“Is there any way you can convince him to let Kaden live, please Grant, that boy is like a son to me?”
The man across the table put his head in his hands and sighed.
“Do you think I would want any harm to come to Kaden? Of course I don’t, but it will be out of my control. The only thing that is saving him, if he is still alive, is the fact that he doesn’t know who he is. Once he remembers, that’s it. There’ll be no hope for him. The Alliance wont risk any breach of security, you know that, Jake.”
“All I’m saying is maybe there’s a way of making it look like Kaden is dead so that the investigation gets dropped. If the case is closed there will be no security risk and the family will do their grieving, then get on with their lives, in time,” Jake said.
He was clutching at straws. If he could convince Grant Brubaker to work with him on a plan, they just might be able to save the young man’s life.
“Let me think about this, Jake. Give me twenty four hours. I promise I will do everything in my power to find him. We need to convince those higher up that whatever we suggest will prevent any risk of them of being exposed,” said Grant.
Having ended their meeting the men firmly shook hands and left the room, Jake going first and Grant five minutes later.
The detective could cover things at the station, and in the locality, but it would be up to Brubaker to think up what was needed to satisfy the Powers-That- Be. For Kaden’s sake they had to put their differences aside, in the hope that he was still alive. If the boy was dead then his body would turn up, sooner or later. Once his head was clearer, Jake felt ready to face the Seager family. They had been in contact with him that morning and he promised to call over.
******
Amelia opened the door to Jake, and as soon as he walked in he was bombarded with questions about Kaden. Suggesting they go into the living room and sit down, he agreed to answer each and every query they had. Lloyd spoke first.
“Has anyone come forward with even the slightest bit of information, Jake?”
The detective knew this would be the first question asked and gathered his thoughts quickly before speaking,
“Someone has reported that he heard a young man being attacked in an alley, not too far from where Kaden’s pick-up was found.”
They all began to speak at once, so Jake held up his hands.
“Okay, okay. One at a time. Please,” he said.
Lloyd, having asked the first question and wanting to be fair, nodded to Estelle.
“Go ahead, honey, say what’s on your mind.”
Kaden’s mother had only one question, and she wanted an honest answer.
“Do you think our son is still alive, Jake?”
The detective stood up and walked over to look at a painting hanging on one of the walls. It was a portrait of the Seager family, commissioned when the children were ten years old. His mind was racing, should he build up their hopes and say yes, or prepare them never to see Kaden again by saying no. The trouble was, he felt in his heart that the boy was still alive, somewhere, but the only way to guarantee that he stayed that way was if everyone believed he was dead. Jake turned around slowly, to face the family.
“I am so sorry Estelle, but I have to be honest with you, I’m running out of hope of finding Kaden alive,” he sighed.
Lloyd stepped forward and said he wanted to see the report. Jake said it was totally against procedure to do that in an ongoing investigation. He told them he was leaving so they could talk things over as a family. Amelia grabbed hold of his arm.
“You haven’t heard my question, yet,” she said, tears in her eyes. “If my brother is dead, where is his body?”
Jake held her by the arms and kissed the top of her head. He couldn’t answer her question, for two reasons. One, he didn’t know, and two, even if he had the answer he was too choked up to utter a word. Shaking his head as he walked towards the door, Jake waved his hand at Lloyd who had begun to follow him.
“I’m sorry, I have to go. I’ll phone later,” Jake called back as he left them standing, holding onto each other, Amelia’s heart wrenching sobs ringing in his ears.
CHAPTER TWELVE
It was impossible to keep track of time when they had not seen a watch or clock for days. If the windows of the plane had not been blacked out Kaden felt he could have guessed how long their flight was. He was pretty sure that they were flying further south, as that would explain the weather getting colder. It seemed strange to Kaden that he knew from Tuck’s receipt they had been going south, through Texas, and yet he couldn’t remember where he lived. Eventually, the aircraft began a descent and this time it was not so hard on their ears.
When the plane had landed and the door opened, a shaft of sunlight entered the cabin, along with a gust of cold air. The boys were released from their seats and handcuffed to one another again. Thankful for the warm clothes, they were marched across the narrow runway, boots crunching on fresh snow.
Entering a whitewashed, stone building a wave of hot air washed over them. They were led past a large black stove, which appeared to be the source of the heat, and locked into a room containing four single beds. While their handcuffs were removed by two of the guards a third one stood in the doorway, training his rifle on them. The boys were getting used to this procedure, and it wasn’t long before the three guards had left, saying they would be back with some food, if everyone behaved themselves.
The room was windowless, but there was a second door in it, and Smokes tried the handle. Surprisingly, it wasn’t locked, and he was delighted to discover that it opened into a room with a shower, wash-hand basin and a toilet.
“Hey guys, this is like a hotel, we have an en-suite.”
“I don’t suppose there’s a window in there,” said Tuck, taking a look inside.
“No, not even a vent” he remarked as he went in, and closing the door announced, “in that case, I’m going to be the first to offload my breakfast.”
