T had given another unit orders to check out the flat on the dark alley. Despite what Seton had thought, T had known about the flat. He was not completely devoid of brains and he had known that Seton was not aware of his knowledge, which made him think that they might have gone there.

He waited in a car around the corner, in case the Queen was found and she would be in need of a person of higher rank to escort her back, but it did not take long before one of the men returned to tell him that the flat was empty. "Empty? Were they there at all?"

"The others are checking that out now, sir."

"Alright. I want a full report on my desk tomorrow morning. Summon the forensics guys if necessary."

It had not been necessary to do that. The shower had clearly been used, because it was still damp, and a search of the bin bags littering the alley led to the discovery that at least one household had recently bought a video camera. The contents of this particular bin bag were meticulously examined, but other than that there were price tags for a woman's wardrobe from underwear to shoes, there was not much that could be concluded from them.

T had no idea where they had gone next. He ordered his team to check out a few more safe houses that the division owned, but he did not expect much of it. He stared at the map on which he had marked the locations in which they had either been seen or withdrawn money, but there was absolutely no pattern in it. They seemed to be criss-crossing all over the country.

Hegge found Gris making coffee in the kitchen. "Raine is in the shower and I thought Anna was with you, since she is not in her bed. Don't tell me someone took her from under our noses?"

Gris hesitated. "Well, I can't be sure, but I don't think anyone took her. I think she changed beds herself. I heard her move about during the night."

"Ahh," said Hegge. "Not to…? I didn't really look into his room."

Gris nodded. "Yes, to… I think she had a bad dream or something, because I heard a muffled scream and then footsteps and whispering."

"I don't know if that's going to endear her to Seton, though," Hegge said doubtfully. "He doesn't really like wimpy women."

"She wouldn't have been half so wimpy if she hadn't fancied him," Gris commented. "When you were gone last night, all she could look at was him."

Seton woke up and found Anna's hair tickling his face. He blew it away and he could only barely remember that he had semi-consciously pulled her into the bed because she had had a nightmare and he had preferred sleep to a counseling session. He lay thinking of the situation for a while until a change in Anna's breathing rhythm signaled that she was awake. Seton waited for the inevitable scream, but apparently she did not think it bad enough to scream over.

Instead, she rolled over on her other side so she could face him and she smiled. "May I ask why you are forcing me to balance on the edge of the bed?"

"I am?"

"I thought you were reserving space for more people but as far as I can see we are the only two people in this bed and isn't it rather ridiculous that I should nearly be falling off it?" After her initial discomfort, Anna had quickly fallen asleep and she had had a very pleasant dream that left her feeling cheerful. Hegge could say what he liked -- she had had a good night and Seton should not complain because he had brought it on himself.

"It's not my fault that you keep so much distance between us. Here," he wriggled one arm under her and pulled her closer.

"You're really fond of pulling and shoving, aren't you?" Anna asked. "What happened to asking?"

He gave her a hug because she was such an awfully good sport about being pulled an shoved and released her. "And give you time to think that you ought to say no when you would be so much more comfortable?" He bent the other way and reached for a notebook and a pair of glasses.

"You wear glasses?" Anna exclaimed.

"My handwriting is very small."

"But I haven't seen you wear them so far."

"That is because I couldn't find them. I did not intentionally deprive you of the interesting sight." Seton looked at her over his glasses. "They were under my pyjamas and as you know, I slept in my clothes last night and the night before that, I slept in my trousers."

"Well, they look very interesting on you indeed. The glasses," Anna clarified when he raised his eyebrows. "And your trousers too, I'm sure."

With her breakfast, Marie-Celeste read the papers and naturally Nathalie's article did not escape her attention. Upon reading that Anna had been seen in Lorenzo's car, she frowned and put down her cup of strawberry tea. Lorenzo's car? she thought. She knew that Lorenzo had cars everywhere and he probably could not even remember where he had kept this particular BMW, but she had vague recollections of the whole family using it. It was significant, somehow.

After Anna's phone call, she had begun to think a little differently of the whole situation. Anna had said some interesting things. She could have come home -- which would lead one to think that she was staying away voluntarily. Something that also fitted with her comments on the kidnappers -- they were not kidnappers, but they were set up. Also, the fact that Anna had been with only one kidnapper would point in that direction. Marie-Celeste wondered how the journalist knew. The story was in only one newspaper.

She summoned the journalist, one Nathalie Russier.

The Prime Minister had also seen the article. Anyone questioning the sincerity of the authorities was dangerous and he wondered what they should do with Ms. Russier, who apparently had a very good source of information. It was a bit unnerving to think that one woman could discover just as much as the whole police force. In fact, it sounded as if she knew more about the car than he did himself. He called the Commissioner to inquire how that was possible.

"I'd like to know how you know all these things," Marie-Celeste began when Nathalie had arrived. "I noticed that no other newspaper carries the story. I merely know because the Prime Minister told me."

Nathalie contemplated how much she could tell Marie-Celeste. "I was contacted, Your Highness."

"By the kidnappers?"

"By a regular contact of mine called Pierre. I don't know if he's with the kidnappers."

"And your contact told you everything?"

