Page 44 of The Sunken Truth
Then he walked him back to the front desk and wished him a pleasant stay.
“I should go too,” Lily said. “That was a fun day.”
“Except I’m no closer to figuring out who cut Ryan’s hose,” Flynn said grumpily. “What should I do next?”
“I’m not sure.”
“That’s not helpful. The superintendent will probably be here later asking about my findings.” He looked at Lily impatiently. “What would you do next?”
“I think I’d question Kurt.”
He nodded. That sounded like a solid plan.
“Are you going to speak to Maria?” he asked Lily, at the front of the police station.
She looked around, unsure of herself.
“I’m not trying to pressure you into it,” he said quickly. “If you don’t want to speak to her, then don’t.”
“I want to know. I’m just concerned I won’t like the answers.” Heaving in a deep breath, she gave a decisive nod. “I’ll go over there now.”
“Let me know how it goes,” he said and flashed her a reassuring smile before she ambled away.
Chapter Nineteen
Despite callingJessica for reassurance that she wasn’t needed back at the shop, Lily still felt uneasy about staying away for longer. The ice cream shop felt like her baby and she got separation anxiety easily.
Maybe it was also because she was nervous about what the visit with Maria would bring, but she felt decidedly edgy as she made the short walk to Glynis’s house.
Leaving Flynn to investigate alone wasn’t easy, either. Not because she thought he wasn’t up to the task, but because she enjoyed the challenge of unravelling these things. It seemed she’d developed some sort of compulsive need to investigate and struggled to switch off until she figured things out.
She also worried about Flynn andhiscompulsive need to solve this particular mystery. Clearly, he was feeling under pressure with the superintendent around. It annoyed her that he felt the need to prove himself. He was an excellent police officer and if the superintendent couldn’t see that, it was his problem.
Or it should be. The thought that he had the power to getFlynn a permanent position on the Scillies gave Lily a spark of hope that she’d rather not acknowledge.
Arriving at the cottage with its cheerful front garden bursting with brightly coloured flowers, Lily took a hearty inhale before knocking.
A moment later, Glynis opened the door and Lily tried to decide if it would be a relief if Maria wasn’t at home. Did she really want to have this conversation?
“Hello, love,” Glynis said, opening the door wider. “This is a nice surprise.”
“Is it?” Lily lifted a lone eyebrow as she stepped inside. “A surprise, I mean?”
“Maybe not that surprising,” she admitted, patting Lily on the arm. “I’ve made fresh lemonade this afternoon. Can I tempt you to a glass?”
“I’d love one,” Lily said, following her into the kitchen.
Through the back window, she spotted Maria kneeling by a flowerbed.
“She’s made the garden lovely,” Glynis said, following Lily’s gaze. “I help a little, but Maria has green fingers. Doesn’t it look gorgeous?”
“It does.” A small cast iron table and chairs sat in the shade of an umbrella, and the distinct tall purple flowers which seemed to thrive on the Scillies shot up at one side of the patio.
“What are the purple ones called again?” Lily asked.
“Agapanthus. Beautiful, aren’t they? I love how they look so delicate with their long, exposed stalk, but they’re actually very hardy.”
“They’re stunning,” Lily said.
