‘Mrs Foxton, we came to see you because—’

‘Call me Eva, and I know why you’re here,’ she said. ‘You think I know where your son Troy is.’

I eyed her keenly. ‘And do you?’

‘Not any more.’ Eva shrugged.

I frowned. ‘What does that mean?’

‘It means I knew where he was a few hours ago. Now I don’t.’

My eyes narrowed. If this woman was playing games with me, she’d quickly learn that I wasn’t in the mood. I was just about to open my mouth to tell her so when she got in first.

‘Sephy, if I may call you that, let’s put all our cards on the table, shall we?’ Eva began. ‘Liberty’s mother, Misty, and a couple of her moron friends kidnapped Libby in the first place. Troy just got swept along for the ride. I found out about the original unambitious plan and took over, but I was double-crossed and now I have no clue where Troy and Libby are.’

By the time she’d finished, the tramlines between my eyebrows were fathoms deep. ‘Let me get this straight – you were planning to take over and hold my son and Tobey’s daughter for ransom to get what you wanted, only someone else beat you to it?’

‘That’s about the size of it.’

‘How dare you? What gives you the right to play with people’s lives like that?’ I said furiously. ‘My son, Troy, is a human being, not a carved wooden figurine on a chessboard.’

She shrugged. ‘Sephy, it wasn’t personal. Just business. Troy and Libby were a means to an end, that’s all.’

‘What end?’ asked Sonny, just as angry as I was.

‘I wanted something from Tobey Durbridge and this seemed like a guaranteed way to get it,’ said Eva.

‘You’re the one who wanted him to plead guilty to Dan’s murder,’ I realized. ‘Why are you so keen to pin the blame on him?’

‘I’m not pinning any blame where it doesn’t already belong,’ Eva snapped, her amiable mask finally beginning to slip. ‘Tobey did kill Dan so it’s only right that he should pay for it. And, if his incarceration also works to my advantage, then it’s all good.’ Eva ended her argument with a silky-smooth smile.

This woman was too basic. My previous assessment of her had been spot on. She was a shark, salivating at the first hint of blood in the water.

‘D’you know who took Troy and Libby?’ I asked. ‘Tell me you know that much at least.’

‘I have a pretty good idea actually,’ said Eva. ‘In fact, he’s on his way here now.’

Only a few words, but they stopped me cold.

‘Pardon?’

‘I’m expecting more company within the next ten minutes or so, and one of them knows exactly where Troy and Libby are at this precise moment.’