"No, he told me about the roadblock and what happened -- that the car with the Queen it drove away as soon as the police officer recognised her -- and he also told me where I could find the car."

"So he was there?"

"I suspect he is involved in some way, but I don't know how. He always knows a lot of things, but I've never had any reason to think he was involved in something like this. I found the car and I discovered it was registered to your cousin, but I also found that he couldn't have had anything to do with it. They must have got it somewhere and it's only logical to assume that your sister led them to it."

Marie-Celeste twisted her pearl necklace while she thought. "So they were at a place she knows?"

"They must have been."

"I knew where he kept that car, because I drove in it, but I can't think of it now…" she ran her eyes over her mental map of the country from north to south and considered every house the family owned. "It's no use trying -- my family has too much property and everybody leaves things at everybody's house…"

"It would be a place that they would not be easily found in -- a house that would certainly be empty at the moment."

"A summer house?" she thought again. "Yes, got it. I remember now. That's where the car was," she said with enthusiasm. She remembered the house Anna had bought. It was nothing grand and there was barely enough space to accommodate all the staff, but if one took care not to invite too many people, it did very well.

"Where?" Nathalie asked immediately.

"Miss Russier, I'm not sure it would be wise to advertise the location in a newspaper."

"What do you plan to do with the information then, Your Highness?"

"I think I'll pay the house a visit. As I gathered from your article, you're not entirely satisfied with the way things are going, are you? I share your sentiments. I think it's a very suspicious affair. I spoke to one of the kidnappers, when I called Anna's phone. He sounded very polite and he said he would ask his superior if Anna could call me and not many hours later, she did. They appear to be reasonable people."

"Her Majesty called you?" Nathalie was stunned.

"Yes."

"Did she not give you any information?"

"She refused to; something that I find highly suspicious. I am going to see for myself."

Nathalie looked worried. "Isn't that dangerous? They might kidnap you as well."

Marie-Celeste shrugged. "I do not think it will be. My sister forbade me to speak ill of them. Now I know she is very reserved when it comes to other people and she will not easily say that unless she is absolutely certain of it, so I must believe her, even though she is all too apt to be fooled by dishonesty, but she is not stupid."

"I want to come," said Nathalie decidedly. She was getting more curious by the second.

They saw two figures as they rounded a corner in the drive. Nathalie observed with interest the woman's frightened reaction when Marie-Celeste called out and how she drew closer to the man, almost hiding behind him. She was most definitely Queen Anna, although her bearing was far from regal at the moment.

Seton looked at them warily. Princess Marie-Celeste? With Nathalie? How had they got together? How had they known where to find them? From Anna? Anna had not said she had betrayed their hiding place. Had Anna lied to him? He had not thought she was good at lying, but fear made people do strange things. She would not have wanted him to share a bed with her either if she had not been afraid. "It's your sister," he said curtly.

Anna looked past him at the approaching figures and saw it was indeed Celeste and an unknown woman. She ran towards her sister.

He could not hear what was being said, but Nathalie left the two sisters alone and walked towards him. "Pierre."

"Nathalie," he answered evenly.

"What are you doing here? How are you involved?"

"Don't ask." He kept his eyes on Anna, wanting to find out whether she had had anything to do with this, but Anna was listening to her sister. "How did you get here?"

"By car."

"How did you know where to find her? Who's with you?" He hoped they had not brought a whole army of bodyguards. Even if he did not see anybody he must be on his guard. They might be lurking in the shrubbery. He reflected that sometimes this job made a person very paranoid.

"Just the chauffeur and we left him at the gate. The Princess summoned me over this morning after she had read my article. What she knew combined with what I knew was apparently enough to find her. And you. I tried to dissuade her from going, because it might be dangerous, but she insisted. I hope you're not planning to keep us here. Are you one of the kidnappers?"

"Nathalie, do I look like a kidnapper? Does my charge walk around handcuffed and blindfolded? Am I keeping her on a leash?" He saw that both Marie-Celeste and Anna looked in his direction and that Anna seemed reluctant to take care of any introductions or explanations, or to come closer, for that matter.

But there was no need to. Marie-Celeste was perfectly capable of taking care of that herself. "Anna tells me you're more or less in charge here?" she asked him when she had come closer with a reluctant Anna in tow.

"Yes, I am."

"Pierre? You're one of the kidnappers?" Nathalie asked incredulously.

"No," said Anna before he could answer. She narrowed her eyes. This must be Nathalie if she called him Pierre. She studied Nathalie closely -- perhaps her age, with a blonde ponytail and a relatively pretty face with a sharp look, obviously very brisk and bold and confident, and most important of all: not bothered by any title -- all things she was not. Anna felt her confidence shrink in the presence of the two confident women and she felt she was nothing but a pathetic whiner, who might be pretty, but that prettiness would soon be offset by her insecurity and unsociability. She wanted the ground to swallow her after she had spoken, when they all stared at her, but however much she looked at it, it would not open. She lifted her hands in a pathetic gesture and made for the house, leaving the baffled three behind.

