Page 24 of King’s Ransom

I spun, looked at her.

And realised.

‘Audrey, you’re a genius.’

‘I am?’

‘It’s not a painting. It’s one of King’s other collectibles that we saw on the way in here. The first Superman comic. Action Comics No. 1. “Alexander” isn’t Alexander the Great. It’s a Superman character, Superman’s arch nemesis: Alexander “Lex” Luthor. In the 1978 movie, Lex Luthor’s henchman was . . . oh, no . . .’

‘What?’ Audrey said. ‘Who was Lex Luthor’s henchman?’

I checked the time.

12:03.

We had two minutes.

‘Lex Luthor’s chief henchman was named Otis,’ I said. ‘The elevators. The kid and his bodyguard are hanging under one of the Otis elevators in this building!’

I bolted out of the bedroom.

‘But which elevator?!’ Audrey yelled as we burst out of the bedroom. ‘This building has four elevators and we only have two minutes to check them!’

Merritt Garrett hurried behind us, trying to keep up.

Heidi and Bill took off after us, clearly confused.

‘Sam—?’ Heidi began.

‘I’ll tell you later, just stay close to us,’ I called as I ran.

We came at a full sprint to the vestibule, where all the other detectives and FBI agents were gathered around the painting of Alexander the Great at Achilles’ tomb.

They’d pulled the painting off the wall and were examining the bare wall behind it.

I had eyes only for the private elevator beyond them.

It was still stopped on this floor, its doors open, empty.

‘You! Sir!’ I pointed at the building’s stocky superintendent in his clean white coveralls. I figured his name was Lenny, given the embroidered patch on his pocket. ‘With us! Now! Please!’

He hurried after us.

I kept running, sweeping down the spiralling staircase that led to the middle floor below.

‘The second clue tells us which elevator!’ I called back to my companions. ‘Mr Garrett was half right: Hudson isn’t the river, he’s a person . . . only he’s not a real person!’

‘Not a real person? Stop talking in riddles, Sam!’ Audrey said, dashing down the stairs after me.

As I hit the middle level of the apartment, I said, ‘Hudson’s a fictional character who engaged in rapid, excited speech. Patter. Only our Hudson’s patter was enthusiastic drop patter.’

It had all clicked in my mind as soon as I’d said the word ‘elevators’.

‘The Alien movies,’ I said as I raced to the elevator doors on this middle level.

‘Aristo King names his rockets after the spaceships in the Alien movies. Hudson isn’t a real person, he’s the character from Aliens . . .’

Right then, Merritt Garrett got it.