‘You’ve done fantastically finding us,’ Dad said. ‘I’m in awe. So grateful. Proud. Come here.’

I went to him and put my head on his shoulder. He hugged me stiffly. Behind him, on the floor next to the fridge, stood the cool box, its lid ajar.

‘That’s his cool box,’ I said.

‘Langdon’s?’ Dad released me.

‘Yes. He delivered it to the guards last night. I saw him.’

Dad smiled and shook his head and said, ‘This must be some kind of mistake.’

I felt sorry for him. Though they didn’t exactly see eye to eye, this was his brother we were accusing. Perhaps we shouldn’t have hit him with the truth straight away. Who knew what state he and mum were actually in after all this time cooped up? Best not to press the point, not now, I thought.

But Amelia said, ‘It’s no mistake. The proof is incontrovertible, I’m afraid. He kidnapped you, his brother. And he also hits his son.’

‘Ease up with the allegations,’ said Dad evenly.

‘Nicholas …’ said Mum.

‘The thing to do,’ said Amelia, ‘is confront Langdon immediately. You’ll see then.’

Dad gave her a hard stare.

‘Fresh air,’ I said. ‘Let’s get you outside.’

We all traipsed out through the yawning roller door and stood blinking in what was left of the sun. Mum held my hand. Quite tightly. She looked older in the light, tiny crow’s feet crowding her eyes. What had she been through in there? The atmosphere was strange, strained. I noticed neither Mum nor Dad had comforted the other yet, or reassured each other the ordeal was now over. Mark swam up within me for some reason. Why, in a moment that should have been happy, was I full of such aching sadness?

A car pulled onto the forecourt, stately and slow, silver and long. Martin Mukwege’s limo. He stepped out of it, unfolding himself to his full size. ‘Mr and Mrs Courtney,’ he said, presenting a hand, which they both shook automatically.

‘Who are you?’ asked Dad.

‘This is Mr Mukwege,’ Amelia answered, as if that should have been obvious. ‘He’s the chairman of the Mining and Conservation Committee, and he’s who we gave Jack’s evidence to.’

‘I told these … children to wait for me,’ he said, grinning broadly. ‘Possibly I should have guessed that, having demonstrated such resourcefulness, they might find it hard to wait around for help freeing you. So here I am, too late.’ To me he said, ‘You mentioned guards. What have you done with them?’

‘They’d gone.’ I shrugged.

‘How strange.’

‘Not really,’ said Amelia. ‘If the motive was to keep Nicholas and Janine away from the environmental summit until the conservation vote had passed, it makes sense to abandon the kidnapping about now.’