He gave her a sheet of paper. Helen put it on the table. She did not read it. ‘And what about the passengers?’ she asked. ‘When will the hijackers set them free?’
‘They say they will set most of the passengers free when their brothers are on the plane. But they want ten passengers to fly away with them. They will set them free when they arrive.’
‘I see.’
‘There’s no other thing, Prime Minister,’ Colonel Carter spoke for the first time. His voice was very quiet, almost gentle. ‘They say we must bring the prisoners to the airport in two hours. If not, they will kill a passenger. They said this one hour ago.’
‘So we have one hour left?’
‘That’s right, Prime Minister. Just one hour. Then they will kill the first passenger.’
‘I see.’ Helen walked slowly to the window and stared out at the plane. It was still raining and a strong wind was blowing. She turned round. ‘Thank you, gentlemen. I will have to talk to them. But first I need. A few minutes to think. Colonel Carter, Inspector, please go to the other room. Tell the hijackers I will talk to them in five minutes. Michael, stay here.’
