Operation Wolfe Cub: A Chilling Historical Thriller (THE TIME TO TELL Book 1) (33 page)

Julie continued on the phone, “Hello? Yes, he was found by Mr. Coolidge sometime this morning…what? Excuse me? You already have a report of a shipwreck…what? You have no record of a baby lost? Of course, you don’t, because he was gone before y’ got there. That’s ridiculous. Yes, I’m telling the truth! Okay, what about surviv’rs? Yes…no, that’s wrong….
uh-huh
, there
was
a baby, I’m tellin’…who am I? Well, never you mind. The baby’s located at Eddie and Chantain’s place just outside-a-town if you don’t believe me…their last name? I told you, it’s Coolidge, like ‘cool—idge.’ Yes, like the president. Good, you know where they are then. No, that’s all the information I have. You do th’ rest. When you goin’ out to see ’em? Okay, bye.”

Julie hung up the phone and looked back at Al, who was frozen stiff in his chair with a stone, cold glare. The only thing moving was the smoke rising from his pipe as she insecurely asked, “What are you staring at? Stop smoking that way. You know how I hate that.”

Al threw his newspaper aside. He had a good grip on himself, but patience let him down. He swatted the radio knob,
nearly busting it off. After that, he defiantly stomped out of the living room while Julie tried to follow. “Wait…where you goin’? Wait, you know it’s not right for them to have that baby…you know it, Al…Al, honey? Can you hear me, dear?”

Chapter 10

The next morning rolled around with nothing new except for the weather’s early morning rain. It came and went, but the Coolidge home still dripped from its eaves as if the tears from the sky had only just begun. Their home seemed as though it were being lightly tested in its own natural way. The roof shingles were starting to form the warning signs of failing. Moss and mold started to gather in clumps, ever so slowly.

Inside the aging Coolidge home was a warm and cozy feeling, however. The comfortable setting seemed just like most Sunday mornings one might think of elsewhere. Eddie and Chantain were really no different from those in their surrounding community. They, as well as others in the town, cherished the ritual of paying their respects each Sabbath day.

Yes, indeed, it was a dear time for the loving veneration of Earth’s creator. Eddie and Chantain, being a part of this everlasting tradition, were proudly dressed and ready to go to church. They were well-prepared, outfitted in what they believed to be their best example of divine clothing. One could say they looked and acted typical. The two of them seemed well on their way, having just finished their breakfast before taking off to explore a new church.

Chantain excused herself from the table and began to put the dishes away while Eddie finished his last bit of coffee. While doing so, he looked at his newfound baby lying in a padded basket next to him. Right along with the baby’s cute
little smile, the gold medallion sparkled out in the open, begging for attention too.

On a whim, Eddie popped out of his chair as if he had just retrieved an idea out of thin air.

Chantain stopped what she was doing. Curiously, she watched him as he rummaged through a kitchen drawer, looking for something.

It didn’t take long for her to notice that Eddie popped up with some tools and he was well on his way to performing surgical maneuvers on their baby right on the table. Before she could do anything, he’d already laid Doll flat out on the hard, cold surface and he was getting ready to grip down with a huge pair of fence cutters next to the baby’s delicate little ankle. That’s when she couldn’t take it anymore. “Wait! That looks dangerous on Doll, don’t you think?”

Eddie stopped for a moment. “What did I hear? Since when did you come up with a name like that?”

Chantain started going about her business as if hiding something. She nonchalantly put her remaining dishes in the sink, turned on the water, and felt the flow until it started getting hot.

Eddie patiently waited. “Well? Since when have you stopped talking?”

Chantain looked out the kitchen window, showing little concern. “Very well then, I’ll say. Since last night when Julie was here.”

“Why in the world would you call the boy a lousy doll?”

“I don’t know. He’s kind of cute like a doll. Besides, you can’t go around calling him ‘Randolf’…it’s worse. That’s German, silly.”

“German? Who cares if—”

“Look, the name is German, you idiot. You know, the war? Besides…sounds like some Reindeer without a red nose that never existed.”

“Reindeer? For God’s sakes…Oh, I get it. Well who cares if it’s German or not. His dad named him that. Owe some respect to the guy…why I,
aaah sheesh
, never mind.”

“Too late…I already told Julie anyway.”

“What? You’re already telling people?”