"Ahh well…" said Marie-Celeste. "Anna can be…slightly unusual in her reactions." She looked at Pierre. Her first impression of him was favourable. He looked reliable, even if his eyes were watchful as they followed Anna. He was rather tall and lean, and his facial features were very even and strong. All in all, he was just the sort of person that Anna had a preference for, she thought, with Anna's phone call in mind. "My sister has many good qualities that are not always apparent to the casual observer." She had to make some excuse for Anna's departure. It was curious, though, that Pierre let Anna go just like that. She might run off. Perhaps this signified that Anna had been right and that he was not a kidnapper at all. "The press is always butchering her," was spoken with a slightly reproachful sideways glance at Nathalie. "My sister thinks too much. She is too good at thinking, but she keeps her thoughts very much to herself in her own world and not many people are privileged to enter it."

"She is a hedgehog," Seton commented.

"Why do you always compare women to small animals?" Nathalie complained. "He calls me ferret."

"Ferrets make good journalists. Shall we go indoors? I assume you came to talk."

Nathalie wondered how Pierre was connected. "I've always been under the assumption that you worked for the government," she said as soon as they were inside. Anna was already there, lounging unwelcomingly on the couch. Marie-Celeste had been right, Nathalie thought. Anna was indeed unusual, and her facial expression discouraged any attempt at familiarity. Do not talk to me was plainly written on her face. There was another man present and sitting next to her, but he did not do anything when they came in. He only stared and nodded.

"Maybe I do," Seton said curtly.

"You work for the government?" Marie-Celeste asked sharply. "Please explain what a civil servant is doing here?"

"If you work for the government, doesn't that mean that the PM ought to know about you?" Nathalie asked. She looked at Anna, who looked young and unregal in her dark sweater and trousers.

"He does, but I don't work for him."

"Then who do you work for?" Marie-Celeste asked.

Seton nodded at Anna, who felt wretched when they all looked at her for an explanation she could not give.

"I'm sorry I do not understand. Anna, do you employ kidnappers?"

"No."

"Then what is going on?" the Princess demanded. "Why is this man here saying that he works for you and why does Miss Russier think he works for the government when neither fit with the situation? What is he doing here anyway? Is he keeping you here? May I see some credentials?"

"No, I'm sorry, you may not."

Anna realised in shock that she had never asked him that. She had completely relied on his word. Why could he not show any credentials to Celeste? Surely Celeste won't tell. And if she does, then everybody knows who he is anyway. If he truly is who he says he is. Is he going to force Celeste to stay here now? Or will he let her go?

"How did you get involved?" asked Nathalie, who could not get used to the idea that one of her contacts was a kidnapper.

"Nathalie, I must ask you not to write anything about this."

"But it sounds like the public has a right to know."

"The public can wait," Marie-Celeste said sharply. "They should not be told everything. There is such a thing as privacy. I insist that anything that will be damaging to the family be kept indoors. I demand that you tell me the history from the beginning, Anna."

Anna wrinkled her nose in dislike. Why could Seton not tell the story? He was undoubtedly better at it than she was. "I was going to a brunch -- except that it wasn't a brunch, but I didn't know that yet. When I got out of the car, I was thrown into a van and then I was taken to a house when I was put in a room. I didn't know what was happening. And then -- you tell the rest," she motioned to Seton.

"It was supposed to be an exercise --" He decided that since he had probably lost his job anyway, it would not do any harm to tell the most vital things.

"An exercise?" Marie-Celeste cut in. "A kidnapping?"

"I didn't come up with the idea. Anyway, we assumed -- we were told that the Queen had been briefed and that she knew what to expect. Only she didn't. And that is when we sensed danger and we ran. That, basically, is the story in a nutshell."

"So," Marie-Celeste said, "the whole kidnapping was in your imagination?"

"No, the tapes," said Nathalie. "What about the tapes?"

"Anna was on the second tape," her sister said immediately. "Although she was more relaxed than she usually is."

"Yes, we made the second tape," Raine spoke up. "But not the first one."

"When we saw that first tape we knew something was seriously wrong," Seton continued. "And all of our subsequent actions were intended to keep your sister safe."

"And you are not forcing her to stay here?"

"No, we are not. She is free to go if she wishes," he shrugged, looking at Anna, but she was staring at the ground. "We are merely trying to get the PM to resign so perhaps this madness will stop."

"Do you suspect him?" Nathalie asked curiously.

"I received orders. Not directly from him, but the person I received them from might very well have got them from him."

"Why would he order something as ridiculous as this?" Marie-Celeste asked.

"There cannot be any personal gain for him," Nathalie added. "And he has always struck me as the sort of person who would not do anything if there was not something to be gained from it. Look how he played the media in the floods issue." The Prime Minister had been suffering some serious attacks on his position and he had grabbed the opportunity of the floods to make himself more popular by appearing everywhere in the damaged areas and by immediately freeing money for the cause.

Anna had never thought that politicians were particularly out to serve the good of the nation, but she could not see what anyone stood to gain from kidnapping the Queen, especially not when his own position was under fire. The risk that it would cost him his head would be too great. She had been looking down, but she suddenly raised her head with a jerky movement. But there would be no risk if he could be certain that the Queen would return and he would receive all the credit for making that happen. Anna held her breath when this thought struck her. She did not know if she was right, but the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. To herself. Probably not to others. Not if she explained it in her vague and uneloquent way. She would hate to interrupt that discussion they were having now about how they could put pressure on the PM. Seton was too interested in Nathalie and Marie-Celeste and he was not paying any attention to her at all. He was not even looking at her. There was a chance that they would not even hear her when she spoke up. Her voice was too soft, while the other two had been blessed with an at least audible voice.

