By then, Tim was beside his wife, concerned as he asked, ‘What’s happened to you, son?’

‘I was kidnapped and they’re following me!’ A look of fear crossed his face as he glanced behind him, back into the wood.

‘Don’t worry, Dan, you’re safe now. You can get in the car if you like, but it’s fine if you want to stay here.’ Fiona rummaged in her bag and found her phone which she held out to Danny. ‘You can make the call if you like, or I can do it for you?’

Danny reached for the phone and snatched it from her hand. He sniffed, wiped his tear-streaked face on his sleeve and tried to press the buttons with shaking hands. ‘I can’t do it.’ He looked bereft and started to cry.

Fiona put her arm around him and led him to the car. ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ll ring the police and they’ll sort it all out. They’re probably looking for you as we speak.’

Fiona opened the car’s back door and Danny shuffled in, shivering and breathing rapidly. She climbed into the car beside him and he allowed her to put an arm around him. Bang goes the wedding finery, she thought as the boy leaned into her, his wet muddy clothes against hers.

Tim was on the phone with the police and peered into the car to ask Danny his surname. He repeated ‘Stone’ into the phone and was assured that someone would be with them within minutes. When he told his wife and the boy, Danny sighed and allowed Fiona to hold him close and stroke his wet matted hair as he sobbed softly.

Within minutes police cars were coming at them from all directions and very soon the side of the road was crammed with vehicles. An ambulance arrived and Danny was taken into it with a police officer accompanying him. She assured Danny that his parents would meet him at the hospital.

Tim and Fiona Weeks were unaware of the local publicity concerning the missing boy, as they lived in Oldham in Greater Manchester. Unexpectedly they’d been caught up in a drama and were asked to give formal statements at the Bristol police station.

It would mean they would miss their niece’s wedding ceremony but would hopefully join the family at the reception afterwards. It was of no consequence and they were delighted to have played a part in getting a missing child reunited with his parents. Recounting the story over the coming weeks would give them no end of pleasure.

45

DAY 6

As soon as DI Radford was notified that Danny had been found, he rang Suni to impart the news.

‘What is it?’ Martha asked when she saw the smile on the FLO’s face.

‘They’ve found him!’ Suni beamed, tears in her eyes. ‘He’s okay and on his way to Bristol Royal Children’s Hospital.’