“It’s just the way it is—so get over it.”

Eddie’s mind went blank as he looked at the wall. After being thoroughly sidetracked, he remembered what it was he was doing, which was removing the medallion from Doll’s ankle. With his huge set of fence cutters, he latched onto one of the golden chain links and squeezed down with all of his might. It didn’t break, so he tried harder until he began to quiver and shake. Still, nothing seemed to give, so he let go. “
Tah
, what’s this made of?”

He quickly placed the cutters down and went for his trusty chisel and hammer.

Chantain gasped, “Eddie, what are you doing now?”

“This ain’t no gold. It’s as hard as hell.”

“I’m not letting you hurt him. Put those down.”

“Don’t worry; I won’t hurt him. The stuff’s got to be mixed with something to be
this
hard.”

Chantain put her hand in the way. “What about this? It’s my table too. You’ll break it.”

“Oh, so that’s what you’re worried about?
Hmmm
, bring that cutting board over. Probably better anyway.”

She fetched the cutting board, but before she delivered it up, she pulled the meat cleaver out of it. She then looked at the meat cleaver and thought before saying, “No, you’re going to butcher him. I can feel it.”

Eddie wheezed, “Come on—just hand it over.”

He then placed the cutting board under Doll’s foot and paused in careful thought.

Chantain came up from behind. “Here, might as well use it then. It’s sharper than that awful chisel of yours, don’t you think?”

“What? The meat cleaver? Sometimes you amaze me, Chantain. Put it down.” As she did, he instructed, “Thank you…okay now. I’ve got to strike the chisel real hard. Hold the baby’s leg still while I hit the chain away, okay?”

Chantain nervously nodded while she held Doll’s leg with closed eyes. Eddie placed the chisel on one link and then let go with a busting blow.

Crack-Chink!

Doll wasn’t even scathed, but before the medallion got a chance to rest on the table, Chantain snatched it up and began fondling it.

Eddie saw this as he gathered up his tools and put them away. He tended to Doll, massaging the red ring around his ankle. “That’s funny. He’s okay…I didn’t even touch him, and he’s crying.”

He turned to Chantain, who by then was ignoring the both of them. In fact, she’d scuttled off with the medallion to another corner of the kitchen with her back turned.

Eddie couldn’t help but notice how engrossed she was, so he walked up from behind and snatched the medallion out of her hands. “I’m going to put this in a safe place, where it belongs.”

He left the kitchen with Chantain following close behind. “Wait…where are you going? Where are you going with that?”

Eddie had already made his way down the hall and inside their bedroom by then, speaking over his shoulder. “Right here in my bedroom safe where I keep all my personal things. Where else?”

After she watched him stash the medallion inside and close the big, safe up, she frowned and leaned against the wall with crossed arms. “When am I going to get the combination to that?
Hmmm
? Don’t you trust me?”

Eddie double-checked the handle, making sure it was locked tight. He then stepped past her at the bedroom
doorway. “When you stop looking at valuables the way you do…that’s when.”

Chantain looked up to the tall ceiling of her bedroom, rolling her eyes before following Eddie back into the kitchen in a huff. “Well aren’t we picky today. How about you? Aren’t you even going to ask about the new preacher we’re going to see this morning?”

As Eddie tended to Doll, he smirked, “Oh, what’s this one about? Hard to keep track of them all.”

“I heard about him at Gloria’s Market when I bought some milk and bread the other day.”

Eddie stopped what he was doing. “You heard about him at the ding-dong grocery store? That’s as bad as the one on the bulletin board out in front of Gloria’s two months ago.”

“What’s wrong with Gloria’s? Besides, Julie and Al go to church over there. They really like the man, I guess.”

“Oh? This ought to be good. What’d they say?”

“He’s good because they feel the hell being scared right out of them when they go.”

Eddie smirked as he carefully handed Doll over to her. “Sounds about right for Al, with his past…what’s he preach?”

Chantain looked as if she hadn’t yet settled on who was to walk with the baby. Begrudgingly, she took him. “He preaches nothing but Old Testament. You know—the ugly part of the Bible.”

Eddie walked around her and into the living room. “So what’s this church called? The
Old
Fellows or something?”

“Real funny, Eddie. It’s called the ‘Church of the
Original
Testament’…their scriptures came first, you know.”