She would bring up the idea when they were alone, if that would ever happen now that Marie-Claire had come here to take her home. Anna's gloom increased. She did not want to go home, she realised when she felt how heavy her heart was at the prospect. She enjoyed this relative freedom -- there were no duties, no musts. To her resume her ordinary life was something she did not look forward to at all.

"Perhaps Anna could come home and dismiss the man," said Marie-Celeste as if she could read her sister's thoughts.

Anna looked unenthusiastic at the suggestion.

"Will we get to the bottom of this if she does that?" asked Nathalie, who still saw a great story somewhere and who did not want to be kept out of it. "Again, the public has a right to know what those they voted for are doing with their money."

Anna paled and blushed when she imagined how the story would be front-page news and what the headlines would look like. Queen sleeps with kidnapper. She said nothing.

"As long as it has the appearance of being resolved. Certain things which would cause undue attention for our family should be kept secret," Marie-Celeste answered. "There is no need for the public to know everything. That I was here, for example."

"Or I," Seton added. "I prefer to operate in the shadows." He thought that Anna was exhibiting some very odd behaviour -- looking down and looking up, and her face alternately drained of colour and flushed with it.

"Anna, why aren't you saying anything?" Marie-Celeste urged. "We're talking about you here."

"I don't know what," Anna said crossly. "I don't want to go back. I can't face the sympathy -- people who will think I've been tortured when -- I don't feel up to discussing this now."

"Anna, I want a word with you in my room." Marie-Celeste rose and Anna followed reluctantly.

Seton was left with Raine and Nathalie. He was not sure he was pleased to have her there. She was too much of a journalist to keep quiet about such a story. She said nothing, which was good, because he needed to think. He was not at all in favour of Anna returning, but his reasons were suspiciously selfish. However, Anna's behaviour was so different now, so withdrawn, that perhaps it was best that she returned. She obviously did not want to continue the acquaintance in front of her sister.

He liked Marie-Celeste, though, and he had studied her to see in what the sisters differed. She was pretty and Anna was beautiful, but if he had not known any better, he would have guessed that the younger sister was the Queen. She also thought much more of the family's good name than Anna did. He had not heard Anna about it at all. Marie-Celeste was more serious and dedicated and would not be as -- indecent was not the word -- as mindless of propriety as Anna now and then seemed to be. Or perhaps Anna just could not say no. If Marie-Celeste were afraid, he would most likely not notice. She certainly would not come to him if she had had a nightmare, but Anna had and that was curious, considering her current behaviour.

"Anna, what is wrong? You are acting very strangely."

"Cel, try being kidnapped for once!"

"Are you afraid? But this Pierre seems reliable. He sounds as if he is speaking the truth. He also seems to be doing everything he can to help you."

Anna said nothing and hid her head in her hands.

"Anna, is he the one you spoke about on the phone?" Marie-Celeste asked.

Anna did not know what to say. If she said yes, Celeste would ask on. If she said no, she would also ask on. If she said nothing, she would ask again.

"So he is. I thought he might be," her sister said quietly. "Anna, I realise that you have some feelings of gratitude towards the man, but surely you would know that you cannot feel anything more? You met this man two days ago and you have been afraid the whole time, I expect, and it is no wonder that you should look up to somebody who has been protecting you. It is gratitude."

The voice of reason had spoken and Anna felt herself crumble.

"You'll soon see what I mean. The feeling won't last. It's the only bit of good that you have at the moment and of course you are clinging to that and making more of it than it actually is, but once the other good things return, you'll no longer feel it so strongly. It is perfectly natural. But think -- you know nothing about this man. He is a complete stranger to you. Can you trust him, even? Also, sis, remember your position. A commoner is not used to our way of living. The gap would be too wide."

I didn't say I wanted to marry him! I just said he had been good to me. He doesn't even want to marry a queen. Anna swallowed her tears. She was stupid, very stupid. Celeste explained it so clearly. She was right, of course.

"Will you help us?" Seton asked Nathalie. "I think you could, but you must want to. Don't think about stories."

Nathalie nodded without hesitation. "You've helped me out several times too."

"Thanks. You see how you could help, don't you? By ferreting out information here and there?"

"Yes. Would it be possible for me to talk to the Queen just so I know whom I'm doing it for? Or wouldn't she want to? How should I address her anyway? She's even worse than what I had expected." Nathalie was surprised to see him grimace.

"What you see now is not what we have been seeing in the past two days."

Raine nodded. "Certain things have begun to bother her since her sister's arrival, but she won't say what."

"Oh, do you mean she can talk?" Nathalie wondered what exactly they had seen in the past two days. She gathered that Anna had been different and she wondered how much.

"She can talk," Seton said, hearing two people descending the stairs. "If you want to speak to her, there she comes." It looked as if Marie-Celeste had persuaded her to adopt a more queenly attitude. He watched as she sat down, mindful of the correct etiquette and posture. Her expression was noncommittal. This was the Queen and not Anna.

