Smart, Richard thought, that way he couldn’t use it to call anyone and give away his location. He pulled away from the village and headed towards the dual carriageway. There was a smattering of early morning vehicles, commuters heading to work, leaving early to avoid the heavy traffic. He soon saw the signs for the lay-by and pulled in as instructed. They’d chosen the spot well – shrubs and trees gave a reasonable degree of privacy and the car couldn’t be seen from the road. He turned off the engine and picked up the phone.

‘I’m here.’

‘Good,’ the kidnapper said. ‘Now, get the money out and put it on the verge, near the litter bin.’

‘But where are you – where’s Danny?’

‘I’m right behind you.’

Richard turned sharply to see a white Ford Transit van pull up behind him. The adrenaline coursed through his veins and for a moment he wanted to rush at the van and strangle the man who’d taken his son. But his rational mind quickly took over. There were two men in the van, so he was outnumbered, and physical violence had never been his thing.

The van’s number plate was covered by sacking, and the men inside both wore character masks. As Richard placed the bag on the verge, the man with the Bill Clinton mask jumped out of the van and snatched it up.

‘Where’s Danny?’ Richard tried to grab the man by the arm, but the second man, hidden behind a Tony Blair mask, jumped out and aimed a gun at Richard’s head.

‘When we’ve counted it we’ll let your son go. Relax.’ The man was toying with him. Richard was terrified, his hands were clammy and he was sweating profusely despite the cold day and the soaking from the rain. The money was short and it wouldn’t take them long to find out. The dilemma was whether to tell them now, or let them find out for themselves. He decided on the first option, hoping being upfront would put them in a better mood than letting them leave and discover the discrepancy later.

‘There’s as much there as I could get. It’s a hundred and ninety thousand – please just take it and let Danny go.’

The man in the Tony Blair mask growled and stepped forward, pointing the gun directly at Richard. ‘You’ve had plenty of bloody time to get the money together! Aren’t you taking this seriously?’

‘Of course I am, but it’s a difficult time for me. Please, take the money and let Danny go! He’s just a little boy – he’ll be afraid – please.’ Richard would have gone down on his knees if he thought it would have helped.