‘I don’t know if I can do this without breaking down,’ Martha said.
‘Well if that happens, don’t worry, it will get public sympathy and will more than likely prompt a positive response,’ Best told her. ‘Don’t be afraid to let your emotions show. We want the public to get on side with this, that’s why we’re doing it.’
‘Do you think this sort of approach actually helps, or does it just muddy the waters, so to speak?’ Richard asked.
‘We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t think it worthwhile. Keeping Danny’s image and name in the public eye might just prompt someone who may have seen him, or thinks a neighbour is holding him. It’s a long shot I know, but it’s certainly worth a try.’
‘So where do we have to go?’ Martha spoke up, willing now to give anything a try if the police thought it could help.
‘It’ll be at the police station but I’ll come to pick you up at noon so you don’t have to worry about getting there. Don’t, of course, say anything about the kidnappers or the demand for a ransom. We want the public to be vigilant with this and if they think it’s a kidnapping they’ll assume Danny’s being held somewhere far away and will think no more of it, when in reality it might just be that their neighbour who was acting suspiciously is holding him next door.’
Best left and for the rest of the morning there were only the three of them in the house. Martha was aware of the tension between her husband and her mother but did nothing about it; she had other things to worry about and they were grown adults, they could sort it out themselves.
Richard left the house for an hour to go to the bank where the money from the loan company was waiting. Martha noticed Richard seemed anxious and assumed it was tension at the thought of the press conference.
Before DS Best was due to arrive to drive them to the police station, Richard asked to talk to her, alone.
‘If you like, I’ll do all the talking,’ he said.
Martha didn’t know what to make of this offer; did he want to spare her the ordeal, or didn’t he trust her to be coherent?
‘I think we’ll just have to see who the question is directed to.’ She turned and left the room. Elaine had offered to go with them to the press conference but Martha declined the offer. There was enough to worry about without adding in concern for her mother, but she didn’t tell Elaine that.
DS Best arrived in good time. A uniformed constable was with him and he explained that the constable would remain at the house with Elaine, in case the kidnappers rang. DI Radford was waiting at the station and spoke briefly to them about how the event would proceed. He repeated much of what Best had told them, emphasising that both the officers would be there to intercept anything inappropriate or anything the police didn’t want revealed about the case.
Martha could feel a knot of anxiety in her stomach; she hadn’t been outside the house since that first night when she’d wildly run out into the streets looking for Danny. Madness had taken over then but now she felt physically sick — she was scared of the conference and scared of what could happen to Danny.
The room they were ushered into was crammed full with journalists, lighting and cameras. To Martha it seemed surreal and she drifted along to a seat behind a table where DI Radford steered her. Richard sat beside her, taking her hand. The questions began immediately; some were intrusive, some sympathetic and others rather stupid, as Best had warned them. Martha did leave most of the talking to Richard as she felt spaced out, as if this wasn’t real and she would wake up soon to find it had all been a nightmare. The last question however, was directed at her, as a ruddy-faced, rather rotund journalist asked, ‘Mrs Stone, do you think Danny is still alive?’
Chapter 22
Richard was appalled by the press conference and only thankful that it was brief. DS Best had warned them that the press might ask some awkward, even stupid, questions and he’d been right about that. Martha was visibly upset, by the last question in particular; it was the first time the possibility of Danny being dead had actually been verbalised. It made the possibility of losing Danny so real and frightening and Martha had been unable to answer the question, she broke down in tears at the very thought. It was as if their son was suddenly public property and everyone had a right to speak their mind on where and how he was.
DI Radford took the last question as a prompt to end the conference and as Richard led his wife from the room, he wondered if the whole sickening experience was worth any new leads it might turn up.
‘I need to get Martha home,’ he told the detectives, who nodded in understanding. It was actually himself he wanted to get home or away from the police station at least. Richard was very conscious that the kidnappers could ring at any time and he wanted to be alone when they did.
‘You’ll most likely hear from the kidnappers again this evening. I’ll come round at about five but if you hear from them in the meantime, ring me straight away.’ Radford looked stern and Richard felt as if the DI could almost read his mind as he agreed, with no intention of telling him anything.
Martha was quiet on the way home. They were again driven by DS Best, who attempted to make conversation at first and then gave up as it became obvious that neither Richard nor Martha could find the energy to converse. Best went into their house only briefly to collect the uniformed constable who’d been there in case there was a phone call, which had not been the case.
As soon as the officers closed their front door, Richard left his wife to be comforted by her mother and hurried upstairs to check the phone. He punched the wall furiously when he saw that there had been three missed calls. The physical pain to his hand barely helped to control his frustration. The calls had been from withheld numbers, leaving no other option than to wait until they called again.
Keeping the phone switched on and pushed deep into his trouser pocket, Richard went downstairs to see how Martha was.
Elaine was quizzing her daughter.
‘Why don’t you go and lie down, Martha?’ Richard suggested. She looked at him with gratitude in her eyes, nodded and moved towards the stairs. ‘You’ll see it on the evening news, Elaine; she’s gone through enough interrogating for one day.’
