Operation Wolfe Cub: A Chilling Historical Thriller (THE TIME TO TELL Book 1) (48 page)

Eddie pressed it against his neck for a ridiculous reprise. “
Awh
, it’s got me! It’s alive! Help me, Doll!”

Doll poked his head out from where he was hiding under the bed. Excitement overwhelmed him so much, he rushed over to see the fascinating prank up close.

Eddie held it up. “This is what’s causing that ‘pop’ sound down, understand? You know,
pop!
”

Doll touched it and got his first handful of grease. He proceeded to wipe the sticky black stuff on his shirt when Eddie stopped him. “Oh no-no-no…don’t do that. It doesn’t come off your clothes. That’s called grease,
yuck
,
cockahh
... here, let me wipe it off for you.”

Eddie cleaned his hand off as Doll looked at the distributor cap and said, “
Kirpop!
”

“Yeah…
kirpop!
We won’t be doing that no more. You got it, boy. Maybe you’ll be a mechanic someday. What do you think about that?”

Doll inquisitively pronounced, “Mech—mechinananic?
Kirpop
mechanic.”

Eddie quickly made time by installing the new parts. He then wiped his hands. “
Welp
, all done now.”

Suddenly, the screen door to their home slammed shut with a loud crack, catching the Pribiling repair team’s undivided attention. Chantain stepped out in a hurry. In fact, by the time Eddie and Doll looked up, she had already made it down the stairs and was headed their way.

Eddie crawled out of the Pribil and started hobbling toward her, whispering, “What is she in such a hurry for?”

She walked right past him and on over to the Pribil. “Are the keys in it?”

“Well, aren’t you going to ask if I fixed it first?”

Chantain abruptly stopped at the sight of the birds on top of the camper car. She tried scaring them off with irritating hand gestures, but that didn’t do much good. They hardly looked convinced enough to even flutter their wings. “
Shoo
, get outta here!”

She turned to Eddie. “Well make them go away.”

Pique got the best of her, so she stepped back and glared. “No…why should I ask if you fixed it? You’ve been out here all day, haven’t you?”

She then glared back at the birds. “Why are those blackbirds on the car besides crapping out my garden berries all over it?”

“Oh, they’ve been hanging out with us…they’ll fly away as soon as you start it up. Don’t worry.”

Chantain looked puzzled. “You must have been feeding them my bird seed to keep them hanging around that way. Where’d you put my bag of seed?”

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. “No. They’re just hanging out. Your bag of bird seed’s still on the porch where you left it a week ago. Go look…knock yourself out.”

He pointed with his cane. “I see the bag from over here. The rats got into it and just about ate it all up.”

Chantain opened the driver’s door in a fuddle. “You and Doll have to cook your own supper…I’m late for John’s.”

“John’s? Oh, that’s right. You had me going. It’s Pastor McKoowey…‘Work,’ you mean.”

She slammed the door so hard the birds flew away immediately. As she fumbled with the keys, she yelled out her window, “Smells like grease in here. Better not get any on my nice, new dress. So nice of you to say good-bye.”

“New dress? I thought you were working, like cleaning.” He turned to Doll. “Oh, say bye to Mommy, Doll.”

“Bye!”

As they watched her speed off without a single backfire, Eddie looked down at Doll, who seemed a little sad and out of place. At the same time, Major came over to sit by the two of them. He nudged Doll’s hand before Doll got the hint. As he gave the dog a pet, he grabbed Eddie’s finger. “No,
kirpop
…she come back?”

“Yeah, no pop…yeah, she’ll be coming back soon…real soon, I hope.”

Eddie seemed mildly surprised that Doll was being so sad and clingy. “Well? The old car will run better now, eh? Now if we can just get the driver to run better for us too.”

As Chantain raced down the road, she caught the Johnsons off guard, pulling weeds. Julie poked her nose above her fence. “What’s going on ‘round here? My hearing okay or is that bubble thing of Eddie’s not backfirin’ anymore?”

Al squinted for a better look. “No…Eddie musta fixed it. He’s pretty good at that stuff if things is goin’ good. Kid must be doin’ good at the Coolidge house, how ‘bout that? He found parts f’r that thing too.”

Julie replied, “They make parts for it?”

“Yeah, reckon so.”

