But when he’d left, he’d fallen out. Hard. Blaming Davey for Jesse and his family’s disappearance had been a stupid mistake, but you couldn’t take mistakes back.

‘I know you, Ahab. I know what you’re thinking.’

‘I don’t think you do, lass,’ said Ahab.

‘Davey is gone. Forest is back. You’re thinking you can help Forest turn Dempsey Abalone legit.’

Damn. He’d forgotten just how bright she was – that’s how she’d worked her way up to becoming Davey’s 2IC.

He looked at the cigarette butt pinched in his fingers, then threw it to the ground.

‘We know the writing’s on the wall, Ahab. Ivy will make sure the Business goes to Forest, and I imagine he’ll run it just as she wants. Still, things might change for us. Maybe you’ll get what you want.’ The light in Chips’s eyes faded. ‘But the Business may not exist long enough for that to happen. Blackbeard knows too much.’

The words fell from her lips like stones dropped off the pier.

‘So it’s true. He’s here?’

In answer, she sculled the rest of her beer in one go.

‘Tell me everything,’ said Ahab.

‘You’ll only use it against us to bring the Business down.’

‘What does Blackbeard know?’ insisted Ahab.

‘Everything, Ahab. He knows the chain of command. He knows how we operate – we’ve seen strange boats at a few of our old drop sites.’

‘Then he’s bought off one of your crew.’

‘It’s worse than that. He’s made contact with some of our old suppliers. The only people who know our suppliers are Davey, me, and . . . well, you know.’

‘Jonah Donnager,’ said Ahab.

‘No. Jesse Dempsey.’

Ahab thought back to Davey’s note to Shelby. Tell Jesse I’m sorry.

‘I’ll tell you one more thing, Ahab, and then you and I go our separate ways. Jesse was supposed to return one day. He told Davey to look after the place until then.’ She paused, turning the empty beer bottle in her hands. ‘But then a few days ago Forest shows up, looking the way he did . . . Now we’re all thinking that you were right, all those years ago: Davey did do something to Jesse and his family. We think he must’ve paid someone to abduct them, kept them chained up, for all we know. But then Forest escapes, and now Blackbeard is here . . . We think maybe Blackbeard is Jesse.’

Ahab’s mouth went dry. He drank from his beer to hide his dismay.

‘So,’ said Chips. ‘The crew is divided. Half want to defect to Blackbeard, half want to fight back.’

‘Why did no one ever tell me any of this?’ said Ahab.