‘I wasn’t interrogating!’ his mother-in-law snapped back at him. ‘I’m just concerned for Danny, and for Martha too.’
Richard noticed her concern didn’t encompass him, but said nothing. This was an absolute nightmare and squabbling with Elaine would only exacerbate the situation. Elaine retreated to her bedroom, mumbling something about needing to lie down in a darkened room. Richard was grateful for the solitude; he made himself a much needed coffee and sat in the lounge to wait.
The call came about an hour later.
‘What the hell do you think you’re playing at, switching the bloody phone off!’ The man was obviously angry.
‘I had no choice. We were doing a press conference at the police station, I could hardly take your call there. I’m sorry.’
‘Have you got the money?’
‘Yes.’
‘All of it?’
‘Yes, it’s all here. How’s Danny? Can I speak to him?’
‘No, you forfeited that right when the money came up short last time.’
‘But how do I know he’s still ... okay?’ Richard’s voice trailed off. He was thinking of the last question from the press about whether Danny was still alive. But he couldn’t allow his thoughts to go there; he needed to remain strong and composed.
‘You’ll just have to trust me, like I’ve had to trust you. There’s to be no police this time, right, and nothing less than the full amount?’
‘Yes, the money’s all here and they don’t know I still have your phone.’
DAY 6
Chapter 23
Danny slept fitfully. The thunder had stopped but heavy rain poured throughout most of the night, drumming on the roof and lashing at the window. The bedroom ceiling leaked in more than one place and the constant dripping was lik
e a clock, ticking away the minutes, and the damp was making the room even colder than usual. It was still dark when Lewis came upstairs, looking as if he hadn’t slept much either. He grinned, but not his usual natural smile. Danny could tell it was forced.
‘Got an en-suite shower up here I see!’ Lewis quipped as he handed over a bowl of cereal and a mug of orange juice. ‘That’s about the last of the food, but Mum says we’ll be going home today so it doesn’t matter.’
‘And what about me? Does your mum say I’ll be going home too?’
‘I know things don’t look good, but she still insists Pete’s not a killer.’ Lewis couldn’t look Danny in the eye.
‘That’s only because she doesn’t want to believe that he’s a killer. I’ve seen him, Lewis, and he knows that. He’ll kill me and then what do you think he’ll do to you and your mum? You’ll be witnesses to murder; will he kill you both as well?’
Lewis looked thoughtful. ‘You’re right, Dan. I’ve hardly slept trying to think what’s best to do.’
‘The best thing is for you and your mum to come with me, but if she won’t, will you still come?’
‘You know I can’t leave her! She needs me to look out for her.’
‘But she’s the adult; she should be looking after you!’
‘Yes, but you know how she is. I don’t think she’d get by without me.’
‘What’s she doing now?’
‘Sleeping.’
‘Did you search around to find something we can use to break down the door?’
‘Yes, but there’s not much. There’s an old stool which I thought we could wrap in a blanket then try to smash the glass and break through the wire mesh on the outside,’ Lewis told him.
‘Will your mother sleep through the noise if we do it now?’
‘I’m not sure. It depends on how much she drank last night. She was pretty upset, so I think it would be quite a lot. When do you want to go?’
‘Now would seem like a good time, before Pete comes back. Will you come with me?’ Danny’s eyes were pleading with his friend; he really thought Lewis and Sally were in real danger, especially if Lewis helped him to escape. Pete had gone berserk when he found him downstairs — what he would do if Danny escaped was almost unthinkable.
‘We’ll try to get through the door then I’ll wake Mum and ask her to come with us. If she sees that you’re leaving she might be afraid of what Pete will do and agree to come. If she won’t, then I can’t either.’
‘Okay, let’s do this!’ Danny was fired up and the thought of getting out of the house sent adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Chapter 24
Richard had been instructed to take the money to the same lay-by they’d used two days ago and to set off earlier too, while it was still dark outside and pouring with rain. The wipers on his car worked overtime to clear the rain, until eventually he reached the lay-by and switched the engine off.
Martha was asleep when he left and Richard wondered what she would think when she woke. He’d left a note, telling her not to worry and that he’d be back as soon as he could. She would probably guess that he’d gone to meet the kidnappers and he hardly dared to think what her reaction would be, especially if he returned home alone again. When DI Radford arrived the evening before, he stayed with them for four hours, perplexed and not a little annoyed that the kidnappers didn’t make contact. Richard played the innocent and feigned frustration, copying his wife’s genuine feelings.
He hoped that Martha would sleep late; it would be wonderful if he could return home with their son before she woke, but he was far from confident that it would be so easy.
Fifteen long minutes passed before the phone rang.
‘Go to the motorway and drive west for about five miles. Pull in at the service station after Junction 6 and then drive to the farthest corner and park beside the rubbish bins. Wait there, and if we’re happy that you’re alone, we’ll come to meet you.’
