Fox Afield (Madison Wolves)

by Robin Roseau

"I want a walk with a comfortable destination," I explained.

  "Oh, of course. Yes, I will join you."

  "Elisabeth is showering. I didn't know if I was safe with only you or if you want more enforcers. We can make it a party if you want."

  In the end, we all went, ambling slowly to the waterfront. Lara and I held hands. Our fight wasn't forgotten, but we had moved past it.

  The other wolves gave us a little distance during the walk. Lara and I didn't talk, and I remained physically reserved.

  We ordered our drinks and treats to go. The waitress wanted to know where all the dogs were today. "They were naughty last night, so they're in the doghouse this morning," I replied.

  We took our treats and walked to the park. There was a jetty we could walk out, and we all took seats on the ground. I sat near Lara, but not quite touching.

  "Are we going to find Virginia?" I asked.

  "Yes," said Lara immediately.

  "It has to be before Monday," I said. "I don't think she'll live to see Tuesday afternoon. Robert will ask his proof of life question on Tuesday morning. They'll get the answer from her, and ten minutes later, she's dead."

  No one said anything.

  "Lara, if we do not have her by Monday night, then I am going after Harvey Block myself."

  "No you aren't," she said quietly.

  "If you think-"

  "We'll go after him as a team," said Elisabeth. "You aren't alone, Michaela."

  "That's what pack means," Serena said. "We know sometimes it's hard for you. But we are more than friends."

  I couldn't look at them. "Thank you," I said.

  We ate our muffins and bagels. I ate half my bagel and gave the remainder to Lara. It was a cool morning, promising to be a pleasant day, and I enjoyed my coffee. Lara had a blueberry muffin, and when she got down near the end of it, I whimpered lightly. She smiled and fed me a piece. I kissed her fingers after she popped the piece in my mouth. I moved marginally closer to her until I was leaning lightly against her.

  * * * *

  Back at the motel, Greg gave us a status update. He had full financials on Harvey Block as well as the brother, James Block. "We are being very careful with James. The FBI might notice if we poke too deeply into him, and that wouldn't be good." We had photos of both brothers, their spouses, and the people closest to brother Harvey.

  We had a list of assets, including real estate, along with photos of the places in town. We had a complete understanding of the zoning variance Harvey wanted.

  What we didn't have was any solid evidence linking Virginia's disappearance to Harvey; everything we had was circumstantial. Furthermore, virtually all the evidence we did have was collected illegally, and what was collected legally was hearsay.

  "In short," Greg said. "We could bring this to the FBI and tap into their greater resources, but we can't give them most of the information we have. James Block would almost certainly be made aware of the investigation. Even if he isn't involved, I don't trust he wouldn't call his brother. And if I were Harvey Block, the first thing I would do upon finding out I was the subject of a kidnapping investigation would be to eliminate the evidence. We have a large body of water that would do just fine for that."

  "You need to trace the proof of life chain," I said.

  "Yes. We also have eyes on Harvey. I sent someone to check on his brother. His brother seems to be busy doing his job in Madison. We're not the only ones watching Harvey, so that is leaving an additional challenge. We don't know if the others watching him are his own people or someone else. But we have to avoid them."

  "Greg," said Lara. "If we do not have Virginia back by Monday night, we need a plan for bringing in Tim Anderson and Harvey Block."

  "I'll have a team arrive on Monday to handle it," he said. "We'll need a safe house; we can't bring them here."

  "How big?" I asked.

  "It doesn't need to be big," he said. "Just isolated."

  "When do you anticipate needing my services?"

  "What are you getting at?" Lara asked.

  "Give me two SUVs, a few enforcers, and my checkbook. I'll build a bunk house on the pack lands."

  "By Monday?" Lara asked.

  "It won't be finished," I said. "And the county might not appreciate my lack of a building permit. It won't be big. I am thinking twenty-four by forty. Or if it would be better, I could build two large sheds. I'd make a garage, but I can't get the concrete poured and cured in the time we want."

