Now Boonzie decided that he had rested long enough. He rocked his body forwards onto his knees and crawled silently across the dungeon floor so that he could go back to work on the loose stone block in the wall.

Chapter 43

On the drive back northwards, Ben plugged his phone into the Mercedes’ hands-free system and called Mirella. The landline call rang a few times before it was redirected to a mobile. A moment later, a confused-sounding Mirella picked up. It was only then that he realised how late it was; even later in Italy.

‘I’m sorry I woke you.’

‘I wasn’t asleep. It’s impossible for me to close my eyes.’ Mirella tearfully explained that she’d gone to stay with her brother’s family in Rome, unable to stand being alone any longer. She was going out of her mind and, to Ben’s relief, was still procrastinating over whether or not to call in the authorities.

‘Hold on just a little longer, Mirella. I might have found out something important.’

‘You found him?’ It was agonising to hear the rawness of emotion in her voice.

‘I didn’t say that, Mirella. I’ll call you back when I know more. Sit tight and take care.’

‘You look exhausted,’ Grace said, looking at him with concern when the tough call was over. ‘When’s the last time you got any shuteye? You ought to be resting.’

She was right, of course. Mad Monty had offered them the use of two spare bedrooms for the night, but Ben had declined the invitation and decided to press on. At two a.m., three hours after meeting their host at the Blue Lagoon quarry, they were hitting the road again. Ben couldn’t deny that he was badly in need of sleep, but he felt fired up by a renewed sense of purpose. Mad Monty had come through for them in fine style; the coming day would tell whether the things Ben had learned had set him on the right track.

‘When this is over, I’ll rest,’ he replied.

‘You want me to drive? It’s a hell of a long way back to Kinlochardaich.’

‘I’m fine,’ he said. ‘Just keep talking to me.’

‘What do you want me to talk about?’

‘Anything. I don’t care. So long as I can hear your voice.’

Grace smiled. ‘That’s sweet.’ She thought for a moment about what to say. ‘I’d never been to Buxton before. Had you?’

‘Can’t say that I had.’

‘It’s a very historic place. Did you know that Mary Queen of Scots spent a lot of time there?’

Ben dimly recalled having read something once. ‘I think she spent time everywhere, locked up in one castle or another while she was Queen Elizabeth’s prisoner.’