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“But nobody hurt Bill.”
“Doesn’t matter, Dad. These people often have more devious ways of getting back at their enemies. Believe me. I’ve come across more than a few of them in my time. Did he ever mention any names?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean in London. The people he worked for. Did he ever mention any names?”
Harry Fi
“Who?”
“The Twins. Reggie and Ro
“Bloody hell!”
Arthur Banks’s eyes shone with triumph. “Now do you see why we just thought he had a big mouth on him?”
For the second time that day, A
Josie answered the door, as usual, holding a barking Miata by the collar. A
Neither Martin nor Robin seemed to be enjoying the beautiful evening or the long cool drinks that sat in front of them. Both seemed pale, tense and preoccupied, and the mobile perched on the table like an unexploded bomb.
“What are you doing here?” Martin Armitage said. “I told you Luke was on his way home and I’d be in touch when he got here.”
“I take it he’s not arrived yet?”
“No.”
“Heard from him again?”
“No.”
A
“I didn’t ask you to-”
A
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Come off it, Mr. Armitage. I followed you.”
“You did what?”
“I followed you. After I left this morning I waited in a lay-by and followed you to the shepherd’s shelter. What were you doing there?”
“None of your bloody business. Why, what are you going to do? Charge me with disobeying government regulations?”
“Let me tell you what you were doing, Mr. Armitage. You were leaving a briefcase full of money. Old bills. Tens and twenties, for the most part. Around ten thousand pounds, at a guess, maybe fifteen.”
Armitage was red in the face. Still, A
“You’ve got imagination, I’ll certainly give you that.”
“They said no police, which is why my arrival scared the living daylights out of you.”
“I’ve told you-”
“Martin.” Robin Armitage spoke for the first time, and though her voice was soft and kindly, it was authoritative enough to command her husband’s attention. “Can’t you see?” she went on. “She knows. I must admit that I, for one, feel rather relieved.”
“But he said-”
“They don’t know who I am,” said A
“Pretty certain?”
A
“I’m sorry about what’s happened,” A
“Robin. Please. As we’re involved in such an intimate matter, at least you can call me by my first name. My husband, too.”
“Okay. Robin. Look, I have to tell you that I’m not a negotiator. This isn’t my area of expertise. We have people specially trained to deal with kidnappers and their demands.”
“But he said no police,” Martin repeated. “He said if we brought in the police he’d kill Luke.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him I’d already reported Luke missing.”
“And what did he say to that?”
“He was quiet for a moment, as if he was thinking, like.”
“Or consulting with someone else?”
“He could have been, but I didn’t hear anyone. Anyway, when he came back on he said that was fine, but to make sure I told you Luke had rung and said that he was coming home. Which I did.”
“It was a man who made the call, then?”
“Yes.”
“What time?”
“About half past nine. Just before Robin rang you.”
“How much did he ask for?”
“Ten thousand.”
“Accent?”
“None, really.”
“He didn’t sound local?”
“He could’ve been, but he didn’t have a strong accent. Sort of bland.”
“And his voice?”
“What do you mean?”
“High or low? Husky, reedy, whatever?”
“Just ordinary. I’m sorry, I’m not good at this sort of thing, especially recognizing voices on the telephone.”
A
“Yes. I’ll think about it.”
“Did he let you speak to Luke?”
“No.”
“Did you ask?”
“Yes, but he said Luke was being kept somewhere else.”
“And he called you on your mobile?”
“Yes.”
“Who knows the number?”
“Family. Close friends. Business colleagues. I suppose it would be easy enough to find out. Luke, of course. He has it programmed into the electronic phone book of his own mobile. At first, I thought it was him because his name was displayed when the call came.”
“So the kidnapper used Luke’s mobile to call you?”
“I suppose so. Why does it matter?”
“At least it tells us he’s in an area where there’s a signal. Or he was when he made the call. Also, if he’s used it at other times, we’ll be able to get the information from the phone company. It might help us pinpoint him. Of course, it would be better if he left it switched on, but he’s not going to make things that easy for us.”
“Tell me,” said Robin. “In your experience, in how many cases do they… how many times do the victims…”
“I don’t have any statistics offhand,” A