  "Make the sheds," Greg said. "They'll be far less expensive and won't hurt so much if we need to turn them into a bonfire."

  "You're going to burn the fruit of my labor?" I asked.

  "DNA," he replied.

  "Right. Two sheds coming up. How big?"

  "Ten by twelve or bigger," Greg said. "Ten foot ceilings, and can you make the ceiling joists out of two by sixes?"

  "Sure. Is there anything else I can do here?"

  "I don't think so," he said.

  "Lara, do I have your permission to do this?"

  "Am I invited to help?"

  "Yes. I need paper, pencil, straight edge, please."

  They were all provided and I sat down at the little desk and began drawing. It took an hour. The conversation went on around me. Periodically someone stood over me, looking over my shoulder at what I was drawing. Finally I finished.

  "Is there anyone else who can check this for mistakes?"

  No one spoke up.

  "Seriously? For crying out loud," I said. "You people have too much money. Greg, can you tell me if this at least will do for our needs Monday night?" I handed him the drawing and pointed out the important features.

  "This will be fine," he said. "You may want to plan to replace the floor decking."

  "Why?" I asked.

  "Just plan it that way," Lara said coolly.

  I nodded. "All right. Anything else?"

  I turned my drawings into a materials list and a tools list. Once I was ready I said, "I hope those SUVs have trailer hitches."

  "They do."

  "Let's go."

  * * * *

  I shopped like a banshee.

  Watching us probably would have garnered a few laughs. Imagine this tiny woman with long flaming hair surrounded by five Amazonian women and a Greek god. I hoped Eric didn't know I thought of him in those terms. Eric and Serena pushed the flat carts. I turned to Eric. "I want a portable generator and a large air compressor. If they have one that runs off a gasoline engine, get that. If not, make sure that the generator is large enough to drive the compressor plus a little more, or get two generators. Go."

  Off he went.

  The rest of us went to the tool department. I went crazy. I filled a cart and sent Karen for another one.

  "Do you really know what to do with all of this?" Lara asked me.

  I smiled sweetly. "Sometime when you are visiting the enforcer's house, take a peek in the garage. You will find I sign my work."

  "You built the garage?" Elisabeth asked.

  "The house was in horrible shape when I bought it, Elisabeth. I got it for a song and spent eight years fixing it."

  I turned to Lara. "You may make yourself useful. They sell trailers here. Go buy a large covered trailer and a large flatbed trailer. Don't get them any larger than we can tow behind the SUVs."

  Eric found us. I pronounced his choices to be perfect. We stashed Eric near the contractor checkout with the carts we had filled so far then roamed the store for the other things we would need from inside. Finally I decided we had everything. Lara found us.

  "I don't see any lumber."

  "That's out in the lumber yard," I said. "We pay for it and drive around. Did you buy the trailers?"

  "Yep. They're all hooked up, too."

  "Excellent. Let's go check out."

  It took a long time to check out. I kept possession of one bag of the tools. Once we were outside, I saw the trailers Lara had purchased. "Oh, excellent!" I told her. "We'll drive the flatbed around. Put al
l of this into the covered trailer." The bag I had went into the SUV with us.

  It took another hour to find all the building materials we'd paid for. I pointed and made the wolves carry everything. Lara was surprised by the weight of a sack of concrete. "My old house," I told the drivers when we were done. "Just pull up in the street. Everything else we need is in the garage.

  It was a short drive. I sighed when we pulled up then climbed out of the car. Everyone followed me. I turned to Elisabeth. "Do we have permission to use your tools?"

  "Michaela," she started to say softly.

  "Do we?"

  "Of course."

  I looked pointedly at the garage and waited for her to open it. Then I pointed at all the tools I wanted them to grab.

  "Didn't you just buy one of those?" Lara said, pointing at the miter saw.

  "Yes, but that one is bolted down and is old and cheap. I bought a better one."

  The wolves grabbed all the tools I pointed out and tossed them into the covered trailer. Soon we were on our way again. We drove out to the land Lara had been buying for the pack. "Lara, it's your land. Where do you want the sheds?"

