‘Mum . . .’ Davey’s shaking hands raked his scalp in agony, eyes rolling around the room. ‘If we don’t kill this man, even from prison, he’ll tell the crew Shelby killed their Blackbeard. We’ll all be dead.’

‘As far as I see it . . .’ said Shelby, her composure shot. ‘I killed Blackbeard . . . so . . . I’ve taken the mantle. I’m the next Blackbeard.’

‘No,’ said Mackenzie, the fear in his voice startling Ahab. ‘No, Shelby!’

Mackenzie climbed off the henchman, whom De Corrado had secured with strips of torn tablecloth. He made to move towards Shelby, but was stopped in his tracks when he saw the spreading pool of blood around Ivy. Ahab saw the light in his eyes change, as he began to truly grasp what had happened.

‘Save the boy, Mack,’ said Shelby. She held the shotgun loosely at her side. ‘Go save the boy. Please.’

‘Mackenzie?’ said Ahab, trying to shake him out of his thoughts. ‘We might still have a chance. Can you take us to the cave?’

‘Y-yeah,’ said Mackenzie. He tore his eyes away from Ivy. ‘R-right, yeah. It’s down by Cape Pillar.’

Shelby pushed the shotgun into Davey’s hands and approached Ivy’s body, kneeling down to rummage in her pockets.

‘What are you doing?’ said De Corrado. ‘This is a crime scene. No one’s leaving! No one touch anything!’

‘Something Mack taught me. Two phones, you’re a businessman. Three phones, you’re a drug dealer.’ She pulled the phones out of Ivy’s pockets. She lifted Ivy’s dead finger to the sensor and unlocked it. ‘Meet me at the lab when you’re finished,’ said Shelby.

Everything was spinning out of Ahab’s control, but two things pressed on his mind: save Forest, and get De Corrado to safety. ‘C’mon, De Corrado, let’s go find Forest.’

‘I’m afraid the detective will need to stay here with us,’ said Shelby. ‘If you tell the police . . . please don’t tell the police.’ She wiped at her cheeks, leaving a red smear of Ivy’s blood. She looked perfectly calm.

‘I’m not leaving her here like this,’ said Ahab.

‘It’s fine, Ahab,’ said De Corrado. ‘I’ll be fine. Go. Save the boy.’

‘We don’t have time for this,’ said Mackenzie, grabbing Ahab’s arm. ‘We need to move.’

CHAPTER 56

MACKENZIE

Mackenzie and Ahab ripped through bushland hiking trails on dirt bikes, the tyres gouging through the rain-muddied soil of the national park. Every bump jolted through Mackenzie’s aching ribs. At least the swelling in his eye had gone down, and he could see out of both.

Ned had brought his bikes down to the marina, where they’d frantically pulled together three sets of scuba gear from the Ambergris. They had to save the boy, but there was no way they were getting to Siren’s Cave by sea – not with the Black Wind in.