“Sure, Mom. She was Jake’s wife. I remember how sad he was when she died, I must have been about six or seven.”
“Well, she had some kind of surgery, at the Brubaker Clinic in Mexico,” Estelle said, “a repair to her heart, very new technology at the time, if I remember correctly. Anyway it gave her another ten good years of life and they were always very grateful to the Brubakers for that. It’s why Jake supports the shelter, even though he makes a joke about it and is always complaining about them begging for money. If Grant knows where Kaden is, and that his father’s clinic is involved, why would he bring you to Mexico?” Estelle had a puzzled look on her face.
Amelia remembered something she’d seen while staying there.
“Mom, Grant spent a lot of time in his father’s study while we were there, and once, when I was coming down the stairs I saw Henry leave the room. He didn’t shut the door like he usually does, and I could see Grant sitting down, just staring into a glass he was holding. He had a strange expression on his face, as if someone belonging to him had died. He didn’t see me, so I went back upstairs, waiting for him to leave the study. When I came down to join the family, Henry and Grant were all smiles and laughter as if nothing had happened.”
Estelle thought about this for a moment before speaking.
“So we can’t trust Grant, and definitely not his father, which means not a word to Lydia or Megan. Jake Matthews, I’m not sure of. If he isn’t telling Lloyd what’s going on he will hardly let us in on the secret, no matter how much of a fuss we kick up. Can I talk to this woman, Martha, and Jasper too?”
Amelia told her mother they would be meeting up again in a couple of days, but she would need to run it by Martha first.
“She’s very scared, Mom, so it will have to be on her terms.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Confined to sick bay for five days, because of the surgery, Kaden had plenty of time to think. He was returned to his own quarters the day before he was to be put back to work again. The others were at the mine and he knew they would be exhausted on their return. A plan was forming in his head and he wanted to tell Tuck about it as soon as he saw him.
Getting away would be the easy part. Staying alive was the problem. The winter was fast approaching, so they would have to go soon, or wait until summer. Monday was the best day to leave, everyone being rested from the day before. If they saved their protein bars for the week at least they would have some nourishment on the run. The problem was the tracking devices in their necks.
When they were first made aware of the implants, the boys constantly picked and scratched at them, trying to remove them. Eventually the tiny wounds healed over. Kaden put his hand up to the small bump in his flesh and rubbed it. It was buried quite deep but if he could find something sharp enough it would be easy to take out. There was nothing that could be used in the bunk rooms or bathrooms. It would have to be done afterwards. Anyway, they couldn’t remove the devices before they escaped.
Most of the boys had let their hair grow to keep their heads and necks warm. Every Sunday, those who wanted a shave or haircut could go to a room where one of the guards would carry out the task. There was no way of stealing a blade from a razor or clippers. The cutlery from their mealtimes was always counted, and there would be grave consequences if even a spoon went missing. Kaden closed his eyes, trying to imagine being free once more.
“Hey, sleepy head, you’ll miss supper if you don’t get a move on.”
Tuck was splashing water on Kaden’s face. He woke up with a start.
“I have to talk to you about something but just between you and me, for now anyway. I’ll tell you after lights out.”
At dinner a few of the boys wanted to know what had been done to Kaden.
“I’m not sure, I was knocked out and I have a small incision in my chest. Is this something they do to new arrivals?” he asked.
The boys shook their heads.
“Usually you only get taken to sick bay when you have an accident” one of them said.
Later, when the lights went out and everyone seemed to be asleep, Kaden reached out and prodded Tuck, the beds being quite close together.
“Are you awake?” he asked.
“Ummm, would it make any difference if I said no? I’m exhausted, this better be worth losing sleep over.”
Tuck turned onto his stomach, resting his chin on top of his hands, and peered into the darkness.
“How would you like to get out of here, next Monday?” Kaden whispered.
“Are you bringing me on a date, babe? I’ll have to get something new to wear,” Tuck laughed softly at his own joke.
“Keep your voice down, I’m serious. I’ve spent all day thinking about a plan, going over the smallest detail. I know it would work.”
Kaden went on to explain about saving the protein bars, and why they shouldn’t wait any longer. He pointed out that there was always two armed guards in front and two behind. On their return to the base there was a section of the track that wound around a hill of ice. As soon as the first two guards were out of sight, the two at the rear could be jumped on. Tuck was very quiet.
“Give me a minute to think about this,” he said.
He lay on his back, playing out the scenario in his head. Kaden waited patiently. After all, he had been going over the plan all day.
Turning around again, Tuck whispered.
“They would shoot us before we got a chance to reach them.”
Kaden knew what he was about to say next might sound too risky, even for Tuck.
“If two of us make a run for it in opposite directions, both guards will have to aim to shoot at the same time. We would need at least two more, the bigger the better, to jump them.”
There was a moment’s silence before Tuck answered.
“Teach, you’re a genius. It just might work. We can jump them straight away, before they get a chance to shoot,” he said, beginning to believe it was possible.
“You must be shattered, Tuck. Let’s get some sleep, we can talk more about this tomorrow. Think of who else we could ask to join us. I reckon between four and six will be enough.”
