Richard thought of all the arrangements the police had made, the hidden officers at strategic points en route to the village of Little Stainsbeck when he would be nearly thirty miles away in the opposite direction. Without his phone, he couldn’t ring the police to let them know about the changes and he didn’t dare risk using the kidnapper’s phone in case they rang him. By the time he’d covered the first three miles to High Coatham, he’d convinced himself that not having the police watching his every move was perhaps for the best.

His respect and fear of the kidnappers had also grown to some degree. They correctly guessed that the holdall with the money inside also held a tracking device. Removing this from the equation eliminated all police involvement, as did making him throw away his phone. Richard attempted to lift his mood by telling himself there was now less to go wrong and the transaction would be swift and hopefully uncomplicated.

At 6.40am, he pulled up in front of the village post office and general store, turned off the engine and looked around. It was pretty much a one-street village, with the post office being the only commercial premises within sight. The heavy rain bounced noisily off the car roof as he settled down for another wait, still trembling, wet and cold and wondering if he’d done the right thing by obeying the kidnappers instead of the police.

His eyes darted back and forth, searching for someone approaching the car, but the only moving thing in the village was a black cat, making its way lazily across the road despite the rain. Would the cat be lucky or unlucky, he wondered. Four minutes passed before the phone rang again.

‘Are you in place?’ the voice asked.

‘Yes. Where’s my son?’ Richard felt very much alone which meant he was solely responsible for the outcome of the exchange – a sobering thought.

‘Start the engine and drive. Leave the phone open beside you so I can direct you to where I want you to go.’

‘This is ridiculous. Where’s Danny? I’ve brought your money. Now give me my son!’

‘Shame on you. Losing your temper won’t get you anywhere. Do you still want to do this, or shall we leave it a few more days?’

Richard thought the man was probably enjoying messing with his mind. ‘No, I want Danny back now. Where do I go next?’

‘That’s better, much more reasonable. Drive out of the village and join the dual carriageway at the roundabout. A mile up the road is a lay-by. Pull into it and wait, but keep the phone open.’