allowed to snoop through his things to look for evidence. Would that make it inadmissible or something?”

He snorted a laugh at that. “You’ve gone all CSI again,” he said lightly.

“About it being inadmissible, or the general idea of searching his things for evidence?”

He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Looking through his stuff would be my next step too.”

“So you will?”

“I already have.”

“Oh.” So he hadn’t entirely dismissed her previous concerns. “Did you get into his laptop?”

“No.” His eyes locked with hers in a way that made her self-conscious.

“Was it password protected? I imagine if you’re up to something dodgy, there’s no way you wouldn’t have a password.”

“You’d think so,” he said wistfully.

Lily searched his features. “You’re being cryptic. Was there a password, or not?”

He sighed heavily. “I really shouldn’t tell you this.” His words had a faraway quality, as though maybe he was thinking aloud. “I will absolutely regret telling you this…”

“Tell me what?” she demanded.

He scratched at his neck and looked annoyed with himself as he spoke his next words. “His laptop seems to have gone missing.”

Lily’s eyes widened as she hurried back across the room and dropped into the chair.

She had questions for PC Grainger. Lots of them.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Flynn had knownwhat would happen if he told Lily about the missing laptop. He’d known she’d make a fuss and ask questions he didn’t have the answers to. That she’d pin him with her judgemental stare and insist he investigate further.

Maybe that’s why he’d told her. Because he wanted someone to lecture him and rant about how he wasn’t doing his job properly. After hearing everything Lily had to say, he felt even more certain that he should do more. He should ask questions and look into the situation properly. There’d been a time when he’d have stuck to his convictions and worried about the sergeant later.

Then again, he’d never had a superior so unwilling to listen. And he’d never been in a position where doing the right thing would put his job at risk.

Ten minutes after Lily left the station, he was staring into space, trying to figure out his next move. He could follow her example and dig a little deeper. Ask questions and see where the answers led.

The phone on his desk rang, and he was grateful for the distraction.

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