Finding 02 Finding Megan Read online

  Megan thought about this for a moment. She knew her parents would object but was determined to visit her friend. As she was already in Mexico it wasn’t too far for her to travel.

  “I would love to come. My parents will just have to deal with it and I’m sure Pops won’t mind. He even said you could come here any time we want to meet up.”

  Amelia was about to point out that under no circumstances would she ever again want to see Henry Brubaker but held back the words. She knew Megan loved her grandfather, in spite of the part he had played in Kaden’s abduction. Amelia felt it would be unfair to make her friend feel bad about it.

  “Maybe when I don’t have so much training to do I could take a trip up on your next visit to your grandfather. For now, it would be great to spend time with you here at our place. I could show you around and introduce you to some really cute guys well worth taking a trip down for.” Amelia knew that would do the trick.

  “Well in that case I’ll be on my way soon. How can I resist? I’ll let Pops know what I’m planning. I know he won’t mind.”

  The girls said their goodbyes and Megan went to buy a present for Amelia.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “How was your flight, Jake?” asked Lloyd, who was driving.

  “Relaxing, as usual. It’s the only time I sit still and do nothing.”

  Amelia, who was heading towards Guadalajara, passed them on her motorbike and waved.

  “Where is she going in such a hurry?” asked Jake.

  “Laser Gym. She decided to give it another go but I don’t think her heart is in it. She has been talking about teaching classes, at least that way she will still be involved with something she really likes,” Lloyd said. “And what about you? How are you going to get used to not being a cop anymore? You loved your job.”

  “Well, that’s what I’ve come to talk to you about. Like Amelia, I am going to continue doing what I do best. I’ve registered as a private detective. I already have a few cases on my books. One of them I’m doing pro bono.”

  “I hope you’re charging enough for the others if you’re doing one for free. You’ll never make a living that way.”

  “Actually, Lloyd, the pro bono case involves you.”

  There was a moment’s silence. Both men knew what the other was thinking.

  “Are you sure you want to take on Henry Brubaker? He has powerful people behind him. You could lose your license, or worse,” Lloyd said.

  He was letting his friend know that he wasn’t under any obligation to the Seager family.

  Because of his involvement with the Brubaker’s, Jake Matthews had hidden information about Kaden’s abduction from Lloyd. Even though he helped bring him home, it still bothered the detective.

  “I hate Henry Brubaker, I want to see him brought to justice. He uses a person’s pain to suck them in with his offer of help and then holds it over them. That’s the reason why so many people in high places back him up. Did you think it was because of his warm personality?” asked Jake.

  They both laughed at that.

  “That tyrant has the personality of an iceberg,” said Lloyd, “I’m really happy to have you on board, we could do with the help.”

  As they parked up at the house, they saw Estelle with some of the boys and waved to her. Running to the car, she leaned in through the front passenger window to give Jake a kiss on the cheek.

  “We have a big order of vegetables to get out this morning. You two grab a bite to eat and we can catch up later.”

  As they boxed up the various items of fresh produce the boys laughed and joked with Estelle. Knowing what life had been like in the past for each of them made their smiles even more precious to her. Of all of them, Smokes had changed the most, both physically and emotionally. When she first met him, the year before, he was a bit of a comedian who pretended not to care about anything. He had survived on the streets of Chicago selling cigarettes illegally, as they had been banned since 2025. That was how he earned the nick name, Smokes.

  He caught her looking at him and said, “If you don’t get a move on this lot will have wilted. You know how I hate to see good produce go to waste.”

  He was mimicking what Estelle had constantly said to them when they first took on the business. The couple who had previously run the market garden and small vineyard had grown tired of trying to keep it going. They were very happy to let the Seager family lease it from them. The boys all worked there but it had taken a long time for them to get used to earning an honest living. They were constantly taking a break or just standing around waiting to be told what to do next. Things had improved immensely since those first few months and now everyone got stuck in and worked hard to make a success of the business.

