Thank god, thought Ethan. 'Is Darlene able to sit tonight?'

'No¾' looking at the housekeeper. '¾she cant. She's…bound up in that bridge game again tonight we'll have to get a service.' Zoe mentally crossed her fingers that she hadn't been too obvious.

Wayne was frantically 'slicing' his throat for Zoe to end the call as he nervously peeked through one of the slats, the gun now wavering between Zoe and Darlene.

'I have to go now Ethan…The caterer is here.'

Wayne.

Ethan turned to his friend Detective Inspector Harris of the State Protection Group sitting in the back seat of his Calais parked around the corner from home and filled in the officer as to his suspicions - Wayne was there holding Zoe and Darlene hostage. He hadn't disconnected his phone and the policeman handed it over to the surveillance team.

He had been disturbed by the final report from the private investigator. Wayne had been missing since the accident. He must have been following her that day and days since for him to know where to find her. Ethan was already on his way home to check on Zoe when the silent alarm was triggered, he assumed, by Darlene. There were panic buttons throughout the house. When the salesman had suggested the optional extra Ethan really never thought it would get used. Must seek out that salesman and buy him a drink, Ethan thought grimly. He had immediately contacted his old high school friend of the SPG to speed things up knowing that by the time the security guard arrived and analysed the situation it would be precious minutes before they would then call in the heavy artillery.

'Do you think he's armed?' The detective's words brought Ethan back to the present to replay his conversation with Zoe. She certainly was one brave sassy lady lacing her words with double meanings in the hope that Ethan would get the message. Dress, shopping, Barbie doll - no that was to let me know where Chloe was. He must ring Sarah's mum and get her to keep Chloe there locked indoors. Maybe the phone number? No bells there. What did she say about the theatre? "The Operator". That was another clue about Wayne -the psychopath but "Tour de force" - now what did she mean by that. It sounded familiar and Ethan racked his brain for synonyms that could be used instead.

A few times Zoe and he had played a simple game where the challenge was to replace simple words with obscure synonyms. Then he remembered the term that had stumped him. Tour de force could be replaced with Magnum Opus. 'He's got a handgun.'




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