  Lara said, "First one here." She pointed.

  "Facing which way?"

  She stood in the center of where the shed would be then faced a direction. "This way, I guess."

  "You guys," I said. "Unload the covered trailer. Open everything and get them set up. Someone detach one of the SUVs and go fill the gas cans we bought." I turned to the location of the first shed.

  I had a large tape measure, some stakes, and a few other tidbits. I measured and laid out where the shed would go, using little metal tent stakes to mark where the footings would be dug. I asked Lara to assist me, and we used a tight string to make sure the stakes were in a straight line. I triple checked every measurement then asked her to also check. "Please tell me this is a proper rectangle," I said.

  Once we were satisfied, I dug through the larger tools we had bought. We had two post hole diggers. "I need two wolves who want to sweat."

  Eric and Elisabeth volunteered. "Find some gloves," I said. "We bought a bunch."

  "I just saw them," Angel said. She started digging through bags. "Here they are."

  "Pass those out to everyone," I said. Then I pulled them to the first shed site. "I want a hole, centered on each of those stakes, 42 inches deep, and straight down. The bottom needs to flare out to twelve inches in diameter." I briefly demonstrated how to use the digger. "We have a lot to do, so switch around if you need to."

  I turned to Angel. "Call Serena and tell her to bring us food and plenty of beverages when she gets the gas."

  To Lara I said, "Show me the second shed site."

  She looked around then took my hand and began walking to a second location. "You're amazing," she said.

  "Thank you. Here?"

  "Yes." She helped me lay it out.

  I had bought a miter saw with a portable contractor's stand. I pulled it out and told Lara, "Set that up."

  She looked at me blankly.

  "Oh for heaven's sake," I said. "Pull it out of the box and do the heavy lifting. Angel! Find me one of the tool sets we bought."

  With Lara's help, I set up the saw on its bench. Then I set up the electrical generator. Just as I was ready, Serena pulled up. Lara pulled the gas tins out of the back of the SUV and filled the generator for me, and we started it.

  I pointed to six large water jugs and asked Serena to go fill them.

  "Lara, do you know what a four-by-four is?"

  "Yes," she said.

  "We have a bunch of them. Bring me two of them please."

  It took two hours, but I built a wooden deck on a section of flat ground, two feet high. We took a break for lunch.

  "What's the little deck for?" Lara asked over a sandwich.

  "It's the floor of our first shed," I said.

  "It's a little high."

  "We'll trim the feet tomorrow," I said. "I wanted a flat deck for this next part."

  We finished our lunch and I inspected the holes the wolves had dug for me. I made them widen a few more then asked, "Who has poured concrete before?" The answer was disappointing.

  I taught them how to mix the concrete in the wheelbarrow we had bought using the water Serena had retrieved. Once I was satisfied they knew what they were doing, I left them to fill the footing holes with concrete. I wondered if we had enough concrete for two sheds. If not, we would know soon enough.

  I built a large table using some of our building materials. Lara and Elisabeth watched me, shaking their heads. I made sure it was sturdy and as absolutely level as I could. "Don't bump it," I said. Then I measured and marked very carefully and nailed small wooden blocks to the table.

  "What's this for?" Lara asked.

  "You'll see. I need one of the ten-foot two-by-sixes, two of the long two-by-fours and an armful of the short two-by-fours."

  Lara and Elisabeth fetched for me.

  Angel wandered over. "Having fun?" she asked.

  "Big time," I said. "Only thing that would make this better was if the council members were here helping."

  She laughed. "Do you think it would be okay if Scarlett drove up?"

  "Does she know what's going on up here?"

  Angel didn't say anything.

  "Angel-"

  "She won't tell anyone! I made her promise!"

  "And if I am not mistaken, you were at the same discussion on secrecy that I was."

  "I know," she said.

  Angel and Elisabeth returned. "Alpha, this wolf wants-"

  Lara began laughing. "Call her, Angel."

  "Um-"

  Lara narrowed her eyes. "She's already here?"

