Operation Wolfe Cub: A Chilling Historical Thriller (THE TIME TO TELL Book 1) (35 page)

The more Torrance saw, the more open-minded he became, so he got up and walked over to see inside the crib. He even reached down to uncover Doll’s face.

Eddie looked down at his cane between his legs. “So this is it, I guess?”

After Torrance got a good look, he sat down beside him. “Who’s crib do we have here? You have other children, do you?”

“No, I can’t have children. This cane…it’s a war injury I have where I can’t have any. As for the crib? Well…it was just hopeful thinking. I’m ashamed for keeping it around. We use it once in a while to babysit for a neighbor.”

“A neighbor you say…is that the only neighbor you have? I don’t see any more along the street.”

“Yes, the Johnsons? That’s right.”

Torrance huffed as Eddie continued, “Look, I didn’t do anything wrong. Please don’t take me in…you got to believe me. I was going to call, but nobody was alive.”

Torrance looked directly into Eddie’s eyes. “Why didn’t you call? That’s the first thing you should’ve done.”

“I was hoping that maybe if I waited, I could keep him—stupid.
huh
?”

Torrance paused as he rubbed the nape of his neck, thinking. “You know, everything matches, except for the baby. Tell you what…I don’t have the facilities to take care of the child, nor do I know of anyone else here in Devil’s, so—”

Eddie stood up. “I have the best home for him right here, I swear. He can stay here as long as he wants. I mean, look… he’s a cute little bugger, look at him. He’s as safe as can be right here—and-and you can come by anytime to check up on him, really.”

Torrance scribbled down a few more notes as he tried not to show his smile. “Yes, you are correct again…he’s a bugger, I have to say. I’m not supposed to do this, but I’m going to leave the baby with you until we can gather more information. Here, please take my pencil…put all your information that you said on this form and I’ll see what I can do with this.”

“Of course! You bet.”

As Eddie filled out the form, Torrance looked relieved. “Glad you could help, Mr. Coolidge. It’s not often I get calls like this—and someone being a volunteer like yourself.” He spoke out loud toward the kitchen, “And thank you too, Mrs. Coolidge, for your understanding—and the coffee too. He then looked back to Eddie “The last thing I need is extra paperwork, if you know what I mean…this one’s a mess, I can tell.”

Shortly afterward, Torrance gathered up his belongings and politely made his way out the door, while saying “goodbye” and “thank you.”

Eddie seemed so happy he could hardly say a word, but not Chantain. She peeked out into the living room. “I never heard such a thing. What got into that man? You got his name I hope.”

“Yes, I did. I’ve got it right here on his sheet of paper,
whew
…wow.”

Chantain moved to the middle of the living room then pointed to the door. “Go out and see if he’s leaving. He’s testing us or something.”

“I don’t think so, but I will anyway.” Eddie grabbed up his cane and bolted outside, just in time to usher the constable to his car.

Torrance stopped in front of Eddie’s Pribil with the oddest look on his face. “Oh, glad you came outside, say,
uh
—”

“No problem, I just wanted to thank you for your—”

“What is this thing? I’m just dying to know what it is.”

“Oh, that? Yes, that…that’s a Pribil, a 1937. It’s a camper car. Supposed to put covered wagons and camping trailers out of business.”

Torrance looked more closely. “
Hmmph
, you don’t say…I thought that’s what it was…so you don’t have to pull it? It drives—on its own?”

“Yes, it does, all by its lonesome…uses gasoline. It’s efficient too.”

“A camper car, you say? Don’t think I’ve ever heard of one.”

Eddie stepped in front. “Oh yeah, they really exist. It’s got sleeping accommodations on the davenport in back.”

Torrance tried staring in the windows. “Does it have an icebox, cook stove, picnic table, and all that?”

“Oh yes, of course it does.”

“
Hmmm
…where can I find one of these?”

Eddie then started to walk Torrance to his car. “That’s just it. They went out of business the same year. Or at least that’s what I was told.”

“You’re not selling it are you? What’s it worth? Fifty bucks?”

“What? Me selling?
Hu hu
…oh nooo. They claim only one other’s ever been made. I found mine at an equipment salvage auction down at Portsmouth.”

Torrance opened the door to his car. “I never would’ve known…so this one makes one of two out there?”

