Page 61 of The Sunken Truth
“No.” His lips pulled into a smile, giving the hint of the dimple in his left cheek. “I’m surprised you went out of your way to help me after I was so grumpy with you on the phone.”
“We’re friends.” Her insides quivered under the intensity of his gaze. “Right?”
Slowly, he nodded, then opened his mouth as though he was going to say something before thinking better of it.
“What?” she probed.
He gave a quick shake of the head. “I should speak to Harry and Nat again.” His gaze shifted overhead. “That’s if I can make it over to St Martin’s before this storm hits.”
“Good luck.”
“Do you want to come with me?”
She pursed her lips. “I told Jessica she could have the afternoon off.”
“You could just close up since it looks like it’s going to rain.”
“Or you could just go and solve the mystery yourself.”
“It’s not as much fun without you,” he said, his lips pulling into a smile.
“Obviously,” she said, forcing herself to walk away. “Let me know what you find out.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
After loiteringaround the harbour for a while, Flynn found a fisherman willing to take him over to St Martin’s. Zack dropped him at the quay and gave Flynn his number, telling him to call when he was ready to leave. He’d call in on a friend but didn’t want to be much longer than an hour, given the way the wind was picking up.
With the clock ticking, Flynn contemplated going straight to visit Harry and Nat, but decided it was worth calling in at the pub to speak to the landlord first. The more information he had before he spoke to the Wrights, the better.
Glancing around the rustic pub with its homely atmosphere, he wished he wasn’t in a hurry and that he wasn’t on duty. Maybe he’d come back with Lily sometime.
His eyes drifted overhead as he walked towards the bar. Fairy lights twined around twigs and branches added to the rustic atmosphere.
“Hello!” the barman said. “We haven’t met before. I’ve heard about you, though. PC Grainger, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” He extended his hand across the bar. “Are you Calvin Richards, by any chance?”
“That’s me. I’m not in any bother, am I?”
“Not at all,” Flynn said. “I was hoping I might ask you a few questions though.”
“Of course. Do you want to come into the back?”
Flynn glanced around. Only a couple of tables were occupied, and no one was close enough to overhear. “I think it’s fine here. It won’t take long… it’s about Nat Wright. I understand she’s a regular patron of yours?”
Calvin’s shoulders sank and he moved around the bar to perch on the stool beside Flynn. “Shewasa regular. I recently had to cut her off because of an unpaid bar bill.”
Flynn nodded. “That’s what I’d heard.”
“She came in yesterday and settled it in full. I felt bad for her. She was clearly embarrassed. Full of apologies, she was.”
“Do you know her well?”
“Well enough.” He kept his voice to a low whisper. “I knew she was having some marital problems. There have been whispers for a while about Harry having a gambling problem. I couldn’t tell you if it’s true.”
Flynn stared at the spirit dispensers on the back wall. It seemed to be a pretty big coincidence that Nat had paid off her bar bill right after the incident at the dive site.
Strange that Eustace hadn’t mentioned someone handing something to him, but then again maybe he wanted to keep it to himself, or return it to the sea if he deemed it to be cursed.
