Operation Wolfe Cub: A Chilling Historical Thriller (THE TIME TO TELL Book 1) (53 page)

Eddie:“Okayyyy, so what can they do with it?”

Cambrin: “That’s what I’m sayin’. They can’t test it if they can’t identify it.”

Eddie:“
Hmmm
.”

Cambrin: “Then I knew I had to get outta there when he said Geronimo’s involved with it.”

Eddie:“Geronimo? Dad, you’ve been reading those western magazines I sent you. You like ’em?”

Cambrin: “Oh, sure I do. Can’t say it does much for my remembering all the things these guys said, though.”

Eddie:“You said, ‘anything’ didn’t you?”

Cambrin: “I did, and for whatever reason that’s the word he used. He went off on something else like oscillations through gases, plasma, and liquids, solids—
err, uh
longitudinal,
um
—transverse.”

Eddie:“Okay, okay. So they can’t find out what it was made of besides gold?”

Cambrin: “They didn’t know. Thought I said that. Anyways, they got more confusing if you can believe.”

Eddie:“So there’s more? Listen, I have to go right now, Dad, because—”

Cambrin: “Physical stuff in the universe mixes with mediums. Mediums, I guess, periodically displace waves or frequency for whatever. Periodically—like it happens every so often.”

Eddie:“Dad, I gotta—”

Cambrin: “The other lab guy that got involved said your mystery gold challenges anything in existence…that’s why I said ‘anything.’ I didn’t make that up.”

Eddie:“You sure they’re not overeducated? I bet they were bored too.”

Cambrin: “Yeah, no shit. So why you in such a hurry to leave your dad?”

Eddie:“It’s not you. I’ve got to tend to Doll and things right now, and—”

Cambrin: “Oh, good then. I can tell you more if you like. Another lab guy kept rambling how impressed they were with mumbo jumbo about acoustics of noise, pressure levels of sound, and their formulas of root-mean-square…the letter
p
…logarithmic decibel scales—”

Eddie:“Wait, Dad, I think I—”

Cambrin: “You ain’t heard nothing yet...how ‘bout velocity vectors, frequency, wavelength, amplitudes, intensities, polar bears—
err, uh polarization
, or whatever they said the stuff was.”

Eddie:“Okay, okay, I got it. I got it. That’s enough for now. I—”

Cambrin: “Oh, you too? I could hardly wait to get out of there myself. Sounded like a pissing contest if you ask me.”

Eddie:“Sorry for putting you through it. Sooo—”

Cambrin: “You know, I can’t believe it…got some of the best brains in the world working here, and they can’t figure out their own heads from a hole in the ground.”

Eddie:“
Mmm-hmm
…won’t be the first time. What did you do with the piece of chain?”

Cambrin: “Nothing left of it. One-a-them asked if he could get a hold of some more. I said there was no more.”

Eddie:“That’s fine…I hope you get to keep your job.”

Cambrin: “Oh, me too. I’ll find work around here no matter what, I suppose…oops, I can hear Gayla calling. Hey, thanks for hangin’ out with your dad on the phone a little longer.”

Eddie:“No problem, talk to you later, love you and goodbye. Tell Mom I love her too.”

Cambrin: “Lots-a-love here. I sure will and take care-a-that new kid.”

Eddie:“I will and thanks.”

Eddie heard his father hang up. He looked at his receiver then hung up, pausing. He was taken aback, but not for long. Reminders caused him to follow up with a grin. Immediately, he picked up his cane and hobbled down the hallway to his bedroom, where he patiently dialed the combination to his safe. Then, without a hitch, he clicked open the heavy door to sneak a peek at what he was thinking about.

There it was, just as shiny as the day he put it there. Doll’s medallion lay inside, breathing freely from its sheltered halfton box of darkness. Oh, but now it gleamed right along with Eddie’s proud, curious smile. The light of the window amplified its glorious presence. Until then, it seemingly insulated itself quite well from impenetrable forces roaming just outside. Coincidentally, a small gray cloud nearby expelled what little bit of cover it had, quickly dissipating without a single soul, including Eddie, noticing. He was preoccupied with seeing Doll’s medallion for the first time since he had locked it up in there.

He looked at his other personal items scattered around in the safe too: his military-issue Colt .45, a Purple Heart medal, his discharge papers, a couple of cigar boxes of photographs, a quart jar of cash, and a few other miscellaneous items. He touched and felt each item one at a time, yet repeatedly he came right back to Doll’s medallion without picking it up. Finally, he did. He caressed it, feeling how smooth it was, yet so sharp around the star’s edges. Its craftsmanship and design kept him immensely intrigued.

