“Doesn’t matter.” Mayor Anderson walked towards us. “I don’t need the details right now. I’m impressed, though, if I’m honest. Didn’t know you had it in you. Shame on me, eh? Underestimating a middler.”

“Maggie!” Lindi again.

I fumbled with the keys.

Mayor Anderson looked over my shoulder at the others. “Me and you, Maggie Cruise, we’ve got a lot in common, you know.”

Dirty.

Dangerous.

Deceitful.

“We don’t have anything in common,” I said.

“Oh, come on. We’re both middlers. We’ve both got a heroic older sibling, most of the time anyway—” she glanced at Jed— “and a useless younger one.”

“Trig’s not useless.” I spat the words.

“We’re both prepared to sacrifice others in our efforts to get noticed.”

“That’s not true,” I said. “That’s not me. Not any more.”

Mayor Anderson smiled. Her billy lamp lit up her chin and the underneath of her nose. “Give me the keys.” She held out her hand. “Give me the keys and we’ll lock these three up again. Me and you together. Then I’ll drive you back home in the jeep, and you know what? Forget being Mr Wetheral’s apprentice – you can be my apprentice. You can help me keep everyone safe and warm and fed. I’ve been doing it for years but I can’t keep going forever. The town needs someone with guts, Cruise. The town needs you.”

She stepped closer, nodded at the keys. “Give them to me.”

“Don’t, Maggie.” Lindi was right at my shoulder. “Pass them back here.”

“Cal’ll be down soon,” said Mayor Anderson. “If he catches you like this, he won’t only lock those three up – he’ll lock you up too. You’re not going to get anywhere by hiding in his van. You can’t even drive. Come on. Just give me the keys.”

I hooked my lamp over my wrist and looked down at the bunch of keys. The one nearest to me was different from all the others. Flatter than a normal key. Smaller. That must be it. Can’t believe I didn’t see it before. I picked it out.

Mayor Anderson was right, though. I couldn’t drive us home. We weren’t going to get anywhere. Cal’d get us out, one way or another.

Mayor Anderson nodded at her open hand.

Feel your fear, Maggie.

Feel your fear, and do the right thing.

I passed the keys back to Lindi – the small flat one separated from the rest. She whipped them away.

Mayor Anderson closed her fingers on her empty palm.

The keys jangled.

Ker-lunk. The van was open.

“What’s going on?” Jed groaned.

“We’re getting into this van,” said Lindi. “C’mon.”

Mayor Anderson drew herself up. She was a full head and shoulders taller than me.

The knife.

Mr Opal’s knife.