There was a blank screen with a black arrow inside a white circle in the centre. Hesitantly, she clicked on it.

A jerky video began playing, showing images of Laura and Cassie standing in a queue. They were wearing vest tops and shorts, Cassie with a baseball cap and Laura with a straw trilby-style hat at a jaunty angle. Both were licking ice-cream cones. They turned, almost synchronized, and stared in harmony for several seconds directly at the camera, before turning away, clearly giggling.

Then, from a different angle now, she saw a close-up of a terrified-looking Cassie strapped into a harness. Seconds later, she hurtled down a zip wire towards a gorge, heading towards a platform across the far side. Suddenly, to Meg’s horror, Cassie jerked to a halt and, as if the wire had snapped, she plunged into the fast-moving water. An instant later she rose up, dangling several metres above it, dropped again, disappearing beneath the surface, then rose again and stopped, bouncing up and down, looking utterly petrified.

On the video, Meg could hear screams.

Cold terror squirmed inside her.

She could see, too far away to hear any sound, Cassie dangling like a fish.

She was being wound, slowly, jerkily, back up. After what seemed an eternity, she landed on the safety of a platform and was immediately grabbed by two men, who freed her from the harness.

The burner phone rang.

‘Hello?’

The familiar, calm, male voice. ‘Not a nice video, is it, Meg? Such a relief to see your daughter’s friend safe.’

‘You bastard, did you cause this? What are you trying to do?’

‘Please don’t worry, Cassie is fine, just a little shaken. She’s been taken to hospital, accompanied by your daughter, suffering from shock. She’ll be fine. We just need you to understand what we are capable of – treat this as a little reminder.’

‘You don’t have to do this. They are lovely, innocent people. You’ve already made your point; I understand what I have to do.’

‘I’m sure, Meg. But we just don’t want you getting too complacent. It was a better day in court, today, but there are a lot more witnesses to come. You’ve got your work cut out. The next video I send you might not have such a happy outcome for Laura, if you get my drift.’

‘Your drift?’

‘You know what I’m saying.’

‘Please, I’m doing everything I can.’

‘Oh, we know that, Meg. And we are right with you, doing everything we can, too. You do have a friend on the jury.’

‘Friend, or someone else like me who you are threatening?’

He sounded hurt. ‘We are helping them just like we are helping you.’

‘Helping me? Really?’