Chapter 3

Gerald was pleased he was seated in the front row of the business class and he liked that the seat next to him was empty, giving him the opportunity to concentrate on an important matter; finding Hazel.

He tried to sum up what he knew about her and realized he had hardly any leads which he could use.

He was absolutely convinced that Hazel was not her real name, simply by the fact she hesitated when he had asked her for her name. The only hope he had was to find any information about the cabin. He knew it had been remodeled many times and the old cast iron door told him that the cabin might have been built as early as 1800.

He searched for the cabin on Google maps and as soon as he saw the very low resolution images he knew there was something fishy about the place.

“I’m so sorry but please try to forget me,” echoed Hazel’s voice in his mind and he simply couldn’t forget her beautiful face.

He sighed deeply trying to contemplate what he was dealing with; her family was obviously insanely rich; which could indicate they were criminals and her resolute almost desperate attempt to push him away, was frightfully confirming his suspicion.

Still his mind couldn’t accept it and as he tried to remember every detail of the cabin he thought it didn’t come across as over the top, blatantly showing off their possessions. It gave him hope but so far he had nothing. No clue who Hazel really was and the cabin did just not exist, at least there were no records to be found on the internet. The last desperate search Gerald was conducting was Hazel’s name, hoping her pretty face would show up but after scrolling through countless images of different women he gave up.

He had only one option left, knowing it was an expensive long shot but it was worth it: he had to know who Hazel was.

Hazel stared out of the large windows, not really registering the beautiful nature. Gerald had vigorously shaken up her whole belief system. She always had dismissed those desperate love stories as fake and pathetic and full of self-pity; but now she couldn’t ignore her own agony.

She started to pace slowly around, cursing her sprained ankle as she was trying to find a solution to her impossible problem. She knew she would be miserable the rest of her life without Gerald, knowing she had to come up with a solution.

Then she suddenly froze, laughing about the simple but very controversial solution. She took her phone out of her pocket and dialed the number.

It didn’t take long for the person to answer the call and Hazel said with an almost purring voice, “Hey honey, I need your help.”

Gerald was lying on the bed thinking about the meeting with his new client. He thought the meeting was a little awkward, especially as they had insisted he should have an assistant appointed by them. Normally, he preferred to work alone, but this time he had agreed to it, although with some reluctance, because he knew there was a vast amount of research work.

They had assured him the assistant was more than up to it and he sincerely hoped they were right.

But he was looking forward to biting into the new project as he desperately needed the distraction because missing Hazel was driving him crazy. He slipped abruptly off the bed and grabbed his laptop out of his briefcase, keen to give it one more go to find anything about Hazel’s family and their mysterious cabin in the mountains.

After some extensive browsing he found an official website of the office of land registry but its search function was pathetic; none of his wildcards worked and there was no ability to search on a specific position.

Frustrated, he double checked whether he had gotten the correct land registry and it was clear they should have the required information. He sighed deeply, painfully reconsidering whether he should call for help, knowing he would have to endure the humiliation for a very long time; but then he realized, he actually was willing to pay the high price.

He picked up his phone and browsed through his contacts and as soon as he found the number he paused, remembering their last conversation they had. He wasn’t close to his brother because of the huge age difference, but as he was getting older the age gap was less apparent and their discussions less fierce.

He sighed deeply as he knew he was in for a belittling call.

His finger hovered for a few more seconds above the call button but then he resolutely touched his phone’s screen.

“Hey Gerald,” sounded in his ear, “What’s up brother? Long time no speak.”

“Hi Mark,” Gerald responded surprised as he had expected a totally different response, “Yeah, it has been long.”

“You’re okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Gerald replied automatically, “I’m good.”

“Alright brother,” Mark chuckled, “What’s her name?”

“Huh?”

“Oh come on man,” Mark said with a huff, “I know you better than you think. So who is she?”

“Well,” remarked Gerald dryly, “That is exactly my problem.”

“Oh fuck, Gerald,” grumbled his older brother, “You didn’t bother to ask her number?”

“It’s a little more complicated Mark,” Gerald said quietly.

“What the hell?” Mark sounded alert, “How deep are you in the shit?”

“I, I,” he stammered and sighed deeply before he asked, “How much time do you have?”

“I’m about to see a movie with the Mrs.” Mark answered apologetically.

Gerald laughed and replied, “Say hi to Esther for me. How about tomorrow evening at the same time?”

“That’ll work,” Mark confirmed gruffly, “I definitely want to hear all about the chick that got you snookered!”

“There’s not much to say about her,” Gerald replied, “But I’ll drop you an email with some extra info.”

“Now you’re making me extra curious,” his brother sighed, “How am I supposed to enjoy the movie?”

“Simple,” Gerald responded, “Let Esther rule the evening.”

Mark laughed and then he said, “You don’t want to know what happens if I let her lose.”

“Indeed, that would be too much information,” he responded with a slight shudder.

“Laters,” Mark replied, upbeat.

“Later Mark.”

