Dead Line by Chris Ewan Page B

think they’ll ask for more. They’ll start with a high demand, hoping you’ll pay it. That way they leave themselves room to come down.’
    ‘How much higher?’ Alain asked.
    ‘Three million. Maybe even four. It depends if they know about the policy. It also depends how much Jérôme might be worth.’
    ‘Four million?’ Stephanie repeated, breathless now.
    ‘It’s a request. That’s all. We have to talk them down.’
    ‘But you risk aggravating them,’ Alain said. ‘They could react badly.’
    ‘Kill him, you mean?’ Trent shook his head. ‘Think about it: returning Jérôme to us safely is the only way they get paid. And trust me, the worst thing you could do would be to agree to their first demand. They don’t really expect to be paid three or four million or whatever it is they actually ask for. The going rate for ransoms of this kind in France right now is somewhere below two million. They’re a professional gang. They’ll know that. But suppose you consent to pay them four million, what do you think will happen?’
    Nobody answered. Trent hitched an eyebrow at Philippe. Philippe shuffled restlessly, unwilling to speak up.
    ‘They’ll think you’re a soft touch, is what,’ Trent said. ‘They’ll collect your four million and then they’ll demand another instalment. This entire process is about squeezing you. Pay them early and they might try for two or more ransoms. I’ve heard of one family who paid as many as four times. And all the while, they keep hold of Jérôme. His ordeal is prolonged. So the best thing you can do is to engage with them. Negotiate a one-time-only fee. You have to pitch it right. You have to pay the smallest amount of money possible and still get Jérôme home safe. Understand?’
    ‘What if they’ve killed him already?’ Philippe asked.
    Stephanie shied away, as if bracing for impact.
    ‘It’s simple,’ Trent replied. ‘Every time they call or contact us we demand proof that Jérôme is still alive. They’ll anticipate the request and there are various ways they can satisfy it. The easiest way is to put him on the phone. Next easiest is for us to ask a question that only he could answer. But it’s important to remember that they won’t kill him if we agree to pay a fair amount.’
    ‘Fair.’ Stephanie spat the word.
    ‘To them, yes,’ Trent insisted. ‘You don’t have to like it. You don’t even have to understand it. You just have to accept it.’
    Stephanie shuddered. She clenched her cardigan around herself.
    ‘Remember, everything they do is designed to manipulate you into paying a better price. My job is to help you analyse the gang’s communications and expose their tactics for what they are. But you three have to make the decisions. You have to be comfortable with whatever is decided.’
    It wasn’t entirely true. Trent was confident he could exert his influence on them when it mattered. He was relying on it, in fact. But it was a line he’d used often in the past and it had always tended to put his clients at ease.
    ‘Three is an ideal number,’ he continued. ‘You’ll each have a vote on team decisions and you’ll go with what the majority decide. Alain can be chairman. The two of you’, he said, indicating Stephanie and Philippe, ‘are more emotionally involved. So in the event that you can’t agree on a particular course of action, Alain will make the call. But you each need a different role beyond that, too.’
    They looked at him, waiting for more. Nobody spoke. Nobody suggested an alternative arrangement. Trent wasn’t surprised. He was often confronted by a curious lethargy among the friends and families of kidnap victims. Plus they were exhausted. It was almost two-thirty in the morning. Before the attack, Stephanie, Jérôme and Alain had been on their way home to bed. And though Philippe might not have planned to end his night just yet, there was a reasonable chance he would have flaked out by now if his father’s