Page 62 of Unraveling an Enigma
The longer I'm here dealing with this, the longer it will be before I can repair the mistakes I made with Isabelle.
The house is cleared by Hugo and Brandon in under three minutes. The lack of floor space aided with their staunch search. The inside of the house needs even more repair than the outside. Hugo gestures his head to a rickety stairwell on the left.
“My boot,” Hugo murmurs when my curious gaze takes in a hole in the stairs.
“Last door on the right,” Hugo says when we reach the landing at the top of the stairs.
The hallway reeks of stale water and mold, but the space is spotlessly clean compared to downstairs. Blood surges through my veins at a rapid pace when I enter the room at the end of the hallway. Viewing a selection of photos was underwhelming compared to seeing Megan’s obsession with Nick firsthand. The walls and the ceiling of her room are covered with pictures of him.
My brows furrow as I turn to face Hugo. “How could you fathom the threat was to Jenni and Jasper? This room makes it pretty fucking obvious who the threat pertains to.”
“Not everything is black and white; you need to look for the gray,” says a singsong voice from the entranceway.
Isabelle glides across the room to stand in front of me. Her beautiful scent helps to lessen my fury. “Remember, they are safe,” she says with her glistening, tear-filled eyes staring into mine.
Pain rises in my heart knowing I’m the one who caused those tears to form in her beautiful eyes. I run my hand down her cheek as I nod. A smile tugs on Isabelle’s lips before she heads for a set of double doors in the far corner of the room. I shadow closely behind her. The white door handles are only just visible between the posters of Nick and the band members of Rise Up. The smell of bleach and disinfectant filters through my nostrils when Isabelle flings the door open. Unlike Megan’s bedroom, the walls of this white room are untouched and spotlessly clean. There is a melamine table with a stainless-steel chair underneath it and a glass bookshelf above it.
My jaw tenses and my fists clench when my eyes roam over the open textbooks on the desk. There is a range of articles and documents highlighted on how to complete an illegal caesarean. The images are so graphic that even with me having a cast iron stomach, I still feel nauseated over the disturbing pictures.
“Don’t touch anything,” Isabelle commands when I attempt to lift a white sheet covering a side table next to the desk.
When she raises it with a pen on my behalf, a knot twists in my stomach. Medical equipment that includes forceps, umbilical clamps, scissors and a razor-sharp scalpel are stored inside a stainless-steel kidney-shaped bowl.
My nostrils flare as I intake a sharp breath. My eyes bounce between Isabelle’s before I turn them to Hunter. He deserves my wrath considering it was his job to unearth everything he could about Megan after she attacked Nick at my nightclub.
“Nothing like this was in her hotel room or in any of the searches I completed.” Hunter’s voice is riddled with nerves.
A groan emits from my lips as I clench my fists at my side.
“Megan doesn’t use a computer; her cell phone is a burner, and she mainly relies on cash,” Isabelle notes, stepping in between Hunter and me. “The books were borrowed from the library or purchased at flea markets. This isn’t Hunter’s fault. Megan is unstable, Isaac. She needs more help than any of us could have gauged.”
My gaze shifts to Isabelle. The genuine remorse reflecting in her beautiful, rich eyes helps subdue my furious anger. While replenishing my lungs, my eyes drift around the room, studying the space, while contemplating my next move. Any decisions made while angry will most likely result in an irrational reaction, so I need to quell my fury and think more sensibly.
After a few moments of silent pondering, I turn to face Brandon and Isabelle. “Give Hunter an hour to document everything in this room, then you can call in the local authorities.”
In sync Brandon and Isabelle nod their heads. “Hunter, I need you to hack every local CTV camera in Ravenshoe and two towns on each side of it. If Megan steps foot in the proximity of my town, I want to be the first to know.”
“Already done. After Hugo updated me on the situation last night, I knew you would have suggested it. I also updated Ryan. I kept the details vague, but he has passed Megan’s photo onto his reputable officers,” Hunter informs me.
“Good.” My gaze shifts to Hugo. “Have your man sitting at the front of Nick’s house go and switch with Peters at the hospital. I need Peters on the first flight to New York.”
Hugo nods in understanding as he pulls his untraceable cell phone out of his pocket.
“Get this wrapped up quickly. I have to make a few phone calls,” I inform Hunter. I briskly stroll out of the room while removing my untraceable cell from my pocket.
Henry answers on the very first ring. “You haven’t rung me on this number in years, Isaac. What do you need?”
“I need to call in that favor.” I enter a room at the opposite end of the hallway.
Henry’s chuckle sounds down the line. “If my son can’t find a loophole in the UFC system for your fighter, I’m not going to be any more help.”
“It’s not for my fighter. There is afamilysituation I need your help with.”
* * *
After talking to Henry and my lawyer for thirty minutes, I head back into Megan’s bedroom. Brandon is standing in the corner of the room talking on a cell phone, and Hunter is digitally categorizing the room.
“Where’s Isabelle?”
