Page 40 of Artful Deceit
“Sounds as though you have everything under control, but we’re on our way.”
“Is the sergeant with you? Mum couldn’t get hold of him, and she didn’t have your number, so she called 999.”
“I’m actually with Lily.”
A low chuckle emanated down the phone. “Even better!” Trystan said cheerfully. “This is turning into quite a party. You’re not in the car, are you?”
“No.” Flynn slid a look at Lily. “I decided it would be better to come on foot and not risk scaring them off with the headlights.”
“Good idea. Since there’s no sign of anyone here, I’d imagine they disappeared out the other side of Mum’s garden. Why not cut round the other way and see if you don’t bump into them around there. If anyone here spots them, I’ll let you know.”
“Perfect,” Flynn said. “I’ll keep you updated.”
Lily waited a moment after Flynn ended the call.
“What was it you were saying about the Trenearys barging in and scaring the thief away?”
“I don’t even know why they need police over here. Apparently, people can fend for themselves.” He flashed her a smile and increased the tempo.
Five minutes later, they slowed again, hugging the side of the lane and keeping their limited conversations to a hushed whisper.
“We should split up,” Lily suggested eventually. “We can cover more ground that way.”
She expected resistance, but he gave a curt nod.
“If you see anyone, call me immediately.”
“I will. And I’m sure you’d hear me if I screamed.”
He stepped close to her. “I’ve seen you make grown men whimper. I can’t imagine it’ll be your screams I hear. Be carefulthough.” He kissed her hairline so casually that it felt unexpectedly intimate.
She took the lane to the left while he went right, toward Mirren’s house.
All the confidence she’d felt with Flynn at her side seeped away, and her senses shifted into high alert. The smallest sound made her twitchy, and the shadows seemed more pronounced.
Telling herself Flynn was nearby, and that there was an entire fleet of Trenearys not far away either, she continued up the lane to where a few lonely cottages stood at intervals on the eastern side of the island. She slowed as she approached the first house. Peering into the garden, her heart sped up at the sound of a tree branch scratching quietly at the slate roof every time the breeze tugged at it.
Her eyes were used to the dim moonlight by now, and there was no sign of anyone around the house. The inside was quiet too, and she wondered whether Trystan had been in touch with them and if they were peeking out at her from behind their curtains. Amused by the thought, she gave a quick salute to the upstairs window and continued on her way.
At the next cottage, she slipped off the road and crept around the back. Clouds had blocked the moonlight, and it was like a dimmer switch being turned down.
Just as she was about to cut back up to the lane, she spotted something between her and the next cottage along.
Someone,not something.
Instinct had her rooted to the spot. It took a moment for her to figure out that the man was walking away from her, not towards her. His gait was unhurried, and he stopped completely just before he reached the next cottage. With his head bent, he appeared as though he was writing something down. At thirty metres or so from Lily, she didn’t dare try to get any closer. He’d hear the slightest sound.
So she kept her eyes on him as she pulled out her phone. Quickly, she tapped out a message to Flynn.
Come my way,she told him.I have my eye on someone. Stick to the lane. Come quietly. I’m at the second house you come to.
His reply came immediately.On my way.
With bated breath, Lily watched the man straighten up and take a few steps towards the house. A security light bathed him in a yellow glow, and he raised his hand to his face.
Feeling illogically as though it had illuminated her too, Lily moved into the shadow of the house.
The man walked briskly to the lane, and she resisted the urge to chase after him. Flynn would be here in a second, and she could go with him. Reaching the lane, the man glanced in her direction, and she told herself there was no way he could see her.
