Page 89 of The Sunken Truth
“I didn’t grow up with my dad around,” he said, leaning back and propping himself on an elbow. “He’d turn up every now and again, but it wasn’t regularly or often.” He paused and plucked a chip from the paper between them. “I always looked forward to his visits, but with hindsight, I don’t know why. It wasn’t usually fun, and he was never warm with me or even kind. Mostly, he’d point out my faults and how I could do better. He was critical, so I was always trying to get hisapproval. When I was about ten, I decided if I became a police officer, he’d definitely be impressed.”
Lily balled up the chip paper and set it aside.
“In my teenage years, I started to see him for what he really was. I might have been a disappointment to him, but he disappointed me too.”
“But you still wanted to be a police officer?”
“Yeah. I think in my subconscious I was still looking for his approval, but I also really wanted to join the police.”
“What happened when you joined? Were you working with him?”
“Not directly. He told me it would be better if I didn’t let people know we were related. So people could never think there was any nepotism or anything. I have my mum’s surname, so it was pretty easy.”
Lily nodded, pained by the strain in his features as he watched the sandpipers hopping along at the water’s edge.
“I’m assuming there was some incident that annoyed him?” Lily said. “That’s why you ended up here?”
“Yeah.” He reached for her hand, trailing his thumb across her palm and sending a shiver rippling through her. “I was out with a bunch of colleagues one night and I met this woman. We got chatting, and it turned out that her dad is the Deputy Commissioner in the MET. It’s really high up, so I mentioned that he would know my dad.”
He took a breath before continuing. “I remember how confused she looked because her dad and my dad were good friends. She’d met my dad and his family lots of times. They’d had dinners at each other’s houses while she was growing up.” He swallowed hard. “But she had no idea he had another son. Her dad, who was best friends with my dad, had no clue I existed.”
Lily couldn’t help but grimace. “What did you do?”
“Hailey, the commissioner’s daughter, was intrigued by the whole thing. She wasn’t a big fan of my dad, and she wasn’t on the best terms with her dad either, so she was happy to help me devise a way to get back at my dad. I was furious.” He hesitated. “Not even just angry – I was hurt, and it was like all the years of not being good enough for him had built up into this ball of rage.”
“I’m not surprised.”
He smiled sadly. “The commissioner was planning a party for his 60thbirthday. Hailey invited me along as her date. We went out for drinks beforehand and turned up when the party was in full swing – both drunk.”
Lily winced as she waited for the rest of the story.
“In front of a crowd, Hailey introduced me as her boyfriend. I shook her dad’s hand and announced that I thought he’d already met my dad.” He caught Lily’s eye and smiled properly. “You should have seen my dad’s face. I’m surprised he didn’t just deny any connection to me, but put on the spot in front of his peers, he had to admit that he had a son who he’d never mentioned before.”
“Wow.” Lily said.
“It was satisfying for about five seconds,” he said with a sigh. “Then my dad announced that I’d always been a troublemaker and told me to get out. I happily obliged, which left him free to tell whatever story he wanted.”
“Which was what? How could he possibly make himself look good in that situation?”
“He said he only recently found out about my existence. That I was already grown up when I made contact and that I’d clearly had a terrible upbringing. He told them a bunch of lies about what an awful woman my mum is.”
“But you told them differently?”
Flynn caressed her fingers. “No. I kept my head down.And then about a week later I was told there was a posting on the Isles of Scilly that I should take.”
“Is that how it works in the police? They can just transfer you wherever they want?”
“No. It’s not how it works, but I knew that if I didn’t go along with it, it would only be a matter of time before my dad found a way to get me out of the police entirely.”
“That’s not fair,” she protested.
“No, but he’s in a position of power and people respect him. He could find a way for me to lose my job.” He shifted his weight. “I also realised that I’d never get his approval and I’d be better off if I stopped trying.”
“I think you’re right,” Lily said. “I know he’s your dad, but you’re better off without him.”
“I know that logically.” He frowned and looked out to sea. “But I still spent the last few days trying to impress him.”
“You were trying to impress the superintendent so you could convince him to let you stay longer,” Lily said. “That’s different.”