Eddie still stood in the same place back at his home after Chantain left. After realizing time was wasting, he picked up
his deflated smile and put on a whole new face. “I’m going in, Doll. Want something to eat, big boy?”

Doll sagged, then sat on the ground and picked at his spinning top with his fingernail.

Eddie couldn’t hide his concerns: “Okay, then, I know what you mean. You can stay outside a while longer…you gotta eat more, so think about it while I’m in the house. You wanna be a big man someday, don’t you?”

Doll pretended not to hear. Concerned still, Eddie turned back from the porch before going inside. “Don’t venture out too far, okay? Keep your chin up. She hasn’t been gone that long yet.”

He quickly stepped inside his home but stopped, as if he was expecting something. Nothing came to greet him except the quietness of the living room with the window shades pulled down. Slowly, he opened them up one at a time. Loneliness must have crept inside the door with him, for he squeezed his arms insecurely. Surprisingly, he invited the feeling of it as he stood still, taking in the sole sense of quietness that had taken control of his home.

Other small noises he normally wasn’t aware of slowly revealed themselves. Soon enough, they let him know he wasn’t alone. He turned to the grandfather clock for a moment, just to listen to it tick among other things. A glance carried him across the living room through the partial light cast through the windows, shedding rays on the empty furnishings from corner to corner. For the moment, he looked as if he wanted to speak, but he awakened himself from the fact that the emptiness he saw couldn’t speak back.

Thereafter, he broke out of his loneliness, like the snap of a finger. He looked around as if all he needed to do was create a little self-made company to share his quiet home. There in plain sight before him, he found it. He hobbled over, turned on his cabinet radio and made his way into to the kitchen as he had planned.

The sink was his first stop, offering him the convenience of a quick hand-washing. Just a few seconds had gone by when he impatiently waited for the radio to come on. Finally, it did. The old, glass tubes did their thing, relieving at least some of the quietness that surrounded him.

The current song on the radio improved his mood immensely. He waltzed with the music as he reached for a towel to dry his hands. Playfully, he opened his icebox to take a look inside. What he saw didn’t offer much in the way of new food at all. In front were bottles of milk, condiments, glass jars, a block of butter on a chipped saucer, raw bacon wrapped in paper, and a bowl of eggs. He reached through and into the far back where he gently pulled out two bowls filled with dried out leftovers. His appetite slowed down a bit when he saw that one bowl had cold fried chicken in it. A quick glance into the other bowl told a similar story of stale macaroni salad. He touched it while muttering, “Supper is served, I guess.”

It was what it was, so he took his food to the table along with his failing appetite. The utensils he pulled from a drawer, so he made the best of it by stirring a little life back into the salad just as a news flash came on the radio:

“—JDVL is bringing you more up-to-date news regarding the war in Germany. More details were released regarding advanced technologies found since their surrender
.

“New problems appear to be breaking out by the day. It’s now confirmed that the United States and Russia are in a political fist fight as to which country gets to take the technology away from occupied Germany. A technological tragedy appears to be in the making
.

“According to both countries, they will end up with part of the Germans’ top secret developments. Questions remain about just how useful Germany’s secret weaponry and advanced aeronautical rocket developments can be, if such technology can be salvaged separately—”

Eddie listened intently as he took his plate of leftovers into the living room. As he sat down next to the radio, he glanced through the windows, not really noticing that Doll was playing with the blackbirds.

“—even though the United States government hasn’t admitted, they acknowledge that agreements were satisfied with the unusual case of dividing up the advanced equipment and materials
.

“U.S. officials admit that they managed to seize the lion’s share of the technologies and materials. An unconfirmed source also said that those who were involved in the actual removal of the seized equipment and materials, witnessed more than just advanced rocketry. Integral parts to them said to be missing, they say. Get this, folks…one source, acting anonymously, claimed to have actually seen parts and pieces of flying disc spacecraft and complete saucer-type spacecraft that looked like they could fly.”

Eddie nearly choked on his food. He put down his plate, then turned up the volume.

“—an unconfirmed witness said he helped transport actual saucers, which were concealed in tarps and wooden-framed bins to conceal their shapes. Massive transports are underway and back to the United States, where he presumes they will undergo further studies
.

