Chapter Twenty-Five
Daniel
The buzzer startles me. I’ve just settled Joel for the night, and I’m willing to bet it’s Gil again. She left abruptly, and now she’s back. I press the button, my frustration mounting.
‘It’s me, Gil.’ Her voice crackles through the intercom.
I sigh. ‘Gil, can’t this wait until tomorrow? I’m exhausted, and Joel has just fallen asleep.’
‘No, Daniel, it can’t,’ she retorts.
I hit the button to let her in. When I open my door I’m met by Gil and Nicola. Their faces are pale, and their eyes are red and swollen.
What the hell?
Nicola shoots me a guarded look. It’s obvious she’s not thrilled to be here.
‘What do you want, Gil?’ I ask, masking my annoyance.
‘We need to talk,’ Gil says, pushing past me into the apartment. Nicola follows, avoiding my eyes.
‘Why don’t you come in?’ I say sarcastically. ‘And talk about what?’ I demand, closing the door behind them. ‘Don’t wake up Joel. I’ve only just got him to sleep.’
‘He’s at the end of the hall,’ Gil says.
It’s almost as if she’s trying to pick a fight. I’m starting to get a bad feeling about all this.
‘Gil, what’s going on?’
Heat creeps into her face. At that moment, the buzzer sounds again, and she and Nicola exchange anxious glances.
‘We called the police,’ Gil says flatly.
Anger thunders through me. ‘You did what?’ I’m trembling with rage now. How dare they? ‘You went behind my back, Gil. You promised me.’
Gil lowers her head. ‘It’s the right thing,’ says Nicola.
I turn on her, now. ‘As for you, you’re fired,’ I shout.
Gil gets up and buzzes the police in. At that moment, I want to throttle her.
A man and woman stand at my front door, and I’m relieved to see that they’re both in plain clothes, not uniform.
‘Good evening, Mr Neal. I’m DI Burrow, and this is DS Blackford. May we come in?’
I open the door for them and they come into the flat.
‘Mr Neal. I won’t beat around the bush. We have reason to believe that your wife has been kidnapped.
I’ve worked on hundreds of kidnap cases, and I hate to tell you this, but once they’ve got your money, they’ll just keep pushing you for more.
There are numerous potential mistakes that could put your wife at risk.
If there is more than one kidnapper, then one could accidentally let another’s name slip.
Your wife may try to escape and be fatally wounded.
She might see her kidnapper’s face. All of these reasons and more are why they may never let her go, which leaves them with only one option. ’
I feel my shoulders tensing. Nicola and Gil are looking at me.
‘Is she on any medication?’ asks DS Blackford.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. My wife is in France,’ I say. ‘She’s at a medical conference.’
Gil lets out a long sigh and looks like she is about to cry. DI Burrow pulls a pen from his jacket pocket and opens a notepad. ‘Where is the conference?’ he asks.
He’s being friendly and soft-voiced, but I can feel the perspiration building on my forehead. ‘In Paris,’ I say.
‘Right,’ he says thoughtfully. ‘The problem is, I’ve got a bit of a dilemma here. Your wife’s closest friend seems to think she has been kidnapped, and your nanny hasn’t heard from her at all, which is odd, as most mothers would want to speak to their child, especially at the child’s bedtime.’
I try to wipe my forehead discreetly. ‘Jo phones in the evening,’ I say. ‘I don’t need the police involved just because my wife is at a conference.’
‘For God’s sake!’ Gil explodes. ‘Tell them the fucking truth, and we might be able to save her.’
Anger swells up in me. ‘Maybe you should stop inventing stories, Gil.’
She looks astounded and is finally silent.
The policewoman sits beside her, then looks up at me. ‘Why don’t you phone your wife in Paris now?’ she says. ‘Put all our minds at rest and we’ll be out of your hair.’
I lick my dry lips. ‘She’ll be in the middle of a conference,’ I say.
Burrow glances at his watch. ‘It’s almost ten in France. Quite late for a conference.’
‘They’ve probably gone to dinner,’ I say.
‘When do you expect her back?’ asks DI Burrow.
‘I don’t know.’ I stand up, determined not to take any more of this. ‘I think it’s time you all left,’ I say.
Di Burrow looks me in the eye and says softly, ‘Mr Neal, you’ve told your nanny that your wife is in France, and yet you’ve told the hospital that she is ill.
Gil works at the hospital, and – just to put my mind at rest, you understand – I asked her to enquire about a conference in France.
Nobody knew anything about it. So why don’t you tell us the truth? ’
Gil nods at me. I feel like a deer caught in the headlights. There is nowhere else to turn. They’ve cornered me. Gil has betrayed us.
I sit back down.
‘Jo was kidnapped a few days ago,’ I say.
Gil exhales with relief; I glare at her. Burrow picks up where he left off. ‘You’ve heard from the kidnappers?’
I nod.
‘Recognise their voice?’
‘No.’
‘You’ve paid part of the ransom?’
I look at Gil. She doesn’t meet my gaze. ‘Yes.’
‘How much?’
‘A million.’
‘How did they contact you?’
‘First on Jo’s phone, then another number.’
‘Are those items that Gil found, the comic and the chocolate bar, here?’
I’m about to say no when Gil says, ‘They’re in the kitchen drawer. I’ll get them.’
I jump up. ‘This is my fucking home and I’ll get them.’ I do so, then lay them on the coffee table. ‘Probably no DNA left.’
Burrow bags them. ‘Still worth checking.’
I rub my arms. ‘He’s watching me. If he sees you, he’ll know.’
Burrow’s eyes meet mine. ‘He isn’t watching. His scare tactics keep you compliant. My job is to get her home safely. Does anyone dislike her? A patient, a co-worker?’
I close my eyes. ‘No. Everyone likes Jo.’
‘Your friend said he’s demanding two million, so he knows you have money.’
‘My father-in-law has money.’
‘Can I see the photo they sent?’
I hand over my phone. He studies the image. ‘Not your usual basement.’
Gil wipes her eyes. DS Blackford’s voice is gentle: ‘When’s the next drop-off?’
‘I don’t know. He said he’d call.’
Burrow nods. ‘Call us when that happens. We’ll leave you in peace now.’ He hands me a card. ‘Gil, Nicola, please wait fifteen minutes to avoid attracting attention. I’d rather we’re not all seen together.’
The police then leave. I pour a large whisky and sit back, exhausted.
‘Am I really fired?’ Nicola asks.
I sip the whisky, feeling it calm me. ‘No. I’d be screwed without you.’
Gil stands. ‘We should go.’
I check my watch. ‘Not until the fifteen minutes are up.’
We wait in silence until finally it's time for them to leave. Once they’ve gone I lock the door, bottle in hand, and curse them all.