The Childish Churl (A Nick Williams Mystery Book 15)

by Frank W. Butterfield

  He looked at me. "Will they leave today these children?"

  I stepped out into the hall and pulled the door closed behind me. "I'm afraid so."

  He pursed his lips. "I had forgotten the sound of the child. It makes me very happy."

  I put my hand on his shoulder and nodded without saying anything. After a moment, he said, "I will go."

  I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Gustav."

  . . .

  About ten minutes later, Carter had joined us and was reading from one of Janet's books. He was sitting on the sofa and had little Mike on his lap. Ronnie and Johnny were on either other side of him, with his arms around both of them.

  The story was all about some rabbits and an adventure they were on. Ronnie was watching Tricia, who was still sitting in Marnie's lap and had decided to start sucking her thumb. He seemed concerned about that.

  Captain Cross was sitting at attention in one of the chairs by the sofa and taking the whole thing in.

  There was a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it. Colonel Houghton was standing there. His coat was on but not buttoned. He looked worried. Crooking his finger at me, he whispered, "May I have a word?"

  I nodded, stepped out into the hallway, and closed the door behind me. Pulling me away from the door and towards our bedroom, the colonel said, "We just got word from Lackland. There are no next of kin. Mrs. Chapman was an orphan. Major Chapman's parents are deceased. His two brothers died in the war." To his credit, the man looked as though he was about to tear up.

  I said, "I bet there's no Army procedure that covers this."

  He shook his head. "No, son, there isn't." He ran his hand over the back of his neck. "Do you know anyone, a married couple, who could take the children in until the welfare folks can sort things out?"

  I crossed my arms and asked, "I don't suppose they can stay with us? There are eight of us who live here, including the staff. That's more than enough to care for four kids. We have lots of rooms and can provide for whatever they need."

  The colonel swallowed hard. He very tentatively put his hand on my arm and said, "Son, believe me when I tell you our aim today was to come in here and rescue these kids from..." He stopped and frowned slightly. "Well, you know what I mean."

  I nodded.

  "From what I've seen today, I can't imagine a better place for these kids to live. But, we have to work with the law and there's no way the State of California would allow this. Or no way that I can imagine." He grimaced. "Not to mention what would happen if the Examiner got hold of this story."

  "Yeah. And it's not just the Examiner, to be fair to them."

  "So, I hope you understand I would let them stay here, if I thought it wouldn't end badly for not just you, but for the children."

  I tried to smile to help him feel better. "I know, Colonel. And I appreciate that." I took a deep breath. "I have an idea of who might be just right for this job. I need to talk to Mrs. LeBeau, who is in there. If you don't mind helping Carter out—"

  "Carter?"

  "Mr. Jones. He lives here too."

  The colonel nodded. "Oh, yes. Big fellow?"

  I smiled. "That's him."

  He pulled off his coat again. "I think I can help keep the little rascals happy for a few minutes."

  As we walked towards the door to the TV room, I patted the colonel on the back. "Looks like you and me have both fallen in love."

  He turned and looked up at me in surprise.

  "With these kids," I added.

  He grinned and nodded. "You got that right, son."

  . . .

  We were all standing in the office. Marnie and Alex, his parents, Mr. Veladier, and Lettie. I knew better than not to invite my stepmother. And Mr. Veladier had just followed us in.

  I briefly explained the story of who the kids were and how they'd ended up in the house. When I was done, I said, "There are no next of kin. The Army won't be sending them back to San Antonio. They'll be staying in San Francisco. Of course, they can't stay at the base. So, Colonel Houghton,"—I looked at Lettie—"who is a very good guy, asked if I knew of anyone who would be able to take in all four children." I looked at Marnie and Alex. "A married couple."

  Mrs. LeBeau, Alex's mother, clapped her hands and said, "Oh—" She stopped as soon as her husband said something to her in French. She nodded and clasped her hands in front of herself.

  "Marnie, you know you would have all sorts of help, as much as you need. Alex, you know we'll do whatever we can to help. You two won't be in this alone. But,"—I looked at Marnie—"you won't be able to work. You'll still get your salary, of course."