“Military confiscation efforts also wound up with most of the highly sought-after German engineering scientists as well. Some of these scientists captured were in underground facilities in undisclosed areas where the United States got to them first. The scientists voluntarily surrendered while others committed suicide
.

“And now—here’s a nationwide story as promised, which we linked to our exclusive news brought to you by—Wars of the World. World famous aeronautical engineer, Roy Fedden, associated with Cosmos Engineering from Bristol, made a visit to the United States on a separate account. Sir Roy Fedden, Chief of the Technical Mission to
Germany for the Ministry of Aircraft Production, was asked to comment on wild, fictitious claims of advanced developments in warfare with the Germans. Here’s his quote:

“‘I have seen enough of their designs and production plans to realize that if they (the Germans) had managed to prolong the war some months longer, we would have been confronted with a set of entirely new and deadly developments in air warfare
³⁶
.
’

“Mr. Fedden also made unconfirmed comments afterward that the only craft that could approach the capabilities attributed to flying saucers were those being designed by the Germans toward the end of the war. Mr. Fedden also added that the Germans were working on a number of very unusual aeronautical projects, though he did not elaborate on his statement.”

Eddie muttered, “I don’t believe it.”

“—big questions remain. Can we make use of these new discoveries and just what were those other unusual projects Mr. Fedden failed to elaborate on? We continue to bring you more up-to-date news from JDVL—”

Click
.

Eddie turned the radio off, muttering, “Al was right… that four-eyed—I’ve gotta call my dad.”

He hobbled into the kitchen for the phone, where he fumbled with the receiver. After dialing, he stared at the wall and waited. “Son of a—pick up…hello operator? Put me through to Las Vegas, Nevada. Cambrin and Gayla Coolidge, please.”

Gayla:“Hello, Coolidge residence. This is Gayla.”

Eddie:“Hello, Mom? This is Eddie.”

Gayla:“My, oh my, Eddieeee. How are you, son?”

Eddie:“I’m fine. Good to hear from you. Sorry for cutting you short, but let me speak to Dad, please.”

Gayla:“Slow down. I haven’t heard you in so long…what’s wrong?”

Eddie:“Nothing’s wrong. I just heard something on the radio, and I want to see if Dad’s heard anything down at the Army Air Corps Gunnery School.
³⁷
He’s still one of the janitors, isn’t he?”

Gayla:“Yes, I don’t think I could ever talk Cambrin into transferring. Hold on, I’ll go get him.”

Cambrin: “Hello, Son. How’s that new kid-a-yours?”

Eddie:“Doll’s fine…how’re things in Las Vegas over there?”

Cambrin: “Things are going downhill here ever since hotel investors started building the Vegas Strip three or four years ago. Gambling’s becoming a legitimate business here. Did you know that?”

Eddie:“Gambling? What’s next?”

Cambrin: “What’s next? Haven’t you heard? Gangsters coming in here by the shitloads…you heard-a-that hood named…what name was it…can’t think. Oh, you heard ‘o Bugsy Siegel?”

Eddie:“No…never heard of him. Say, Dad. I was wondering. Can you tell me—?”

Cambrin: “Oh well, it doesn’t matter who Bugsy is. Whoever allowed gambling here should be taken out the back and shot. You watch. They’re going to allow gambling everywhere before we know it.”

Eddie:“That can’t happen.
Um
, Dad. Gambling’s not what I called about—”

Cambrin: “It’s not that. It’s all the other shit that goes with it…prostitution, booze, gangsters, you name it, gambling has
it…people pissing on the streets. Cats and dogs together, shitt’n on fire hydrants.”

Eddie:“Maybe that’s why the government let it go out there to Nevada then?”

Cambrin: “I don’t trust the government Commies. May as well throw us to the dogs or leave us for dead. May as well gamble in California or Florida. Hell, why not the whole damn country starting casinos every town coming. Rat-infested places are gonna spread like the plague. I mean it.”

Eddie:“You’re funny. Speaking of going to the dogs, your job’s hanging in there, I take?”

Cambrin: “How’d you guess? There’s talk about the Gunnery School being closed September, next month.”

Eddie:“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way.”

Cambrin: “That’s all right. They said I might be outta work temporarily, but they’re going to try and keep me working on odd jobs. Maybe a caretaker. What y’ calling about?”