Cabin Boys - 3. Chapter 3

“Boys we need to go back to the cabin. I need to check everything and make sure that the cabin is winterized.”

“What’s that Dad?”

Joey started to call me dad, I felt good about that. Never married, never wanted to be, my doctor said I was asexual. “I need to drain all of the water lines, board up the windows, and close up the door. You’ll see.”

The following weekend, I told Jeff I was going up to the cabin to winterize it. I asked him if he wanted to come. “How long are you going to be?”

“It should take me about four hours.”

“So it’s up and down on the same day?”

“Yes,”

“Okay, when are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow right after breakfast.”

I had the coffee on, biscuits in the oven, and eggs ready to scramble when Jeff showed up. “Right in time for breakfast.”

“I told Ann she didn’t have to get up, you were going to feed me. She said to kiss you from her.”

“How about a handshake instead?” I got a hug.

The boys came down just as I was taking the biscuits from the oven. Pete said hi to Jeff, Joey said hi to Uncle Jeff. I watched Jeff’s face when Joey called him uncle. He looked at me, I smiled. Pete poured our coffee, I told him the hot cocoa and bacon were in the microwave. Joey helped me set the table. We were ready to eat.

“How long will we be at your camp?”

“I need to winterize the cabin so I think maybe four hours.”

“Can we go and check our shack?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not. Just be careful.”

Smiles all around. With everyone helping it didn’t take long to clean up. I made a thermos of coffee and one of hot chocolate. We’d stop for lunch on the way back.

As I drove to the cabin, Pete asked if I’d drop them off where I picked them up the last time I was at the cabin. “Okay, if I’m finished and you’re not back here, I’ll come and get you.”

The drive to the cabin from home is normally a three-hour drive, today since I wasn’t in a hurry it took an extra half hour. I dropped the boys off driving the last mile to the cabin. With Jeff’s help, we were finished in three hours. Heading back to where the boys should be waiting, “I don’t see the boys.”

“Let’s go and check. It shouldn’t take them this long to check out their shack. I pulled the car off the road, locked the car, and headed into the woods.

“Do you remember where their shack was?”

“Yes, I think it was in that direction.” As we walked toward where I thought the shack was located, we listened for the boys.

“Jim, wait I heard something.”

We stopped, “Yes, that sounds like Pete. Let’s go.”

As we got closer, I could hear Pete yelling to let them go. I looked at Jeff, he nodded. We silently walked toward Pete’s voice. When we got close there were two men, with rifles, holding the boys. Pete was kicking the one who held him and Joey was crying. I signaled to Jeff to go around their back, I was going to confront them. When I saw Jeff getting in place, I walked up to them. “Pete, what’s wrong? Who are you guys and what are you doing with my sons. Release them now!”

The one holding Pete, let him go and aimed his rifle at me. That was when Jeff hit him over the head with a branch of a tree. The other guy let Joey go and went for his rifle, I picked up the one that laid on the ground. The guy was looking at Jeff, when I said to drop it, he looked at me holding a rifle right in his face. He dropped the gun, “Get down on your knees!”

He did, Joey ran to me, Jeff took their belts and tied their hands behind them. Pete went and took some papers from the man who was still unconscious.

“Pete, are you ready to go?”

“Yes, I have what I came for.”

“Good, you know where the car is. Here are the keys, get in the car and lock the doors. Stay there till Jeff and I come.”

I took out my phone and called the sheriff. Told him where I was and what happened. Jeff said he would go and watch for him.

I waited about thirty minutes, during that time the other guy gained consciousness. He started to yell, “Untie me, you bastard.”

The other guy told him I called the sheriff. He started to yell and cuss more. He called me words I haven’t heard for a long time. Jeff didn’t have to tell the sheriff where we were, he could hear the other guy yelling.

When the sheriff arrived, he was smiling, “I’ve been after these two for a long time. Now I got them real good.”

The big guy started yelling, “Sheriff, that guy hit me on the head and then took my gun and held it on Lou.”

The sheriff looked at him, “That’s not what the kid said.”

“You going to take the word off a kid over mine?”

“Yep, particularly since you have guns and it isn’t hunting season yet.” Then he tried to tell the sheriff they were my guns. The sheriff laughed. Put handcuffs on the two men, called for a patrol car, walked with us to the road. Jeff and I carried the guns.

When we arrived at the car, the boys were all smiles. “Sir, Joey’s arm is hurt.”

I looked at it, his wrist was red. “Sheriff, you have something to take a fingerprint?”

“Yep, I’ll get it.”

Now the guy who was holding Joey got nervous. I wasn’t sure if you could get a fingerprint from Joey’s wrist or not, but the reaction I saw, said this guy didn’t know if you could or not.

“Sheriff, if that print confirms this guy was holding Joey, then I’m pressing charges.”

He asked us to follow him to the police station. The other policeman arrived and took one of the two, the sheriff took the other. Jeff, the boys, and I followed in our car.

