Page 48 of Dead in the Water
Joyce turned her wrist to check her dainty watch. “In about an hour.”
“Are you going to meet him when he lands?” Kerry said.
“No.” Joyce shook her head. “The police sergeant is going to meet him. I think he’s going to take him straight over to see Joseph’s body.”
A hush fell over them and Lily stared at the harbour as it came into view.
“Did you remember to reserve a place for James at dinner tonight?” Joyce said, looking at Kerry.
“I thought you were making the reservation,” Kerry replied. “Also, didn’t James say he wouldn’t eat with us?”
“He might change his mind.” Joyce shifted in her seat. “You didn’t make the reservation?”
“I’ll do it when we get back to the hotel,” Kerry said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “It’s fine.”
“I already did it.” Russell momentarily looked over his shoulder at them. “I assumed Kerry would forget.”
Kerry’s amused smile suggested she wasn’t offended by the remark. “We should have asked Lily for advice about somewhere different to eat. Dining at the hotel is getting a little dull.”
“I’m probably not the best person to ask,” Lily said. “The pubs serve good food, but other than that, I don’t eat out much.I had lunch at the hotel once, in the conservatory restaurant. That was nice. I’ve never eaten in the hotel’s main dining room, though I’ve heard good things about it.”
“That’s where we’re eating tonight,” Russell called over his shoulder. “You should join us. I guess we’ll have an extra place if James isn’t coming.”
Joyce shuffled in her seat again. “He might change his mind and want to join us.”
“Doubt it,” Vic said. “He’s a quiet lad at the best of times. I can’t imagine him wanting to go out to dinner after viewing his dad’s body.”
“I’ll ask him all the same,” Joyce said.
“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Lily said, though she’d actually like to meet James.
Keith’s eyes slid to Lily. “James might like to meet you,” he said slowly. “You did speak to Joseph right before he died.”
“Did you?” Kerry jumped in.
Lily nodded. “Just briefly. He was watching the sunset outside the ice cream shop.”
“Oh.” She pulled her chin in, looking a little put out.
“Come for dinner,” Russell boomed, slowing the boat as they entered the harbour.
Lily did a quick sweep to gauge reactions, but as far as she could tell no one seemed openly against it.
She nodded. “If you’re sure that’s okay.”
With a few murmurs of agreement, they settled her evening plans.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Not knowingwhere Lily was left Flynn entirely unsettled. When she hadn’t responded to his message at lunchtime, he’d called in at the shop, but she wasn’t around. Jessica didn’t know where she was. Presumably, she was investigating the death of the guy in the harbour, but after a casual scout around the hotel, Flynn learned that the owners of the yacht had gone out to sail around the islands.
Surely that meant Lily had to put her investigations on hold.
He tried calling her again after work, then went over and rang her doorbell, but it seemed she was intent on avoiding him. That, or she’d got herself into some kind of trouble. A chill ran through him and he stared up at her living room window before pressing the bell again.
“At least let me know you’re okay?” he grumbled to himself, typing out another message for her.
He paced across the promenade and frowned at the horizon before deciding on his next move.