Eddie mumbled, “
Sheesh
, of course. I might have guessed.”

Chantain then came into the living room with him. “Excuse me? I didn’t hear. You keep walking away.”

“Oh, nothing, we have to get going. Look at the clock. And the preacher’s probably fine, I’m sure.”

Chantain sauntered over to the nearest window, looking out. While pausing there, she asked, “What’s the matter?”

As Eddie put on his shoes, he watched her looking outside at nothing. “Oh, me? I’m,
uh
…I’m just trying to hatch out all these churches everywhere. Just when I thought I heard it all, something else comes along…nothing against you or anything.”

Chantain turned back around, looking coy. “I know… when it comes to Devil’s, we need a lot of churches around here, I guess.”

Eddie smiled. “Do you realize what you just said?”

“What’s that? Well, it’s true…think about it. Devil’s Gulch has a lotta churches.”

Eddie paused. “Not just here, I’m talking about every-where…there’s too many everywhere, my dear. They’re multiplying like-like, who knows what it’s going to be like in fifty years. Sometimes, I wonder what the future of our whole country’s going to be like…more church people than ever and it’s not helping with our problems.”

Chantain sourly cross her arms. “
Hmmph
, well you’d multiply too if the government gave you a free ride and something to hide behind.”

“Oh God…sure I’d like to multiply, but that’s a whole different story, if you know what I mean.”

“Sorry I said anything. Please don’t get started on that again.” She went on, “Can you do me a favor and open the blinds before we go. This place is too dark. We need to get some light in here.”

Eddie went from room to room, opening them all, gazing outward at the scenery while talking to himself, “There we go…now out there’s a church where a man could easily find God…yes, right out there…look at that.”

A residual of last night’s rainfall still lingered. He glanced at the burn pile he had stood beside last night and saw that it was still smoldering.

The next thing that caught his attention was the dead stump left over from the fallen tree he and Al had cut off. Half of its jagged roots were still sticking straight up in the air.

He softly muttered, “At least I have something to work for now.”

Something happened then as he gazed beyond. He quickly spotted an accumulating number of unusual occurrences: A raccoon stood off at a distance in the grass in the broad light of day, looking right back at him through the window. A pair of rabbits seemed to be gazing at him the same way.

He muttered, “
Hmmm
, coons and rabbits—together?”

He spoke over his shoulder, “Hey, Chantain. Raccoons… they come out at night, I thought. Don’t they?”

“Yes, all the ‘coons I know about, anyway.”

Eddie stepped closer to the window, looking even more puzzled. He gazed more broadly around his entire wild landscape, looking for more. More animals were coming out and seemingly congregating near the house. Two deer came out of hiding, then more came and they were looking straight at him.

He then hobbled over to another window, glancing in the other direction, just in time to see a bobcat emerging from the dense tree line.

He muttered again, “
Hmmm
, that’s funny…maybe my house…squirrels pole dancing on my roof?”

He spoke over his shoulder, “Hey, Chantain…did you put out those salt licks like I asked?”

“No, I couldn’t find them. Where’d you put them? You know I hate that nasty barn. You didn’t put them there did you?”

“Yeah. They’re in the barn. Sorry, I forgot. No problem, I’ll do it when we get back.”

Almost immediately, he turned away from the windows, dismissing the animals as nothing but a wild set of coincidences.

Just then, an automobile pulled into his driveway, quickly chasing away the curious stands of animals. The hard-driven, overworked-looking automobile was a far cry from being typical. It was a former military surplus car, better known as one of those “black-out” cars, mandated by the U.S. Department of War. It was stripped of its glamour for preservation of raw materials; hardly flashy since much of the excess body chrome was donated to the cause of making more guns, bullets, and bombs. Below, on the driver’s side door, was a hand-painted sign that identified the driver as “Constable Torrance Holt, District 1.” The “1” could have meant most anything, except for its rank in good looks. Unquestionably, it was the law car called upon to go out and investigate the baffling idea of mysterious shipwrecked babies.

Past the foggy glass and behind the wheel was a tall, heavy-built man in his younger years, presumably Torrance Holt himself. He looked around curiously, considering the right place to park within the Coolidge premises. The place he chose was right beside Eddie’s car which offered a little entertainment for him. He was so consumed by looking at the silvery camper like thing, he almost bumped into it.