It had been many years since Ahab had buried his own son. The boy had only been six months old when Ahab watched that little coffin get covered with dirt, but he felt the loss of all the years his son hadn’t lived just as keenly as if the boy had died at age thirty. To have to do that not once, but twice . . . well, that’s why Ahab and the boy’s mother had broken up – he could not go through that again.

Some people recovered from that pain. But some people weren’t cursed.

And when little Forest had disappeared, it had nearly broken him all over again.

He’s back. Forest is back. You don’t have to grieve him ever again . . .

Ahab hated grief. He hated being around it. He wanted to get out of there, return to his inn and his dog. And he felt guilty, because as much as he was sad for Davey, he felt another emotion . . .

Frustration.

Now he might never know why Davey had written that note . . .

Tell Jesse I’m sorry.

Davey had known something about Forest’s reappearance, and the wording implied he suspected Jesse was still alive. Was he responsible for Davey’s death? Ahab wondered how Ivy would react if that was the case; losing one son for another.

Mackenzie, Shelby and Kane were huddled together in the middle of the lounge room’s huge L-shaped couch. Shelby’s face was dull and flat, wet with tears and sweat. Kane had his head in her lap, looking like a young boy again, crying enough to break any man’s heart. Mackenzie sniffled, drawn into himself, shaking. His hair was still wet from the ocean. Ahab felt a stirring of fierce satisfaction – Mackenzie had made him very proud today.

But why would Davey go scuba diving when the Black Wind had been blowing all day and all night? He wouldn’t, not unless he’d lost his mind.

So who put Davey in Devils Kitchen?

Ahab needed a cigarette.

He looked around until he caught sight of Detective De Corrado, a beer in her hand, talking to one of Ivy’s cousins. He should break his promise and tell her about the Business.

He really needed a cigarette.

He stepped outside but stayed on the far side of the porch, leaning against the corner of Safe Harbour. The crashing waves nearby, the call of seagulls, and a calmer sea breeze. The Black Wind had stopped. The sea had returned to normal, as though it had accepted Davey as a sacrifice.

Even now, police divers were trying to retrieve his body. From what Mackenzie had hinted at, Davey’s body had sunk into the crevasses of the rocky ocean floor and been swept out by the current. He doubted they had any hope.

A few minutes later Ahab saw Mackenzie step outside, vape in hand, heading down towards the shoreline.

‘Mack,’ Ahab called.