‘I see. There are a lot of Americans and British, then,’ said Helen quietly. ‘That means trouble.’
‘Yes, Prime Minister,’ answered Michael. ‘I’m afraid their Ambassadors are on their way here now.’
Helen smiled at him quickly. He was a good secretary; he usually knew what she was thinking. Both the American Ambassador and the British Ambassador were difficult people. She turned back to Inspector Holm. ‘Tell me about the hijackers. What do they want?’
‘We don’t know how many hijackers there are, Prime Minister. But they are from the People’s Liberation Army. And they want three things.’ Inspector Holm paused and looked down at her. He was a very tall man and he looked very important in his uniform. Helen didn’t like him much.
‘Yes, well. What three things?’ she asked quickly.
‘Firstly, they say we must set free their two brothers from prison. You remember, Prime Minister – two men tried to put a bomb on a plane last year. They are in prison near here.’
‘I remember,’ Helen answered softly. ‘They’re in prison for thirty years, aren’t they?’
‘I think so. Something like that.’ The man paused. ‘Secondly, they say we must refuel the plane because they want to fly to another country. Thirdly, they say we must put this in all our newspapers. It says they are fighting for freedom for their people.’
