Page 34 of Artful Deceit
“You’ll get your usual cut,” he retorted. “If I give you more, it’s not worth it for me. All you have to do is load it onto the Scillonian, then hand it over to my guy at the other end. It’s pretty much no work for you.”
He shook his head and let out a low grumble. “I know things are hectic at the harbour, but things are always hectic. This can’t wait. I’ll see you in the morning.” It seemed he’d cut off the call to avoid giving the person on the other end a chance to argue.
“Afternoon, Len!” Lily said cheerfully.
“Hello, Lily,” he said, but barely looked at her as he took off, striding along the promenade towards the pub.
He’d always seemed like a salt of the earth kind of guy, but wouldn’t that perception make it all the easier for him to get away with committing crimes? Plus, given his profession, he’d know exactly who left the doors unlocked and when the best times to rob people were. He’d even be able to peer into their windows beforehand and check what he wanted to grab. Anyone seeing him would assume he was working.
Being a window cleaner was the perfect alibi for theft. Especially for someone like Len, who people trusted.
It was sad to think he’d break that trust, but Lily couldn’t afford to dwell on that.
For now, all she had to focus on was finding her backpack.
Chapter Seventeen
With the shopbusier than it had been for a while, Lily waited until they’d closed before setting off to Len’s house. She didn’t have much of a plan. Other than crossing her fingers he was out and had conveniently left his door open and a bunch of stolen goods lying out.
That seemed overly optimistic.
Not that she needed him to have left all the stolen goods lying out. Just her backpack would do. That was all she really needed. She’d let this case go if she could just get her hands on that passport.
Maybe she would anyway. She couldn’t swear to that.
It was almost seven when she walked onto Church Street. The smell of barbecue coals wafted, making her mouth water. She’d have to drop some hints for a barbecue dinner the next time she saw Seren or Kit.
Standing outside Len’s house, she looked through the open garage door to the small garden at the back where the smoke was wafting from.
“The next guest is here,” a wobbly guy who Lily vaguely recognised as a regular at the Mermaid Inn called across the garden.
Len stepped into view, wearing a blue and white striped apron and holding a pair of tongs in his hand.
“Oh, no! I’ve been caught out. Someone else I forgot to invite.” He handed the tongs to the inebriated guy and set off towards Lily. “How are you?”
“Fine, thank you.”
“Every time I invite people over, I end up feeling guilty about the people I didn’t invite. It’s just a little shindig with a few friends, but you’re welcome to join.”
“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t worried about not getting an invitation.”
“Some people around here would actually get annoyed with me, you know? As though I can fit everyone I know in my tiny little garden.” He smiled brightly. “Anyway, what can I do for you?”
“How do you mean?”
“I assume you weren’t just passing?”
“No. I… umm…” She glanced around, stalling for time and grasping for inspiration. “I’ve actually been a bit worried since our conversation the other day…”
“What conversation?”
“The one about Gideon not paying you enough for cleaning the windows. I wondered afterwards if that was you hinting that I don’t pay you enough. Because if the price has gone up, you only need to say. I’d hate to think I was underpaying you.”
He rested a hand on her arm. “That’s very sweet of you, but not an issue. My problem is some longstanding customers who get shirty with me for raising my prices from time to time. Some people think they should pay me the same as they were paying me fifteen years ago, but the world doesn’t work like that.”
“I see,” Lily said. “I just wanted to check there was no problem between us.”
“Not at all.” He tilted his head. “You’re one of my favourite customers, you are!”
