He watched as Shelby crouched, turning on the torch on her phone. The bolthole was in a corner where the roof cavity met the outside, but it was closed off from the rest of the roof space by a wall. The rope that held up the fan casing was attached to a spring-loaded pulley system, like the ones service stations had for the tyre pumps. There was a trapdoor to the outside and another through the wall, leading into the rest of the roof space. Hooks sat on the wall – Mackerel recognised that Davey would have stored guns there.

‘Most drug dealers have a place like this,’ he said. ‘A safe room, or an escape route. We call it a bolthole.’ He tried to pull himself further in but gave up. Awkwardly squeezed his arm above his head. ‘This was what your intruder was looking for.’

Shelby pushed at the door to the outside. It gave just slightly before slamming shut again. They heard a shuffle from the other side.

Both of them went very still and quiet, then Shelby pressed her ear against the door.

‘Davey?’ she called. ‘Davey! Don’t . . . don’t go. Don’t run. Please . . . whatever it is, we can do this together.’

A deep, heavy sigh came from the other side.

‘Please, Davey,’ said Shelby. ‘They’re telling me you’re a drug dealer. If you are . . . that’s okay . . . I just need to . . . Please, Davey . . . please.’ She pushed against the door, but it wouldn’t move. ‘Help me, Mack!’

Mack again tried to squeeze through the hole, but he couldn’t, he was just too big.

And for the second time that day, Mackerel heard his brother’s voice.

‘Shelbs . . . I’m sorry.’ Davey’s voice was muffled, heavy. ‘This isn’t a world that you’d understand. It’ll be better if you let me go.’

‘Never,’ said Shelby. ‘I won’t, ever!’

‘Don’t tell anyone I’m alive. It’s safer for you and Kane. Don’t come looking for me.’

‘Where are you going?’ she said. ‘What about us?’

‘Blackbeard is going to take over this town, Mackerel!’ Davey’s voice rose. ‘Blackbeard’s already here. There’s nothing I can do to stop him. He’ll kill me if he finds me. If he finds out I’m alive, he’ll take Shelby hostage, or torture her, or . . . He still thinks I’m a threat, even though the whole crew have turned on me.’

‘The crew is loyal to you!’ said Mackerel. ‘You know they are.’

‘Not anymore. When Forest returned the way he did, in that state . . . the whole crew think I’ve been lying about what happened . . . if one of them finds me, it’ll be just as bad as Blackbeard.’

‘What are you talking about?’ said Mackerel. ‘You’re not making any sense.’

‘Wait, you did have something to do with Forest’s abduction?’ said Shelby.