‘Passengers! Listen to me! You know we are here to set our brothers free. I have spoken to the Prime Minister of this country. I told her she must bring our brothers here by two o’clock. That is plenty of time because the prison is only ten kilometres from here. She says she needs more time, but we know she is lying. We have no time. The passenger at the front of the plane is an American spy who lives in our country. All Americans who live in our country are spies. If our brothers are not here at two o’clock, he will die. If you try to help him, you will die too.’
‘Jesus,’ Carl said quietly. He looked at his watch. The time was 1.50 a.m. He looked out of the window across the rainy tarmac to the airport building. In one of those rooms was the Prime Minister. What would she do? What could she do? ‘ Come on, honey,’ he said softly. ‘Start thinking. Think fast, honey. And think hard!’
Helen Sandberg sat at the radio in the control room. Michael, Inspector Holm, and Colonel Carter sat behind her. They could all see the plane, two hundred metres away, and they could all hear the voice of the hijacker on the radio. It was loud, excited.
