Secrets of Bearhaven by K.E. Rocha Read Free Book Online Page B

of the Professors Weaver and their BEAR-COM, we set up Bearhaven.”
    “So you and Mom and Dad and a bear made this place?”
    Uncle Mark nodded. “For the bears from Gutler, but also as a haven for other bears that have been rescued from dangerous situations. Over the years, hundreds of abused bears have been brought to Bearhaven to recover. If the bears want to be restored to their natural habitat, to live like other bears in the wild, they can get treated here first, then they move on. Some, like the Weavers, choose to stay in the hidden safety of Bearhaven and help other bears in trouble.”
    Spencer couldn’t believe it. Why wouldn’t Mom and Dad want him to know that they were doing something so awesome to help bears? He tried to imagine his parents at Gutler, making their very first rescue—
    “Wait, what happened to the third bear at the university?”
    “There were two brothers and a sister. We got the two males out, but . . .” Uncle Mark paused. “We couldn’t get the female out quickly enough. The Gutler bear handler recaptured her. It was awful. We heard the bear eventually escaped, but we don’t know if that’s true. She certainly never made it to Bearhaven, and we never saw her again.”
    Uncle Mark stood up and started to pace around the room.
    “Since then, our work has been rescuing bears and guiding them here. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bears out there that need rescuing, and a lot of bad people who don’t want someone just swooping in and taking their bears. These bears can bring in a lot of money, Spence, and oftentimes thepeople making that money don’t consider the animals . . . Well, you understand.”
    “Yeah, I understand,” Spencer said. He’d been hearing about animal rights his entire life. He knew how badly some zoos and circuses treated their bears—and all their other animals, too. He could see why Bearhaven needed to be so well hidden.
    “So Mom and Dad have . . . enemies?”
    “You could put it that way,” Uncle Mark answered carefully.
    The giant in the football helmet suddenly popped into Spencer’s head. If his parents had enemies, did that mean he had enemies? “Like the people in the Corvette?” he asked, afraid to hear the answer.
    “Yes. That was Margo Lalicki behind the wheel, and her brother, Ivan. Margo was the bear handler at Gutler. She’s a cold, uncaring woman without a good bone in her body. When we rescued the bear mascots, the abuse they’d suffered made the news. Margo was fired from Gutler because of it. She’s never forgiven us.”
    “So Ivan’s the guy in the football helmet?”
    “You saw him?”
    “Just for a minute,” Spencer admitted.
    “He’s all brawn and very few brains, if you know what I mean.” Uncle Mark shook his head. “Don’t worry about the Lalickis. We can handle them. You’re safe here now.”
    “Are they the ones who have Dad?”
    “We’re not sure, but I don’t think so. There’s something going on that’s a lot bigger than Margo. Like I said before, your parents have been working to crack a whole network ofbear abuse. It’s more likely that whoever’s at the top is who has your dad.” He paused, then said, “I know it’s a lot to take in, Spence. And I can answer any questions you want, but I think it’s time we got some rest. For tonight, we’re safe, your parents are both okay, and we’ve got a really strong team working on getting them home ASAP.”
    Spencer still had questions, but he was struggling to keep his eyes open. As long as he knew Mom and Dad were going to be okay, he could wait to hear the rest tomorrow.
    “Where’s your room?” he asked. He felt a little better, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to sleep in here alone.
    “My room’s down the hall,” a new voice chimed in. Uncle Mark and Spencer both looked to the door in surprise. A chestnut-colored snout was poking into the room.
    Kate pushed her head in farther and looked at Spencer. “Wanna