Page 66 of The Sunken Truth
“He won’t say how he came to have it in his possession, but we know he was offering rewards. Someone obviously took him up on it. I’ll be going over to his place later to have a look at it myself. First, I’m going out to the wreck site to see how the land lies after the storm… or the seabed, I should say!” He chuckled and moved away from her.
Lily fumbled with her phone, scrambling to Flynn’s number.
Sitting at the front desk, Flynn scrolled over the social media page for the Isles of Scilly Police. He’d replied to all the new posts and was just staring at the screen now.
He’d been all set to go down to the harbour – with the ferry arriving and the divers heading out to the wreck, itwould no doubt be busy down there – but PC Hill had beaten him to it.
Maybe he’d join him, anyway. It’d get him out of the station and shift his mind from the superintendent who would no doubt arrive at any moment and not so subtly point out what a waste of space Flynn was. He couldn’t even defend himself, since he seemed to have hit a dead end in the case.
He’d just powered down the computer when the door swung open. The arrival of the superintendent made every muscle in Flynn’s body tense.
“Any luck finding the cursed treasure?” he said, not bothering with a greeting.
Flynn shook his head. “Not yet.”
At the door to the back rooms, Superintendent Brand paused and set his steely gaze on Flynn. “I think I’ve seen all I need to see here. I’ll be heading back to London tomorrow.”
Flynn merely nodded while his emotions warred. On the one hand, it would be a relief to be rid of him, but it would be better if Flynn had proved himself as a competent police constable while the superintendent was around.
The phone on his desk rang, spurring the superintendent to continue through to the back. Flynn forced some energy into his voice as he answered.
“It’s Helen Carlisle,” the woman said. “We met when you were looking for my tenant…”
“Kurt?”
“Yeah.” She paused. “I don’t know if you need to know, but it’s a bit strange, so I thought I’d give you a quick call.”
“What’s strange?” Flynn asked, sitting straight in his chair.
“Kurt came over this morning and told me he’s leaving. Apparently something came up, and he needs to get back to Australia urgently. He’s packed his stuffup and says he’s getting on the ferry this morning. He paid his rent for the next month, so it’s not a big deal for me, but I just thought it seemed odd for him to leave out of the blue like that.”
“It is odd,” Flynn said. “He’s getting the ferry today?”
“That’s what he said.”
Flynn checked his watch. There were a couple of hours before the ferry left for Penzance. “Thank you for letting me know. That’s helpful.”
He’d only just ended the call when the phone rang again. Ryan sounded decidedly agitated as he informed Flynn that Kurt had quit his job without notice. He assured him he was looking into it, and promised to keep him abreast of any developments.
As he said goodbye to Ryan, his mobile rang. He smiled at Lily’s name flashing on the screen and answered immediately.
“I might have a lead,” Flynn said, feeling a pulse of excitement. “Kurt’s landlady just called to tell me he’s packed up and is leaving the islands. He quit his job too. Ryan’s not happy.”
Lily sucked in a breath that whistled through her teeth. “That’s interesting, because Morris just told me that someone handed an artefact from the wreck to Eustace Tremayne. It’s a cigar box.”
Flynn stood and moved to the back rooms. “That sounds as though it could be what Ryan found.”
“Do you think Kurt claimed some reward money and is making a quick getaway?”
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking. Has Eustace said who gave him the box?”
“No. Apparently he wouldn’t say.”
“Then we need to get over there and make him tell us.”
“I’ll ask Pippa if I can borrow the boat again.”
“I’ll meet you at the beach.”
