Wrong Choice

By Willy Dubbelaar

An elderly couple is robbed of two small paintings in broad daylight. Their neighbor Chris is an ex-policeman and goes to investigate. Via an old file, he ends up in Paris and finds himself among the French and Albanian underworlds who slaughter each other. Eventually the two paintings resurface and are sold at auction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Queva Uitgevers
• Release date: Oct 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9789083225722

Book preview

All persons in this book have been invented by the author.

Any resemblance to deceased persons or persons still alive is based on pure coincidence.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced and/or published by means of print, photocopy, microfilm, electronically by sound recording or reproducing apparatus, or by any other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

First edition: 20-02-2022 Willy Dubbelaar

Volume 2

Cover photo: franciscohaz711

Copyright: Willy Dubbelaar

ISBN: 97-89-08-322-57

NUR 330 : Exciting story

Queva Publishers

The Hague

[e-mail]

The author also published

By Queva Publishers:

From the series of: Catherine and Angelique

You’re the one (2022 Roman) Volume 1

~1~

Catherine sighed out firmly, Christine was busy today and she listened even less. ‘Christine Vanderlinden, would you come in right now and go wash your hands. We’re about to eat. Daddy will be right there.’

‘Jaha, I’ll be right there, I want to go on the swing after dinner. I don’t want to go to bed, it’s very hot, mom.’

Christine could already talk nicely and sometimes chattered the ears off her mother’s head. She was glad that Chris would be home soon, so that he could give some attention to the little girl. Because as a six-months-pregnant mother it was not easy.

On the way to the house there was loud honking. The Dykes came for a visit. Angelique and Jan had a son and a daughter. They were just as busy as their mother and both just as reddish-brown. Jan stopped the car and opened the doors and the children shot out in the direction of Catherine.

‘Hello Auntie Catherine, we’re here for a drink of lemonade, we’re thirsty and can we watch television and lie on the couch later,’ asked Pieter-Jan the biggest busybody. Catherine burst out laughing when she heard this.

‘Sure, but take your shoes off on the couch. ‘ His sister lingered a bit with her mother and looked where Christine was. The two had been close friends since childhood. Angelique walked over to Catherine and asked how she was doing.

‘Fine, everything according to building plan and finished on time this time.’ She looked at bulging belly and rubbed it.

‘But how hot it is today, isn’t it.’

Another car was approaching. Christine stood up and screamed very loudly, ‘Daddy.’ Chris stopped the car a little way in front of the house and walked over to the three children, who were now running towards him. He hugged them all and walked home with them. Gave Catherine and Angelique a kiss and Jan a hug as a new greeting he introduced some time ago.

‘Are you all right,’ Chris asked as he looked at Catherine. She nodded. She was happy with Chris and their sweet daughter Christine and she rubbed her bulging belly. The house on the lake was big enough for their family. There would be a third child, too.

Chris and Catherine had moved into calmer waters with their family. A few years ago Catherine and Angelique sold their internet company for a very good price. Both ladies never had to work again. Catherine took the care of everything on her shoulders. But she also kept a close contact with the neighbors Jan and Gerda Vanderburg. They were elderly and Gerda had some problems with walking. Walking from her own house to Catherine’s house already gave her problems. In consultation with Chris, Jan made a door in the fence, so the way was shorter for Gerda. For this he first had to remove some hedge plants. Together with Chris they made two holes in the ground and put the doorposts in them. Jan could do the door by himself. It was also easier for Catherine to have a quick look how the neighbors were doing.

Catherine was already getting fatter and fatter and much heavier, she now went to the midwife every two days for a check-up.

‘Shall I take another scan to see how he is now?’ Chris and Catherine said please and yes almost at the same time. Catherine pulled up her blouse and the midwife smeared her belly with a gel.

‘So now we’re going to take a look at how he’s looking.’ She put the scanner on her belly and looked for the best place. Catherine and Chris looked at it anxiously.

‘Look at him lying there, he doesn’t want to come out yet. He is having a good time in that warm little house. Are you due yet, Catherine?’

‘No, two more days before.’ The midwife didn’t answer and looked tightly at the screen.

‘Yes really a boy, look at it, this is his little pudding.’ It looked like a big shrimp.

‘Do you have a name for him yet?’

‘Yes,’ Chris said, but said nothing else. Only Catherine knew the name and nobody else, not even Angelique knew anything.

‘I expect it’s going to be a big boy.’

Is it going to be such a painful birth again? I’m going to give birth at home though, unless it’s a C-section of course.’

That’s a very good chance, Catherine. Immediately she slapped Chris on his arm, ‘If that is the case, this will be the last one to come out. If you want more children, you’ll have to do that yourself.

‘All right, darling, I’d be happy to do that for you.’

‘Good Catherine, then I’ll see you again in two days. Make an appointment for in the morning.’

She cleaned her belly with a paper towel and threw the gel with the towel in the trash. Together they went home.

The due date came very quickly, but any urges the little guy didn’t have, not at all. Two days later she was at the midwife’s office.

‘Can’t you chase him out or coax him out, I can hardly move a step.’

‘No, the turning is going well. But he’s not making any move to wriggle out yet. He really likes it very much in there.’ Calmly she looked further, everything was good, blood values were fine, the weight was on the low side that she had gained.

Catherine made the next appointment again two days later.

Then, a day later, he thought it best to show off how handsome he was.

One whole night she had been up. Late in the evening the first contractions came. Every twenty minutes and short. But too long to go to sleep and so she stayed up all night haunted.