"Well," said Marie-Celeste in a more relieved tone now that she had got Anna back in order. "I have thought about it and I think Anna should come with me."

Anna looked as if she wanted to leave and Seton felt a little disappointment. He was disappointed enough not to protest, even if he did not agree at all. If Anna wanted to go, she should go.

Raine had not spoken much, but he felt that he ought to say something now. "I don't agree. She should stay." This was not Anna. Anna had felt guilty about putting them in danger. If she left them now, she might very well be doing that. No, this was not Anna's own decision, unless she had radically changed. This was Marie-Celeste's influence on her unstable sister. He wondered if Anna had told her anything about how she had spent her days here and he thought it very likely. Marie-Celeste would never let her stay in such a case. "She should only return when it's absolutely safe." When it was absolutely safe to assume that she returned because she longed for it.

And when they don't have any more chances to use me for their purposes, Anna thought. She could see how they could still use her if she returned now. They could spread false information about non-existent kidnappers and say that they were killed, or something. But she said nothing and waited until they had decided what she should do. Taking a decision herself would be too difficult. If she left, the men would perhaps feel offended, if they cared at all. She did not dare to presume that they did. If she stayed, Marie-Celeste would be upset. Anna did not want to give anyone any bad feelings, so she found it best to let them decide for her.

As Raine and Marie-Celeste discussed the matter, Nathalie studied Anna and Pierre and how they both refrained from joining in the discussion. She found it very interesting. Pierre was the leader and Anna was the person they were talking about, and yet neither contributed anything. She wondered if Anna was truly dull or merely numbed. Perhaps she had been drugged to keep her quiet.

Anna brushed a spot off her trousers. It had been rather thoughtless of Celeste to sit across from Seton so that she would have to sit next to him and be reminded of his existence constantly. How could Celeste think that she could seriously think about leaving when she was constantly reminded of the fact that she would probably have a very bad nightmare again if she did? As she pondered the question of leaving again, she realised that there was not much she would accomplish by returning home. She would be able to dismiss the Prime Minister, but that would raise many questions and perhaps he would even be able to twist things so that he would appear the wronged party. Anna knew the decision had been made in her mind when she saw more and more reasons not to leave. Now she could only hope that Raine supported his arguments well and that he would convince Celeste to let her stay. To say something herself was out of the question.

Seton was not interfering in the discussion, because he felt his reasons for wanting Anna to stay were too selfish. Who could guarantee him that the hunt on them would not be opened as soon as Anna was safe? Besides, he liked Anna and he loved her, even, but not necessarily with the need to be loved back in return.

Anna showed the same lack of initiative as a machine, Seton thought, even if she did come with an unintelligible instruction manual, unlike the coffee machine at work. There was a whole section devoted to the many mysterious codes that indicated errors and what should be done to solve the problem. He sighed as he realised the utter madness of comparing her to a coffee machine. It would not be as simple as putting a new package of coffee into her to get her to talk.

But then he realised that there had not been anything wrong with her before Marie-Celeste had started reprogramming her. He put on his glasses and started to draw something on the back of the newspaper.

Anna squinted at the schematic representation he showed her, wondering why he could not write bigger. "Funny," she said gravely, holding her hand out for the pen. "Almost correct. You should add a few external factors to the diagram. Do you know where?"

"Here?" Seton placed his finger on one on the boxes.

"Yes, and here," Anna pointed at another box. "What is this induction good for? I assume this is facts to theory?"

"Actually, I was thinking of the working of a coffee machine and I noticed some similarities between that and this model. Maybe that would make it deduction?"

"Oh," said Anna thoughtfully.

"Anna," Marie-Celeste interrupted. "What do you think?"

Anna shrank into the couch. "Oh…I haven't really been following your discussion…"

Nathalie found it rather remarkable that Anna was effectively drawn out of her stupor by some diagram, and ruled out drugged as a possible reason for her passivity. She also wondered if Anna was really dull -- she was certainly active enough to pay attention the diagram, even if the whole discussion about whether she should stay or go seemed to leave her indifferent. Anyway, Marie-Celeste's face was priceless. She had been discussing with zeal and energy and she had not noticed that her sister's attentions had been engaged differently. Nathalie suppressed a smirk. If she had not followed the diagram discussion, she too would have thought that Anna needed a firm shaking.

However, Marie-Celeste was too well bred to say anything of the sort in company and she limited herself to a slightly irritated frown. "Anna, what do you say? Would you agree that it is safer for you to stay here another while, as this gentleman here seems to think?"

Anna nodded.

"And you, Mr. Pierre?"

Seton nodded. "I trust myself best, so it is no wonder that I should think it's safer for her to stay here. We don't know how far their tentacles reach. If her bodyguards were told it was an exercise, they might be told again. Nathalie, that might be something for you. Find out what happened to the bodyguards. They were reported to have been killed, but we didn't do it. Either they were silenced by money or by something else."

"Which bodyguards?"

"The ones who were with Anna when the mock-kidnapping took place, plus the chauffeur."

"Have you got their names?" Nathalie asked.

Anna tore off a piece of the newspaper and wrote down whatever she knew about them, which was not much apart from an estimate of their ages and where they were from.

