A Poisonous Plot (Lily Larkin Mysteries #3)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

It had become a habit for Lily to unlock the door to the ice cream shop as soon as she went downstairs in the morning. The closed sign was enough to keep the general public out, and leaving the door unlocked meant anyone coming by for a social call could let themselves in. It saved Lily from trudging back and forth.

The dainty bell rang above the door just as she pulled her latest batch of ice cream from the freezer in the back room. Perhaps there would come a time when that sound annoyed the heck out of her, but the bell had only been installed a week ago and so far she loved it.

Her mouth watered even before she caught the scent of coffee, which drifted through at the same time that Flynn called “hello”.

“I might end up like one of Pavlov’s dogs,” Lily said, stepping out from the back room and setting her tub of ice cream on the work surface behind the counter.

When he quirked an eyebrow in confusion, she kept talking.

“You know, the experiment with the dogs that had a conditioned response to a bell…” Surely he knew this.

“I know about the dogs,” he said, handing over her coffee. “I’m only surprised you're admitting to salivating at the thought of seeing me.”

“The coffee,” she said, rolling her eyes. “The thought of coffee makes me salivate. Thank you,” she added. “And good morning.”

“Morning.” In his police uniform, he always seemed to take up more space. That was probably the bulky stab vest, since his ego was big enough even when he was off duty.

“Hard at work, as always,” she joked.

“It’s a tough job keeping the Isles of Scilly free of crime,” he replied mockingly. “I am actually here on official business, though.” He leaned against the counter.

“What business?” She inhaled the delicious aroma of her coffee before taking a sip.

“You still haven’t set a date for the grand opening of the ice cream shop. Which seems like a crime to me.” He flashed a cocky grin, and she turned away from him to ease the lid from the ice cream tub and inspect the contents. She’d been happy with it when it had come out of the ice cream maker yesterday, but the flavours often changed subtly overnight.

“Lily?” Flynn growled impatiently. “What’s the deal with the opening?”

She waved a dismissive hand. “I’m waiting for Rhys to finish the flyers and posters.”

“It’s difficult for him to do that without you giving him a date.”

She turned and locked eyes with him. “You’ve been talking to Rhys about me?”

“I just saw him.”

Lily glanced at her watch. “He’ll have been out checking the lobster pots with Ted, I suppose. Did he say if they’ve had much interest in the boat tours?”

He eyed her sternly. “Stop changing the subject. Choose a date and open the shop. Or don’t set a date and just open.”

“I’m not ready to open yet.”

“You’ve spent a month doing the place up and perfecting your ice cream making techniques and flavours. You’re ready to open.”

“I’m waiting for a couple of pictures for the walls,” she told him as her eyes swept the room.

The shop had been freshly painted, and the floor had been revamped with large black and white vinyl tiles. Alongside the original stainless-steel tables and chairs, the new flooring gave the place a wonderful retro vibe.

She had to admit, it looked fantastic. It also made her a little emotional to think about how much help she’d had from the community. So many people had pitched in.

“Also,” she said in a rush. “I’m waiting for the health and safety inspection.”

“You don’t need to wait for that. You can open without it.” Flynn sounded distinctly bored with the argument they’d been having for at least a week. “You’ve also taken more food hygiene courses than you need to. Just open the shop.”

“I need to decide which ice cream flavours to start off with. I tried something new yesterday.” She pointed at the tub in front of her.

“You can’t change the subject that easily.” His eyes lingered on the container and Lily knew it was exactly that easy to get him off topic. “What flavour is it?”

“Lemon curd and Biscoff.”

He licked his lips.

“I made the lemon curd myself,” she told him as she handed him a spoon.

“Fine. I’ll test it.” He ran the spoon through the ice cream, curling it into a neat scoop. “But we’re still going to talk about…” He eyed the ice cream and his voice trailed off. “Whatever we were talking about,” he muttered before shoving the spoon into his mouth.

Lily held her breath. “What do you think?”

“That’s amazing.” He groaned and slumped against the sideboard before reaching for another scoop.

She pushed his hand away. “Don’t double dip!”

“You need to get me about fifty clean spoons then,” he told her, tossing the spoon so it clattered into the sink.

“Or I could get you a bowl or a cone?”

“I’ll take a cone and a lecture about eating ice cream for breakfast.” His eyes flashed with amusement. “Or we could skip that today, if you’d like.”

