Excerpt from The Kidnapping of Sarah Easton

“But,” Sarah suggested, “don’t we need to find out what he wants to say? I mean, what if it’s about the money, that something’s wrong?”

“No. In your demand you did not ask him to embellish. If you recall, all you asked him to do was comply with the demand. That, and indicate he got the message with the bullet. That he did. The other part is totally freeform. It falls outside the requirements.”

“Well, what if he needs to tell you something important? Like the money, or he can’t make the deadline or whatever.”

“Then he’ll bloody have to tell us a different way.”

“How would he know that?”

“Because you’re gonna bloody tell him.”

“What?”

“Time to make another bloody video, Sarah, since you did so well on the first one.”

Jane began laughing.

“What,” Ian said flatly, looking at her.

“The ‘bloody’ thing. It’s getting out of hand.”

“That right?”

Tony nodded. “Seems like it’s picked up a lot since yesterday.”

“Not to say I don’t like it,” Jane said.

“No, it’s great,” Tony said.

“Blimey.” Ian turned to Sarah. “I guess I didn’t realize. Does it bother you, Sarah?”

Sarah simply glared at them. The three masks glared back at her.