Nathalie gave her an appreciative look when she received the scrap. Usually people needed to be told that a description and their town of residence might be useful to her as well. She was a little amazed to see that Anna did not write in calligraphy.

"And you," Seton said to Marie-Celeste, "could try the diplomatic tactic with the higher-ranking people."

"How," asked the Prime Minister, "is it possible that a journalist should know more about this incident than I do?"

"I have no idea," the Commissioner replied evenly. "That's what they are journalists for." The Prime Minister's constant badgering was getting on his nerves. He did not see what was so bad about this journalist finding out something they had not known when they had never given elaborate statements to the press and they could easily conceal the fact that they had not known. They could easily say that they had known. Perhaps the journalist had even saved them a great deal of time by discovering the car, although it remained to be investigated how exactly she had known where to find it. It might have been a coincidence.

"Question her."

"She was nowhere to be found today. Presumably she is out researching articles."

"I suggest she is questioned as soon as she turns up."

"Yes, sir."

"Ask her how she knew about the Queen and ask her how she found the car."

"She might have a police scanner. I know some journalists who do."

"And what might a police scanner be?"

"A device to listen in on our radio messages," the Commissioner explained patiently. "A lot of people have them."

"Why are such things not forbidden?"

"They are, but they are tolerated while we concentrate our efforts on serious crimes."

"Despicable," the Prime Minister huffed. "I shall bring it up in Parliament to see if we can do anything about it. Meanwhile, I am under pressure from the Royal Family, who wants the Queen back and quickly. They think we are not doing enough. If they manage to influence the public, my position will really become unstable."

"But sir, we are hindered by the lack of information from the kidnappers. We are trying to catch them with only one tape for clues. There is not much to go on." The Commissioner had not yet been informed of the discovery that had been made in the safe house. Consequently, he knew nothing about the place where the video camera had been bought or by whom. He thought it noteworthy to hear that the Prime Minister solely cared about his own position. He did not seem to recognise that even journalists could advance the case.

"What about the video tapes from the cash points?"

The Commissioner had read Nathalie's article attentively and he had recognised the value of the questions she had raised. Yes, there was a lot that was being concealed, but this was a sensitive case. It was vital that it should be brought to a good end. He agreed with her that letting a kidnapper get away was bad enough, but that it was an absolute blunder to have let him get away with the Queen. Yet he too, even if he was involved, had come across too many odd things in this case to see it as a clear-cut kidnapping. The videotapes from the cash points were only one of several odd things. There was no way he could interpret them in the framework of a kidnapping. During the second withdrawal, the Queen appeared to have done it all by herself and in her usual way, as shown by the tapes of withdrawals from before her abduction. It was only during the first withdrawal that she had been accompanied and agitated, but that would be understandable since she had been kidnapped only a few hours before. Two days later, she seemed to have recovered and she was allowed to withdraw money all by herself. What had happened in between? They had sent a tape, but the Queen and the kidnappers must also have reached some understanding in the meantime which had turned the abduction into a voluntary absence. That was what all the evidence was pointing at and he did not even have any evidence with regard to the actual taking of the Queen. That had all been handled by some hush-hush units and he had only been informed a few hours later. He would not tell the Prime Minister of his suspicions. The man was too annoying. "I can't conclude anything from those video tapes," he replied.

"Forgive me for asking," said Nathalie to Marie-Celeste when they were on their way back. The chauffeur thought that Marie-Celeste had only gone to pick up something from the summerhouse, so they could not speak freely in his presence. "But have you never thought about taking over from your sister?"

"Of course I have," she answered calmly. "And she and I have discussed it, even when my father was still living, but he was always adamant against me succeeding him instead of Anna, because she was the rightful heiress. He said that would only happen if she were mentally disabled. He told her she had no backbone if she did not do it."

"It did not occur to him that you might have been better?"

"No. It's true, of course, but he reasoned that there was nothing wrong with Anna -- nothing that a little more determination could not cure, and Anna assumed -- or hoped -- that she would get used to it at some point."

"But that never happened?"

"It hasn't happened so far, no."

"She might abdicate when she returns."

"That is possible," Marie-Celeste agreed. "But I don't want anything to do with her decision. I don't want to be accused of getting rid of her so I can become Queen."

"Thanks, Raine," Seton said when the two women had left.

"That's alright," Raine answered. "Hegge will be sad to have missed the occasion."

"Yes, he always likes more women in the house." Seton looked down at Anna, who was still seated, and sat down next to her. "Do you want to talk?"

Anna shook her head and smiled to thank him for the offer. She felt awfully gauche because she did not know what to say. "No, I'm confused." He must be thinking I am the stupidest person he's ever encountered. She was thinking too many things and some of those thoughts she would never share. Or rather, not at this moment. Perhaps in a few years' time it would be easier.

"If you want to talk, you can always come to me," he said earnestly. Confused was good, he supposed; it was better than that she had her mind made up. It meant that Anna had doubts about her job. He welcomed doubts, for it might make her decide to give it up. She herself had indicated on the back of the newspaper that she had felt no pressure until her sister had come, and he crossed out the word sister. "She's gone. Will you revert back to this state?" he pointed at relaxed.