  She was white as a sheet. For once, I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

  Before anyone could say anything, Lettie looked at me. "Has anyone fed these people?"

  I said, "We gave the kids—"

  "I mean the colonel and the captain?"

  I shook my head. "No."

  Mr. Veladier stepped forward. "I have been somewhat intrusive in this conversation, perhaps, but I am very fond of my friends,"—he looked at Alex's parents—"and wish only the best for them." He walked over to Marnie and kissed her warmly on both cheeks. "My dear, I know you will make the best decision. You and dear Alex. In the meantime, I will make myself useful and go speak with La ZaZa about making something very special for the officers."

  As Mr. Veladier walked out the door, Marnie laughed and said, "I can never remember that name for your cook, Nick."

  I nodded. "I always forget it, too, until someone like Mr. Veladier reminds me she was once the most famous cook in Paris."

  Lettie said to Alex's parents. "Why don't we let Alex and Marnie discuss this alone?"

  They both nodded and followed her out the door. Mrs. LeBeau looked over her shoulder hopefully at Marnie as they walked by.

  Once they were gone, I looked at both of them. "What do you think?"

  Alex put his hands in his coat pockets and shrugged. "We never really planned to have kids. We're both in our 30s. It seems a little late to take on four all at once."

  I nodded. He had a point.

  Marnie walked over to the display case with all the planes. She looked down and laughed. "I get it. A lipstick case for the building." She turned to me. "Carter must have come up with that."

  I nodded. "The whole thing is his idea."

  She nodded and walked over to Alex. "We really don't know what this will be like, do we?"

  He nodded and asked, "What do you want?"

  She sighed. "I don't know."

  "They’re up in the TV room," I said. "Why don't you go spend some time with them and see what happens?"

  Marnie nodded as Alex hugged her.

  Chapter 25

  1198 Sacramento Street

  Saturday, October 15, 1955

  Half past 3 in the afternoon

  As I bit into a piece of wedding cake, I asked, "What did you find out about Alicia Grossman?"

  Mike and I were standing outside. The drizzle had stopped and the sky was clearing a bit. It was cool, but I wanted to get some fresh air.

  The party was still in full force. And Marnie and Alex had been up with the kids for a while by that point. Louise was changing clothes up in the Rose Room while Ed was in our room, taking a shower and changing clothes as well. Their flight was going to leave at 5 for Chattanooga. Ed had told me he still hadn't told her where they were going. I was only surprised Captain Morris had agreed to fly the plane in the dark. When I mentioned it, Ed said something about a new radar being installed. That was news to me.

  Mike, who was drinking a glass of Burgie, said, "I tracked her down." He grinned. "She was at Anita's. Apparently, Alicia took the Key train back over the bridge this morning. They went for a drive through the park and were having lunch at Anita's place."

  I sighed. "Well, there's something good that's come of all this."

  Mike took a drink. "I guess. We still don't know who killed her father."

  "Have you tal
ked to anyone over at the Mission station?"

  He nodded. "I called Sergeant Bullston. He finally told me where the man had been murdered."

  "Where?" I asked as I had another bite of cake.

  "On a bench in Mission Park, on the Dolores Street side."

  "That's odd. Has there been anything in the papers about it?"

  Mike shook his head. "No, and the reason it's been kept quiet has to do with national security."

  "Are the F.B.I. in on it?"

  He shrugged. "I don't know. I could only get bits and pieces from Bullston. He warned me, again, about staying clear."

  I nodded and thought for a moment. "What do you think of Mr. Whitcombe?" Through the windows, I could see him talking with Mr. Veladier again.

  Mike shrugged. "I thought he was too good to be true but he's the real deal, alright. Walter dug up all sorts of stuff on the man. He's a lord but his brother owns the family estate. Whitcombe has done well in the stock market, on his own, and he's considered an expert in currency trading. Apparently, he makes money on it. I didn't know anyone did that."

