Jimmy hides behind the lifeboat house, peering through a crack in the fire door. He used to love this place when he was a boy. The building reeked of diesel, brine and the rubbery sweetness of oilskin. The crew used to let him peer through their telescope to watch puffins plummeting into the sea, hunting for mackerel, but there’s no trace of those officers today. A tall, black-haired man stands where their boat lay, rubbing the back of his neck as if his muscles hurt. Jimmy recognises Ben Kitto and the younger man who waits at his side, his frame so much smaller that the pair look like father and son.
He tries to gather the courage to tell them what he witnessed on bonfire night, but the words turn to dust in his mouth. Jimmy presses his ear to the crack, struggling to follow the conversation. Individual words carry on the still air – suspect, victims, forensics – but their meanings confuse him. Soon the big detective walks closer, his voice reaching Jimmy more clearly.
‘We need to find out why Curwen was at the scene, Eddie. No one’s seen him since. He could be our killer.’
Jimmy reels backwards, almost stumbling from the ledge. He escapes through the bushes then chases the path back to Middle Town. No matter what happens, his birds need him; he can’t neglect them.
When he gets home, the sun has already dropped from the sky. He regrets leaving his coat on Burnt Island because his jumper and thin trousers offer little protection from the cold. Once indoors, he tries to remember what he heard. The police think he’s to blame. He must find out who killed the burning man or they’ll put him in jail, and the creatures he’s rescued will starve. He pulls on another jumper, stuffs his pockets with bundles of feathers from his collection, then packs food in a carrier bag before rushing downstairs.
A tern screams out a raucous welcome, but the gull eyes him calmly as Jimmy refills water dishes and tips seed into their trays.
‘I’ll find the answer,’ he whispers. ‘Then I’ll come back.’
Jimmy wishes he could spend longer with his birds, but there’s no time to waste. He runs until the village lies behind him, uncertain where to start his search. When he reaches the open fields he hides behind a thicket of gorse, his heart jittering with panic.