Anna would love to, but she did not see how it would be possible to ignore the effects of her sister's visit. It had become even less probable now that he actually sounded as if he wanted her to become relaxed again. She looked down so she would not have an additional reason to feel torn in two.

"I want to play football. Have you got a ball?" asked Seton. Something had to be done to take Anna's mind off the things that were troubling her and what better way than to make her realise that being a queen was a lousy job by having her become flushed from running and dirty from sliding on the grass. He could tell her in words, but that would not have the desired effect. She had to do it herself.

Raine pricked up his ears and jumped up. He wished that the two other men would come back from their shopping trip so he would no longer have to restrain himself from helping them out by saying something. "Yeah! I saw one in the garage. I'll get it."

Anna looked up in surprise. "Football?"

"Anna…" Seton said when Raine had left the room. "Play with us."

"You're making life very hard for me," Anna answered softly.

"That's not a no."

"It's not a yes either."

"And again it's a matter of swinging between I shouldn't and I want to," he concluded. "When are you going to swing towards the right thing?"

"What is the right thing?" Anna asked uncertainly. "The right thing for you or the right thing for me?"

Seton shook his head and rose. "I'm going to change," he said to give her time to think.

Anna bit her lip. He was right. She was swinging between what she should do and what she wanted to do if she allowed herself. If he asked her to play football, then he must be thinking that was the right thing to do. After deliberating for another while, she ran upstairs. She would play, but she would have to put on something different. Taking off her trousers and shirt, and throwing them on the bed, she went through her closets for a tracksuit.

When she joined them outside she was a little nervous, but she felt very happy to have Seton's approval of her decision when he winked at her. "Now dear, don't look as if we're going to laugh at your tracksuit. You look fabulous compared to me. Don't you have any tall relatives?"

Anna looked him up and down and saw that the trousers he was wearing were too short. She stifled a snort. "Where did you get those?"

"I found them in a closet."

Raine had marked out three goals. "Since it would be unfair to play two to one --"

"Oh, but don't count me," Anna said modestly.

"It would still be unfair. We all have our own goal, but to discourage us from taking advantage of you, any goals scored at your goal will count for one point only, whereas they'll count for three at our goals. Acceptable?"

Gris and Hegge had been out doing the shopping, but it had not gone exactly the way they had wanted it to go. They had seen two foreign agents they had come across on a previous case and it had taken all their inventiveness to remain unseen in the gigantic supermarket.

"This is slowly getting out of hand," Hegge shook his head as he observed the two men from behind a rack of baby clothes. He made a pretence of comparing sizes and dropped a baby shirt into their shopping trolley to satisfy the curious looks a woman nearby was giving him. "When foreigners start to interfere…"

"Wait," said Gris with a frown. "Would T have passed on our names to them?"

"Hmmm…don't know…" Hegge stared at the two men leaving the store. "What were they doing here?"

"It was probably a coincidence."

"Really? Nothing ever happens in this country. There's only one thing happening at the moment and it follows that they came for that. If that Prime Minister doesn't resign soon, we've got to lend him a hand before the whole world starts to send in agents. We're dead if all kinds of people start hunting us."

"What? Still not found?" the President asked. "What of our men?"

His advisor coughed delicately. "They are experiencing some difficulties in getting acquainted with the country, sir. It might take them a few days to settle in completely." The truth was that the agents had overlooked the fact that the vernacular differed from the three official languages and that their ignorance of the local dialect always marked them out as foreigners. "They do not speak the language."

"Why," asked the President, "do we spend millions on language training if it appears to be a waste of money?"

"They are fluent in all three the official languages, but…"

"So what is the problem?"

"Apparently people there speak a dialect."

"Do they have cars?" the President asked suspiciously. "Electricity?"

"Is it not time, Mr. Thalen, that we heard some more from the kidnappers?" the Prime Minister asked.

"But what? We had nothing but the tape planned. We should have got her back by now, according to plan."

"Perhaps you should make another video tape," the Prime Minister suggested.

Thalen looked alarmed. "That will take ages! Have you got any idea of the preparation that went into that tape? We'd have to go about finding a woman who resembles her and then some who can do her voice and all mix it together and --"

"What about just a plain note to the police? I don't know -- a repetition of the first demands? They ask for less money? More money? What if we include that they threaten to harm the Queen? Would it not give us some lever against the rebels? We could always accuse them of having made threats."

Thalen thought about it. "I honestly can't produce anything like that in the short run without incriminating myself."

"Why not?"

"Well, have you ever thought about fingerprints and the like?"

"They are not going to check your finger prints!"

"I can't order a Unit to make it for me! They'd catch on!"

"You had no trouble with the rest of the scheme," the Prime Minister pointed out.

"That was because we had a long time to prepare it and I had unsuspecting Units below me. Now it's different. What do you think they will do if I order them to find a look-alike? They'll wonder what I need her for."

"Tell them you plan to fool the kidnappers."

"By introducing yet another mock terrorist group? I think it's wisest to abandon the scheme and hope that they'll release her eventually, or --" Thalen paused.

"Or to find them and to terminate them?" the Prime Minister finished. "Including the Queen?"

"No, not including the Queen, unless she gets in the line of fire."

