William and Thelma Stone lived comfortably in a modest bungalow. They were the least materialistic people Richard knew and much of their income was given away to various charities. It irked him that they gave so much to animal rescue charities, and in recent years they’d taken their philanthropy a step further, acquiring two kittens from a rescue shelter and regularly feeding several more feral cats. Richard discovered he had a previously unknown allergy to cats which made visits to his parents’ home uncomfortable. His eyes streamed almost as soon as he walked through the door.

William Stone was a tall man, the same height as his son but now stooped with age, his rounded shoulders giving the appearance of being the shorter of the two. Periwinkle eyes, once bright but now dulled with the passing of time, were set in a round ruddy face. Martha often remarked that her father-in-law would make an excellent Father Christmas, particularly when he laughed – but the news of Danny’s kidnapping would bring nothing to laugh about.

Thelma was the opposite of her husband in stature, a small bird of a woman, all angular and bony. Her hollow cheeks gave her the appearance of being much older than her sixty-seven years but Thelma was still sprightly and lived the life they had chosen to the full.

Delight at seeing Richard lit up his parents’ faces while Richard’s was grim. There was no easy way to tell someone that their only, much-loved, grandson had been kidnapped and tact wasn’t his forte. He was more used to dealing with facts, so he simply laid them out before his parents with scant regard to their feelings. Danny had been taken and a ransom demand made. There was little else Richard could say, he knew of no details himself, and neither, it seemed, did the police. Richard, never one for small talk , said little more as he watched the pain in his parents’ faces. The news struck them like a physical blow.

William and Thelma visibly shrank before his eyes, tears flowing freely as they asked the questions he struggled to answer. Richard’s guilt was compounded by the knowledge that he should have brought Danny to see his grandparents with greater regularity. Please God, this could still be remedied.

Richard didn’t wish to witness their distress – it served to highlight what he increasingly recognised as his failures as a parent and his shortcomings as a son. He’d perhaps never fully appreciated William and Thelma and now feared that if Danny was not safely restored to them, he would never be able to correct his previous neglect. Despite this attack of conscience, Richard left his parents within half an hour of arriving; going to the bank furnished him with a convenient excuse.