Page 8 of Artful Deceit
Lily nodded. “That’s what I think, but I worry I’m being too generous.”
“I think it’s okay to give her the benefit of the doubt.”
“Uncle Derek clearly kept a lot of secrets from me,” she said. “I assume he had good reasons for that, so it only seems fair I assume the same of Maria.”
“Maybe she’ll open up eventually,” Flynn said. “She’s more open with you now than when you first met, so maybe she just needs time.”
“I don’t want to ask her outright in case she clams up, or gets annoyed, but I can probably probe a little more without being too direct about it.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” Flynn said, then checked his watch again.
“Go if you need to,” Lily said. “I’m fine.”
“I probably should.” He stood and brushed sand from his trousers.
“What’s going on with the burglaries?” Lily asked. “Do you think you’ll catch the culprit?”
“Hopefully. The staff at the airport and harbour are checking for anyone suspicious. But as of this morning, the thief is definitely still on the island.”
“Have there been more thefts?”
He nodded. “Two backpacks were stolen from outside a cafe. And an honesty box was emptied near the community centre.”
“The jam place?”
“Yes. There wasn’t much cash in it, but even so the owners are upset.”
“I’ll bet.” Lily’s stomach felt suddenly heavy. She loved the honesty boxes dotted around the islands. They reflected the quaintness of the islands and the people who trusted their fellow islanders and the visitors.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Flynn said. “I don’t know what time I’ll finish though.”
She nodded her understanding and pressed onto her toes to give him a quick kiss.
With no word from Flynn for the rest of the afternoon, Lily sent him a message to say she was making pasta for dinner and asked if he was joining her. An apologetic message came back to say he wouldn’t be able to get away from work for a while.
The prospect of waiting around for him for the evening was unappealing, so she set off for the pub after dinner.
Seren’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she looked across the bar at her. “This is an honour!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lily asked, sliding onto the bar stool.
“It means you haven’t been in the pub much recently.”
“I was here a few days ago,” Lily pointed out.
“Yeah, but you sat in the corner with Flynn and ignored everyone else.”
Lily’s lips pulled to a smile, unable to deny it.
“I take it things are going well between you two?” Seren asked quietly.
“We’ve been spending a lot of time together.” Lily fought a grin. “It’s good.”
“That’s great.” Seren smiled widely. “You two make such a lovely couple.”
Warmth pooled in Lily’s stomach but was quickly replacedby the niggling sense of dread, which was never far away. “I don’t want him to leave,” she murmured.
“I know,” Seren said, her eyes swimming with sympathy. “But I spoke to Sergeant Proctor the other day, and he said he’s put in a request for an extra officer. It sounds as though he’s been making quite a fuss about it… so you never know… maybe Flynn will end up being able to stay.”
