answered.
‘Lauren?’ The sneering voice through the same robot-filter as before. ‘Are you ready for your next instructions?’
‘Where do you want to do the exchange?’ I said.
‘First things first,’ Holtwood said smoothly. ‘I told you already we are going to do another deal.’
‘What do you mean?’ I said, a chill creeping down my back, despite the fierce sun. ‘There’s only one deal. Madison for the money. Two million buys her freedom.’
‘That’s correct,’ Holtwood went on. ‘Except for just one thing. The price of Madison’s release has just gone up.’
9
A New Deal
I stood quite still. Jam shuffled closer, trying to hear the call too.
‘Lauren?’ Holtwood’s filtered voice on the other end of the line pierced through me. ‘Are you listening?’
‘Yes.’ I hesitated. ‘I don’t understand. There isn’t any more money. The insurance payment is two million pounds. Unless you want Annie to sell her house,
then—’
‘I’m not talking about money. I’m talking about something else, immensely valuable, hidden in Annie and Sam’s London apartment.’
‘ What? ’ I said. My head was spinning, a million thoughts charging through me. ‘There’s nothing valuable at the London flat.’
‘Yes, there is.’ Holtwood paused. ‘Your father – Sam – said there was.’
‘ Sam said there was?’ I echoed.
What on earth was she talking about?
Jam touched my arm. You OK? he mouthed.
I nodded, though I wasn’t in the slightest OK.
‘Sam’s exact words on what he’d hidden were: “ there is something of huge value ”,’ Holtwood said. ‘D’you hear that? Something of huge
value . That’s got to mean big money.’
‘I don’t understand,’ I went on. ‘Why would Sam have hidden something valuable in a flat he hardly ever used, in a city he hardly ever visited?’
‘Because the valuable thing is for you, Lauren . . . and you do live in that city.’
My chest constricted. ‘For me?’
‘Yes, I don’t know what it is, but he was planning to give it to you next time he saw you.’
‘How do you know all this?’ I said. ‘How do you know what Sam’s “exact words” were?’
‘Never mind that,’ Holtwood said sharply. ‘You need to go to the apartment immediately. It’s almost midday now. If you walk along the track where the van drove earlier
you’ll come to a town called Ringbourne. The next train for London leaves in twenty minutes. I’ll give you two hours from now to get to the apartment. Then another two to find whatever
is hidden there.’
‘No,’ I gasped. ‘Wait. That isn’t enough time. I don’t even know what I’m looking for.’
‘Then you better get started,’ Holtwood snapped. ‘One more thing. Under no circumstances are you to tell anyone else where you’re going. Especially Annie and that man
she’s with.’
‘Why not?’ I said. ‘Why not tell Annie?’
‘Surely you can work that out, can’t you, Lauren?’ Holtwood sneered. ‘I’ll call again at four.’ She rang off.
I gulped.
‘What’s going on, Lauren?’ Jam asked. ‘I could only hear bits of that.’
I told him what Holtwood had said.
Jam frowned. ‘How could Sonia Holtwood possibly know about Sam hiding something valuable for you in the London flat?’
‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘The point is she’s not letting Madison go unless we find whatever it is.’
Jam shook his head. ‘Maybe we should call Rick?’ he said. ‘I’m sure when he understands how important it is, he’ll drive us to London.’
‘No.’ I stared past Jam towards the rubbish heap full of broken stones. I had a sudden flashback to the beach and how I’d watched the ice cream vendor leaning forward to hear
Madison’s order. Though I hadn’t been able to see her face I was sure she would have smiled up at him, just as she had smiled at me, moments before. And now she was in the back of a
van, separated from everyone she loved and who loved her.
I couldn’t
‘Lauren?’ The sneering voice through the same robot-filter as before. ‘Are you ready for your next instructions?’
‘Where do you want to do the exchange?’ I said.
‘First things first,’ Holtwood said smoothly. ‘I told you already we are going to do another deal.’
‘What do you mean?’ I said, a chill creeping down my back, despite the fierce sun. ‘There’s only one deal. Madison for the money. Two million buys her freedom.’
‘That’s correct,’ Holtwood went on. ‘Except for just one thing. The price of Madison’s release has just gone up.’
9
A New Deal
I stood quite still. Jam shuffled closer, trying to hear the call too.
‘Lauren?’ Holtwood’s filtered voice on the other end of the line pierced through me. ‘Are you listening?’
‘Yes.’ I hesitated. ‘I don’t understand. There isn’t any more money. The insurance payment is two million pounds. Unless you want Annie to sell her house,
then—’
‘I’m not talking about money. I’m talking about something else, immensely valuable, hidden in Annie and Sam’s London apartment.’
‘ What? ’ I said. My head was spinning, a million thoughts charging through me. ‘There’s nothing valuable at the London flat.’
‘Yes, there is.’ Holtwood paused. ‘Your father – Sam – said there was.’
‘ Sam said there was?’ I echoed.
What on earth was she talking about?
Jam touched my arm. You OK? he mouthed.
I nodded, though I wasn’t in the slightest OK.
‘Sam’s exact words on what he’d hidden were: “ there is something of huge value ”,’ Holtwood said. ‘D’you hear that? Something of huge
value . That’s got to mean big money.’
‘I don’t understand,’ I went on. ‘Why would Sam have hidden something valuable in a flat he hardly ever used, in a city he hardly ever visited?’
‘Because the valuable thing is for you, Lauren . . . and you do live in that city.’
My chest constricted. ‘For me?’
‘Yes, I don’t know what it is, but he was planning to give it to you next time he saw you.’
‘How do you know all this?’ I said. ‘How do you know what Sam’s “exact words” were?’
‘Never mind that,’ Holtwood said sharply. ‘You need to go to the apartment immediately. It’s almost midday now. If you walk along the track where the van drove earlier
you’ll come to a town called Ringbourne. The next train for London leaves in twenty minutes. I’ll give you two hours from now to get to the apartment. Then another two to find whatever
is hidden there.’
‘No,’ I gasped. ‘Wait. That isn’t enough time. I don’t even know what I’m looking for.’
‘Then you better get started,’ Holtwood snapped. ‘One more thing. Under no circumstances are you to tell anyone else where you’re going. Especially Annie and that man
she’s with.’
‘Why not?’ I said. ‘Why not tell Annie?’
‘Surely you can work that out, can’t you, Lauren?’ Holtwood sneered. ‘I’ll call again at four.’ She rang off.
I gulped.
‘What’s going on, Lauren?’ Jam asked. ‘I could only hear bits of that.’
I told him what Holtwood had said.
Jam frowned. ‘How could Sonia Holtwood possibly know about Sam hiding something valuable for you in the London flat?’
‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘The point is she’s not letting Madison go unless we find whatever it is.’
Jam shook his head. ‘Maybe we should call Rick?’ he said. ‘I’m sure when he understands how important it is, he’ll drive us to London.’
‘No.’ I stared past Jam towards the rubbish heap full of broken stones. I had a sudden flashback to the beach and how I’d watched the ice cream vendor leaning forward to hear
Madison’s order. Though I hadn’t been able to see her face I was sure she would have smiled up at him, just as she had smiled at me, moments before. And now she was in the back of a
van, separated from everyone she loved and who loved her.
I couldn’t
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