Hostage by Clare Mackintosh

Author:Clare Mackintosh
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2021-03-22T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-EIGHT

PASSENGER 1G

I prefer working alone, as a rule. It presents less risk (careless talk and all that), and it avoids those circular discussions involving lots of talk but little action.

Some jobs, however, are too big for one person.

Over the years, I had found myself leading a splinter organization of the climate action group I had joined following my epiphany. It had the thrust and energy of a political movement but without the hierarchy or restrictive constitution, and although we were small, we were passionate about saving the planet. I was careful about who joined us: I didn’t want mavericks, wild cards, lone wolves. I wanted team players. I wanted followers, not leaders.

Slowly, I was building my flock.

Environmentalists are unfairly stereotyped by the media. They depict us with dreadlocks and beards, bare feet and filthy hands. They have us on benefits, living in woods, hugging trees. They make fun of us, and by doing so, they subtly influence society to make fun of the issues too. If environmentalists are a joke, then environmentalism must be one too.

In reality, we come from all walks of life.

One of my early recruits was a housewife. I was administering a Facebook group, then called Household Hacks. The content had long since been skewed toward avoiding single-use plastic, and I was beginning to introduce more animal images, seeing how much they resonated with the group. Soon, I would change the name of the group to Climate Action and merge it with the main group. In this way, I had already built a community of more than a hundred thousand people from all over the world.

On our own, we are a small voice; together, we can roar.

A woman had posted a crying emoji on a picture of a starving polar bear.

Eight days into my plastic-free month, she typed. Struggling tbh, but this has reminded me why I’m doing it!

A mini thread sprang up beneath her post.

Well done you—keep at it!

Thank you My husband hates the wax wraps on his sandwiches. Any tips for alternatives?

Foil?

Of course! Duh, I’m such an idiot!

She mentioned her husband a lot. He liked things a certain way, it seemed. Including her.

Tried the solid shampoo this morning. Apparently I’m scaring the horses LOL!!!

Individually, her posts barely stood out—the group had three thousand engaged members, and topics moved swiftly down the page—but when you read them carefully, as I did, they built up a picture.

Anyone know how to get grease out of a tie? Please????

Is it okay to replace butter with low-cal spray?

Her profile picture showed a pretty blond with a tiny waist. Clicking back through the years, she appeared to have shrunk, dwarfed by the man by her side in almost every photo, his proprietorial hand on her shoulder.

I messaged her.

—Hi! Thanks for being a top contributor on Household Hacks! I just wanted you to know I really appreciate your posts and comments.

Her reply was instant.

—Wow, thanks! It’s such a friendly group. I don’t know what I’d do without it!

—Did you get the grease out of the tie?

—No.

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