“Speaking of which, the DNA from Harley was a match to some of the samples found in the lab. His brother was most likely down there at some stage. Estelle and Amelia are on their way here with his wife, I think he’s going to need her when he finds out,” Jake said.
“He’s married? But he’s so young,” said Lydia.
“Homeless children grow up fast, they can’t afford the luxury of childhood. It was to his wedding that Amelia invited Megan.”
Everyone was beginning to feel sorry for the Brubakers and the atmosphere at the ranch was turning into one of solidarity and cooperation. The focus was on finding Megan, hurt feelings and past differences having being put aside. This was also how Estelle and Amelia felt as they parked up in front of the ranch house. They had brought Paco with them, to surprise Radar. Tuck and Kaden came out to meet them and carried their bags inside. There were hugs all round and it would have been a happy reunion under different circumstances. When Grant and Lydia came out of the study, they stood back anxiously, holding hands.
They needn’t have worried. Estelle immediately broke free from the boys, who were surrounding her, and ran towards the uneasy couple.
She threw her arms around both their necks and the two women began to cry. Amelia remained at her father’s side, holding onto his arm. She waved a greeting at the Brubakers before following Kaden to Megan’s room.
“Where is everyone sleeping?” she asked.
“Grant and Lydia are in his father’s room. Mom and Dad are in one of the two guest bedroom’s upstairs, myself Tuck and Wolf being in the other. Jake and Duke are staying at a room in the clinic, in case any new clues turn up. Lydia arranged for the apartment above the garage to be cleared out and prepared for Harley and Marissa. She felt they would need some privacy once Harley finds out about his brother,” Kaden said.
“I couldn’t believe it when Mom told me. What kind of a monster is Henry Brubaker? I hate him, Kaden. I can’t even look Megan’s parents in the eye.”
“I know, I felt the same way until Grant found out about his mother. I talked to Jake about it and he pointed out that Grant and Lydia are also victims of Henry Brubaker’s schemes. I just feel sorry for them now, after all, their daughter is missing.”
When Kaden left her to unpack, Amelia thought about what he had said. She looked around her friend’s bedroom, remembering the last time she was there. She reminded herself how good Megan and her mother had been to her when Kaden was missing. Sighing, Amelia decided to make more of an effort being friendly towards Megan’s parents. As she placed the last of her clothes into a drawer a light tapping sounded on the door. She opened it to reveal Tuck standing with his hands behind his back.
“These are for you,” he said holding a posy of wild flowers out to her.
“Thanks, they’re lovely. I would invite you in but my parents have enough on their plate right now, without worrying about us, don’t they?”
“Can we go for a walk, no strings, I promise?” asked Tuck.
Amelia filled a glass in the bathroom with water and placed the flowers in it, setting it by the window. Tuck was still standing in the hallway. She could feel his eyes on her back as she arranged the posy, using the time to gather her thoughts and emotions. Taking a deep breath and putting a cheerful smile on her face, Amelia turned around to see her father standing beside Tuck.
“Before you go on about anything, Dad, nothing happened, Tuck never even stepped foot inside the room.”
“I swear I didn’t. I just brought Amelia some flowers I picked this morning.”
Lloyd, who had been on the verge of yelling at the young man, saw the anxiety on both of their faces. Spreading his arms, he held his hands in the air as he spoke.
“Look, both of you are adults now. You have to sort this out yourselves. Amelia has the Olympics ahead, not to mention what is going on here right now. I want you to know, Tuck, that Estelle and myself have been very impressed with the way you’ve conducted yourself, in spite of our daughter’s flirtations.”
Amelia gasped and began to argue with her father.
“It’s okay, I don’t want any trouble over me being around you,” Tuck said to her, “I understand why we need to wait. The thing is, I’ve been thinking of moving away. After all, Amelia, there’s Ethan to consider too. I don’t think you know what you really want right now. The only sure thing in your life is the Olympics and until you’ve been there and achieved your goal, there’s no point in me being around, if it’s distracting. With both myself and Ethan out of the picture, you can get on with your training and focus on what should be the most important thing to you right now.”
Lloyd was stunned and speechless. Amelia was shocked and like her father, lost for words. Kaden appeared on the landing, taken aback by the silence between them. He looked from one to the other before speaking.
“Sorry for interrupting but Mom asked me to get you, Dad. Jake is going to tell Harley about his brother and she thought you should be there.”
“Thank you, son. Come on down with me, I think these two have something they need to talk over.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“We can arrange a funeral, Harley. It would give you closure and help you to grieve,” said Estelle.
Harley looked at his young wife, tears streaking her face. The couple sitting opposite had taken him in and changed his life around. He had people who cared about him but his brother was gone.
“I did my grieving for my brother back in Antarctica. He’s still dead, the only difference is not knowing exactly when that happened and what he went through. Those thoughts will always stay with me. A funeral is not going to change that but thanks for the offer.”
Harley took his arm from Marissa’s shoulder as he stood up to look out the window. The clinic could be seen in the distance and it dawned on Estelle that maybe the apartment was not the best place to have put the young couple.
“Would you prefer to stay somewhere else, Harley?” she asked.
