Page 8 of Death on the Rocks

The police officer gave a subtle shrug. “Because if you entered her room without permission, I’m not sure your accusation of assault is going to hold up. Especially as it’s going to be your word against Lily’s.”

“You must have seen her?” he said, a definite edge of panic in his voice.

“I didn’t see anything. I just heard shouting and came up here to find you uninvited in this woman’s room. Now, I’m wondering if Lily would like to make a complaint about you…” His gaze slid to her.

“I just want him out of my room,” she said.

“I’m going,” Vinny huffed.

The officer stood aside, then watched Vinny cross the landing.

“Thank you,” Lily said.

Again, the officer shrugged, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

It wasn’t just that he looked bored by his job, Lily realised. He looked like someone who was bored by life. Like he was going through the motions without taking any real interest in anything.

“Does this work?” he asked, tapping the lock on her door.

“Yeah.”

“Make sure you use it. And if he gives you any more trouble, call the station.” He pulled a card from one of many pockets in his black stab vest.

Taking it, she looked for his name, but it only contained the address and phone number for the Isles of Scilly police station. “Thanks… officer…?”

“It’s PC.” His small smile brightened his features. “Flynn Grainger.”

Chapter Six

Followingthe incident with Vinny that afternoon, Lily hadn’t been keen to hang around the B&B. She headed back out to explore a few of St. Mary’s beaches and after a couple of hours of aimless wandering, she ended up in the pub at the harbour for dinner.

Having finished her meal, Lily remained sitting at the bar. The pub had a nautical theme, with shipping and fishing artefacts decorating every inch of space. It was a feast for the eyes, but Lily kept her focus on her phone, pretending to be engrossed so she could listen in on a nearby conversation without being noticed.

“He’s an absolute disgrace,” the red-headed barmaid was saying to the young woman opposite her. “You can’t be a policeman in a small community and act like that.”

“He’s off duty,” her friend replied across the bar. “Surely he can do what he wants. It’s not as though there’s a law about police officers getting drunk and sleeping around… as long as it’s on their own time.”

The barmaid leaned on the bar. “It seems very unprofessional to me.”

“Because you’re used to squeaky clean Sergeant Proctor.”

“They couldn’t be more different, could they?” The barmaid’s gaze shifted across the room to where PC Grainger was sitting at a table for two with a pint in front of him and a slender young blonde opposite him. Their hands met on the table and the woman pawed at the back of his fingers like an attention-hungry feline.

“How does he do it anyway?” the barmaid asked, lowering her voice even further. “That’s the third woman I’ve seen him with and he’s only been on the island for a month.”

“Do you think it might be because he’s gorgeous?” the woman asked mockingly. “It could also be something to do with the uniform.”

“He’s not in uniform now,” the barmaid pointed out. “And I don’t think he’s that good looking.”

“Are you serious?” The woman’s voice rose before she caught herself and switched back to hushed tones. “He’s stunning. The colour of his eyes is insane.”

“Fine, he’s fit, but his personality is sadly lacking.”

The friend, sitting just a couple of bar stools over from Lily, grinned mischievously. “I’d guess his lady friend this evening isn’t overly concerned by his conversational skills.”

“True.” The barmaid straightened up and glanced again at PC Grainger. Almost immediately she leaned back on the bar. “I didn’t even tell you the latest rumour about him...”

“Which lucky person are you gossiping about now?” a loud male voice cut in.

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