Bloom filled a tumbler with water and sat at the kitchen table. She retrieved her iPad from her bag with the intention of updating her case notes and then spotted a small square of paper underneath an empty glass. The paper had been ripped from a notepad at a jagged angle and something was written on it. She removed the glass and read it.

Bloom opened Jameson’s bedroom door without knocking. He stood talking on the phone, his expression worried.

‘You’ve seen this then?’ she said holding up the torn piece of paper. ‘Were you planning to tell me?’

‘One sec,’ he said to the person on the phone and covered the microphone with his hand. ‘Karene and Harry’s kids are missing. They never made it to Caroline’s.’

Bloom checked her watch. ‘They should have been there an hour ago.’

Jameson nodded once. ‘Karene didn’t want someone travelling with them, but I sent my guy as a precaution. But he lost them. They’ve done a runner and no one’s seen them since.’

‘They’re not the only ones.’ She turned the paper around in her hand so Jameson could read what Harry had written.

Too many secrets

‘And the car’s gone,’ she said.

‘Vic, I’ll call you back.’ He hung up. ‘How long did we leave him with her?’

‘Seraphine? Not long at all.’

‘Not long is all she needs.’

64

Harry drove the car to the Southampton airport long-stay car park as instructed and found a spot near the shuttle bus stop. He’d told Seraphine that he didn’t have his passport but she’d said not to worry, that it wouldn’t be a problem. He took the bus to the airport terminal and then followed her directions back past the multi-storey car park and on to Tinker Alley where he found the entrance to Control Post 11. Seraphine greeted him as she handed over a stack of papers to the security officer. The stack seemed to include two British passports which the man checked and then handed back to Seraphine.

‘You made the right choice,’ she said to him as the security officer led them through the building and out to a private jet.

Harry desperately hoped she was right. For the sake of his children he had to find out who had done this to him and try to stop any further attacks.

Once onboard, Seraphine spoke briefly to the pilot as Harry walked along the length of the cabin. It was a Dassault Falcon 900B. Harry had never flown one but he knew the French-built jet had a range of over 4,000 nautical miles and an impressive flight ceiling of 51,000 feet. The interior was a muted palette of creams, greys and highly polished wood. It had eight large leather seats that looked to swivel on their base and, at the rear, two leather sofas that faced each other. Beyond that was a well-stocked galley area and spacious toilet.