They’d drawn plenty of attention from the other patrons, but he ignored their strange looks and breathed on the marks.

The condensation brought up the marks Forest’s fingers had made. It was a word, but it had been crossed out:

WEEDY

Mackerel stood up and followed Forest.

Forest hadn’t walked to the bathroom, he was ducking out through a side exit.

Mackerel trailed him at a distance, but he’d waited a moment too long before slipping out the exit himself – he couldn’t see Forest anywhere along the service-way alley.

He followed the lane, footsteps splashing in puddles from leaking pipes, to where it opened out onto a wide grassy area that led right into the bush, blocked off on one side by the giant concrete wall of the above-ground dive pool. It was empty save for a shed the size of Big Mane’s kitchen, which was labelled as the pump room.

Where had Forest gone?

He tried not to panic. The only place he could’ve gone was the bush or the pump room. He made his way to the door of the pump room, but stopped short. Over the loud hum of the machines inside . . . voices. Mack pressed his ear against the door. The metal was thin. He heard every word perfectly.

‘. . . carefully about what you’re about to say. Your brother is waiting for me in the aquarium, and . . .’

Mackerel fell away from the wall. Impossible. He quickly pressed his ear against the door again.

‘. . . no, not even my family. No one can know I’m alive. If you keep my secret, Forest, we can help each other.’ It was a deep, familiar voice.

‘I know exactly who you are. I recognised you from the photos at Ivy’s house – you passed right by me out at the boulder field. Why were you following me?’

‘I was watching the house, trying to find a chance to come knock on your door, but the police were everywhere. Then I saw you sneak out – I lost you near the boatsheds, but then I saw you take that bike a little later.’

‘So you want me to trust you even though you were stalking me? And no, I don’t forgive you. Not yet,’ Forest paused. ‘But you can make it up to me.’

‘Forgive? I had nothing to do with it, Forest!’

It was definitely his brother’s voice.

Davey.

Davey was still alive.

He couldn’t make sense of it. He’d seen Davey die! Davey was dead!

You didn’t see his face. All you saw were his tattoos . . . it would take work, but if you found another body . . . not impossible in Davey’s line of work.

‘I’m so sorry, Forest! I don’t know what could have happened! You were supposed to be safe!’

I’m not crazy, I’m not crazy, this might really be happening . . .

But it can’t be happening!