The young man, turning his back to the view, faced the three people in the room who had played such a big part in his life.
“I want to go home with Marissa today, if that’s okay with you,” he said quietly.
“Of course you can, son. Maybe that’s exactly what you need. I’m sure Smokes will be glad of the company,” said Lloyd.
“D’acuerdo,” said Marissa. “He’s not exactly fluent in Spanish and my family have very little English, so I can imagine how frustrated they all will be.”
Marissa’s father and brothers had agreed to help Smokes with the business while everyone was away.
As Amelia’s parents left the young couple to pack, they saw their daughter walking around the paddock with Tuck. Estelle looked at her husband and frowned.
“We can’t keep treating them like fifteen year olds hun.” Lloyd said. “All we can do is offer advice and hope for the best. You taught me that, didn’t you?”
“Now you start being diplomatic? Their emotions are all over the place, this is not a good time for them to make any decisions. I know Amelia and if there’s one thing for certain, it’s that she will regret not putting her best into her training for the Olympics. I can guarantee that if she fails to make the team, she will be impossible to live with,” Estelle said.
“Well then, if that happens, we can encourage her to set up home with Tuck and let him get the brunt of her frustrations,” Lloyd was laughing at his own joke.
Estelle punched him in the arm, smiling when he winced.
“Come on,” she said, pulling him along. “Let’s organize some lunch before Harley and Marissa leave. That poor girl has only just arrived and has to face another long journey home.”
The young couple kept their backs to the house as they walked along the edge of the paddock.
“Do you think they saw us?” asked Amelia, keeping her distance from Tuck.
“I reckon they did but your father knows we are talking things out, so I guess it must be okay. Let’s just ke
ep moving and see what happens.”
“I’m going to look around, Tuck. If they are still watching, we’ll just wave at them and then carry on walking.”
“If your father is jumping up and down, ranting and raving, that would be a cue to turn back, wouldn’t it?” laughed Tuck.
Both of them turned at the same time to see Estelle drag Lloyd by the arm back towards the house.
“We’re okay, your mother is restraining him. I think we are safe enough.”
Amelia walked around a large tree trunk to stand on the shaded side. She leaned her back against its rough bark, closing her eyes.
“Did you mean it when you said you were leaving?” she asked, trying to sound casual.
Tuck stood in front of her, resisting the urge to lean in and plant a kiss on her lips.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, now. It might be good for both of us. I could get a job and stand on my own two feet. I thought about New York, I’ve never been there.”
“But you have a job and you’re good at it. Mom is always saying how she could never manage the vineyard without you. That’s why she put you in charge of it, Tuck. I don’t see why you feel the need to work somewhere else. Is it me? Do you want to get away from me?”
Amelia had put her head down and was looking at the ground, tears threatening to spill over. A heavy feeling lay in the pit of her stomach.
Tuck cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her head up to look into her eyes. When he saw her tears a strange feeling swept over him, nothing like he had ever felt before with any other girl.
“I think I’m in love with you.” It was said before he could stop himself.
As Tuck was about to apologize, Amelia silenced him with a long kiss.
“I think I love you, too,” she whispered.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Megan had been left alone for two days. The only person she saw was the nurse who brought in her meals. She enquired about her grandfather, fearing something had happened to him but the woman told her nothing. There were bars on the windows and a guard constantly outside her door. The longer she was left, alone and unspoken to, the more intense her fear grew.
Eventually, Megan was beyond crying and shouting for help through the unopened window. She had taken to sitting on the floor in a corner of the room, knees tucked up into her chest, her arms cradling them. It was in this position Henry found her when he was allowed to visit. Megan didn’t even acknowledge his presence at first. She just kept staring at a stain on the wall.
Henry drew his granddaughter up onto the bed beside him, his arms around her. Megan looked into his eyes but what she saw made her pull away from him.
“What happened to your eyes, they are blue not brown anymore? Are you wearing contacts?” she asked.
“That’s not important right now. Listen to me carefully, sweetheart. We will soon be leaving this place and I want you to cooperate with everyone. Do as you are asked and don’t cause any trouble. They have assured me that if you behave yourself, then no harm will come to you. Please Megan, give me your word on this.”
As he spoke, Henry took one of her hands in both of his and placed a folded note in her palm.
“Start crying and use it as an excuse to go to the bathroom,” he whispered.
Megan did as he said and once in there, she read what her grandfather had written on the paper. He had previously told her there was no camera in the en-suite, so she knew it was safe to read the note there.
Henry wrote that they were scheduled to leave later that day but he wasn’t told the destination. He said Megan would be drugged again before they left but he had a plan. Doctor Boyd was going to inject her and she needed to trust him, it was part of the plan. As soon as he did this, she was to run to the bathroom. She refolded the note and put it in her shoe.
Henry had been guaranteed no harm would come to his granddaughter but Boyd overheard Ernst being instructed to “Get rid of the girl.” It was spoken in German and as he had been taking lessons in that language, the doctor understood some of the conversation.
