Free The Road Between Us by Nigel Farndale Page A

There is an urgency to his next question. ‘Was my liberty bought? Did I endanger other people? I need … I can’t seem to …’
    ‘Sorry, Northy. I’m not very good at this. What advice did your therapist give?’
    ‘I told you, he’s a waste of space … He kept asking me how I felt about the people who held me hostage.’
    ‘And how do you feel?’
    ‘Don’t feel anything.’
    Niall purses his lips as he nods. ‘Well, I hate them. Fucking animals.’ Realizing he is breathing rapidly, he holds up his hands and laughs. ‘Sorry. It’s just I felt terrible about persuading you to go. I had to live with that for years.’
    ‘Poor you.’ Edward runs his hands through his hair. ‘Sorry. That sounded … It must have been hard for you, too, Niall. I’m grateful that you put your own life on hold to look after Frejya and Hannah.’
    ‘You were telling me about your captors. How many were there?’
    ‘Actually, would you mind if we talk about this another time?’ Edward is studying his friend’s fleshy face and looking puzzled.
    ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ Niall says with a smile he hopes will lighten the mood once more. ‘You’re thinking the features are more or less the same, but he’s aged into his own father. Right?’ He becomes aware of the ache in his jaw as he holds his smile.
    ‘What was Frejya like when I disappeared?’
    Niall understands now that Edward is not going to let things go today. ‘Amazing. She was amazing. She lobbied constantly to keep your story in the news, keep the pressure up on the FCO to find you. She organized petitions and did things like sponsored bike rides to raise campaign funds. And she would do these vigils outside the gates of Number Ten, holding a photograph of you. There’s some video footage of her giving a press conference if you’d like to see it.’
    ‘Not right now.’
    The cat enters again, pads around the room and leaves. Niall nods at four cardboard boxes stacked against the wall. ‘You had a chance to look through them?’ He stands up, opens one and takes out a mug and removes its bubble wrap. Written on its side are the words ‘Friends of Edward Northcote’. He hands it to Edward and opens a second box. From this he takes out a T-shirt wrapped in cellophane, some pens and balloons and a mouse mat. He holds them up in turn to show they all have the same words printed on them. ‘And have you read any of these?’ He unties the neck of a bulging bin liner, reaches inside and pulls out a handful of letters. ‘There are three or four more of these around here somewhere. Letters of support from the public. Cards from well-wishers.’
    Edward holds the mug up to the light from the window. ‘When I was declared dead …’ he says. ‘How did Frejya react?’
    ‘She sort of lost the will to, um …’
    ‘Do you think she killed herself?’
    ‘No. Definitely not.’
    ‘Was there a ransom paid for me?’
    ‘I don’t mean to be evasive, Northy, but we’re having an internal inquiry about what happened and once …’
    ‘What I don’t understand is why there was no intelligence about who was holding me. Why was … We were occupying their country, for God’s sake.’
    ‘We didn’t know you were alive.’
    ‘But you didn’t try and find out whether I was or I wasn’t? Whatabout that French academic who was taken at the same time as me? His government got him released quickly enough.’
    ‘The French always pay ransoms, that’s why their citizens are always the preferred targets for kidnappings … Has Hannah shown you the cuttings file about the campaign? Let me see if I can find it.’ Niall opens a drawer, searches around it for a moment then tries the one next to it. From this he takes out a ring binder. ‘Here.’ He opens it and taps with his finger at a newspaper cutting. It shows Frejya holding a lit candle in one hand and a photograph of Edward in the other. There is tape over her mouth. As Edward studies it, Niall hears in