PRESENT
Ned’s abductor is back in the basement room.
“So, what have you got for me?” I hear him ask.
“Around a million on day twenty-one, so probably ten million if he paid today, exactly like I said.” Ned sounds pleased with himself. “But don’t worry, my father can pay it.”
“You’re right about the million on day twenty-one but I’m afraid he owes us a lot more than ten million today. Let’s work it out, shall we? What would he have owed if he’d paid us on day twenty-two?”
“Two million.”
“Day twenty-three?”
“Four million.”
“Day twenty-four?”
“Eight million.”
“Day twenty-five?”
“Sixteen million. Look, do we really have to do this?”
“Humor me, Ned, humor me. Today, day twenty-six?”
“Thirty-two million.” Then it hits him. “Wow, that’s a lot of money. Are you really asking him for thirty-two million pounds?”
“No, Ned, we’re not.”
“Thank God for that. I mean, my father’s rich but—”
“You misunderstand me. He’s not paying us today, so he’ll have to pay us more.”
“But—”
“Let’s carry on. And by the way, because you’ve been rounding down, the actual figure your father would owe us today is around—”
“Thirty-three million,” I whisper.
“Thirty-three million. In fact, the exact figure is thirty-three million, five hundred and fifty-four thousand, four hundred and thirty-two pounds. So, let’s carry on. What will your father owe us if he pays us tomorrow?” A pause. “You can just double the millions, if you like.”
“Sixty-six million.” Ned’s voice is sullen now.
“And the next day?”
“A hundred and thirty-two million.”
“The next day, day twenty-nine?”
“Two hundred and sixty-four million.”
“And day thirty?”
“Five hundred and twenty-eight million.”
“The thing is, Ned, we’ve asked your dad to pay us on Monday, which will be day thirty-one of your captivity.” Another pause. “So, how much is your father paying us for your life?”
“I—I don’t know.”
There’s a crack, followed by a cry from Ned.
“DON’T BULLSHIT ME! HOW MUCH IS YOUR FATHER PAYING US FOR YOUR LOUSY LIFE?”
“Um—over a billion pounds?”
“That’s right, Ned, over a billion pounds.” The man is no longer shouting, his voice is quiet, I have to strain my ears to hear him. “Except that it’s not for your life. Your life is worth nothing. We know who you are, we know what you did. The billion isn’t for your life. It’s for Lina’s.”