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wants to be ready for the next nuclear war.”
    Watkins shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said. “Look up there.”
    The torch beam picked out chains hanging from the beam at the top of the far wall. Chains with handcuffs attached to them.

Chapter 4

    It was just before dawn when Evan’s car finally drew up outside the red front door and he staggered up the stairs. He felt sick with hunger and tiredness and every muscle in his body ached. He told himself he should eat something before he went to sleep, but he was just too exhausted. He thought of waking Bronwen to cook him something, but when he saw her lying there, her long ash blond hair spread out over the pillow like a figure from a Renaissance painting, he hadn’t the heart to disturb her. He took down his sleeping bag and spread it on the floor. He even started to wriggle into it. Then the desire to be close to her, to feel the warmth of her was too strong, and he slid into bed beside her, trying not to wake her.
    She did wake, though, and turned to give him a sleepy smile. “Hello. What time is it?”
    â€œFive o’clock,” Evan said. “Sorry to disturb you. Go back to sleep.”
    â€œYou’re freezing,” she said. “Have you been out on the mountain all night?”
    â€œPretty much.”
    â€œDid you find the girl?”
    â€œNo, not yet. They’ve still got teams out there.”

    â€œPerhaps she got fed up and went home to Mum. Has anybody thought of calling her home?”
    â€œI don’t think she did, Bron,” Evan said. “We found something really horrible. An underground bunker, fully equipped with food and everything, as if it was ready and waiting for someone.”
    â€œYou think someone might have been looking for a young girl to kidnap?”
    â€œThe thought did cross our minds.”
    â€œAre you sure it wasn’t just boys building a secret clubhouse? Some kind of Scout project maybe?”
    â€œThere were chains on the wall, Bronwen. Chains and handcuffs.”
    Bronwen shivered. “How horrible. Some kind of proper psycho, then. Thank heavens you discovered it. At least now he won’t be able to take anybody there.”
    â€œBut he may already have her, Bron. He may have captured her and now not know what to do with her, and that’s not good.”
    â€œNo, you’re right. If he’s nowhere to put her, he either has to let her go or—” She couldn’t complete the sentence.
    â€œAnd he couldn’t risk letting her go because she’d be able to identify him.”
    â€œSo what are you going to do?”
    â€œI’ll find out what the overall plan is when I report back for work at eight o’clock. Between now and then I’d like to get a couple of hours of shuteye.”
    Bronwen wrapped her arms around him. “I suppose I’m now just learning what life as a policeman’s wife is going to be like,” she said. “At least I’m glad I’m here to get up and make you breakfast before you go.”
    Evan snuggled into her arms, enjoying the warm, sweet smell of her. Other thoughts crossed his mind but before he had time to decide whether to act on them, he had fallen asleep.
    In his dream he was down in that bunker and looked up just in time to see the trap door being closed, plunging him into total darkness. He felt around for the stool, climbed on it, and started pounding on the trap door.

    â€œLet me out!” he shouted. He thought he heard the sound of maniacal laughter. He went on pounding and pounding until … he opened his eyes to bright sunlight streaming in through the window. Birds were singing but their song was drowned out by the pounding that was still going on. Evan sat up, his heart hammering as loudly as the noise he could hear. He was alone in the bed and now that his senses were returning, he could smell coffee downstairs.
    He jumped up, just as the