The Philatelist. D.H. Coop

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ this when Carlene stopped at the table and stared at him in a strange way. “Ed, this may be forward of me,” she said, “but I don’t care. I like you, and I think you like me so why don’t we go out some night?”

      Carlene was not tall, and her figure looked attractive, even in the pink waitress dress that clashed with her red dyed hair and bright ruby-red nails. Trying to hide his shock, Ed stumbled over his words as he responded, “Carlene, I would very much like to take you out on a date. How about tomorrow night?”

      “That would be fine with me, Ed. I am glad I broke the ice! You can pick me up at seven. Here is the address. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

      “Great, we can go over to Chico and dance at that country western club by the college…if that’s okay with you.”

      “That is wonderful! I love to dance,” Carlene said as Ed walked toward the door. Her eyes followed him as he crossed the street and got into his car. She wondered what Ed would wear…surely not his normal old clothes.

      The drive home was short and lonely out on Bangor Highway to Ed’s ten acres. By the time he pulled into the drive of his home, the daylight was almost gone, and shadows were cast about the yard. Walking up to his door, he was met by two men in dark-blue suits, who appeared out of the shadows. One was tall, and the other quite short. After the initial shock of seeing them come out of nowhere, Ed relaxed a little bit. They looked official—not like the kind to cause trouble.

      “Who the hell are you guys?” asked Ed.

      “Are you the owner of the coin store in town?” the taller man, asked ignoring Ed’s question.

      “Yes, I am,” replied Ed. “And who are you?”

      “Did Stan Larson sell you a stamp album earlier today?” asked the shorter man, again ignoring Ed’s question.

      “Who wants to know?” asked Ed suspiciously, wondering what Stan had gotten him into with the album.

      “Just answer the question,” replied the taller man, again in a forceful tone, which caused Ed to take a step back.

      “Yes, and I paid a fair price too,” Ed said defensively. “Listen, you guys, I do not know who you are or what this is about. But I’m not going to stand here and talk with you about this any longer until I see some identification.”

      The taller man produced a black leather case from his inside coat pocket and held it out to Ed. As Ed stepped forward to take a look at the wallet, he didn’t notice the smaller man’s move. The pain was brief…and then the darkness came.

      Chapter 6

      Connecticut Tercentenary—issued April 26, 1935

      When Sir Edmund Andros, under the authority of King James, attempted to seize the charter of the Connecticut colony, the colonists took the charter into the woods and hid it in an old oak tree for two years until Andros was recalled. Franklin Delano Roosevelt suggested the “rich lilac” color.

      August 3, 2001, at 6:45 a.m.—Oroville, California

      As the assistant manager, Carlene was training a new waitress on the fine art of waitress shorthand when she was interrupted.

      “Hey, Carlene,” called one of the regular morning customers.

      “What do you want Ralph?” asked Carlene irritably. “Don’t you see that I’m busy?”

      “Have you seen the paper? It is about Ed. You know, Ed Hegel.” Ralph was insistent and pushed the paper toward Carlene. She picked it up and put her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream as she collapsed to the floor. The local newspaper headline read:

      COIN DEALER MURDERED AND ROBBED

      Local coin dealer Ed Hegel was found murdered at his home late last night. A neighbor’s dog was barking for an unusual length of time, and the neighbor went to investigate. He found Mr. Hegel’s body lying outside around 11:00 p.m. It is believed that he was killed during a robbery attempt at his home, which had been burglarized. The killer or killers used Mr. Hegel’s keys to enter and rob his coin store. The store was unlocked, and the keys were left in the alarm in the off position. The sheriff’s department will not comment, but inside sources report that they have no leads at this time.

      On page 2 the following story was reported:

      Local Homeowner Falls Downstairs

      Stan Larson, local real estate agent and landlord, died yesterday. Mr. Larson apparently fell down his basement staircase and broke his neck. He was found by a friend. Funeral arrangements are pending.

      On page 8, the obituary column listed:

      Heidi Miller, born in Germany in 1920, was discovered dead at her home yesterday afternoon by Stan Larson, her landlord. She had no known relatives. Ms. Miller escaped from a Nazi concentration camp in 1938 before fleeing to the United States. She had lived in Oroville since 1946. Cause of death is unknown but is presumed to be heart failure.

      Chapter 7

      Shield Bearer—issued March 3, 1937

      German Shield Bearers were formed to train civilians for protection from air raids.

      March 17, 1945, at 2:45 a.m.—off the coast of Santa Barbara, California

      The U-Boat broke the gentle, rolling surface of the sea in the moonless night with only a slight offshore breeze. The swells made a rhythmic slapping sound against the U-Boat’s low silhouette. It would be difficult to distinguish the boat from either sea or shore, even if there were a moon out. Before the seawater had drained off the hull, men silently began to emerge from the interior of the vessel. Each man moved quickly to his assigned station without the need for spoken orders. Lookouts scanned the black sky and dark horizon for the sight of any enemy who might have noticed their metal sea monster. Should they give the alarm, the men would go scurrying back into the hatches and slip quickly and silently back into the depths of the sea from which they had come.

      After a few minutes, the only sound that could be heard was that of the waves breaking on the distant shoreline. They had surfaced close enough to the beach to hear the surf breaking on the sand and rocks of the Santa Barbara coastline. As they slowly moved toward the land, the sound grew perceptibly louder. With no moon in the cloudless sky to give away their position, the men sat confidently, as though the war was theirs to win.

      The kapitän climbed up the ladder to the top of the con and drew a long, deep breath of fresh Pacific Ocean air, enjoying the refreshing bite of the breeze in the early hours of the morning. No matter how often or how long at sea, he never grew tired of the smell of the ocean and its refreshing bite of air in the early morning hours. With a keen eye, he scanned the deck, inspecting his crew. Then he leaned forward on the gray metal railing and allowed his thoughts to wander, satisfied that everything was in order, as always. His thoughts wondered over the events of the past few weeks and the momentous journey they had just completed. Would this change the outcome of the war?

      Chapter СКАЧАТЬ