  Estelle and the others laughed at Smokes and threw some of the trimmings they had taken from the vegetables at him.

  “Very funny,” she said. “While Harley is away on his honeymoon, you will have to do his share of the work, Smokes - seeing as it was you who introduced him to Marissa. Now get on with it, you lot. I’m going to see Jake. Let me know when the order is ready.”

  “Is Kaden still studying?” Estelle asked, joining the men at the large kitchen table.

  Running her hands across the wood, she smiled at her husband and their guest.

  “I just love Mexican furniture, it’s solid and dependable. Just like you two.”

  Lloyd smiled back at his wife. “You really mean old and heavy, don’t you? Oh and Kaden is doing some online tests for the next hour, so we had better not disturb him.”

  Their son was taking Spanish lessons as part of his training to become a teacher.

  “That’s probably a good thing, we need to discuss something just between ourselves,” Jake said.

  The two men had been working on a plan to get Kaden’s young friends, Paco and Radar, out of Brubaker’s gold mining base in Antarctica. Now that they were being held there legally, because of new laws, an escape plan was no longer necessary. Lloyd wanted to put pressure on Henry Brubaker and his organization, forcing them to release the boys into his care.

  “We need to get hard evidence that we can use to persuade him and that’s not going to be easy,” said Jake.

  Lloyd smiled and exchanged glances with his wife. Taking some paperwork from a folder, he slid it across the table.

  “We have already set something in motion. Take a look at these.”

  While the detective read, Estelle studied his face. By the second page he was smiling.

  “You two have certainly been busy,” Jake said.

  “Wolf has managed to get a contract with the cook at the Brubaker Ranch and we are sending our first order of wine there tomorrow,” Lloyd said. “We are using a different company name for the deliveries so that Brubaker won’t become suspicious. Nobody there will recognize Wolf as one of the boys who escaped from Antarctica. Even if his photo is on file, his appearance has changed so much he looks nothing like the scrawny, pale young man we first met.”

  “Did you see him when you arrived?” asked Estelle.

  “If he was one of the boys who left with you earlier I certainly didn’t recognize him. In fact they have all changed quite a bit. They seem to have settled in well.”

  “We think so,” said Lloyd, “But what about Ash? Do you think he is happy at Martha’s place in Chicago?”

  “Now that the Brubaker’s no longer consider them a threat they can get on with their lives. Martha is certainly happy to have him and his brother stay with her. You know, all of the boys have a much better life now and a good future ahead, because of what was done to them. Don’t you think so?” Jake said.

  “That might be true but Henry Brubaker does not have the right to mess with people’s lives or control them. Even we, as a family, are happier now. However, Kaden and those boys could have died in his custody. The guards had permission to shoot anyone trying to escape. They could have frozen to death in that blizzard, even though - ‘

  Estelle was interrupted in midsente
nce by Jake.

  “Okay, okay, I’m not saying I agree with what happened. I just want you both to realize how Henry Brubaker gets into your head. It was thanks to him I had those precious extra years with my wife. The medical procedure he used on her was not approved of at that time and he took a big risk in doing it. He could have lost his license and never been able to practice medicine again. This is the sort of hold he has over people.”

  “That’s why we need to find evidence of more recent illegal activity by his clinic. If there is one thing we can be sure about Henry Brubaker, it’s that he believes he is above the law. I bet he is still involved in all kinds of unapproved procedures, we just need to find the evidence,” Lloyd said, placing the sheets of paper back into their folder.

  “Does that mean you are finally going to try and get Paco and Radar out of that place?” asked Kaden, who was standing in the doorway.