Tuck felt it would take at least six of them to have a chance of succeeding.
“It will be hard to decide on who will make the best moving targets - there’s a good chance they’ll get shot if it all goes wrong,” he whispered.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The Seager family had at last come to terms with Kaden’s death, or so it seemed to Grant Brubaker, and he made sure his father was aware of this. Lloyd was a friend and neighbour, it was extremely difficult listening to the family as they tried to figure out what might have happened. Grant’s conscience bothered him even more when his own daughter joined them in distributing posters around the city and making appeals on TV and Radio. If they continued along those lines Henry Brubaker would make Kaden disappeared for ever. Grant knew that his father was quite capable of sacrificing the young man for the greater good, as he would see it.
Grant was waiting at the usual meeting place for Jake Matthews. When the detective arrived, both men just stared at each other for a moment. Jake spoke first.
“I never want to have to go through that again. Do you know how hard it was to watch my best friend break down while his wife and daughter went into shock? And all because of a lie. They thought I was upset by the DNA test proving it was Kaden’s heart. What’s killing me is not being able to tell them the truth. I don’t know if I can carry on deceiving them like this.”
“Jake, you don’t know what my father is capable of. If at any time he feels Kaden or his family are a threat to his program he will get rid of, not just the boy, but his sister, parents and anyone else getting in his way.”
Detective Matthews cleared his throat.
“I have to ask you something, and I need to hear the truth. Did you or your father have anything to do with the death of Martha Taylor’s son?”
Without hesitating, Grant looked the
other man in the eye as he answered.
“I swear on my daughter’s life, I don’t know anything about that young man’s death, as far as I’m concerned it was an unfortunate accident. That’s the truth, Jake.”
There was nothing more either man wanted to discuss so they brought their meeting to an end.
******
Jake had promised to help the Seagers with the funeral arrangements, so he headed over to their house. Estelle grabbed his arm as soon as he came through the door. She steered him towards the back of the house and they stood outside on the patio. The weather was getting warmer and there was a hum of bees in a nearby bush.
“What’s the matter, Estelle?” Jake sat on a bench.
There was a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he wondered how many more lies he would be forced to tell.
“I know something fishy is going on with Grant Brubaker and his father, and it has something to do with my son’s disappearance. We have known each other since before my children were born. You are my husband’s best friend, and I am going to trust you because I sincerely believe you would never do anything to harm our family. Tell me I’m not mistaken, Jake.”
He looked up at the woman standing over him, biting her lip to hold back the tears, sad eyes pleading with him to be honest.
“Oh, Estelle, if only you knew how badly I want to tell you everything, but believe me, it would make things even worse than they are. Think of Amelia, she would be in great danger if you were to meddle in something you have no control over. Can’t you just say goodbye to Kaden and help his sister do the same?”
“I would if I believed he was dead. I don’t know how you or the Brubakers faked those DNA results, but that heart was a decoy, to get us to give up on finding our son. I have information that proves he was last seen in that shelter we all so enthusiastically support. What do you have to say about that, Detective Matthews?”
Estelle took a step back so she could see his face better, trying to read every little movement or expression.
“Who have you been talking to? It couldn’t have been any of the officers at the station. They would never give out that sort of information without checking with me first,” said Jake.
Estelle decided to take a chance, she was going to trust this man, so she told him about Amelia and Ethan meeting up with Martha. She even let him know there was a recording sent to the woman by her son, in case anything should happen to him.
“You won’t find it at her apartment, so don’t even think about it, Jake. I met with her and Jasper and that recording is in a safe place now - where neither you nor the Brubakers can get at it.”
Jake jumped up, the blood draining from his face, and grabbed both her arms.
“You don’t know what you are getting yourselves into. Henry Brubaker looks on himself as a saviour of mankind. He truly believes he is justified in taking whatever measures are necessary to fulfil his mission in life, and he has powerful connections. How do you intend to go up against people like that?”
Estelle shook his hands free and looked over his shoulder, smiling at someone standing behind him. Jake, following her gaze, turned to see a closed fist just before it connected with his face. Staggering backwards, eyes shut tight, he raised both arms to fend off the blows he expected to follow. Instead he heard Estelle shouting, “leave him alone, let go of him.”
The guard on phone duty, had seen Lloyd throw the punch, and ran out of the house, pinning him to the ground. Estelle was trying to drag the man off her husband when Jake, blood running from his nose, grabbed the angry woman and roughly pushed her down onto the bench.
“Its okay, let him up,” he said to the officer, “It was just a misunderstanding, emotions are running high. You know how it is in cases like this. I’ll make sure these two behave themselves.”
With one hand pinching his nose to stem the flow of blood, Jake held out the other to his friend to help him up off the ground. Lloyd pushed it away. Holding onto a low stone wall, he pulled himself up and went to sit beside Estelle, taking her into his arms.
“I am so sorry I didn’t believe you, I should have trusted you and Amelia. Ethan, too. Please forgive me,” said Lloyd.
