Just as I was about to crack, call my uncle and demand an explanation, he strode through reception. He was wearing sunglasses, so I couldn’t read his expression as he approached. He was also wearing a plain white shirt today. That unnerved me. I’d never have expected it, but I missed the reassurance of his usual Hawaiian swirls. I noticed that he took the seat next to Xander instead of the nearer one, beside me. He made himself comfortable. I couldn’t help checking my watch.

‘Ah, yes, sorry I’m a little late.’ He sounded more frustrated than sorry. ‘I was hoping for a breakthrough before I set off, but sadly it turned out to be a red herring.’

Xander leaned forward, made an expectant steeple of his fingers, and asked, ‘Does that mean you’re switching to plan B?’

Langdon looked at the three of us in turn, taking what seemed an eternity before replying. ‘I thought, on reflection, I would,’ he said at last, and drummed his fingers on the leather flap of his briefcase.

The sign seemed obvious enough, but I needed confirmation. ‘You’ve brought the money?’ I said.

‘I’m not happy about it, but … yes. Thanks to your friend here.’ He nodded a smile in Xander’s direction. ‘It makes sense given the … err … context.’

Amelia drew breath – to interrogate this vagueness, I was sure – but I cut across her with, ‘Thank you. Dad said he’d pay you back straight away.’

‘The money’s not the point, Jack,’ Langdon explained, as if to an idiot. ‘It’s the principle. When all’s said and done, I don’t want either of us to have paid a single dollar’s ransom.’

For one awful moment I thought he might be about to reverse his decision, but Xander said, ‘Your idea of using marked banknotes is a good one though. It increases our chances of catching the kidnappers. In a way the money is just a lure.’

Langdon was nodding along with this, but Amelia interjected. ‘I imagine they’ll have thought about that: money-laundering is a thing.’

I shot her a what-the-hell look, but Xander immediately said, ‘That’s harder to do than you think, isn’t it, Langdon?’ and mercifully my uncle ignored her interruption in favour of more nodding in Xander’s direction. Realising she’d misspoken, Amelia stood up abruptly, stripped to her swimming costume, dived into the pool and started swimming laps: her way of saying sorry, I suppose.