Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Lily flopped back on Flynn’s pillows and listened to him on the phone, fairly certain the call was about to send him running out of the door.
When he ended the call and didn’t immediately move, she had a spark of hope that she’d misread the conversation.
“That was the control room,” he said, pulling his T-shirt over his head. “They tried to get hold of the sergeant, but he’s not answering the phone.”
“Was there another break in?”
“No.” When he removed his jeans, she thought he wasn’t going anywhere.
Until she realised he was changing into his uniform.
“There have been a couple of phone calls from people who think they’ve seen someone lurking.
One of them wasn’t even sure, but their dogs were barking, and they got worried because of recent events.
It could just be people being jumpy, but I need to check. ”
She sat up and watched him button up his shirt. “Can I come?”
“Not really.” He flashed an apologetic look. “If anyone finds out I let you do a ride along, I’ll be in trouble.”
“You’re going in the car?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“That’s a bad plan. We should run.”
He stopped and stared at her. “Excuse me?”
“It’ll be quicker.” She wrinkled her nose. “Well, not quicker since we’re not actually that fast, but we’re fit.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If the thief is out there, they’ll see the police car coming. It’ll scare them off. If we go on foot, we have the element of surprise. Tell me that doesn’t make sense.”
“It sort of makes sense,” he said begrudgingly.
“This isn’t London,” she said. “Things are different here.” She bounded off the bed. “Let’s go catch a bad guy.”
“All right,” he said eventually. “I’ll just have to tell control they’ll need to reach me on my mobile.” While he did that, he went to put his boots on, but Lily pushed them aside and put his running shoes in front of him instead.
“What are you doing now?” he asked when he got off the phone.
“If you run in those boots, you may as well turn up with the sirens blaring. They’ll hear you coming from here. Plus, you’ll be slow in your boots.”
“I’m actually pretty used to running in my boots.” He didn’t argue further though, just shoved his feet into his trainers and made for the door.
The jog sobered Lily up entirely. At a remote cottage on the northern side of the island, she hung back while Flynn went to speak to the man who’d called the police. Apparently, he seemed a little sheepish – not sure now that the shadows he’d seen had really been a person at all.
His neighbours – half a mile away – reported that their usually docile dogs had been barking like crazy around half an hour ago. It was very close to the time the guy claimed to have seen someone lurking.
Half an hour had passed though, so presumably if someone had been there, they weren’t around any more.
The two of them wandered the dark lanes for three quarters of an hour and were talking about heading home when the dispatcher called Flynn’s mobile and told him another call had just come in from Mirren Treneary – saying she’d spotted someone in her garden.
He started to give the address, but Flynn told him he didn’t need it and would call him back to keep him updated.
“Old Town Bay,” Lily said as they shifted into a slow jog.
“I don’t think we’ve got much hope of catching him now.”
“Why not?”
“It’s Mirren Treneary. What are the chances she hasn’t called her sons? And then what are the chances that twenty Treneary men haven’t just descended on her and scared whoever it was off?”
“There aren’t twenty of them,” Lily said with a smile.
“There are enough to intimidate any sane person.”
“True.”
They hadn’t got far when Flynn’s phone rang again. He looked at the screen. “It’s Trystan Treneary.”
“Put him on speaker,” Lily said as they slowed their pace.
“I’m on my way,” Flynn said when he answered. “Are you with your mum?”
“I’m at my place, but Denzel’s with Mum, so she’s fine.
Noah and I can be there in a matter of seconds if needed, but for now we’re keeping the lights off and lurking behind the curtains trying to spot whoever’s out there.
Kit and Seren are doing the same around the other side of the bay, and I’ve rung around as many neighbours as I can wake up.
Everyone’s sitting in the dark, keeping watch.
The chatter on the WhatsApp group is pretty entertaining. ”
“But there’s no sign of them now?” Flynn asked.
“No. Mum and Denzel are certain they heard someone. They could only make out shadows, but they’re both convinced it was a person.”
“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 careful though.” 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.
She could see him, though.
His beanie was pulled down to his eyes, but the pointy chin, accentuated by a goatee beard, was very familiar.
As recognition hit her, she moved around the house and up to the lane.
She’d lost sight of him, and suddenly she didn’t care about waiting for Flynn.
She burst into a run and tore down the road, only to reach a fork just after the bend.
He could have gone one of three ways, and she couldn’t see anyone in any direction.
At a noise behind her, she turned and waited for Flynn.
“What did you see?” he asked, quiet but breathless.
“A man. He seemed to be sizing up that cottage down there, but the security light came on and he scarpered. I don’t know which way he went.”
“He? Did you get a good look at him?”
“Not really. It was definitely a man. He had a hat on, and I think he had a beard.” She was certain it was Roland but couldn’t say that since it would mean explaining how she knew Roland.
That was a can of worms she’d rather keep closed.
“I think he might have gone that way.” She pointed along the lane, but it was merely her best guess since it was the most direct route to the art retreat.
“Let’s go then,” Flynn said. “We’ll stick together.”
Lily nodded, and they set off at a jog again.
Maybe Roland hadn’t gone directly back to the retreat, or maybe he’d seen them and hidden. Maybe it hadn’t been him at all. Either way, they didn’t find anyone. After two hours of roaming, and no more sightings from the Trenearys or anyone else on the island, they finally gave up.
“I’m so tired,” Lily said, her muscles and her mind screaming at her for rest.
Flynn nodded. “This really wasn’t the physical activity I had in mind for tonight.”
“I enjoyed the night anyway,” she said through a yawn.
“Not as much as you’d have enjoyed all the sex I had planned.”
“You’re very confident, Flynn.”
“Yep.”
Laughing, she veered into him and stayed glued to his side as he draped an arm around her shoulders and planted a kiss on the side of her head.