“Pete what happened.” “There were some papers I had hidden in the shack. We were sitting there talking when I heard a gunshot. I told Joey there must be hunters around and we should go. Just as we cleared the woods around the shack, those two men grabbed us. The one who Jeff hit over the head said something about these papers were going to get him a lot of money. Joey started to run, the other guy caught him. I was yelling when you came.”

“Why were those papers so important?”

“They were papers grandmother gave us when she was sick. All she said was to hide them till the right time. I never knew what was the right time.” “Can Jeff look at them?”

Pete handed Jeff the papers. Jeff looked at them, turning he looked at Pete. “Pete, did your grandmother ever show you your birth certificate?” “No, and not Joey’s either.”

"Well, this is your birth certificate and Joey’s as well. Jim, you’ll need these if you’re going to adopt the boys.”

“What else is there?”

“It looks like a handwritten will of some sort. I think Lenny needs to look at this. I’m not sure if it’s legal but if it is, Pete owns that farm.”

I looked in the rearview mirror at Pete. He looked like he was in shock.

“Pete, are you okay?”

“I didn’t know that grandmother left the farm to me. That man who came and told us we had to leave said it was the government’s since there was no will. He said they would take it for taxes. I didn’t understand what was going on. He said he was going to call the sheriff, that was when we left for the shack.”

I looked at Jeff, he smiled, “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about paying for college for those two.”

I smiled and wondered what Lenny was going to do with this information. Pulling up at the police station, “Boys, just tell the police the truth if they ask you any questions. We’ll be with you all of the time.”

As it turned out, the sheriff had recorded the conversation he had with the guy who rode with him. When the police heard what the other guy said, they were faced with hunting without a license, out of season, and attempted kidnapping. The sheriff smiled, “I have been after those two for the last five years, it took two boys to catch them. They will have plenty of time to think about what they did. The judge is going to love this case.”

I gave the sheriff my contact information, “Let’s find a restaurant, I missed lunch.”

Jeff smiled. It wasn’t long when I pulled over at a diner, the boys were all smiles as they smiled the aroma from the diner. As we sat in a booth, waiting for our order. Jeff gave me the papers. I looked at them, smiling. Pete wanted to know why I was smiling. “Well, according to these birth certificates, you are cousins. Your mothers were sisters. I’ll see if I can find out any more information on your mothers and fathers. Now, this other paper is your grandmother’s will.”

“What’s a will?”

“Joey, when I person dies they create a will. The will tells their attorney or judge how that person wants their estate settled.”

“What’s an estate?”

“Well, in the case of your grandmother, it would be the farm, all of the furniture, and any money she would have.”

“So we didn’t have to leave the farm, it was ours.”

“Yes, but since you are underage a guardian would need to be appointed to handle the estate in your interest. They would have to report to a judge or administrator what they are doing to protect your interest.”

“So that man who told us it wasn’t ours was wrong.”

“Yes, and now we’ll find out why and if he has sold the farm, we’ll get that money from him or he’ll share a cell with those other two.”

I could see the wheels turning in Pete’s head as he thought about all of this.

Joey was more intent on his hamburger and fries. I looked at Jeff, he just shook his head. When the boys went to the men’s room, “I noticed that Joey leaves everything to Pete. He wasn’t worried or felt any anger at what has occurred with being cheated out of the farm.”

“He trusts Pete to resolve any issues. I think Pete has always been in charge and for Joey, that is just fine. Pete shows a lot of concern for Joey, he looks out for him.”

“Yea, I noticed he ordered for Joey.”

“And Joey was very glad about what Pete ordered.”

When the boys came back, “Ready for some apple pie with ice cream?” The smiles answered that question. Jeff and I had coffee. One pie slice was enough the other one we took home. With full stomachs, a warm car, two boys fell asleep.

“What are your plans for the boys?”

“I have asked Lenny to start the bar rolling for adoption. I have gotten used to having them around. Joey likes to cuddle and Pete has a brain that challenges me. I think I’ll enjoy being their father.”

“I think you will also. You won’t miss having your own children?”

“No, that isn’t possible. I have no desire to get married and have children. These boys will fill that need. I’ve grown quite fond of them.”

Pete wasn’t sleeping and he heard the conversation. He wasn’t sure if he wanted Jim to be his father but it would be okay for Joey to have Jim as his father. Pete just listens, he knew he didn’t need to make up his mind right now. But if it did happen he wondered if Jim would allow him to stay at his house. Looking at Joey, Pete felt his love for his brother. Even knowing he wasn’t his brother but a cousin, he filled the place of a brother. Then Pete tuned out what was being said in the front seat and wondered about his mother and father. He wondered if they were alive, and if they were, where were they. Why did he have to stay with his grandparents? So many questions and a few answers. He decided he’d trust Jim to sort out everything, falling asleep for the remainder of the ride home.