While Tuck was busy, two big pots of chilli and rice where brought in by the guards. They never said a word and nobody asked them anything either, the boys were too focused on the meal to talk. A pitcher of water and some plastic cups were left on a tray on top of one of the beds while another tray held six plastic bowls and spoons.
As soon as the men had gone the boys dived on the food. Tuck hurried out before it all disappeared. It tasted really good, the hot chilli heating them from the inside, forcing the boys to remove their padded, outer clothing. While he was enjoying the meal Kaden realized it was his favourite food. It was so frustrating for him to know something so trivial, yet have no idea who he was, which was a lot more important.
Sitting around, their stomachs comfortably full, the young prisoners began to introduce themselves to each other. Smokes and Tuck everybody knew. Two of the younger boys, aged fourteen, had stuck close together and said they had been friends for a few years. Their names were Radar, because he was a technical genius, and Paco, as he could speak Spanish, both of them very dark skinned, handsome young guys. The last one to give his name was a tall, pale, blond teenager, who said he was seventeen and called himself, Wolf. He had a way with animals, especially dogs.
Kaden, just looked at the floor and said, “I’m tall with dark brown hair, and you can call me No Name.
“I vote we call you Brains, or Professor, you say a lot of stuff that makes sense” said Smokes.
Kaden looked up and smiled.
“For some reason, you saying that makes me think about teaching. I reckon I’m too young to be a teacher though, but it feels like it might be something important in my life.”
“I bet one of your parents is a teacher, or maybe even both of them.” Radar was feeling sorry for Kaden and wanted to cheer him up.
Tuck joined in with, “that settles it then, we’ll call you Teach.”
The others laughed and nodded in agreement.
As the hours dragged by most of the boys slept but Tuck and Kaden sat on the floor shari
ng their thoughts on what might happen next.
“This could be our last stop, judging by the clothes we’ve been given,” Kaden said, “It’s definitely colder here, maybe we’re on high ground. When we got out of the plane, I noticed a mountain range behind us, did you?”
Tuck said he had.
“What use would a bunch of street kids be to anyone in a place like this, and why go to so much trouble to get us here?”
Kaden had no answer to this, but made up his mind to talk to the guards when they returned.
“I’m going to tell them that I don’t remember who I am but I know I’m not homeless and that someone is probably looking for me. That they have made a big mistake.”
Tuck laughed at that, “do you think they are going to apologize and put you on a plane home? You’ll end up back there, all right, as a corpse in the river, so that whoever might be looking for you will give up searching. They’re not going to risk you blabbing to the cops about your little forced adventure, are they Teach?”
Kaden thought about this, and had to admit Tuck made a valid point.
The door opening interrupted their conversation. As they were the only ones awake the two guards grabbed one each by the arm and pushed them towards the door, where the man with the rifle had taken up his position.
“Okay,” said Tuck, “No need to hold so tight.”
As he spoke his hands were bound behind his back as was Kaden’s. At the bottom of a long dark passageway, reeking of mould and damp, was a thick wooden door. It opened into a brightly lit room where a table, laden with medical objects, stood against a white tiled wall.
A knot formed in Tuck’s stomach as he was reminded of the clinic where he had been put on a drip. The room had the same smell.
Kaden began to speak.
“There’s been some kind of mistake. I have a family that will be looking for me. At first I thought I had been kidnapped. If you think I’m a homeless guy you’re wrong, I’ve never…”
Kaden’s voice trailed off when he saw Tuck slowly shaking his head, mouthing the word “no” to him.
A man, who appeared to be a doctor, was holding up a syringe. He stopped what he was doing and looked over at the guards, a worried expression on his face. The one with the rifle pressed a buzzer on the wall beside him and laughed.
“That’s the best story I’ve heard yet, if he didn’t have the face of a street fighter I would almost believe him.”
Within seconds two uniformed men ran into the room. Kaden and Tuck struggled to break free but it was no good. They were forced to kneel down on the cold, stone floor, their hands bound behind their backs and a guard each side holding them securely. There was no escape.
Kaden watched as the syringe was plunged into his friend’s upper arm. As the doctor walked back to the table, Tuck’s body slowly relaxed, which resulted in the men loosening their grip on him a little. As soon as they did this, he sprang to his feet and tried to run across the room, but his legs gave way under him. Kaden watched helplessly as Tuck was dragged out of the room. He didn’t even flinch as the needle went into his own arm, he just glared up at the man holding the syringe.
“Like your friend, you will very quickly experience a weakness in your leg muscles, which will spread to the rest of your body, and then you will lose consciousness. There’s no need to worry, you will wake up when the time is right.”
As those words were spoken, Kaden was half carried out of the room, his head already rolling to one side and his vision blurring.
Two at a time, the rest of the boys were brought, with their hands bound, to the room at the end of the passageway. They were drugged, then wrapped in sleeping bags and securely strapped onto stretchers, along with Kaden and Tuck. Their rucksacks and padded clothing were gathered up and placed beside them. A large van pulled up outside the entrance. The young prisoners were wheeled into the cold air and placed inside the vehicle. The final part of their journey had begun. The next time the boys opened their eyes, it would be to a sight that would fill them with both wonder and dread.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The house phone rang and the officer monitoring the calls beckoned to Amelia. Her face lit up when she put the phone to her ear. Hearing Ethan’s voice made Amelia feel close to Kaden, they even sounded alike. She filled him in on how they were all doing and he said if she needed anything, she was to let him know. He would be home most of the day studying.
