Page 35 of Artful Deceit
“I’ll bet you say that to everyone,” she joked.
Or maybe he was saying it because he was now thirty grand better off because of her.
He leaned close and whispered. “Just the ones who give me free ice cream.”
The warmth in his voice made her laugh, and for a moment she forgot he was her number one suspect. She really didn’t want it to be him who’d been stealing from people.
“I should let you get back to your friends,” she said, tipping her chin. “That smells delicious, by the way. It’s making my stomach rumble.”
He tipped his head back as he laughed. “I can’t send you away now, can I?”
“I wasn’t hinting…” She had been, actually. And hadn’t even tried to be subtle.
As he led her through the garage, she checked her watch. In half an hour she was supposed to be at Flynn’s place for dinner. She could probably scout the place out quickly and still make it over there. Otherwise, she’d just tell him she’d be late.
It took twenty minutes of small talk with the group of older men before Lily found a break in the chatter to ask to use the bathroom.
Len directed her upstairs without hesitation. She didn’t bother listening to the rest of the directions since she planned on having a good snoop around, anyway.
With the chatter from the garden letting her know she was safe to search, she got straight to work. After rummaging through every cupboard and drawer in his bedroom, she went to the small box room and did the same there.
Nothing unusual to be found. Like Gideon’s place, there was a lot of clutter and what seemed to be an excess of vacuum cleaners. A few moving boxes were flattened and leaning against the wall in the box room, so she assumed he hadn’t lived there too long.
Frustrated by her fruitless search, she made a quick stop at the bathroom and ventured back downstairs.
“Lovely little house,” she said to Len.
He rolled his eyes. “That’s very polite of you. It’s a pokey house, which is a complete mess, but I appreciate your tact. Can I tempt you with another burger?”
“I’d love one, but I’m actually supposed to meet Flynn.”
“PC Grainger?” He grinned. “He’s a good guy. Shame he’s leaving.”
“Yeah.” Lily was about to make a break for it before realising she was missing an opportunity. Anyone with stolen goods in their house probably wouldn’t be keen to have a police officer around. Even an off-duty one.
“Would you mind if I tell him to meet me here instead?” she asked innocently. “I don’t want to cancel on him, but I’m not sure I can bring myself to pass up another of your burgers. They’re the best I’ve tasted in a long time.”
“The more the merrier,” he said without missing a beat. “This lot might behave better with a copper around the place too.”
“Don’t count on it,” one of them called. “PC Grainger’s in the pub all the time and none of us behave there.”
Suddenly, inviting Flynn felt like a bad idea. She’d only wanted to see how Len would react. His lack of reaction made her question whether she might yet again be on entirely the wrong track.
Chapter Eighteen
The messagefrom Lily was odd. Flynn contemplated calling to ask why exactly she was inviting him to a party at the local window cleaner’s house, then decided not to bother. There’d be some convoluted reason, he was sure. Better just to go along with it.
He arrived at the address she sent and was subjected to some good-natured banter about the arrival of the police officer at the party.
It was almost an hour before he got Lily alone. Wedged together on a small bench at the corner of the garden, he took a swig of his beer and spoke quietly.
“Why exactly are we at a party with a bunch of old men?”
“Long story,” she whispered. “But essentially because Len cleans my windows, and it felt rude to decline the invitation.”
“Keep talking,” he said, amused. “That’s definitely not the real reason. I know you, remember?”
She made some attempt at looking innocent, then huffed in defeat. “Fine. I thought maybe Len was the person committing the thefts.”
