Page 30 of Artful Deceit
She flashed a sheepish smile. “I’m hungry.”
“Subtlety isn’t really your thing, is it?” He rolled his eyes as he backed up. “I’ll grab food and be right back.”
“Thank you,” she called after him.
Over dinner, Lily told Flynn about her conversation with Maria. Chatting it through felt cathartic, and she wished she could talk to him about the issue with her backpack.
But while it might make her feel better to confide in him, it would cause a lot of stress for Flynn. It wasn’t fair to put that on him.
Lying in bed after he’d left, her mind wouldn’t settle. She didn’t even know for definite that she was looking for the thief in the right place. Maybe she was barking up the wrong tree altogether.
The artists had been nearby for at least two of the thefts, though. Plus, there was the pencil she’d found. There was also the small point that she had no other leads.
Sadly, she was out of excuses for going back to visit the art retreat. Unless she wanted to spend thousands of pounds on a painting she didn’t even like.
Waiting for the kettle to boil the following morning, she trawled her brain, but all she could come up with was hanging around outside and waiting until they went off on one of their trips. Who knew when that would be though.
She’d just have to go up there and try to sneak in. If she were caught, she’d come up with an excuse. The forgotten sunglasses line might have to be used again. With Jessica not due to come into work until lunchtime, and a delivery of fresh fruit and herbs due to be delivered from the garden centre, she was tied to the shop for the morning, anyway.
It would have to be an afternoon trip for the sleuthing.
With no one around when she reached Gideon’s place, Lily couldn’t tell if the group was on an excursion or if they were just hidden away in their rooms. She walked confidently past the big house, trying to look like someone who was supposed to be there.
The front door of the guest accommodation was unlocked. Had they really all gone out without locking the door? Maybe they were just in a nearby field or somewhere close enough that they hadn’t felt the need to lock up.
Whatever the reason, Lily fully intended to take advantage of their negligence. Except, the lack of resistance when she tried Roland’s door made her wonder if it was all a little too easy. Somehow, she felt as though she was walking into a trap. There was no way she was stopping, though. She had her chance to search his room, and she was taking it.
Quietly, she closed the door behind her, then flinched at a sound from inside the room.
Snoring.
She almost didn’t dare look.
Slowly, she turned and squinted – as though she had less chance of being spotted if she closed her eyes.
Roland was lying on the bed, fully dressed but fast asleep. That explained the unlocked doors, then.
As curse words rang out in Lily’s mind, she reached for the door again, but hesitated as her fingers landed on the cool handle.
He was snoring at a regular rhythm, so he was probably in a deep sleep. Could she search the room while he was right there in it?
All she needed was a few minutes. There really wasn’t any way to explain it if she got caught, but at this point she was desperate enough to take that chance.
The least she could do was a quick scan from where she was standing. When that showed nothing unusual, she moved to thewardrobe, gritting her teeth as she opened the door, hoping the hinges would make no sound. It was empty apart from a few items of clothing. She didn’t close the door fully, deciding it wasn’t worth the chance of it making a noise.
As she cautiously opened the three drawers in the dresser, she was fairly sure the sound of her heart beat should wake Roland, but the purr of his snores continued.
Next, she stuck her head into the bathroom, but there was nothing in there.
She was running out of places to look.
Crouching at the end of the bed, she peered underneath but only found the bare floorboards.
The snoring stopped abruptly, and she was fairly sure her heart stopped at the same time.
Another slew of swear words rampaged through her head.
And then the snoring started up again, and she released a slow, quiet breath.
