The Berets by Griffin W. E. B

Author:Griffin, W. E. B. [Griffin, W. E. B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: thriller, Historical, Adventure, War, Military
ISBN: 9780515090208
Amazon: 0515090204
Goodreads: 1052649
Publisher: Jove Books
Published: 1985-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

(Two)

204 Wallingford Road

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

1930 Hours, 24 December 1961

The chiming of the doorbell annoyed the hell out of Edward Eaglebury, Sr. Who the fuck would come calling on Christmas Eve without telephoning?

As he pushed himself out of his chair to take care of the damn thing, he decided that it was probably somebody collecting for some damned do-gooder cause. Starving Ethiopian Orphans or something. There had been a piece in the Bulletin about that. The fund raisers had found that people were extraordinarily generous on Christmas Eve, and teams of volunteer do-gooders were giving up their Christmas Eve to make the collecting rounds.

Edward Eaglebury, Sr., had nothing against charity, but he thought that it was outrageous that fund raisers should be working on Christmas Eve. He would give whomever the hell it was a dollar and wish him a quick Merry Christmas and close the door in his face.

Suzanne and the kids were with them tonight. Christmas Day they would go to her family. That meant that as soon as they finished trimming the tree, they would be exchanging gifts tonight instead of Christmas morning, as was the Eaglebury custom. Except for watching the kids when they got their presents, the truth was that Edward Eaglebury, Sr., didn’t give a damn about Christmas.

And now some sonofabitch was at the door with his hand out.

It was a vaguely familiar young man.

Someone who was chasing Dianne and who was not willing to give up the chase simply because of a little thing like Christmas Eve. Why the hell wasn’t the fucker home with his own family?

“Yes?” Edward Eaglebury, Sr., asked with less edge in his voice than he felt.

“Good evening, Mr. Eaglebury,” the young man said. “Merry Christmas, sir.”

“Merry Christmas to you,” Mr. Eaglebury said. “What can I do for you?”

“I’d hoped to see Dianne, sir,” the young man said.

“I don’t wish to be rude, young man,” Mr. Eaglebury said, “but we’re celebrating Christmas Eve. It’s—I don’t know how to say it—just family.”

“Oh,” the young man said, obviously disappointed. “I’m sorry to have intruded, sir. I wonder if you would give her this?”

He thrust a small, Christmas-wrapped package at him.

Damn! If he knows her well enough to give her a present, she’d probably bought one for him. And I will be doing the wrong thing by sending him away.

“Just a moment,” Edward Eaglebury, Sr., said. “I’ll get her.”

He felt something like Scrooge, shutting the door and leaving the kid standing in the cold on the porch, but he didn’t want him inside, didn’t want him intruding.

“One of your admirers is on the porch,” he announced when he went into the living room.

“One of my what?” Dianne asked.

“You left him standing on the porch on Christmas Eve?” his wife asked.

He elected to respond to his daughter: “A young man bearing a gift,” he said. “I forget his name.”

Dianne walked to the door.

She’ll be gone, too, in three or four years, Edward Eaglebury thought. The boys are already after her. And then there will be just two of us in this house.

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