Henry and his lab assistant formed a plan. Doctor Boyd spoke with Ernst, volunteering to administer the drug as Megan knew him and would be more likely to cooperate. Ernst, agreeing with his suggestion, followed him to the pharmacy. He watched the doctor prepare a drug that would knock Megan out for a long time, then accompanied him back to her room.
The nurse was sitting outside the door and a security guard was stationed at a desk further along the corridor.
“It would be best if just Doctor Brubaker and I are in the room, don’t you think?” Boyd said as the nurse stood up.
Ernst and the woman exchanged glances, then he nodded and stepped back from the door. Shrugging her shoulders, the nurse returned to her seat. Ernst insisted the door remain open and watched from the corridor as Boyd rolled up one of Megan’s sleeves. Piercing her skin with the needle, he emptied the drug into her arm. As the reassuring voice of her grandfather drifted out from the room, the nurse looked at Ernst and sneered.
“I must attend to the final details, we will have to leave as soon as the girl is unconscious. You know what you have to do, don’t you?” Ernst asked the woman, who nodded assuredly.
“Remember to wait until we are on our way,” he continued in a hushed tone. “We don’t want the old man putting up a fight, now that we are on the last leg of our journey.”
The nurse smiled as he excused himself and watched him walk down the corridor towards the security guard.
Henry nodded in the direction of the bathroom and Megan ran in. Doctor Boyd left the room, letting the nurse outside know that the drug was beginning to take effect. Grandfather and granddaughter stood facing each other in the small space. He hugged her, whispering how much he loved her and dropped some money into her pocket.
“I’m going to call the nurse in now and inject her with the drug that was meant for you, sweetheart. Doctor Boyd gave you a vitamin shot. Quite harmless, so you won’t get drowsy. You will need all your wits about you. I don’t know where we are but it’s colder so we must have travelled north. Boyd says he is not sure himself but I don’t believe him. At least he is helping you to escape. We don’t have much time left, sweetie. You must pretend to be unconscious.”
The nurse ran in when she heard Henry shout for help. Megan was curled up on the floor next to the shower basin. As the woman leaned forward, the old man plunged the syringe into her shoulder. Wrapping his arm around her neck, he kept a hand tightly over her mouth, stifling her screams. She was a very strong woman and had almost got the better of him, when the effects of the drug kicked in. Megan, who was helping to restrain her, let go as the woman slumped onto the tiled floor.
“Hurry now, switch clothes with her, we must do this very quickly.” Henry turned his back to give his granddaughter some privacy.
Once this was done, the two of them carried the unconscious woman out of the bathroom and laid her on the bed. Megan kept her back to the camera as her grandfather tucked the cover around the woman and kissed her forehead, speaking softly to her. He remained by her side, holding her hand and making sure his body shielded her from the lens, while Megan walked briskly through the door. She looked left and saw the guard at the desk. Waving to him she turned right and kept going until she reached an intersecting corridor.
Her grandfather had told her to take a right then carry on until she came to the reception area. There she would find plenty of people to blend in with. It was a busy clinic and if Megan could make it through the main doors she might be able to get a ride with someone leaving. Neither himself nor Doctor Boyd had been outside since their arrival and had no clue as to where she should go.
Megan could see the main entrance across the waiting area. She took a deep breath and walked forward, purposefully. As she neared the door, a hand landed on her shoulder. Megan froze, afraid to move. She became rooted to the spot, paralyzed with fear.
“Could you assist me in my rounds please, nur
se,” a male voice said.
“I’m really sorry, I’m going off duty now. I have a friend waiting outside.” Megan didn’t know how she managed to keep her voice steady.
“Oh, of course, I understand, but surely you need to change first. Don’t you know that it’s hospital policy to leave your work clothes here to be sterilized?” The young doctor said.
“Oh, yes, of course. Emm…this is my first day and I forgot. I’m not even sure how to get to my locker,” Megan said.
“Walk along with me, it’s just down here. See the sign that says Staff Only? In there you’ll find a door to the women’s changing room.”
He stood watching and just as she was about to go in, called out to her.
“By the way, congratulations on getting through your first day and remaining on your feet. Maybe we could grab a coffee tomorrow.”
“That would be nice, I’ll keep an eye out for you, bye.” Megan did her best to smile.
Inside the locker room there was a row of coats hanging up and she quickly found one that was her size. She threw it on over her uniform and barely remembered to take the cap off her head before making her way once more to the main entrance. Willing her legs to move, Megan tried to breathe slowly as she walked through the door. There was no time to panic or think about how lucky she had been.
She quickly scanned the parking lot, looking for a vehicle that was pulling out but they all appeared to be empty. Then she noticed a woman leave the clinic and walk towards one of the parked cars. Racing over to her, Megan asked where she was heading. She spun a story about her own car breaking down and that she was in a hurry.
“I’m on my way into town, if that’s any good,” the woman smiled.
“That would be great, I’m meeting a friend and I hate being late for anything,” Megan said.
“Do you work here, or are you visiting someone?”
“Oh, I just started today, I’m exhausted. It’s a very busy place, isn’t it?” Megan pulled her coat tighter in case the uniform was seen.
Thinking her passenger might be cold, the woman adjusted the heat.
Finding 02 Finding Megan Page 10