The Summer That Never Was by Peter Robinson

but Luke’s parents just didn’t seem to get this. Hadn’t they been through it themselves, or had so much else happened since their own childhoods that they had forgotten what it was like?
    There were any number of reasons why Luke might have thought it necessary to go off for a while without telling his parents–children are often selfish and inconsiderate–but they couldn’t seem to think of one. Still, it wasn’t the first time Annie had come across such an astonishing gap between parental perception and reality. More often than she would have expected to, she had found herself facing the parents of missing children who said they had simply no idea where young Sally could have gone or why she would want to go off anywhere and cause them such pain.
    “Have there ever been any threats against you?” she asked.
    “No,” said Martin. “Why do you ask?”
    “Celebrities often attract the wrong sort of attention.”
    Martin snorted. “We’re hardly Beckham and Posh Spice. We’re not much in the public eye these days. Not for the past five years or so, since we moved here. We both keep a very low profile.”
    “Did it cross your mind that someone might have thought Luke was worth kidnapping?” she asked.
    “Despite what you think,” Martin said, “we’re actually not all that wealthy.” He gestured around. “The house, for a start…it just eats up money. We’d be very poor marks for a kidnapper, believe me.”
    “The kidnapper might not know that.”
    Robin and Martin looked at one another. Finally, Robin spoke. “No, I don’t think so. As I said, we always wanted Luke to have a normal life, not like mine. We didn’t want him surrounded by bodyguards and security. Maybe it was foolish of us, unrealistic, but it’s worked until now. Nothing bad ever happened to him.”
    “And I’m sure nothing has now,” said Annie. “Look, I realize it’s probably second nature to you, but if anyone from the press comes around asking questions–”
    “Don’t worry,” said Martin Armitage. “They’ll have me to deal with.”
    “Very good, sir. And just to be on the safe side, do you think we could arrange to have any phone calls intercepted?”
    “But why?” asked Robin.
    “In case of ransom demands.”
    She put her hand to her cheek. “But surely you don’t think…?”
    “It’s just a precaution.”
    “It’s an unlisted number,” Martin said.
    “Even so.”
    He held her gaze for a few beats before nodding. “Very well. If you must.”
    “Thank you, sir. I’ll arrange for the technician to drop by later this morning. Do you have a business office?”
    “No,” said Martin. “Not at the moment.”
    “You don’t have a business number?”
    “No.” He paused, then went on as if he’d sensed an implied slight in Annie’s tone or manner. “Look, I might have been just a football player, but that doesn’t mean I’m thick, you know.”
    “I didn’t–”
    “I got my A levels, went to Leeds Polytechnic, as it was back then, and got a business diploma.”
    So what did that make him? Annie wondered, unimpressed: the “thinking woman’s crumpet”? “I didn’t mean to imply anything,” she went on. “I’m simply trying to make sure we’ve got every eventuality covered.”
    “I’m sorry,” Martin said. “It’s been a stressful night. It’s just, well, being who we are, Robin and I get that sort of thing a lot. People tend to patronize us.”
    “I understand,” said Annie, standing up to leave. “I won’t keep you any longer.” She passed her card over to Robin, who was closest. “My mobile number’s on there, too.” She smiled and added. “When you can reach it.” Cellphone coverage was spotty in the Dales, to say the least. “If you do hear anything at all, you won’t hesitate to call me, will you?”
    “No,” said Robin. “Of course not. And if…”
    “You’ll be the first to hear. Don’t worry, we’ll be looking for him, I can assure you. We’re