Gerald had sent his brother the information, knowing it might get him in deeper problems when his brother used his authority. It was a well over-thought decision, hoping to get more information about Hazel and even why she was so resolute to break up their relationship. He shook his head as he realized they only had been together for one day; but it had definitely shaken up his world.

He had been dreaming about Hazel, remembering the beautiful long chestnut hair which had framed her angelic face. He sighed as he remembered, the moments he had adored those deep brown eyes, especially if Hazel looked up, her dark long eyelashes fluttering from excitement.

“Sir,” the taxi driver called, rousing him from his thoughts, “We have arrived at your destination.”

“Excellent!” Gerald said with a forced smile etched on his face as he gave the driver his money, “Keep the change.”

A few moments later he stepped into the impressive building’s revolving door, eager to start the new adventure. His eyes bugged out, admiring the beautiful open design wondering how they had managed to create an enormous garden, complete with large trees, inside the building.

“Mr. McCrawl?” a young man asked as he walked towards Gerald.

“That’s me,” Gerald said as he kept looking up gazing at the massive construction, “This is a very nice place.”

“Yes, I think so, too,” he responded enthusiastically, “It’s one of the best community centers ever built in my honest opinion.”

Gerald shook the man’s hand and conceded, “I totally agree. Mr.?”

“Justin Clarks,” he quickly answered, “Please call me Justin. I’m going to be your guide for today and help you settle into your office.”

“Gerald,” he replied warmly, “Lead on Justin. I can’t wait to see where I’m going to be stashed away.”

Justin laughed and as they walked towards the elevators he handed Gerald an identification card and said, “This is your temporary identification card which will give you access to our floor and it keeps security from escorting you out of the building.”

“Whoa,” said Gerald with a grin, “That tight huh?”

“Yes,” Justin confirmed as they stepped into the elevator, “In the beginning we had some problems with unwanted guests in the garden. We are situated on the 10th floor.”

“Let me introduce you to Ellen,” Justin said as they stepped out of the elevator, “She is the office manager and she can get almost anything organized, as long as you ask her nicely.”

Gerald chuckled but stopped instantly as he saw a beautiful woman getting up from her chair with a radiant smile.

“Mr. McCrawl,” she said with a rich and warm voice, “Welcome to Hunsky and Sons.”

“Thank you Ellen,” he replied as he gently shook her perfectly manicured hand, “Please call me Gerald.”

“Ellen will help you with the initial little things,” Justin said upbeat, “I have a meeting in 5 minutes and as soon as I’m done with it I’ll be back to introduce you to the other colleagues.”

“How about a cup of coffee, Gerald?” Ellen asked as she looked him straight in the eyes, “I can go through a few matters with you at the same time.”

“Sounds like an excellent idea, Ellen.”

“Let me get a few things,” she said as she walked back to the impressive receptionist desk, “And then I’ll show you the restaurant.”

Gerald let his eyes roam over Ellen as she walked back, enjoying her shapely figure which was skillfully accentuated by her well-fitting suit. Her tight fitting pencil skirt revealed her beautifully toned long legs and her sexy Louboutin heels made her glide over the lush carpet. He guessed she was in her late thirties which added to the incredible self-confidence she was exuding. Her stylishly cut jacket discreetly hid all her feminine assets and Gerald would’ve loved to see her without wearing it.

“First let’s take a photo for your ID card,” she said as she phished her phone from her jacket, “If you walk towards the windows there’s enough light.”

As Gerald stood, patiently waiting for her to take a photo, she moved closer as she said a little concerned, “Looks you have a bruise on your left cheekbone. Do you want to wait a few days for it to fade away?”

Gerald moved his fingers to the somewhat sore spot and smiled as he remembered how Hazel had bumped her elbow in his face.

“No, it’s fine really,” he replied, “It’s actually a little souvenir I got from a nice lady.”

Ellen raised her immaculately formed eyebrows as she responded with an almost Husky voice, “Alright Mr. McCrawl; say cheese!”

Gerald saw Ellen’s intrigued look as she took the photo, realizing he was blatantly flirting with the woman and decided he had to tone it down a little.

“What do you think?” she asked, a little subdued as she showed him the photo, “Can we use this for the ID card?”

The bruise wasn’t that obvious and to emphasize he truly liked the photo he said, “Yes, absolutely, and erm, can you send a copy to my email as well?”

She looked at him for a long moment, not really knowing what to make it of it all and responded, “Of course. Let’s have some coffee.”

As they sat at one of the round tables situated in the large dining area Ellen had given him a few sheets of paper with the obvious consents he had to sign. The coffee was excellent, and to his relief, free of charge as long as one had a personal identification card. It was one of his most important drinks he had to have during the day to keep him sharp.

Ellen’s phone buzzed and as she read the message she sighed deeply. “I don’t understand how certain airlines are still in business.”

“Well,” Gerald responded offhandedly, “As long as we need them they will.”

“It seems that your assistant has been delayed for 4 hours,” Ellen informed him.