Page 4 of The Sunken Truth
“You worked in London?” Flynn shook his head, feeling as though he should have made more effort to get to know Jeff.
“Yeah. So is it true?”
“Sort of.” He rubbed at his forehead, unprepared for the conversation and not sure how much he wanted to explain.
“Did you ask your dad?” Jeff said.
Flynn blinked a couple of times. “Ask him what?”
“About making your position here permanent. If it was him who facilitated you being transferred here, maybe he can help.”
“I don’t think that would work out.” He opened his mouth to continue but felt suddenly lost for words.
“I don’t think it would either,” the sergeant said.
“Did you already ask him?” Jeff asked the sergeant. “You used to know him, right?”
“I worked with him years ago.” He waved a hand in front of his face. “I don’t see how he could really help, though. It would put him in a difficult position. It’s one thing to get Flynn a temporary position here, but pulling strings to create a permanent position is bound to get people whispering about nepotism.”
Flynn felt a twinge of amusement at the idea of his dad doing anything that was likely to invite claims of nepotism. He appreciated the sergeant’s spin on things, though.
“So you’re really leaving next month?” PC Hill asked.
“It seems like it.” Flynn felt a pang of despair at the thought. The next four weeks would go by in a blink, and then he’d be back in London. Best not to think about that. “How long will the superintendent be around for?” he asked, focussing on the more pressing issue.
“I imagine he’ll only stay a day or two,” the sergeant said. “And no matter what he’s here for, it’s business as usual for us. Let’s show him how policing is done on an island.”
“Maybe that’s not the greatest idea,” Flynn said. “Considering we mostly do nothing.”
The sergeant flashed a look of mock annoyance. “As it happens, we may have a busy few days. What with this shipwreck being discovered.”
“That’s true, is it?” Flynn had heard about it on the local radio while he’d been getting ready for work, but it had sounded a little fantastical.
“No one knows for certain what they found,” PC Hill said. “The guy from the dive school who found it – Ryan – he’s convinced it’s theIsles Fortune,but that’s yet to beverified.”
“Does this sort of thing happen a lot?” Flynn asked. “Shipwrecks rising out of the seabed.”
The sergeant shook his head. “There are plenty of shipwrecks around the islands, but we don’t generally get new ones showing up. Even if it doesn’t turn out to be anything of historical interest, it’s going to draw a crowd for a while. I want one of you out there today to monitor things. The thought of hidden treasure is likely to send some people doolally.”
“There’s not really going to be gold down there, is there?” Flynn asked.
“I can’t imagine it,” the sergeant said. “But who knows? Would one of you like to volunteer for keeping an eye on the dive site this afternoon?”
“Volunteer to sit on a boat in full sunshine and full uniform?” PC Hill scoffed. “Shotgun not me.”
Flynn shrugged. “I’ll do it.”
“Thanks. I’ll be out for the next couple of hours,” the sergeant said with his eyes on PC Hill. “That leaves you on the front desk.”
PC Hill took the hint when Sergeant Proctor tipped his head towards the door.
Fairly sure the sergeant wasn’t finished with him, Flynn stayed put.
“What do you want me to do about the superintendent’s visit?” he asked once they were alone. “Do you want me to schedule you a couple of days off while he’s here?”
Flynn inhaled through his nose, fighting the urge to take him up on the offer. “I did nothing wrong,” he said after a pause. “I refuse to hide from him.”
The sergeant nodded sagely.
