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just put one hand on Zak’s back and gently but firmly pushed him into the back of the van. The doors shut behind him and once more he was plunged into darkness. Moments later, the engine started and the vehicle pulled away. Zak had to stop himself shivering . . .
    He didn’t know how long they drove for. It was difficult to judge time in the darkness. He sat in the corner of the vehicle, clutching his knees, trying to make sense of what had just happened. When Ellie and her family woke up, the first thing they would see was that they’d been robbed. He could just imagine the reaction – Aunt Vivian screeching, Uncle Godfreybellowing. He felt sorry for Ellie having to be part of it. Sorry and guilty. He didn’t know how long it would be before they realized that he was gone, and he didn’t know what they would think either. That he had stolen everything?
    He narrowed his eyes in the darkness. No. They might think that at first, but when they discovered that his pyjamas weren’t there, they’d change their mind. Because if he intended to rob the house and run away, he’d hardly do it in his nightclothes . . .
    The van, which had been twisting and turning, suddenly increased its speed and Zak imagined they were on a motorway. They drove for perhaps half an hour before he felt the vehicle veering from the main road and slowing down again. More twisting and turning before they came to a halt. The noise of the engine died away, but outside the van there was another sound, loud and mechanical. It grew louder as the doors opened, and when Zak peered outside, he saw what it was.
    A helicopter. He felt slightly sick.
    ‘Get out,’ the blond man said. ‘Quickly.’
    Zak did as he was told, and immediately his unruly hair started blowing around in the downdraught of the chopper. It was still dark, and they were in the middle of a big field with no sign of any houses nearby. In addition to his abductor, there was a secondman – much shorter and wearing a black beanie hat.
    ‘Where are we?’ Zak yelled above the aircraft’s engines.
    ‘Just get on the chopper,’ the man yelled. ‘Now.’
    ‘Are you coming with me?’ he asked.
    The man nodded and pointed to the helicopter. Its side door was open but there was no sign of anyone inside other than the pilot. Zak staggered towards it, keeping his head low and covering his ears with his hands. The man followed him and, once they were both safely inside, he closed the door. The short man stepped round to the front of the aircraft and gave the pilot a thumbs up, before running back to the plumber’s van.
    Inside the chopper, Zak sat in one of the empty seats in the main cabin. The pilot looked back at him and made a gesture telling him to strap himself in, which Zak did. The moment his seat belt clunked together, the helicopter rose into the air.
    ‘Where are we going?’ Zak screamed over the noise. He’d never been in a chopper before, and he felt vulnerable as the ground disappeared underneath them.
    But neither the pilot nor his frowning, blond-haired companion answered. They just looked straight ahead, bathed in the light from the chopper’s dashboard. If Zak had been feeling uneasy before, he felt doubly sonow. But it was too late to do anything about it. With a turn of his steering lever, the pilot caused the aircraft to veer to the right. Then they straightened up and continued to fly through the night air.
    Zak felt disorientated. Through the window of the chopper he could see lights of the towns over which they flew, but there was no way of knowing which towns they were or in what direction they were flying. It was only when dawn arrived after a couple of hours’ flight time that Zak was able to work it out. The first glimpses of light came from the right-hand side of the chopper. He knew the sun rose in the east, so they must be heading north.
    On the ground below he could just make out mountains and lakes. He consulted his mental map of the country. Were they