“Well, yes…there’s got to be more out there, though. I just know it.”

“
Hmmph
, so ugly I like it. Keep your eyes out for me one, will you?”

Torrance hopped in his car and started it up, but before he took off, Eddie motioned for him to roll his window down. “So what kind of car’s this? Did someone steal stuff off it?”

“Oh no. It’s one of them military surplus vehicles left over from the war. Beats driving my own. So anyway, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Wait…I know you won’t say, but you think there’s a chance we can keep the baby? I mean, I don’t want to get my hopes up or anything.”

Torrance smiled. “No-no…I don’t want him. Got two of my own. Keep your hopes up. You never know.”

“So that’s it for now? I can just keep carrying on? You know, driving my car, with him inside, around town and all.”

As Torrance drove away, he yelled out his window. “I’ll drag my feet, so how’s that sound?”

“Sounds good, Mr. Constable! I mean Mr. Torrance—I mean Holt…
he-he
, yeah, I guess…don’t mind me…’bye!”

Just as Eddie stopped waving good-bye, he turned around, almost stepping over Chantain right behind him. “Excuse me…I didn’t see you.”

With Doll dangling from her arms, she blurted, “How in God’s name did you pull that off is what I want to know.”

Eddie stepped around her, so she stomped the ground. “Walk away from me, will you?!”

“I’m not walking away…we have to go, remember? Come on.”

She quickly caught up. “You didn’t find the baby at that shipwreck, did you? Admit it.” She stopped as he kept hobbling. “You’re a liar…what other crazy things you come up with while I was in the kitchen,
huh
? Anything else I don’t know,
huh
? Spit it out now or there’ll be hell to pay.”

Eddie opened the passenger door and regally invited her to climb inside, which she did. When he hopped in the other side, he spoke above the crying baby, “I don’t care what you say, I found him there…I’m not talking about it anymore. We’re late for church. What do you have to say about that?”

“Church comes once a week. Lost babies don’t. Why didn’t you tell him about the father’s note? Tell me that one,
huh
? That would’ve been the right thing to do, Mr. Smooth.”

Eddie cranked the key.
Kirpop, vroom vroom!

“Because I’d have to give up the only thing that belongs to the poor kid, that’s why. Anyone would pocket that thing the first time they got their hands on it.”

Chantain glared out the window. “Not the
gold
thing… I’m talking about the
note
.”

Eddie lunged for his shift knob. “You don’t want the child. Is that what all this means? Because if it is—”

“I never said that…I’m talking about the right thing to do. Don’t get mad about it.”

Eddie turned his car around. “In case you’re wondering, dear, that note and the
gold thing
weren’t supposed to be separated…anyone can see that. Why can’t you?”

Chantain kept looking out the window as they drove off in a big hurry. “It probably used to be a useless pocket
watch…yeah, that’s probably what it was. Someone took the innards out of a broken watch so they could put a cute little note in it to make it look special. Good God, Eddie. That’s how people are.”

Eddie hit the brakes at the edge of his driveway. “You know that’s all you think about, isn’t it? Money…and now it’s that gold thing. I bet that little wedding band I gave you on your finger doesn’t mean a thing ‘cause it’s not big enough, is it? Tell me! You want to know what I think? All I think about is how to save our marriage with a kid, while you’re thinking about throwing the baby out the window with the bath water. When he came along, it spoiled things didn’t it?
Didn’t it?
”

Chantain rolled her eyes. “That’s real flattering. Tell me some more. Real men don’t care about babies, so why should you?”

“I’ll tell you some more…it’s a good thing he
did
come along because I’m starting to think you
never
wanted kids. Now you blame
me
for something you never wanted.”

Chantain stomped the floorboard. “Shut up! You’re getting ridiculous. Damn you! You’re such a headache sometimes. Babies have got nothing to do with it…I’m caring for him right now, aren’t I? He’s someone else’s fun, mind you.”

Eddie drove out of his driveway and continued down the street. “Okay then, I’m laying this on the line. Do you want to be the only couple we know in Devil’s who winds up in divorce?
Huh
? Take your time answering then. I don’t care.”

