I stepped up next to him. ‘Yes, rest in peace, Lion.’

We stood in silence, both of us gazing down at the makeshift grave, the moonlight flickering above us. Dan slipped his hand into mine and my heart hitched a beat.

‘Thank you for coming with me,’ he said after a few moments. ‘For being here.’

‘I’m glad I am,’ I whispered.

Another extended silence followed and then, ‘Do you want a drink?’

‘Here?’

He nodded and snuck his free hand inside his jacket, pulling out a small bottle. ‘That’s if you’re not in a rush. Maybe you’re hungry?’

‘Let’s have a drink. I’d like that.’

He kept a hold of my hand as we walked down to the beach and sat on the sand, not far from where the boat was moored. Dan unscrewed the lid and handed me the flask and I took a sip, making a face as the whisky burned the back of my throat.

He chuckled, took it from me and swigged. ‘So, what were you going to cook for me this evening?’

‘Risotto. If it’s not too late, I can still make it when we go back.’

‘Sounds good.’ He shifted a little closer and once again offered me the bottle.

As we drank, we talked. About everything. The island—Bill’s dreams and Dan’s. My writing and work on the shack. The local shipwrecks that Dan found fascinating. Saxon and Payton. The ball. We swung from the general to the personal and back again.

‘How’s things with your family?’ I asked.

‘Okay. Apart from work stuff, I haven’t really spoken to Stephen since I last confronted him. And I haven’t told Gemma or Ben about the police yet.’

‘So you’ve contacted them?’

He nodded. ‘Yes, and I sent off a sample, but they couldn’t give me an idea of how long a result would take. You’d think they’d want to close cases and get dead bodies off their hands, but they didn’t seem that enthused. Anyway, I figure, no point worrying anyone else until I know.’

‘Do you think Stephen will follow through on his threat to fire you when the truth comes out?’ I asked.

He shrugged. ‘He’s not one to change his mind, but maybe I’ll quit first.’

‘Really? What will you do for work?’

‘I’ve got plenty of options. Stephen might own one of the biggest lobster operations in these parts, but he’s not the only one. With my experience I could easily get work on boats, or maybe I’ll start my own business offering charters from the island. No one talks about the shipwrecks much in tours, so that could be my unique selling point. I was thinking of combining sea lion watching with a little local maritime history. The world’s my oyster.’

He paused a moment. ‘Can I ask you a question, Ashling?’