The oars slopped; no one spoke. The dark outline of a stingray moved over the bright shallows as we passed. I was unsure whether I felt angry at my father for disrupting the meal and upsetting our hosts. Perhaps he had achieved something important. He was sober, alert. That had to count for something.

Once we stood firm on the Moonbird, my father felt his way to the far side and urinated. As he did so, he tipped his head in my direction: he could tell that I had hung back to watch him in case he tumbled over, and the supervision irritated him. But he let me walk him down the steps and into his bunk. Connolly had taken the first watch and the doctor remained on deck, so we were alone in the bunkroom. I averted my eyes as my father removed his shoes and trousers and eased himself into the bed. I waited until he was settled, then his voice broke the darkness.

‘Munro said the moon was out.’

‘Mm.’

‘Was it full?’

‘Nearly—it was rather lovely.’ He’d reminded me of something. ‘Did you know the moon came from the Pacific Ocean?’

‘What?’

‘The Pacific is the void where the moon was pulled from the surface of the earth.’

‘Nonsense! Who on earth told you that? The moon is an entirely separate heavenly body.’

‘But the…Oh, never mind.’

He fell silent. I thought he was asleep, but then he spoke again. ‘Do you think he is responsible?’

I could see the profile of his face in a tiny splinter of moonlight that had found its way down.

‘Munro? No,’ I replied. ‘I cannot say why, but perhaps…I think he has too much to lose. He controls the trade, he has the respect of whoever else is out here. It sounds as if he pesters the government rather than the reverse. Why would a man risk all of that? Why risk drawing attention to his wife?’

‘Mm. But why did his letter to the governor describe the captain’s chest in detail, and fail to mention an entire cabin?’

‘Well, yes. But a timber cabin’s no motive for such a terrible act,’ I countered. ‘If there was bullion on board, even rum, then maybe. But no one’s said there were great riches on the vessel. No, I believe him to be innocent. So he has parts from the Howrah. It is reasonable to think that he scavenges the coasts of these islands, that people bring him things, that he trades. This is how they get by, we’re told. It is a long way from there to suggesting he has committed murder. Really, no wonder he was so angry.’

He was quiet, listening intently. ‘And if he had no involvement, what then?’

‘Why can’t we be satisfied that the ship met some misadventure of weather, or some error of human guidance? That it sank without the intervention of some outside agent?’