‘Sharkey has a lead for me. He’s given me the name of a woman he thinks can help me out. I have to go speak to her now.’ ‘When will you be back?’ ‘Don’t know. I have my phone with me. Wish me luck.’ ‘I can do better than that,’ said Winter, climbing out of bed and pulling on a pair of jeans. In the blink of an eye, she had a cardigan and sneakers on, and had her hair tied back in a ponytail. ‘I can come with you,’ she said. She swung her bag over her shoulder, then grabbed two apples from a bowl near the sink. ‘OK. Let’s go.’ We found Fortescue House after a few wrong turns. It was an old building, needing a fresh coat of paint, down near the docks and across the road from something called the Mission to Seafarers. From the flagpole over the main entrance, a banner flew with a striking image of a lionfish on it. Above the open doorway was a handwritten sign: ‘Reception’. I looked into the dark hallway and saw floorboards, covered in part by worn carpet pieces, empty tables and chairs by a bar, and a rickety staircase leading up to the second floor.
