Rich hated it. He felt so useless and just wished there was something he could do, but he knew that Ardman’s team was doing everything they could. There was actually lots to do. And though playing billiards with Dad in the snooker room of the enormous mansion did take his mind of things for a while, Rich felt guilty when he remembered why they were there. And as well as being worried about Jade, he missed her. “What if Darrow doesn’t call?” Rich asked Chance as they played. “He will.” Chance sounded confident. But Rich had noticed the slight hesitation before his father answered him. “Course he will,” said Rich quietly. “I mean, he has to, doesn’t he.” The absent Algernon had been good enough to leave his cook and some of his staff behind, so there was no shortage of good food or people to get it. But Rich didn’t feel hungry and he spent most of his time sitting at the back of the library watching Alan and Pete laughing and joking and checking their equipment. Neither of them seemed to sleep, and they ate a constant selection of sandwiches and snacks washed down with a never-ending stream of coffee.
