‘It’s no hardship hanging out here though, is it? Games room, pool – not that sonny here can use it, but still – good food.’

‘He’s called Xander,’ said Amelia.

‘Course he is. Xander, with the duff leg. This is as good a place as any for it to mend, don’t you think?’

‘Where exactly have they gone, and what are they doing?’ I said.

‘Eh? Research, as I say. Into mining. They wanted to see how a responsible outfit like ours can contribute both economically and environmentally. I wasn’t really in favour of them taking the risk since our operation reaches into some quite … spicy … territories, but you know what they’re like.’

One half of me was reassured by this, since it made sense of why neither of them had called me back. If they were somewhere remote there was probably no signal. But I didn’t like Langdon’s use of the word spicy, and the fact that neither had left me a message before they set off was odd. Perhaps there’d be a note in my room. I must have looked worried.

Amelia, no doubt trying to help, said, ‘You’re concerned. But you yourself suggested they go and take a look at your uncle’s mines.’

‘Did I?’

‘Yes. At dinner on our first night. You were sitting at that table over there, in the seat on the corner. The one with a red back. You were drinking a –’

‘I get it, Amelia.’ To Langdon I said, ‘When are they due back?’

‘Ah, here we are,’ said Langdon as our order arrived.

The waiter seemed nervous. He set everything down very gingerly, comically concerned he might spill something. It took ages.

Langdon didn’t hurry him though. When the man had finally finished and retreated with a little bow, my uncle still didn’t answer my question, preferring to sit back in his chair and take an appreciative sip of his drink instead.

‘When are they due back?’ I repeated.

‘Well …’ he said reluctantly, ‘travel plans in the DRC can be difficult to pin down.’

‘I know. But when were they aiming for?’

‘They didn’t intend to stay long.’

‘That doesn’t answer the question,’ Amelia said for me.

Langdon shot her a look. ‘There’s no cause for alarm. We would have expected them to have been in touch by now, but they’ve probably taken the opportunity to go exploring. You know how wilful your mother can be. Communications out east are patchy. It’s nothing unusual.’

‘You’re not telling me everything you know,’ I said. The statement came out more forcefully than I intended, and Caleb, who’d seemed uninterested in the conversation until that point, glanced up sharply to see how his father would take it.

Langdon put down his drink. ‘I beg your pardon,’ he said levelly.

‘All I mean is, please don’t keep anything from me.’