  Angel nodded.

  And so I had another helper.

  I set up the miter saw and showed Elisabeth and Angel what to do with the long two-by-fours, doing the first two myself. "I need seven more pairs just like this for the first shed. You two handle it. Cut them just like I showed you."

  Then I took the materials I had and showed Lara how to build a ceiling rafter. The wooden blocks in the table held the lumber exactly where it was needed, so we just needed to drop the pieces into place and nail them. I wasn't making them quite the same way as a factory would, but they would hold.

  Scarlett arrived and took over helping Angel, freeing Elisabeth. Lara and Elisabeth continued to make rafters.

  I consulted my plans then waited for a wolf to become free. Scarlett and Angel finished their cutting, and had them bring me the lumber I needed. I set it out on the deck I'd made, the one that would become the floor of the first shed. I marked the cuts I would need, set the saw up properly, and set Angel and Scarlett to doing all the cuts. I checked on everyone.

  We had enough concrete for both sheds and would have a few bags extra. Perfect. They were almost done pouring the first shed's footings.

  Angel and Scarlett made short work of the cuts we would need. I laid everything back out on the little deck and used the second framing nailer to nail them together. I taught the girls how to use the nailer, letting them do the last half of the wall we were building. "You two have this?" I asked.

  "Yes."

  I went to the first shed and showed Serena, Karen and Eric how to stand large bolts up in the cement so they would all be perfectly aligned exactly where I wanted them. I did the first one and told them to do the rest.

  Elisabeth and Lara were finishing with the rafters.

  "Okay," I said. "Carry these somewhere near the first shed, set them in a pile out of the way, then do it all again for the second shed. Cut all the long pieces first as I'll need the saw shortly."

  Angel and Scarlett finished nailing the first wall. "I need four adult wolves!" Lara, Elisabeth, Eric and Karen joined me. "Is this easy to lift?"

  They picked it up with no problem.

  "All right," I said. I went to our building materials and pointed out the under siding, getting Angel and Scarlett to bring several pieces. "Arrange
those on that wall. Then I want to know if it's still easy to pick up."

  It was.

  "Great. Back to what you were doing."

  I carefully squared up the wall and began nailing the under siding into place. Once I had enough nailed I knew it would stay square, I told Angel and Scarlett to finish it.

  I checked on the footings. They all had little bolts sticking out of them, and they were all perfect. Eric, Serena and Karen were working on the footings for the second shed.

  Lara and Elisabeth finished the second set of rafters, and I had them move them out of the way near the second shed.

  Angel and Scarlett finished the first wall. I got the wolves to move it out of the way.

  We made the remaining walls the same way, doing the easy ones first, with the wolves setting them where they needed to be.

  Finally I looked around. "Put all the tools in the covered trailer. We're done for the day."

  We headed back to the motel for much-needed showers.

  * * * *

  "What are the chances that it was someone else who Tim is working with?" I asked during the briefing after dinner.

  "It's a possibility," Greg said. "What you collected doesn't even earn the qualification of circumstantial evidence. We haven't stopped looking in other directions. But the team thinks it's Harvey Block." He dug through his papers.

  "All right," he said. "Here is the good news. After this morning's new question for proof of life, the required proof was obtained in less than twenty minutes."

  "Which means either Tim is getting email from another cutout, or whoever he is communicating with was with Virginia at the time," said Elisabeth.

  "Probably. Or very close. We haven't traced the origin of that email yet. And we've been trying to steal records for Tim's phone. We should have them tomorrow sometime."

  "We're running out of time," I said.

  "Yes. But there's nothing more I can do electronically. Remote surveillance hasn't gotten us anywhere definitive, except we believe we can state that only a handful of Block's buildings have any sort of external monitoring.

  "I could investigate the others," I said.

  Greg looked at Lara. She nodded. Greg handed me a list.

  "Only four?"

  "The four that are local that we're fairly certain have no external monitoring."

  "Elisabeth and I will handle security," Lara said to me. "You will do what you are told."