‘Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Captain speaking. Please do not be afraid. There is a change of plan. We have to land at another airport before we finish our journey. There’s no danger. We will land in fifteen minutes. Please stay in your seats and keep calm. Thank you.’
Then the air hostess came out of the cabin. She looked very different now because she had a machine gun in her hand. She stood at the front of the plane and watched the passengers carefully.
‘Here we are, madam.’ The big black car stopped and a police officer opened the back door.
‘Thank you.’ Helen Sandberg smiled at him as she got out. Another police officer opened the front door of her house.
Inside the house it was quiet. Her daughter was reading. She put the book down.
‘Hello, Mummy. You’re late. You said you’d be home by ten o’clock. I wanted to talk to you about my homework, remember?’
Helen sat down. ‘I’m sorry, Sarah. I did remember, really. But I had a very busy day. Anyway, I’m home now. What’s the problem?’
‘It's this book,’ said Sarah. ‘I have to write about it at school on Friday, and I don’t understand it.’
‘All right,’ said Helen. ‘Bring the book into the kitchen and I’ll look at it while you make me a cup of coffee.’