  I shrugged. "Me, neither."

  "He's always been working for some form of British intelligence, going back to the first world war when he was able to infiltrate the German command. He speaks about six languages fluently and twenty or so well enough to get by."

  I was impressed. "Any chance he's involved in Grossman's murder? Or was the fact of all of them being on that flight together just a coincidence?"

  Mike shrugged. "Walter seems to think Grossman's murder is connected to the bomb. He doesn't have any proof."

  "Where's Walter?"

  Mike grinned. "He and Howie were here for about an hour. They left after the toasts. I'm surprised you didn't see them. I saw Howie talking with your father about something very interesting to both of them. I have no idea what that was about. Did you see Henry and Robert?"

  I nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, but I never got to talk to them." I was still thinking about Whitcombe. "What do you think about hiring Mrs. Dewey?"

  "Let's do it. I've already talked to Jensen, Ballard, Nichols, and Redfern about keeping an eye on her."

  "I don't know who any of those people are."

  Mike grinned. "Jensen was working for Carter and now works under Sam. Ballard and Nichols are a couple and they moved here after being fired by the Dallas police. Redfern moved here from Boise. He's an odd duck but he's growing on me."

  "How so?"

  "You've seen him. He wears a pointy Van Dyke beard, has bright red hair, and is always dressed like a college professor."

  "And he's from Boise?"

  "I think he's been spending his nights in North Beach with that Beat crowd. I keep expecting him to come to work dressed all in black."

  I laughed at that.

  . . .

  By 4, the party had thinned out a bit. But most everyone was waiting for the bride and groom to come down. Kenneth was driving them to the airport in Carter's Mercury.

  I kept wanting to go up and check on how things were unfolding in the TV room, but I decided to keep my nose out of it. Carter, for his part, was still up there as far as I could tell.

  There was a bit of a commotion at the top of the stairs and the guests all surged into the hall. Instead of it being Louise and Ed, it was Marnie leading Tricia by the hand, to the coos of the crowd as they carefully made their way down the steps.

  Next was Alex, who was holding Mike. Behind him was Colonel Houghton, all buttoned-up, walking behind Ronnie. Then came Carter, walking behind Johnny. Captain Cross rounded out the group.

  The guests began to buzz among themselves since no one had any idea what had been happening just above their heads. I was standing against the wall, right by the edge of the dining room. Marnie, who appeared to have made up her mind, was organizing the kids, with Alex's help. They were lined up in front of the office. The colonel and the captain were next to them, both standing at attention.

  Finally, Ed came bounding down the stairs. He stood at the bottom and said, "Excuse me, folks."

  Everyone got quiet.

  "May I introduce Mrs. Louise Richardson?"

  With that, she glided down the stairs to the applause of everyone in the hall. She seemed to be floating on a cloud. When she made it to the bottom, Ed pulled her close and dipped her, kissing her soundly, and then pulling her back up. It was quite a thing to watch.

  Lettie, Aunt Velma, and Geneva were standing to the right of the door. As Louise passed by each of them, she gave them a small box. They, in return, kissed her, and then Ed, on the cheek.

  I suddenly realized why they were standing there as they were. As Louise and Ed stopped and waved at everyone, there was a rush towards the door. The three ladies stepped around as Lettie said, "Let us allow them to step across the threshold into their new lives. We'll wave them farewell from inside the house as they drive away."

  I applauded with everyone else. Carter appeared out of nowhere and put his right arm around me. "I can't believe it actually happened."

  I leaned into him and said, "She looked very happy."

  "So did he."

  I nodded and whispered, "I love you."

  He leaned over and kissed me on the lips. "I love you, too."

  . . .

  About fifteen minutes after the bride and groom departed, most everyone was gone. Carter and I had stood in place and shaken hands with those who would do so. Most everyone was friendly. But not everyone.

  Lettie had hired a small team to come in and do a lot of the cleanup under Gustav's and Mrs. Kopek's watchful eyes. Lettie was the one who had originally suggested the staff start their vacations as soon as the party ended. And I had to agree with her on that point. They'd all worked very hard and deserved at least a week's time off.

