After sifting through the papers and not finding the statement she needed, Martha rummaged through the desk drawers. Various stationery items filled the top drawer with envelopes and printer paper in the second. The third drawer was locked, which didn’t strike her as unusual; the couple employed a cleaner and Richard would want to keep personal financial details out of sight.

Martha looked around for a key, trying to think where she would put one if this were her study. It was in the second place she checked; a wooden box, ostensibly holding pens and pencils. The box had a small drawer at the bottom and several keys were inside. Perhaps it wasn’t a brilliant hiding place, but she couldn’t see their cleaner rooting through boxes to find the desk key and presumably Richard thought likewise.

Soon the drawer was open and as expected it held their bank statements and building society books. Martha scrutinised the paperwork. The statements were neatly collated and secured with a paper clip, typical of Richard’s organised mind, but as she looked at each one in turn, the colour drained from her face. The money going into the accounts, mainly their salaries, was as expected, but several large withdrawals surprised her.

Martha flopped back into Richard’s chair, her brow creased. She couldn’t account for the withdrawals – they’d had no major expenses recently. The balance on the newest statement was just short of fifteen thousand, which corresponded to the figure online. Martha was shocked – something was seriously off – such a small balance couldn’t be right.

It was the same in their building society book; the two hundred thousand or more Martha expected to see was gone and the account held less than twenty thousand. The money, which she would readily hand over to secure Danny’s release, was missing, and cold fear gripped her heart. What investments could Richard have made to deplete their accounts to this extent? For an instant Martha wondered if he was gambling and afraid to admit it. Or could the investments he claimed to have made eaten into their finances – a gamble in itself. It was concerning that Richard had committed so much to a venture which could be risky and hadn’t even bothered to discuss it with her. When he came home Martha would insist on him telling her exactly what was going on.

8

DAY 2

Richard knew the visit to his parents would prove difficult, not least because of his guilt at not visiting them often enough. He mentally braced himself to deal with their shock and distress at the news he was about to impart, when he was barely coping with his own emotions.