‘Is Danny with you?’ Richard needed to know.
‘That doesn’t matter — just get yourself to the service station.’ The voice changed, it was lower and more menacing.
‘It matters to me!’ Richard couldn’t help shouting.
‘Don’t play the big man with me, Stone! Remember, I’ve got your son and I could walk away from this now, leaving him locked away, alone. How long do you think it would take for a child to die of starvation?’
‘Okay, okay, I’m on my way.’ Richard shook with fear as he set off at speed — he didn’t care how many cameras he drove through, he needed to get this over with now and take his son home where he belonged. His mind was so full of terrifying thoughts that he almost missed the service station entrance. He braked hard and pulled into the almost deserted lot and parked in the spot he’d been directed to, which was well away from the general car park and difficult for anyone to see.
Another ten minutes passed before he saw the white transit van pulling up behind him. Once again, the place had been carefully chosen so that even the few travellers who were using the facility so early in the morning couldn’t see them. The rain was also in their favour — no one was going to be walking around in that.
The men wore the same masks as before and alighted quickly from the van to move towards Richard, who was now also out of his car. Even in the semi-darkness he could clearly see the gun that the ‘Tony Blair’ character was holding at his side.
The reality of the situation suddenly hit Richard hard. This was his only and last chance to secure his son’s freedom. The money was in plastic carrier bags which he held out to the men, while at the same time trying to peer over their shoulders to see if he could catch a glimpse of Danny. He imagined his son to be tied up and gagged on the floor of the van, scared beyond belief.
The man in the Tony Blair mask grabbed the bags and took a quick look inside. Satisfied that it was actually money, he turned to walk away, followed by his partner.
‘What about Danny? Where’s my son?’
‘Relax. Go and grab yourself a coffee and when we’re satisfied the money’s all here we’ll ring to let you know where to find the kid.’
Something in Richard suddenly snapped and he ran after them in a frenzy of anger. He grabbed the sleeve of the man with the gun and they both slipped and fell onto the muddy ground. Richard didn’t know what he was trying to achieve but he had a notion that if he could get the gun, the balance of power would switch from the kidnappers to him. He slid again as he tried to stand but reached out towards the gun; it seemed like the only answer.
The second man turned and took two paces back towards them. He kicked Richard in the stomach, causing him to double up in pain, and then grabbed his partner’s arm and dragged him to his feet. The gun had slipped out of the man’s hand and was lying a few feet away from the three men. By the time Richard caught his breath, ‘Tony Blair’ had picked up the gun again and both men were heading towards the van. Richard watched, helpless, as it pulled away, with or without Danny inside — he had no way of knowing.
It took several minutes for Richard to climb back into his car. He was in considerable pain, soaked through and covered in mud and all to no avail. Trembling and fearful, he began to doubt that he’d made the right move by not involving the police. What would happen next was anybody’s guess; he would have to wait until the kidnappers decided to call.
He took off his overcoat, turned it inside out and, using the bottle of water which he kept in the car, splashed his face and hands then wiped them clean with the lining of his coat. There was nothing he could do about his trousers — they were sodden and muddy which meant there was no way he could go inside the service station to get a coffee or use the rest room to better clean himself.
He debated with whether to remain where he was, which the kidnappers seemed to expect him to do, or go home to Martha, who would probably have the police with her by now.
It was almost fully light. Richard dug into his trous
er pocket for his own phone and as he’d expected, there was a message from Martha. As he listened to her voice, anxious and afraid, he despaired of the utter mess he’d made of the whole situation. His wife would probably be furious, with just cause. The police would be angry and probably already looking for something to charge him with. And he was no closer to rescuing Danny.
Richard put his head back on the seat and closed his eyes. He would remain in the corner of the service station car park, simply because he was afraid to do anything else.
Chapter 25
Danny and Lewis hurried down the stairs. It was beginning to get light and Danny knew they might not have much time before Pete and Dave returned. Lewis paused as they passed the door of the lounge and looked at his sleeping mother.
‘Come on, we need to be quick!’ Danny grabbed his friend’s arm and dragged him towards the back door.
The three-legged stool Lewis had found the night before was partially hidden under the stairs, together with a blanket, the same as the ones Danny had used upstairs. Just to double check, Lewis rattled the door as hard as he could in a last attempt to open it without having to smash through the glass panel. It wouldn’t budge. Danny wrapped the stool in the blanket and offered one leg to Lewis.
‘If we both put our weight behind this and smash into the glass as hard as we can, it might break. Ready? One, two, three!’
The boys ran at the door and the seat of the stool smashed the glass, but stopped at the metal grill on the outside.
‘It must be fastened to the wall.’ Lewis said. He then wrapped his arms in the blanket and began to knock out the shards of glass which still clung to the door frame. The boys then repeated the movement and ran at the door again, but they still couldn’t break through the wire mesh.
‘I thought it might be like chicken wire but it’s obviously much stronger. What shall we do now?’ Danny asked.
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