As he continued to admire it, a very coy, young little voice came up from behind. “What you doing, Daddy?”

Instantly, he dropped the medallion back into the safe, closing the door. “Oh, nothing. You startled me. I was just looking at some of our
uh
…family things. That’s all.”

Doll stepped inside the bedroom, pointing. “The big black thing? What’s it for?”

“Oh, it’s called a safe…want to see? It opens with this here handle. See this dial with the numbers? It’s called a ‘combination lock.’ Nobody gets in. See, all locked up. Everything is all safe now.”

Doll stepped right up to it. “Safe?”

Eddie tugged on the big brass handle, making sure it wouldn’t open. “Why, yes…sooo, want something to eat? I see you got your blue star pajamas on.”

“No. Not hungry.”

Eddie crouched down. “Oh, Doll…I’m concerned about you. You’ve got to eat more. You want to grow up and be a big man someday, don’t you?”

“Not hungry…I’m sleepy.”

“You haven’t been getting any sleep lately either, have you? Is that why you don’t like to eat before bed?”

Doll smiled, but his smile soon faded to a frown. “
Um
Daddy? Is okay Major goes to bed?”

“Well, I think he’s already in bed…oh, you mean
your
bed—with you again like last night?”

“Yes.”

“Of course, Doll. I think he’d sleep with you every night if you let him. Why you ask anyway?”

Doll lowered his head. “Oh—
um
.”

“Speak clear…you know what I said about talking. So why is the dog sleeping so much with you lately?”

Doll kept looking at the floor. “A thing…it bothers me… when I sleep.”

Eddie looked mildly concerned. He carefully sat down on the side of bed, thinking. He didn’t rightfully know what to say, so he offered his open arms. “I see…come jump in my lap and give me a hug…I heard you a few nights ago. You whimper sometimes. Did you know that?”

Doll shook his head, brushing the sniffles from his nose as Eddie continued, “You know…every time I come to your room, you always look too comfortable for me to wake you up,
so I let you sleep.
Hmmm
, you know what it’s called that you have? They’re called ‘bad dreams’ or ‘nightmares’…sure wish Chantain would step up to the plate and help out with you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing. Daddy’s here…I’m here. Mommy’s just going to be busy working all the time, that’s all…so remember, they’re just dreams.”

“They bother me. I want them to go away.”

“They don’t come all the time, do they?”

“No.”

Eddie kept rocking him on his lap. “
Whew
, let me see… how can I make you feel better…
hmmm
, I know. Didn’t you tell me you saw something in your dreams? Tell me what it is. What did you see exactly?”

Doll hid his face in Eddie’s shirt. “Dog dreams.”

Eddie grabbed Doll’s shoulders. “A dog? Did he hurt you?”

“No.”

“There now…you see? He’s like Major.”

Doll began rubbing his eyes. “
Um
…no.”

“No? What do you mean?”

“He’s bigger Major.” Eddie leaned back to look him in the eyes. Then he gazed beyond him and out through the window. Carefully, he asked, “Bigger than Major? How much bigger? Have you ever seen a dog bigger than Major before?”

“No…he’s way bigger.”

“How much bigger?”

“It doesn’t want to show me…oh, and blue eyes.”

“
Ahem
…oh, Doll, dogs don’t get much bigger than Major. It’s your imagination. Your little brain up there is playing tricks in your sleep, so trust me…it won’t bother you if you don’t think too much.”

He kept on, “Tell you what…big strong Daddy says you’re safe—like that safe right there. I was a boy once—like you. I
know what I’m saying, so here’s what you can do...just think of Daddy being there with you, and you’ll be okay—okay?”

Doll halfheartedly nodded as Eddie gently slid him off his lap. While playfully ruffling his hair into a mess, he said, “Good. As long as you know that—Daddy’s always there with you.”

“Daddy? Really? In my dreams?”

“Sure. Daddy’s in your dreams…go on now. Get to bed. I’ve got to get my head straight with Mommy…I think I’m not doing so well with her.”

“Mommy? She okay?”

“It’s nothing…just grown-up stuff…you’ve got better things to think about. It’s getting late, so shove off to bed, okay?”

Doll smiled. “Wow, Daddy in my dreams.”