She took a cone from the container on top of the glass-fronted counter, then loaded it up for him. “I think I’ll give up on lecturing you. You’re a lost cause.”

“My unhealthy breakfasts are entirely your fault, so the lectures are a little unfair.” He licked around the edge of his ice cream. “This is seriously amazing.”

The sound of the bell drew their attention, and they both smiled at the sight of the elderly lady striding in.

“Morning, Glynis,” Flynn said.

“Ice cream for breakfast, PC Grainger?” She caught Lily’s eye and shared a private smile. “Let’s hope there are never any criminals who need chasing, because I’m not sure you’d be up to it.”

“I’m perfectly fit!” Flynn said while he licked a stray blob of ice cream from the corner of his mouth. “Besides, don’t pretend you’re not about to eat ice cream at nine o’clock in the morning, too.”

“I definitely didn’t come here for intelligent conversation,” Glynis remarked, then shuffled past the two of them to peer at the ice cream. “New flavour?”

Lily nodded. “Lemon curd and Biscoff.”

“It’s the best yet,” Flynn said, right before his teeth crunched through his ice cream cone.

“Not better than the apple crumble?” Glynis craned her neck to look up at Flynn.

“Definitely better than that,” he said firmly. “And better than the banana and hazelnut, and possibly even better than the cherry ripple chocolate…” He looked thoughtful. “That one’s a close call. I’m undecided.”

“Seriously?” Lily asked, her chest expanding as she inhaled a satisfied breath.

It was strange to think that a month ago she didn’t have the slightest idea how to make ice cream, and even stranger to think that she might actually be good at it. To start with she’d just followed the recipes given to her by the shop’s owner, but now she was experimenting with her own flavour combinations. She felt a rush of pride every time someone complimented her on her creations.

“I need to try this,” Glynis said, helping herself to a cone.

She was in her eighties. Eighty-six to be exact. She’d announced it the first time they’d met, when she’d been passing on her morning walk and had called into the shop to introduce herself. Now, Lily saw her most mornings – sometimes she’d only wave as she power-walked along the promenade or sometimes she’d come in for a chat. Like Flynn, she was an enthusiastic taste-tester. A lot of the locals were. Lily was never short of people to give feedback on her flavours.

“Oh, that is good,” Glynis remarked with a sigh. “It’s up there with the apple crumble for me. So smooth and creamy, but then the crunch of the biscuit is perfect. The flavours are divine. The lemon really zings.”

“Definitely time to open the shop and share your ice cream with the world,” Flynn said pointedly.

“The world?” Lily asked, cocking her head.

“The island then.” He popped the last of his cone into his mouth. “Though I reckon people will flock from far and wide to sample this.”

“You know you’ll get free ice cream without the flattery,” Lily told him.

“Good to know.” He brushed crumbs from his lips with the back of his hand. “I should go and see if I can find some crime to deal with. Wish me luck!”

Glynis clicked her tongue. “Most people find the lack of crime on these islands a positive thing.”

“Not me,” Flynn said. “Do me a favour, Glynis, and set up a crime ring of some sort. Give me something to do.”

“Don’t tempt me, PC Grainger. I have a lot of free time on my hands.”

He snorted a laugh, then caught Lily’s eye. “Pub tonight?”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

“Let’s try the Old Town Inn again. I’ll pick you up after my shift.”

The bell rang as he left.

“I don’t know why he doesn’t ask you out on a proper date,” Glynis said through a mouthful of ice cream.

Lily wrinkled her nose. “What?”

“All these casual invitations to the pub. It’s a ruse.”

“He’s helping me find the owner of this place,” Lily said.

Admittedly, discreetly questioning residents in the local pubs hadn’t got them anywhere yet, but since they’d decided going door to door was too intrusive, it at least felt as though she was doing something.

Glynis knew what their pub evenings were all about. As a long-time resident and self-proclaimed busybody Lily had hoped Glynis might have some information about the owner of the ice cream shop, but she hadn’t been able to tell her anything other than the owner’s name – Gail Greenway – which Lily had already known.

“You make a cute couple,” Glynis said flatly.

“We’re not a couple,” Lily said, pressing hard on the lid of the ice cream to reseal it.

“You should be. He clearly fancies you.” Mischief twinkled in Glynis’s eyes. “I should get going too. Thank you for the ice cream. Enjoy your date tonight.”

“It’s not a date,” Lily muttered. A complete waste of her breath.