  “Come and join us, son. We have a lot of planning to do and Jake can only stay for a couple of days. We need to keep this just between ourselves and Wolf. He was the one who set up the contract with the clinic. The rest of the boys can’t know about this, yet and that includes your sister. The less people involved the better if we want to succeed.” Lloyd looked across the table at Estelle and Jake. Both of them nodded in agreement.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Wolf followed the directions he had been given by the cook who worked for Henry Brubaker. It was in the early hours of the morning and still quite dark when Lloyd and Estelle waved good bye to him at the house in Lake Chapala. The journey had taken seven hours and he had to drive back later that day. Wolf made a mental note to take a nap before returning home.

  It was nine a.m. when the van pulled up at the side entrance of Brubaker’s villa. Wolf noticed a beautiful, black stallion in the centre of a paddock at the back of the house. He got out and unlocked the rear door of the vehicle before announcing his arrival. There was a young woman sitting on the horse and she seemed to be looking in his direction saying something. Wolf thought she was speaking to him and walked towards the fence. As he rounded the corner of the house he almost bumped into an elderly man standing at the edge of a veranda.

  “What on earth do you think you are doing coming around here uninvited?” Henry Brubaker roared at Wolf, making him jump.

  The angry shout spooked the horse and it reared up. Wolf could see the girl was in trouble, as she was having difficulty controlling the animal. Racing to the fence, he cleared it in one leap. Walking slowly towards the stallion, avoiding any sudden movement, Wolf spoke softly and calmly to the horse. Its rider was still in the saddle and making a brave attempt to regain control each time the animal reared up. Little by little, the distance between them closed, until Wolf was standing almost under the raised hooves. Looking up, he reassured the frightened animal that he was no threat to it.

  “Don’t pull on the reins, it will tighten the bit in his mouth and he’ll think you’re panicking,” Wolf said in an even tone.

  “I am panicking. How am I supposed to stay in the saddle if I can’t hold the reins?”

  “Lean forward, if he rears up again you’ll be better balanced. I think he is almost calm enough for me to help you down.”

  Wolf was stroking the side of the long, black neck. The horse was shaking his head and snorting but keeping his four hooves on the ground. Megan listened to the instructions given her and carefully removed her right foot from the stirrup. Wolf held the reins with one hand while reaching the other one out to help her dismount. As she was about to lift her leg over the horse’s back she felt him get ready to move again, so she threw herself out of the saddle.

  Letting go of the reins, Wolf caught Megan in his arms and both of them fell to the ground just as the horse reared. As the hooves came back down the young man rolled over the girl to shield her, taking the full force of the animal’s weight on his back. The horse continued to stamp on Wolf as Megan wriggled out from underneath. When he was sure she was at a safe distance, Wolf crawled towards the edge of the paddock, leaving the stallion pawing at the ground.

  The hooves pounding on his back had knocked the wind out of him but he managed to drag himself to the fence, with Megan’s help. They both climbed over and Henry Brubaker helped his granddaughter up onto the veranda. Wolf was coughing and struggling to catch his breath. Megan sat him in a chair, insisting he allow her grandfather examine him.

  “He’s a doctor, you might have broken something,” she said, her concern showing in her voice. “Can you raise your arms above your head?” Megan took hold of Wolf’s tee-shirt.

  “Good question for making a diagnosis, Megan. You don’t seem to need my help, carry on,” Henry said, amused.

  “What do you mean by a diagnosis, Pops? I am just trying to get his tee-shirt off.”

  The old man’s bony frame shook with laughter. In spite of the pain, Wolf joined in, groaning and laughing at the same time. The sound was muffled by the fabric covering his face. This annoyed Megan so much she wrapped the tee-shirt around his head and stormed into the house.

  Wolf was trying to remove the clothing that was threatening to smother him, when someone came to his aid. His mouth and nose no longer covered, the young man sucked in a deep, painful breath and looked up into the eyes of Henry Brubaker. The doctor checked his spine and his neck for any broken bones and put an ear to his back and chest, listening to his breathing.

  “You’ll live, there’s no great damage done. Come inside to my study and let me give you a more thorough examination, just to make sure.”

