Those in Peril (Unlocked) by Wilbur Smith

to home?’ He took the phone from its cradle.
    ‘Who are you calling?’
    ‘Just a friend in Paris. He is a Chief Inspector in French Interpol.’ He began to speak in rapid-fire French that Hazel could not follow very well. He was obviously being transferred up the chain of command. At last he seemed to reach his final destination for there were many cries of ‘ Allons, mon brave! ’ and ‘ Courage! ’ and ‘ Formidable! ’ before he hung up and looked across at Hazel. ‘My bosom buddy, Pierre Jacques, has promised a copy of Rogier’s birth certificate within the hour. Sometimes I just love computers and jovial French coppers, don’t you?’ For the first time he smiled at her. It was strange how the shape of his face changed and softened when he did so.
    ‘Shall we continue our little fantasy?’ he suggested. ‘Now they have their man on board the Dolphin , and he has some kind of electronic transmitter, probably a transponder. Through him they will know the exact position of the yacht. Their ambush boat starts to move into position, but then panic! Mrs Bannock, who is their target, leaves the ship at Cape Town. This is totally unexpected. Then suddenly the panic is over. Miss Cayla Bannock remains on board, and she and Rogier are good friends. She trusts him. This is almost as good as having her mother in their clutches. The plan can go ahead.’ Hazel hugged herself and shivered violently.
    ‘This is terrible.’
    ‘It gets better. There is hope,’ he promised her. ‘Now everything goes exactly as planned. The Dolphin sails into the trap. Rogier is able to assist the boarding and get the pirates into the fast-moving ship. Smart lad, our Rogier. The crew is taken into custody. There is only one small bleep on the screen. Cayla Bannock is a bright brave girl. She manages even in these terrifying moments of her capture to get off a text message to her mother.’ Hector paused and glanced at his computer screen. ‘Excuse me. It seems I have mail.’ He tapped the keyboard opening the attachments to the message and then he swore bitterly, but immediately excused himself.
    ‘Go ahead. I am becoming accustomed to it,’ she said. ‘What have you got?’
    ‘Our junior ship’s steward was born Adam Abdul Tippoo Tip on Réunion. In 2008 Adam changed his name to Rogier Marcel Moreau by deed poll in Auvergne in the south of France.’ He was silent for a moment as he studied the copy of the birth certificate.
    Hazel burst out impatiently, ‘Does that name mean anything to you?’
    He shook his head. ‘Nothing at all,’ he admitted. ‘However, the good news is that your daughter is almost certainly alive.’
    ‘Where is she then?’ Hazel pleaded.
    ‘Even money that Cayla is a captive on the Arab ambush vessel. She is priceless goods. They would never harm her.’
    ‘And the Dolphin ?’ She shook her head in bewilderment.
    ‘Oh, they scuttled her. She was too obvious a target. The US airforce would have picked her up within a few hours of her being reported missing. My guess is they blew the bottom out of her. She is probably lying in a few thousand feet of water at the bottom of the Mascarene Basin off Madagascar. I feel certain you have insurance cover on her, with a piracy clause.’
    ‘The money is not important,’ she said.
    ‘In my limited experience the money is always important. How much is she insured for?’
    ‘One hundred and fifty-two million euros. God, Cross, don’t you have any concern for other people’s feelings?’
    ‘Very little,’ he admitted. ‘Only one thing concerns me at the moment, and that is finding and rescuing your daughter. But in the meantime the sun is setting.’ He stood up and stretched. ‘I would like to make you a drink. Both our nerves are on edge but we don’t need to fight each other. There are lots of other lovely people out there for us to fight. Vodka and fresh lime juice with ice, is it not?’
    ‘Yes, and you were right. I did attend Herschel