Juanita Guero produced a round of flat bread from within a foil packet at her feet and passed it to her husband. Unlike him, she rarely spoke to anyone outside the family. They had three teenagers, who were lucky enough to have places in one of the open-air schools run by the Catholic Church. The kids would not be around until much later in the day. As payment for their tuition, they worked for two hours every afternoon in the church market gardens. The Rhino wondered why Carlos wasn’t over at the seafood markets like Hughie, but he knew better than to ask. Everyone in Darwin knew better than to ask about each other’s affairs. You just took people as they came.

‘Muchas gracias,’ Rhino said, accepting the warm, flatbread roll from Guero. He had stuffed it generously with the char-grilled, meaty flesh of the barramundi and a few scraps of salad.

‘There was a lady looking for you this morning,’ said Carlos as he squeezed some lemon juice over a fish roll for his wife.

The Rhino was instantly on guard. ‘Official, was it? Migration or Customs? Brown-shirts maybe?’

‘Oh no, I do not think so. She was an English lady, pretty, but not at all official. She would not tell me what she wanted you for. Would not leave a name. She was very evading of my questions. She wished to know which boat was yours, but I am afraid I would not tell her. I hope that was the right thing.’

The Rhino chewed slowly and nodded. An English lady? He didn’t ask; the less said, the better. ‘Anybody else?’ he wondered aloud.

Both the Gueros shook their heads. ‘We have not been here all day,’ Carlos explained. ‘I was delayed this morning awaiting a call from the Fisheries people. My licence, Mr Rhino, it is to be approved this week.’

Guero was beaming as he spoke, and his wife nodded and smiled as though a burden had been lifted off her chest.

‘It is only a small operator’s licence,’ he continued. ‘Two shrimp trawlers, when once I had a fleet of factory ships, yes? But I did not start with a fleet, my friend. Not then and not now. This is good news, and so we have come home to celebrate. I shall open a bottle of wine tonight and . . .’ He glanced across at his wife and smiled fondly. ‘And I was wondering if we might prevail upon you, my friend. The children – I wonder if they might visit with you this evening, just for a few hours? I would normally ask the Carascalaos to mind them, but they are working late at the cathedral tonight. Helping the father with the new arrivals.’

Most of what Carlos had said passed right through the Rhino’s skull without lodging, but when he realised the Mexican was after a favour, he pulled himself out of his reverie.