He wore a necklace she recognised. The sight of it made her eyes grow wide in shock, and she closed them so he wouldn’t see fresh distress and fathom the reason.

‘There you go. Have maybe your last look, if you stuff us,’ he said. Then turned away.

That was when she noticed her surroundings. Not a bridge or a tunnel or a building that had cut out the light, she saw. Lorries with big trailers surrounded them, their high sides blocking the sun. Her thought: a lorry park at a Services.

Ball Cap put his hand on her neck, used it to turn her head towards him. No, not him. The window behind him. They were parked at the back of two articulated lorries that created a high corridor ten feet wide. As she watched, a van moved into view at the other end and a side door slid open.

‘Oh my god. J—’

‘Calm down,’ Ball Cap said.

She reached for the door, but his free hand grabbed her ponytail, both grips locking her in place. She shut her muscles down because she knew the van could escape long before she reached the end of the corridor.

She couldn’t believe it. There was Josie, on her knees in the back of the van. Her little lady. She didn’t look hurt or tied up, but Anna got only enough of a glimpse to know it was her, and then the sliding door shut, and the van pulled away, out of her view.

‘There. A movie clip. Now you want to see the whole film, don’t you?’

Ball Cap started to stuff her down on to the floor again, ponytail and neck in his hands, but she struggled. He let go of her hand and clamped it over her mouth, shutting off her air, and promised he’d— ‘Bury both of you right here if you don’t quit it, woman.’

The fight went right out of her, but not because of his threat. If she wanted Josie back, there was only one way to do it. Do what these people wanted. She had given in to them all the way so far, so why change that now, especially after they’d followed through with a promise to show her that Josie was alive? Do as they say, give them her Forcefield, and surely they would also follow through with their promise to free her daughter.

‘Let’s just get driving,’ she snapped as she laid her head on Josie’s pyjamas again. ‘We’re wasting time.’