Some hours blinked by. Others dragged and felt like each minute hung suspended in the air for way too long before the next minute was allowed to begin.
The doctor’s warning, “she’s been found out” kept echoing in my mind. Found out? By whom? What had she done? She was such a good person. Mom had a heart of gold and the discipline of a soldier. I couldn’t imagine her ever doing something to make anyone hunt her down for retribution.
And why would Alik, Evan and I be in danger from them? What kind of sick puppies would hurt children? Now, we aren’t as helpless as the average kid with all the skills mom drilled into our heads, but still, they didn’t know that, did they?
Alik still wasn’t talking to me by 4:31 when we heard an SUV pull up. I peeked out the window without disturbing the drapes. A silver minivan, obviously a rental, was parking in front of our house. From the driver’s side a man emerged and glanced quickly around as if looking for any signs of danger. He strode up our walkway and knocked once…waited…then knocked three times.
Dr. Andrews had arrived.
I opened the door and found myself looking up at a man with crystal blue eyes and light hair who stood at least a foot taller than me. “Hi,” I said stupidly. “You must be Dr. Andrews.”
The stranger at my door smiled for the first time and relaxed just long enough for me to see he had a friendly demeanor, when he wasn’t scared out of his gourd.
“Hi, Meg. Are you guys all packed? We have a flight leaving in one hour from Tyler.”
Alik and Evan were standing behind me, quiet till now. “We’re packed. But before we get into your car, we want some answers,” Alik looked ready for a fight. I willed him to breathe and calm down. “Where is our mother, from whom are we in ‘danger’ and what are you going to do to get our mom back safely?”
“You must be Alik,” Dr. Andrews beamed at him. He was oblivious to the threatening tone Alik had just used on him. “I’m really glad to meet you and your siblings.” He said the last part while looking directly at Evan. “I’ll try to answer your questions. First, according to my sources, your mom’s plane arrived on-time at LAX. She had reservations at the Hotel Barton in LA, so we can assume she was headed there. She never showed up for her reservation. Your second question is a long story, but since we’re short on time, I will tell you you’re in danger from a corporation that wants your mother’s research and data that was based on you three. And the last, I’ll do everything I can to get Margo back safely. She’s probably the best person I’ve ever known. I respect her, and I owe her. There…are you ready to go now?”
The boys looked like perplexed statues, so I spoke for them. “Yes, our bags are all right here, and Maze can ride in the back of the SUV without a crate.”
“Who’s Maze?” Now it was Dr. Andrew’s turn to look confused.
As if on cue, my three-year-old silver-backed coyote weighing in at a whopping fifty-five pounds sauntered into the foyer. He sniffed the air gently with his keen nose, and for a moment, I could tell he was judging the doctor. It only took a few seconds for Maze to be convinced of the stranger’s good character before he sat relaxed on his haunches, cocked his head and let his tongue do that lolling-out-of-the-mouth-thing. There was another good sign. Maze trusted Dr. Andrews.
Smiling to myself at Maze and his ways, I glanced back at the man standing in our doorway. He must have been leaning down to pick up one of the bags when he locked eyes with Maze. He was frozen.
“Is that a coyote?” his voice was barely a whisper and gave away a tremor.
I’d never introduced Maze to anyone before, so I was trying to imagine what that big sharp-toothed coyote looked like to the typical suburban dwelling person. My smile grew. Yeah, he was a pretty fierce looking beast. Excellent!
“Yep, I raised him since he was a pup. He’s my…” I searched for the right word because “pet” didn’t fit him at all, “best friend. He comes too. That’s not open for discussion.” I added the last part with a hint of a threatening tone.
“Oh, okay, but he rides in the back. The airline is going to insist on a crate for…him. And probably papers, too.” The doctor stammered. It cracked me up that someone could be so afraid of this walking ball of furry love. Maze never hurt a fly. He eats dog food, for goodness’ sake!
“Well, I’ve got his vet papers here, but he won’t like to be crated. I guess you would know more about what airlines would allow than me, so I’ve got a crate we can bring. It’s collapsible so it should fit in the SUV for the drive.”
Chapter 10 We Don’t Get Out Much