Eddie nudged him along. “Okay, Champ…my big ballplayer star. Start exercising those tiny legs so you can eat big tomorrow. You do that for me?”

“
Ummm
, okay.”

“Go on…I’ll be right behind you to tuck you in…call Major and see who wins this time.”

Doll nodded then spun out into the hallway. “Here, Major!”

After the both of them went to bed and wrestled around with the covers, Doll peeked out at the top of the bed. Major eventually grappled with leaning against the footboard. The minor sense of good times before bed seemed to end—but then again, maybe not. Something else was brewing. Doll held all the clues through his anxious expression. Something bigger was brewing all right and nobody could have guessed.

Doll hung tight in the covers of his dark bedroom, while keeping a sharp eye toward the little bit of light streaming in from the hallway. Total silence crept on for almost a minute as something childishly great was about to begin. Just like the live set of a haunted house horror scene, it started with
a single creak from some far off, distant door. It sounded so creepy it even raised the hair on Major’s back. Doll looked as if he were expecting something. Then from a distance, came the sound of some wild concoction, destined to grow more sinister by the second.

Eddie playing the part of anyone’s fool, was the ghoul, creeping up with a whole host of jokes mixed in with passions of good, old-fashioned fear. He couldn’t be seen and that was the point. The first big bulk of his hidden presence started off with a good dose of shock.

Whammm!

The clobbering thump sounded more like the dropping of someone’s quality, heavy-grade bowling ball, but Doll didn’t care. He screamed as he ditched under his covers in smiles. The blankets he hid under tried to stay still, but they wouldn’t stop shaking. Frankly, it was hard to tell if the poor boy was truly scared, or over excited. Either way, he put up a good show of being scared in his planned deathbed, with nowhere to go.

Joke or not, Major wanted no part of it. The jig was up as far as he was concerned, so he backed up against the foot-board, looking utterly disgusted. If anyone understood his growls, they might have said that Major was fed up with such a silly act done too many times. Dogs may have an extra sense, but according to Major’s extra sense, Eddie didn’t make any sense at all. He even glared at Doll as if he were shocked any human could fall for such a thing every night.

Doll peeked out of his covers, expecting to see more, and he got more. Special effects of shadows loomed out in the hallway in no time and apparently right on schedule, getting larger by the second. The man in the hallway was the one behind the scenes, playing with those black figurines climbing all over the walls. Shadows from hell they were, distorted and overdone.

Doll ditched under the covers again as the tickling terror played out with a tremendously slow thrill of anticipation.

Eddie notched it up a bit with botched sound effects that lingered in two directions. In all truthfulness, he sounded as if he couldn’t make up his mind whether he wanted to be a dumb mummy with a bum foot, or a pathetic pirate dragging a wooden leg. Either way, he was a lame copy of an Eddiezombie, dragging his cane.

Doll lay waiting, expecting every second of Eddie’s draconian dragnet, which was just a few feet from Doll’s bedroom door by then.

Eerrrrrr, grrrrrr
.
Kirpunk-skid-draaag
.

“Here I come.”

Kirpunk-draaag-skid
.

“Pegleg’s comin’ to get you, Dolll.”

Hack-gag….eerrrrr. Kirpunk-drag
.

“I’m going to crush youuu
…
bones-n-your bodyyyy.”

Kirpunk. Eerrrrraaaaaah. Eerrrrraaaahahaha
.

“
Awwwh!
”

Doll screamed during the climax, but right when the spoof horror show should have peaked, nothing happened. It ended in a dud of silence. Just like a bomb before the blast that lost its fuse. Doll screamed beneath his covers again.

Eddie quietly stepped into Doll’s doorway with nothing more to hide. Just like that, his groaning ghoul traded places with the stand-up kind of a guy named Eddie. “My gosh, what was that in the hallway? You guys are fast. Who won this time?”

Doll laughed uncontrollably. While gathering his head and arms out of his covers, he pointed down to Major who was still utterly unentertained.

Eddie chuckled as he hobbled closer, “Well, maybe I should try a three-legged vampire next time. Hey, how about Mr. Dracula? Yeah, Dracula with a stiff leg.”

He swiftly straightened Doll’s covers and good-humoredly tucked him in bed. “Boy—took me a while to wrestle that monster in the hallway. Did you see him escape?”

Doll giggled as Eddie continued, “I saved you, though, didn’t I? Oh, come on, you know what to do next. It’s bedtime. Game over for the night, big guy.”