Ellie stood at the plywood lectern. Around twenty people sat in the rows of cheap plastic chairs before her. She knew them all by sight. Bert Annable was in the front row, along with Noel. Not Milly, though; she detested anything to do with guns and was busy looking after Kate Beck. Ellie would need to look in on her shortly.

Also present was a man in a Barbour jacket over designer outdoor wear. His hair was salt-and-pepper grey at the sides and reddish-brown and woolly-looking on top as the result of a hair transplant that no one other than himself found impressive, but he still had something of his son’s Mediterranean good looks. Ellie hadn’t particularly wanted Ron Chapple there, but hadn’t had much choice.

“All right.” She knocked on the lectern; the church grew quiet. “We need some volunteers.”

There were sighs, more of weariness than reluctance. Barsall didn’t lack community spirit; it was a necessity in a place so easily cut off from the outside world. People mucked in and pulled together on one another’s behalf; one of the things Ellie liked about the village. The sighs were because they were expecting to hear some stupid bloody townies had got in trouble and needed saving. Ellie had a surprise for them on that score at least.

Briefly, she outlined what they’d found at Wakeman Farm and the Bell. “We’re still not a hundred per cent clear what happened, but we do have reason to believe at least two people are being held against their will at Barrowman Farm.”

That provoked a few mutters; Ron Chapple bit his lips, clenching and unclenching his fists on his knees. “Harpers,” said Ernie Stasiolek. “Big bloody surprise.”

“We know who they’ve got?” asked Bert.

“Charlotte Famuyiwa and David Chapple.”

There were a few more mutters at that, and a few glances in Ron’s direction. He closed his eyes, fists still clenched, plainly hating to be the object of whatever mixed emotions were being directed at him. Except among the more easily impressed local girls, Dave Chapple wasn’t a popular lad, even if his blend of smug good looks, piss-taking ‘charm’ and (above all) Ron’s money always got him out of trouble. Most would be thinking it served him right to be in some real bother for once; some would be considering the benefits of Ron’s gratitude to anyone involved in getting his son and heir out of said bother, and mixed in there would be some genuine pity, which Ron would probably hate the worst of all.

Chances were, Charlotte was a distant fourth in their thoughts, and Ellie hated that. Even now, Dave’s rich dad was getting him special treatment. “We don’t know what’s happened to Joda and Barbara Famuyiwa,” she said, “or Grant and Sally Beck. Charlotte’s probably scared to death and we haven’t even a family to get her back to. And I don’t have to tell you that any girl shut up with Paul Harper’s in big trouble.”