‘Of course I don’t!’ said Amelia, confused. ‘I’m just ruling things out.’ As if my uncle wasn’t standing right beside her, she went on: ‘Langdon said the kidnappers might not in fact have your parents, but we can discount that possibility now. The kidnapping is real.’ Seeing me wince, she was kind enough to add: ‘Sadly.’

‘I’ve never heard Dad sound so scared,’ I told my uncle.

Langdon smiled sympathetically and said, ‘Your dad’s no fool. He’ll want to make the kidnappers think he’s cowed by them, but really he’ll just be feeling the same anger we all do, and weighing up his next move. He won’t want to provoke them by showing his steely side though.’

‘It’s hard to think of what his “next move” might be if he’s being held captive,’ said Xander, adding, ‘Just putting that out there.’

‘He’s a Courtney,’ Langdon replied. ‘Whatever the situation, he’ll work to take control of it.’

‘He said to pay the ransom,’ I said quietly.

‘Of course he did,’ said Langdon. ‘For the same reason. He’s got to look as if he’s cooperating.’ Deliberately, like a man laying bricks, he went on: ‘The last thing your father would want is for us to actually pay a ransom. He wouldn’t forgive us for doing that.’

I couldn’t bring myself to reply. Langdon hadn’t heard my father’s voice. I had, and the fear in it wasn’t made up; it was real. My fists balled up at my sides. Luckily, before I had a chance to threaten Langdon with them, Amelia spoke for me.

‘Hold on.’ She looked askance at my uncle. ‘You’re claiming that when Nicholas said “pay the ransom” what he actually meant was “don’t pay the ransom”?’ To me she added, ‘I know all about how people don’t say exactly what they mean, but your dad tends to be fairly straight-talking and in this instance it seems, how can I put it, unlikely.’

Xander under his breath, chimed in: ‘What she said!’

Langdon puffed himself up. ‘Now then,’ he said, ‘one of us here is an adult with fifteen years’ experience negotiating the complexities of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The others are children, none of who, with the utmost respect, has fifteen years’ experience of anything!’ He gave me what passed for a kind smile, put an arm around my shoulders and added, ‘Trust me, Jack. I know how best to handle this.’

The anger that had built within me withered as he said these words. I felt lost and deflated and I realised, however reluctantly, that I wanted him to be right. ‘But Friday is the day after tomorrow,’ I said lamely, ‘and I said –’