“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, Annie pressed on. “And now let me tell you what happened. They got in touch with you last night on your mobile, said they’d got Luke and you were to hand over the money. You told them you couldn’t lay your hands on that much cash until the banks were open, so they gave you until this morning to leave it at the prearranged drop.” Which means they know something about the area, Annie realized, or that they’ve been watching, scouting for some time. Maybe someone had noticed them. Strangers usually stood out around these parts, especially as the tourist numbers were down. “How am I doing so far?”

“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 Annie. “And I’m pretty certain they didn’t see me around Mortsett this morning.”

“Pretty certain?”

Annie looked him in the eye. “I’d be a liar if I said I was a hundred percent certain.” Birds in the trees filled in the silence that followed, and a light breeze ruffled Annie’s hair. She held Martin Armitage’s gaze until she saw it waver and finally wane into defeat. His shoulders slumped. Robin leaned over and put her arm around him. “It’s all right, darling,” she said. “The police will know what to do. They’ll be discreet.” Robin looked at Annie as she spoke, as if daring her to disagree. Annie didn’t. Martin ran the backs of his hands across his eyes and nodded.

“I’m sorry about what’s happened,” Annie said, “but Mrs. Armitage is right.”

“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.”