Worn out and lost for words, all she could do was nod. Lloyd turned his attention to Jake, who had been to the kitchen for some tissue to mop up the blood on his clothes and face.
“You disgust me. Call yourself a friend? How could you lie to us like that? We are like family to you.”
Jake felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and for a moment he forgot about the danger they were in.
“Believe me, Lloyd, it was eating me up inside, seeing the pain on all of your faces and not being able to tell you anything. Let’s go sit further out in the garden, away from the house, and I’ll answer any questions you want to ask me.”
******
Kaden’s funeral was a big affair. The family couldn’t believe how many people turned up. They felt bad knowing their son was still alive. They hated deceiving his friends and the rest of the mourners, who shook their hands and offered condolences. In a press conference that afternoon Lloyd Seager announced his retirement from politics.
“This tragic event has made me realize how important my family is to me. I want to spend more time with my wife and daughter and unfortunately my seat on the city council makes a lot of demands on me. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my supporters who have been so loyal over the years. I hope you can understand why I must take this step.”
After everyone had gone, Amelia, Megan and Ethan went for a drive, leaving Estelle and Lloyd alone in the house. The police had decided it was no longer necessary to monitor the phone lines. Sitting in the kitchen having a coffee, Estelle reached across the table to take hold of her husband’s hand.
“Remember the day I picked you up from the airport, just before we found out Kaden was missing?” she said.
Lloyd nodded.
“Well, I was going to tell you I was leaving. I had planned on doing it after you had rested, maybe after supper. I needed to get away from this house and your work. I was going to move into the city for a while until I knew exactly what I wanted. Somehow all that seems trivial now. I’m sorry if saying this is painful for you to hear. I don’t want to hurt you, I just need to let you know how I was feeling. I want to be honest with you.”
Lloyd was hurt but understood where she was coming from.
“Do you still want to leave me, Estelle?”
Without hesitating she answered.
“Not any more. Not when you have made such a big commitment to our family. All I’ve ever wanted was for us to be close again, like we used to be when the kids were younger. We need to pull together now and find a way to get Kaden back home, safe and sound. Then we can make a fresh start as a family.”
The Seagers were soon to begin a new life, one they would never have dreamed of, and Kaden was about to do something that would change everything.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The boys spoke in hushed voices, going over every detail of their plan. They would head north towards one of the ports and try to get passage to Argentina. Kaden remembered his father telling him about a place called Ushuaia, on the tip of Argentina. When Lloyd was in the Marines he was stationed there.
Paco and Radar, being the youngest at only fourteen, had decided not to go. Wolf and Harley were more than willing to take a chance. Ash wanted to be counted in as soon as the escape was mentioned, as did Smokes. Each day at the mine the boys collected pieces of rope and hid them beneath a rock pile.
The morning of their escape, Paco and Radar, gave Kaden the protein bars they had been saving all week. He was touched by their concern, and promised to do everything in his power to get them out, if he made it home. As the work party set out early for the mine, the boys hoped that nobody would notice the sheets that had been taken from the linen cabinet in the sleeping quarters. The sleeping bags had to remain on top of their beds every mor
ning, and would be missed if they took them. The weather was not very good, it was beginning to snow, but that could be in their favour.
As the evening drew near the boys began to share out the pieces of rope, hiding them in their backpacks. Kaden reminded them to get into the positions they had rehearsed as soon as they got above ground. Harley and Tuck, being the biggest and heaviest, were to jump the guards and they needed to act fast, before a shot could be fired. Kaden and Ash had volunteered to make a run for it, one going left and the other to the right. They knew it could go drastically wrong for them but they trusted Harley and Tuck to move quickly. Paco and Radar were to make sure those in front of them said nothing if they should turn around and see what was going on. Smokes and Wolf had to be quick, it was their job to get the rifles from the guards.
They all knew which direction to take, and the fact that it was quite dark should give them some cover. The entrance to the mine was sealed by automatic, solid steel doors and two guards were permanently there on shift to secure the place against thieves. It was impossible to break in once those doors were closed.
Above ground, the boys were delighted to see that it was snowing heavily. As they paired up to form a line, the guards at the back warned everyone to hold onto the person in front, as the snow was falling thick and fast. Paco could see the ice mound ahead, and Smokes passed the information on to the others. Through the snow, which was threatening to become a blizzard, Ash could just about see the line of coloured jackets begin to turn the bend. He nudged Kaden, and without looking back, they both put their hands behind them as a signal to Tuck and Harley that they were about to run.
As soon as Kaden and Ash broke into a run, in opposite directions, the rear guards turned sideways, standing back to back, and began to raise their weapons. Tuck and Harley dived, knocking them to the ground. As they fell, the men let go of their rifles, which were still strapped onto their chests. While they were pinned down, Smokes and Wolf were in straight away, pulling the rifles over the guard’s heads and tearing the snow visors from their faces. Ash and Kaden doubled back and grabbed the phones. There was no going back now, so the men were knocked out, the rifle butts coming down hard on their heads. The weapons were used to smash the phones.
Finding 01 Finding Kaden Page 13
