Prologue

Annette sat watching the sun go down in the Andes. It was distinctly chilly at that height and she was wrapped in a sheepskin coat with a hood. She was in her element. She had emerged from Aberystwyth University with a first in Zoology and was at present part of a team from the British Ornithologists Union studying the condor in South America. She smiled as she thought of what had sparked her interest in these birds and in ornithology in general.

She had met Richard Hoddinot by contrived accident, when she was thirteen years old. Her mother, Deborah, was falling in love with him and he with her. Eighteen months previously Deborah had divorced her husband for sexually abusing his daughter. Annette was consequently terrified of men and her mother had unwittingly reinforced this by being over-protective.

On that first contrived walk Richard had started to dispel those fears by talking to her about nature and particularly buzzards, a pair of which they had seen, and which he had referred to as mini-condors. He'd subsequently lent her a video about condors.

Richard and Deborah had married and then, at a schools' hockey tournament, her father had reappeared in her life. Richard had foreseen such an eventuality and nothing had befallen Annette but the bond that had developed between them grew and Annette came to depend on him for support, advice and fatherly affection.

The day that it became clear that Annette's father was no longer a threat they had been having lunch with Geoffrey and Gabriella Ironside. Also present were Neil Stone, Sharon Miller and her daughter Louise. Geoffrey, Gabriella and Neil had headed the security team that had kept Annette safe from her father. Sharon had been Richard's and his former wife's cleaner and Richard had kept her on after Rachel died. Sharon had worshipped Rachel who had entrusted her with seeing that Richard did not mope too long after her death from cancer. The outcome had been that Sharon had become Richard's mistress and a real bond had developed between them. For Sharon it had been love; for Richard a deep friendship with benefits. Louise was the same age as Annette, at the same school and also in the hockey team. They were great friends. She was staying that night with the Hoddinots.

When they got home the two girls had gone up to Annette's room. They both flumped on the bed.