25 Hours (ePub)

Jake Barlow, now retired from murder investigations, and living a peaceful life with his wife Annie, sets out on a nice spring morning, In Brisbane, to do some banking business, some research for his latest book and some lunch with beautiful Anne. But the bank is invaded by three young Muslims, wanting to rob it to fund the Jihad in Syria. They are ruthless, killing two security guards and a plain clothes policeman and, eventually two hostages, of the 20 they've taken. They know the Federal Government will not pay a ransom and challenge the Australian people to contribute to a ransom fund to save their countrymen. They've set up a bank account and the contributions trickle in. Jake decides to take them on and formulates a plan to thwart them. He is being used by the Jihadists as a conduit to the outside world by talking to Anne on mobile phone and he conveys his plan to her. He tries to reason with the young Muslims and they gradually relax as the fund builds up. By 10 am the next day, 25 hours after their invasion of the bank, they agree that the ransom fund is filled, and they load the money, and a bound Jake onto a van to be delivered to a jet at an airport. They release the hostages and Jake, now strapped into a suicide bomb and a necklace bomb, is the last hostage. They propose to take him to Syria to be publicly beheaded. People, including a distraught Anne, watch on TV as Jake is loaded on the plane and they take off for Syria. Anne has been loudly proclaiming to her family that Jake is indestructible, but as they see Jake securely bound and loaded on the plane, she wonders if her husband's wonderful resourcefulness and courage are going to fail him. But, deep down, she has faith that Jake will escape....