  Wolf followed Henry through the house until they came to a door near a large central stairway. Entering the study, the young man was taken aback to see a polar bear’s head mounted as a trophy above the fireplace.

  “Don’t mind that old fellow, he doesn’t bite, not anymore.” Henry laughed at his own joke.

  As he once again carefully checked Wolf for any serious injuries, the old man felt a deep gratitude for the protection that had been given to his granddaughter during the accident.

  “I’m sorry for causing such a fuss,” said Wolf.

  “No need to apologize. It was mostly my fault, shouting like that. Shoot first and ask questions later, that’s what I’m like,” said Henry. “What were you doing wandering around here anyway. Are you lost?”

  Wolf explained why he was there and how he had mistakenly thought Megan was speaking to him.

  “I could see her looking in my direction and saying something but I couldn’t make out what it was, so I went closer. When I saw you I realized who she was talking to. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

  “Well, no harm done and the horse is fine, thanks to you. In fact, you are the only one to have suffered any injury. I insist that you stay for lunch. Come out onto the veranda and I will get Megan to look after you while I catch up on some work before we eat.”

  As he led him through the hallway towards the back of the house, Henry told Wolf to leave off his tee shirt.

  Megan was already sitting on one of the rocking chairs when her grandfather came outside. He handed her a jar of amber coloured gel, telling her to apply it to Wolf’s badly bruised back and shoulders. Her first reaction was to protest but one look at the muscular torso standing behind her grandfather was enough to change her mind. Megan held onto the back of a chair, patting the seat for Wolf to sit down. Henry left them, returning to his study.

  “Lean forward so I can reach all your bruises. Did my grandfather even ask what your name was?”

  Wolf did as she said, resting his elbows on his knees.

  “No he never asked. It’s Wolf.” The cool gel felt good against the hot, red welts rising on his back. “What’s that stuff you’re putting on me, anyway.”

  Megan read the label on the jar.

  “Arnica Gel, it’s to stop the swelling and bruising getting worse. How does it feel?”

  “Good, but maybe anything you rubbed into my back would feel that way - and before you get into a mood, I mean it
as a compliment.”

  She threw his tee shirt at him and laughed.

  “Okay, I’ll take it as one. Is Wolf your surname?”

  “Sort of, I’ve been going by that name since I was ten. Yours is Megan, isn’t it? I heard your grandfather call you that,” he stood up to put on his tee shirt.

  “Yes, that’s my name. Can I ask you something?”

  Wolf nodded. “Sure, go ahead.”

  “Is that why you have a tattoo of a wolf on the side of your neck, because of your name?”

  “That’s one of the reasons. I happen to like wolves, I know a lot about them. They’re my favourite animal.”

  Megan remarked that it looked very new and asked if it was covering an old tattoo. Wolf began to feel uneasy, worried that she might be suspicious of who he was and his reason for being there. He wondered if she knew about the numbers tattooed on the necks of prisoners in Antarctica.

  Megan could see how uncomfortable her questions were making Wolf feel. She was just trying to find out if he had a girlfriend or not, without asking him outright. Being impatient she decided to stop beating about the bush.

  “Is that tattoo covering an old girlfriend’s name?” she spoke in what she hoped was a matter of fact voice.

  It suddenly dawned on Wolf why Megan was so interested in his tattoo and he burst out laughing, partly from relief but mostly because he found it hilarious.

  She pushed him back down into the chair and once again stormed towards the house. The cook came out as Megan rushed inside, almost knocking the poor woman over.

  “Senor Brubaker says you will be staying for lunch. It will be served here, on the veranda at one o’clock, pronto. He says you should rest until then, on account of your injuries.”

  The woman turned and walked briskly back into the house.

  Wolf looked around and saw a hammock strung across the shaded veranda. He smiled as he settled into it, wondering what Kaden and the rest of the boys would say if they knew he was about to have lunch with the man responsible for turning all of their lives upside down.