  Once the crowd was cleared and the cleanup team was in full swing, Carter and I walked across the street to the park. Alex and Marnie, the colonel, and the captain were watching the kids as they gamboled on the open lawn near our side of the house.

  I walked up to Marnie and said, "It looks like you made up your mind."

  She nodded with a smile. "We figured it out. We'll take the kids. We have enough room at the house but we'll start looking for larger houses in the neighborhood. I'm too attached to Eureka Valley to leave and so is Alex." He walked over right then and put his arm around her.

  I looked at him. "Whatever you need..."

  He nodded. "You two will definitely be on babysitting rotation. So, be prepared." He looked at the kids. "There is something just right about this. If you'd have told me this morning, when I woke up, that we'd have four kids by the end of the day..." He grinned at me. He looked really happy.

  The colonel, who had been talking to Carter, moved over and said, "I was just telling Mr. Jones how we have to wait for the welfare service people to arrive. Captain Cross believes they'll need you to vouch for Mr. and Mrs. LeBeau's financial capacity."

  I nodded. "Sure."

  "She also believes there won't be much problem with this. And,"—he looked at Marnie—"if you decide you want to adopt, just let me know if there's anything I can do on my end."

  Marnie took a deep breath. "One thing at a time, Colonel."

  He nodded and put his hand on her arm. "Good idea."

  . . .

  By half past 5, Mrs. Hernandez from welfare services had been to the house, filled out all the paperwork, and had cleared a temporary emergency placement for the children with Marnie and Alex. She had brought a big station wagon with her, which was good. The plan was for Marnie to ride with her and the kids while Alex followed them in his car.

  We all stood on the stoop of the house and said goodbye to the kids. Jimmy had made sure to set up plans to go over and spend the afternoon with the kids on Sunday. I'd also said they had to come back in the next few days and go through all the toys we had and see what they wanted. Carter promised to take Alex shopping for a big station wagon of their own on Monday while Lettie, Michelle,
and Peggy volunteered to go with the kids and get them some new clothes.

  All of us, including the staff, said our tearful goodbyes.

  As everyone was loading up, Tricia, who was in the backseat, said to Marnie, "Wait! I have to do something."

  Marnie asked, "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

  Tricia shook her head and pointed at me. "I need to tell Mr. Williams something."

  Marnie opened the car door and helped the girl out of the car. Tricia walked up and offered me the doll in her hand. It was a soft red-haired doll in a blue gingham dress that Janet had loved. "Here, Mr. Williams. This is yours."

  I squatted down and shook my head. "No, it's yours now."

  "But I took it from your house."

  I nodded. "And that's good. This was my sister's favorite doll. I'm sure she'll be glad to have someone to play with again."

  "Where's your sister?"

  I smoothed out Tricia's dress. "She's not here anymore."

  "Did she leave?"

  I nodded. "She sure did. Now, you better get going. I think they're all waiting for you."

  "When I say my prayers tonight, I'll tell Mommy to find your sister and tell her how nice you were to us."

  "You will?" That was all I could say.

  "Sure. Ronnie told us that was how we could talk to Mommy and Daddy now that they're gone. He said they can hear us even if we can't hear them."

  I blinked a few times and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Your brother is really smart."

  She nodded. "He's the smartest."

  I kissed her on the forehead and said, "You better go. I'll see you real soon."

  She hugged my neck and whispered, "I love you, Mr. Williams."

  I whispered back, "I love you too, kid."

  . . .

  Once they were gone, Colonel Houghton walked up, put his hat on, and said, "This has been an extraordinary day."

  I nodded. "It's been a pleasure, Colonel." I offered my hand and he shook it.

  "Same here, son." He held it and looked at me for a moment. "Those pictures in the paper don't do you a bit of justice."

  I smiled and said, "I never read the papers."

  He smiled. "That's probably a good idea."

  As the colonel stepped over to talk to Carter, Captain Cross walked up and offered her hand.