Amelia told her parents she needed to get out of the house and that she was going for a ride on her bike. With one of their children already missing Lloyd was afraid of losing another.
“What if whoever has Kaden, tries to get you too, Amelia? I really don’t want you going anywhere by yourself.”
The girl looked beseechingly at her father.
“Please, Dad, I can’t stand being cooped up here a minute longer. I promise I won’t be long, I just need to get away from the house.”
“Actually, I feel the same way, Lloyd. I might go across to Lydia,” Estelle said, then turned to her daughter, “Do you want to come see Megan? I imagine she is worried sick about you.”
Amelia sighed and gave in, agreeing to go with her mother.
While the two women drank coffee in the Brubakers’ kitchen the girls sat crying upstairs on Megan’s bed, consoling each other.
“This is like a nightmare that I can’t wake up from,” said Amelia.
“I know, it doesn’t seem real,” Megan replied, “have you heard from Ethan?”
Amelia smiled and told her about the phone call earlier. A thought suddenly struck her.
“I’m going to ask him to come pick me up, but I need you to cover for me. Will you, please?”
“Of course, but be careful,” replied Megan.
After her friend had discreetly left the house, Megan went to the kitchen and announced that she was running a bath for Amelia, as it would help her relax. She made two hot chocolates and brought them upstairs. The two women watched her leave the kitchen.
“I’m so glad Amelia has such a good friend in Megan, it’s exactly what she needs right now,” Estelle said to Lydia.
Ethan was waiting in the car when Amelia got to their meeting place. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. He asked why she was not using her bike. She said she was too upset to drive. She knew he would bring her straight home if he realized her father was so worried about her, and that Megan had helped her sneak out.
“Can we go back to your place, Ethan, please?” Amelia looked at him with such a sad look in her eyes, he almost gave in.
The young man turned his head away to stare out of the side window, at nothing in particular.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Amelia. We’re both very emotional right now. Has Kaden ever said anything to you about me? I mean, how I feel?”
“About what?” she asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
“I’m sorry, now is not the time to talk about this. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Have you had lunch?” he asked, handing her some tissues.
Shaking her head, Amelia accused him of trying to change the subject.
“We could eat something at your place,” she said.
Ethan smiled as he started up the engine and joined the flow of traffic headed towards the city. When he pulled up outside a familiar restaurant Amelia realized he had no intention of going back to his apartment with her.
“Do you remember the last time we ate here?” he asked, holding the door open for her.
A smile brightened up her face.
“I do, it was when you and Kaden treated me to my favourite pasta dish to celebrate me winning the State Laser Gymnastics trophy.”
They sat down and a waiter took their order.
“I nearly didn’t win, you know,” said Amelia.
She bowed her head so Ethan couldn’t see her face.
“You were brilliant, you deserved that trophy,” he said.
They were sitting in a curved booth, side by side. The restau
rant wasn’t very busy, with only two other tables occupied. Amelia spoke in a low voice.
“Seeing you at the event completely unnerved me. Kaden never said you were coming.”
She heard Ethan take a long breath before replying.
“I asked him at the last minute if I could go with him, I’m sorry if I made it difficult for you. Surely you must have picked up on how much I like you.”
Leaning back into the seat, Amelia chose her words carefully.
“You mean as the sister of your best friend, or is it more than that?”
Ethan looked down at his hands to avoid meeting her gaze.
“I like you a lot more than that, Amelia. It’s why I don’t want to be alone in my apartment with you, not when we both feel so upset over Kaden. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
She smiled and nodded. Ethan took her hand in his and kissed it, just as their order arrived. The waiter placed the food on the table and smiled at them.
“A lovely meal for a lovely young couple, enjoy,” he said.
******
“I’m going back to the house now, hun,” Estelle shouted up the stairs.
Megan heard her and ran down.
“Is it okay for Amelia to spend the night here, she’s fallen asleep in my bed again.”
Estelle thought for a moment.
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, the way things are right now. I’ll come back in an hour and get her. Is that okay with you, Lydia?”
“Of course it is. No need to come back, I’ll walk over with Amelia. You go home to Lloyd, he needs you too.”
Megan called her friend on the phone.
“You’d better get back soon, your mom thinks you are asleep in my bed and is expecting you home in an hour.”
Standing up, Amelia explained that her mother was looking for her and she should probably go home.
“Doesn’t she know you’re with me?” Ethan asked.
Looking sheepish, Amelia explained how desperate she had been to get away for a while.
“I felt suffocated in the house, Mom thinks I’ve fallen asleep at Megan’s but she wants me home in an hour.”
“We’d better get a move on then, hadn’t we,” he said and went to pay the bill.
Finding 01 Finding Kaden Page 8