“No…”

“Okay, then, neither do I…I don’t want to go through life in a black hole—by myself—living the courtship thing, woman after woman, acting like I’m twenty. If we can’t make it work, you might find us living like there’s no tomorrow.”

“Just drive, okay? I’ve had enough. We’ll be going through town…I don’t want everyone to see us this way. It’s a day of worship, remember?”

“Yes, good idea. I’ll drive…that’s what I’ll do, drive… I’m driving...need some fresh air. I think I’ll roll my window down…there, that’s better. I’m driving on a Sunday, to church, like everyone else. It’s a good day—for church.”

They both simmered down, but Eddie was left in the driver’s seat, feeling around his steering wheel like it was a big circle of ready-made remorse. In fact, he began feeling guiltier by the minute.

As they drove closer into town, more houses began to appear on both sides of the road. Eddie was lured to the passing landscape outside his window, for more austere reasons than simply driving or sightseeing into the outskirts of town. His glances saw nothing new or exciting really, except for the accumulating number of citizens walking along.

One could also see more about the community they belonged to as they drove along. The occupants slowly revealed more about themselves. They were entirely made up of families and children mixed with the elderly, dressed very nicely. Some of them loaded into their cars, while others simply walked down the clean, well-kept sidewalks. But their mostly silent unity became obvious as they were all headed in the same general direction toward downtown Devil’s.

Eddie periodically glanced at the growing numbers walking along the sidewalk, which seemed to help him gather peace for the moment after arguing. Breaking the silence was on his mind, so he glanced over to Chantain, noticing she hadn’t moved a muscle the whole time they were driving.

He coughed, “
Ahem
…looks like we’re just about there…I don’t want to carry this into a new church, soooo…we okay with each other?”

Chantain didn’t answer, so he continued, “Excuse me… you never told me where we’re going…where do I go?”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you? Just look outside and follow the people.”

“No, sweetheart, there’s a little more to it than that. Can you please tell me before we get into town?”

Chantain dropped her arm off the door rest like it weighed as much as a spade full of dirt. “Nine Ninety-Five Church Street…with all the rest of ’em…where else did you think it was?”

Eddie juggled his eyes back and forth between her and his driving. “Nine Ninety-Five Church? That’s all the way down church row—at the end. There’s no parking there.”

Chantain kept looking out the window, nibbling her nail. “And what’s wrong with that?”

Eddie glanced back and forth preposterously. “You don’t see? You don’t see the hang-up? We have to park on Main. Then we have to walk past everyone to get there. You ask what’s wrong with
that
?”

Chantain laid a lazy-looking set of eyes on him for the first time since they left. “You wanted to know, didn’t you? Besides, it’ll do you some good. You said you wanted to walk on that leg of yours—make it better.”

Eddie spat over his steering wheel, “
Psssss
…if one more thing goes wrong, I hope this isn’t it. Christ sake, you can sure pick’em.”

Eddie funneled into the traffic, turning right onto a sharp, down-sloping street, than smack-dab onto Main Street, finding a parking spot nearby where no other vehicle could park, except for perhaps a Pribil car. The triangular space looked a little chancy too, since it was right next to a fire hydrant.

Eddie turned off his key, resting his arms on top of the steering wheel. “Disgusting…look at everyone. It’s too busy… thank God we left late.”

“Don’t be smart, Eddie…let’s get going before all the church bells ring.”

Downtown Devil’s on a Sunday seemed like the place to be. Church Row’s attraction seemed so invisible, yet it had always been there. If someone didn’t know exactly what the area was famous for, he or she might say all of the people were going to a carnival or a big event that most everyone in town attended. It was captivating to see such a great unity of interest, but there were no carnival flags or music, nor were there balloons to guide their path along the way.

The only sign that led the entire parade funneling in from all directions was a street sign on the corner next to Main. It had been there for quite a while, rusting away from the ever-persistent work of the weather, from the looks of it. It sat on top of an old, galvanized pole with eerie red streaks of rust, streaming all the way down to its base.

The flimsy street sign contained the fading words “Church Street” for the time being. The letters used to be crispy white, but now, they were hardly readable.

Church Row was so crowded that driving in there with an automobile was impractical. People crowded in to prevent it. No problems surfaced for the people were tolerant of one another. They stepped along, keeping up with pedestrian traffic peacefully.