‘As he is now a Muslim, let us get him home to his family,’ said Majeed, but Abu Athir rejected this.

‘His conversion is a lie built on fear,’ said Abu Athir, who was still convinced that Daniel was working for the intelligence services and the army. ‘There are several prisoners here who have converted, because they think it can get them out.’

‘He’s very athletic. He does gymnastics in the cell,’ explained Abu Athir.

Abu Ubaidah was more reserved with information and never spoke badly of Daniel.

‘Your friend is very smart,’ said Abu Ubaidah. ‘He always knows what to say.’

Majeed didn’t know what he was supposed to make of that.

Majeed’s visit to the children’s hospital took place under high security. They tied a scarf around his face and drove around the streets for about an hour to confuse him, before he was led up and down the stairs. He sensed that he was in a basement when he heard a voice over a walkie-talkie: ‘Is there anyone who can come over to the hospital?’

They went down a long corridor and turned into a room where the air was heavy and stuffy. Someone made a small opening in the scarf, so Majeed could peer out.

‘Can you see him?’ he was asked.

Majeed saw a thin, fair-haired man with tired eyes in a sunken face.

‘Yes,’ said Majeed, and his eyes were covered over again while he was dragged back along the corridor, where he waited for them to record a video of Daniel. He wasn’t allowed to have the camera back, because the guards feared that it had a built-in GPS, so instead he was given a USB memory stick, which contained the video.

When Arthur heard that Daniel had tried to commit suicide, it put him in a tight spot. He usually shared most of his information with the family, but in this case he hesitated. The information could be an attempt to push the price for Daniel higher. It could also be a lie. But since there were no longer any real negotiations going on for Daniel’s release, Arthur, in consultation with the crisis psychologist, chose to conceal Daniel’s attempted suicide from the family; it was unconfirmed information and wouldn’t benefit them in any way at that point in time. He saw it as part of his job to protect them from any information they didn’t need to know.

· * ·

Daniel stood against the wall in the guards’ kitchen, while a guard filmed him. He was told to repeat precisely: ‘My mum’s name is Susanne. My dad’s name is Kjeld. My girlfriend’s name is Signe. It’s the twenty-first of August and the guy who helped me is Majeed.’

A few days later the guards brought good news to the four Frenchmen. The French government would negotiate for their release, said the guards, but the opposite was true of the Danish government.

‘If they won’t negotiate, you’ll be sent home in a body bag,’ was their message to Daniel.

Pierre and the other Frenchmen were exhilarated and their mood changed, as if they were already on their way home. The hostages believed that real negotiations were taking place; that the kidnappers had contacted the authorities.

Daniel was frightened and confused. Had the insurance company refused to pay out? Did his parents not realize the policy existed? He lay next to Pierre, took his hand and wept at the thought that the Frenchmen were going home to their families, while he would be left alone in the cell with David, Steven and Federico.

Outside, the fighting had become more intense and they were getting even less food. Pierre understood the seriousness of the situation and held Daniel’s hand for hours, while they lay staring up at the ceiling.

‘If I am released, I will make contact with your parents, the Foreign Ministry and the insurance company,’ promised Pierre.

Daniel squeezed his hand, but couldn’t fall asleep.

Some days later, one evening towards the end of August, everyone in the cell was told to stand up against the wall, after which they were handcuffed and blindfolded. The only thing in Daniel’s mind was not to be separated from Pierre and the other Frenchmen. Being French meant hope. Being Danish could be a death sentence.

Daniel and James

Early in the morning of 23 August another email arrived in Kjeld’s inbox. He was already on his way to work, but pulled his red truck over to the side of the road to read it. There was a video attachment. He called Susanne and they agreed that they would watch the video, which was probably of Daniel, when they were home from work.

In the evening the family downloaded the file and Daniel appeared on screen, wearing a camouflage jacket. He stood up against a blue wall and said: ‘My mum’s name is Susanne. My dad’s name is Kjeld. My girlfriend’s name is Signe. It’s the twenty-first of August and the guy who helped me is Majeed.’

Daniel was staring into the lens. His round eyes glowed orange in the light from the camera. In the background could be heard the sound of cicadas. When he had to name the man who was helping him, he looked down at a spot under the camera, as if he couldn’t remember the name, and then said ‘Majeed’.

The video lasted only fifteen seconds, so they played it several times, looking for various signs of torture, starvation and lack of hygiene. Susanne felt relieved to finally hear her son’s voice. He seemed composed on the video, but at the same time the situation was so scary that it felt surreal.

Christina felt that no one dared to talk about the fears they all shared. In Hedegård they didn’t talk much about their feelings, given the difficulty of articulating what they all feared – the unspeakable situation that was permeating their everyday lives. Would Daniel die? Would he ever come home?

Daniel still looked thin – and then there were those frightening marks on his neck. He was no longer the Daniel they knew. He was a hostage, who had been told what to say and how to say it. They couldn’t decipher his facial expressions, which were almost non-existent.

The video was saved on the family computer and Christina sometimes watched it when she was home alone; so did Kjeld and Susanne, but none of them spoke about it.

The worst part was that the nightmare had only just begun. The negotiations had gone cold and it could take a long time to get Daniel back.

The video was the latest sign of life and it was also the most recent indirect contact with the kidnappers, but no demand or proposal came with it. No one showed any interest in coming to a definitive agreement, so the video was just a message to reassure the family that Daniel was alive. It had nothing to do with getting him released.

Arthur had begun to doubt whether Majeed still had access to the hospital and Daniel’s kidnappers. He advised the family to find new ways to establish contact. He helped them formulate a letter to Abu Athir, the Emir of Aleppo, in the hope that the family would be able to build a relationship with him that could bring Daniel home.

‘Dear A. A.,’ began the letter. ‘We very much hope that your health has improved and we wish you a continued speedy recovery.’ They were referring to Abu Athir’s leg, which, so they had been informed, had been injured by shrapnel.

We understand that Daniel violated your regulations while carrying out his work. We are very sorry about that and we offer our deepest apologies for his wrongdoings. We in his family are very unhappy and afraid about his situation. Two of Daniel’s grandparents are still alive; they are both elderly and very sad and worried about what has happened to their grandson. It is very hard for both of them and we are very concerned that they may die of sorrow. Daniel is our only son, the one whose role is to maintain the continuity of the family. He is a good son and a loving brother to his two sisters, who are inconsolable. He is the kind of son who looks after and takes responsibility for the family. We beg you sincerely and with all our hearts to let Daniel come home.