Nathalie, armed with the names of two bodyguards and the chauffeur, visited the hospitals nearest the location where the kidnapping had taken place. She did not know their home addresses, so she could not check if they were home. Hospitals naturally were not allowed to give out too much information about their patients, but she acted very convincingly. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. I heard he had an accident, but they didn't actually tell me which room he was in. Could you maybe look into your computer?" she asked the boy at the desk.

"Oh," said the boy. "Well, I could take a peek for you."

"Oh, would you?" Nathalie's eyes gleamed. "That would be so nice of you." She gave the boy a name from the list. If one was there, then it was likely that they all were and if there was only one, then she could question him.

The boy started to search. "No, sorry. I can't find him. Are you sure you've got the name right?"

"Yes, I think so. Maybe he's been discharged. Can you check that?"

"Actually I'm not supposed to do that."

"Actually? But will you make an exception for me?" she asked sweetly.

"Well…"

"Please? I need to know if he's okay." Nathalie pressed her hand to her mouth in alarm. "God! What if he died?"

"Can't you ask his relatives?"

"They don't answer the phone, so that means he is either in hospital or they're arranging his funeral. Oh God!" She closed her eyes and crossed herself.

The boy was impressed. "I'll look for you. Not discharged. Not deceased. Are you sure it was this hospital? He doesn't even have a registration number, which means he's never been here."

"You're wonderful! He's not dead. I'm so happy," Nathalie smiled. "Thanks!" She was not at all happy. This meant she had to do the same act at another hospital.

After a very long time -- Raine and Seton had wanted to continue until one of them reached a hundred points -- it was nearly going to happen. Seton was setting his goalposts up again and Raine and Anna were on the other side of the field, conferring.

"Poor you," Raine said, pityingly placing his arm across Anna's shoulders. "You're not going to win; not when I only need one more point. But you know, you should have tried to score more at Seton's goal. I'm sure he would have let some pass if you had used the right tactic."

"The right tactic? Oh I know I'm not good with the ball." She had tried most at Raine's goal, after having tripped over Seton's feet twice. He had gallantly helped her up again, but he had looked too mischievous to be trusted. At the beginning of the game she had been silent, but she had gradually loosened up, especially after the men had praised her after scoring.

"You don't have to be. All you have to do is approach his goal with the ball -- I'll pass it to you when we're right in front and I'll keep asking you to give me an assist -- do you know what that is? Good. Alright, Seton won't move from his goal if he's intelligent and he'll wait for you to come closer, because he knows that if he moves, you'll pass to me and I'll shoot it in. When you're right in front of him, you stop and you rub your eye and you say -- very heroine-like -- John, darling, there is a hair in my eye, could you look at it for a sec? And when he comes nearer, you look for the right moment with your good eye and you shoot the ball right between the goalposts."

Anna looked perplexed. "And he would fall for the same trick thirty-three times? I mean, to get me ninety-nine points? Would he even fall for it once?"

"Yes," Raine said confidently. "There are a thousand and one variations. Try it."

Anna tried to suppress a smirk when she ran towards Seton's goal and he stood waiting in it with his arms folded. Because she made such a lovely picture, he neglected to pay attention to the ball, something he did not realise until he doubled up in pain. "@$@#@!"

"Anna," Raine choked. "Between the goalposts, I said."

Anna stared in confusion when there were suddenly two men rolling on the ground, one with laughter and the other in pain, but she saw the ball rolling back towards her and she kicked it over Seton right into the goal with a lob. "Yay! I scored!"

"@$@#@!" Seton groaned again.

"You're being very rude," Anna informed him.

"And you're cruel!"

"Are you in pain then?" she asked timidly. "I thought you were overreacting." Hearing that, he looked as if he was about to explode and she quickly dropped to her knees beside him. "I'm sorry."

"How's the invalid?" Raine croaked. "Does he need to be carried indoors?"

"That won't be necessary," Seton answered and sat up with a grimace of pain. "But one of you might need to be carried indoors."

"Uh oh!" Raine speedily ran off and disappeared inside.

"What do you mean?" Anna asked.

He knew she had not meant to do it, but she was such an easy target. "If you did that on purpose, Anna, I'm going to put you under a cold shower and force you to stay under it for five minutes."

Anna's mouth fell open. "W-W-What? I didn't shoot at you on purpose."

"But you had something planned. I could tell by your face."

"I was going to distract you and then score." She realised that was exactly what she had done. "But not in this way. Raine told me to say something, but when I got to you I found that I could not say it without laughing, so I just kicked the ball."

"What did he tell you to say?" Seton asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I forgot."

"No, you didn't."

"Ask him." Anna scrambled to her feet. "I'm going to take a shower."

He caught up with her just before she reached the back door. "Anna?"

"Yes?"

"You seem a lot better than when your sister was here."

Anna shrugged. "Yes."

"Why don't you want to talk about it?"

She went inside. "Because… Please, I was in a good mood. Don't ruin it."

Nathalie did not find the men at any hospital she checked. She sat thinking for a while. What if they had not been harmed? Pierre's group had not shot them, he claimed, and yet it had been in the press statement that they had died. Nobody would willingly allow himself to be called dead, would he? Unless…she went to the airport, where she knew a useful person.

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