Early in the morning the contractions came at six to eight minutes and quite severe. This was the time dot that the midwife was called.

‘I’m not going to the hospital, I want to give birth at home,’ she had been shouting for the last month.

All the stuff was ready in the bedroom. But when he felt like going out, he was also out very quickly. Immediately he also started to cry from the cold.

‘Oh boy, are you so cold?’

What’s his name Catherine?

Chris smiled, ‘We call him Noah, with an h at the end.’

‘Chris heard this name once and we both thought it was a nice name for him,’ Catherine added.

‘Any other names?’

‘No,’ said Catherine, ‘This is enough.’ Then she checked Noah.

‘Catherine, it’s a beautiful boy all the toes and fingers are on it.’

She let him hold and let him fall back a little.

‘He is responding well to the moro reflex.’ Catherine sighed, ‘How could it be otherwise with such a handsome father.’

‘Just rest a while, dear, we’ll do the rest,’ the handsome father spoke lovingly. Catherine was dead tired after a night of holding up the baby and sudden heavy pushing. It was a beautiful little boy with quite long hair.

After Noah was washed and dressed, Christine was allowed to see her new baby brother.

‘Mama, what little hands he has. When can he play with me? She was proud that she was now the big sister.

‘Just a little while longer, sweetheart. Noah has to learn to walk first. For now, he has to sleep a lot.’

The next they went to bathe Noah for the first time and it was quite an event. All three of them stood around.

The water had to be at the right temperature, not hot, but not too cold either. Getting dressed was a little awkward. Christine could already do a lot herself.

She was breastfeeding again, which Chris liked, but also didn’t like.

She had to go out during the night, he could stay asleep.

But during the day he couldn’t feed him either.

‘Did I eat from that too,’ Christine asked when Noah got the breast again.

‘Yes, you too and that’s why you grew so fast, look how big you are already.

After the summer you’re already going to school.’

‘Bah, I don’t want to go to school, I want to play with Noah.’

Grandma Vanderlinden, she just came in, heard that too, a big smile came around her mouth.

‘All children are the same, too bad it’s all disappearing.’ Together they let out a sigh.

The first time Catherine took her to school she had to cry. ‘My little girl is going to school. Her life is going to start now.

At that time Noah could only sit upright in the playpen. But he liked lying down better.

He was always kicking his legs and banging his hands against the toys that hung above his head.

Christine later helped her little brother stand up, she grabbed his hands and he pulled himself up. Then Christine laughed, Noah joined in.

In the playpen he was shaking his body. Christine had to laugh about that every time. When Christine laughed, Noah had to laugh too, let go of the bars of the playpen and then fell with a slap of his butt on the floor.

The little girl helped him to walk and if she didn’t help him he would crawl over and stand against her.

His hands on her shoulders and a little later he was shaking shakily again. But he could stand longer and longer and made his first steps.

But Christine had to go to school, group 1 of elementary school.

She also taught Noah to say ‘Mama,’ soon it went Mam mam mam mam.

Chris taught him Daddy. After which Christine started Mommy and Tine."

Catherine’s days were taken up with taking care of Noah and in the evening she had to give her attention to Chris, which she did with pleasure. That little fellow grew like a cabbage and as soon as he could walk properly, he followed his big sister.

She taught him everything, because he imitated her completely.

All the grandparents were crazy about those two.

Catherine regularly went to have coffee with her mother, sometimes the conversation would turn to Huub and Annelies. But very quickly the children came around the corner again.

What young mother and grandmother could not talk with love about their children or grandchildren.

Time passed, the seasons changed, life went on.

Christine grew up and went to grade three.

Chris had an unpleasant time after he left the police force. Together with Catherine he discussed his ideas to start for himself.

"A security consulting business. After some changes in his plans, he started. The home and business security consulting business grew, but very slowly. Very slowly.

It took him a while to find his feet and then the company started to grow, his security advice was considered important and very realistic. They had to be implemented.

He also expressed his concerns several times to his neighbor Jan Vanderburg about the accessibility of their home. The back door was never locked, it was so dangerous.

Jan laughed about it, ‘What’s to be gained from me? Nothing anyway. Money is in the bank and that little bit we have in the house they can have.’

Chris never agreed, he always said, ‘They can always find something of value to them, for example the little paintings on the wall.’

He pointed to a few small paintings. Jan laughed, "Those little paintings, they’re not worth anything. They’ve been in the family for centuries, they just can’t be worth anything.’

‘Have you ever had them appraised?’

‘What do you think, I’m not going to make a fool of myself.’

‘Then you don’t know, for the same money they do have value and then?’

Jan shrugged, ‘then I’m out of luck, I hope they enjoy it.’

Unfortunately, they could not know that the danger was very close and would turn their lives completely upside down.

Two men set down their bicycles at a viewpoint at the junction of the hiking node and the biking node. It was quiet and deserted now, it was getting close to five o’clock, stone time everyone wanted to be home. Silently they walked back to the road they had just cycled past. They turned into this dead end, to the lonely house that stood by the pond. Peacefully it stood there. The low sun would soon be down and the darkness with the clamminess was palpable. The two men in athletic wear walked quietly, the large sunglasses protecting their eyes from the low sun.

They arrived at the house. The residents had already gone inside and were watching TV. One of the men rang the doorbell and waited quietly for it to be opened. A woman of not quite seventy opened the door.

‘Hello madam, can we speak to your husband about the trees at the beginning of the road. You see, I’m a tree doctor, I think they’re sick.’

‘Of course, I’ll go and get him, just a moment.’ She left the door ajar. When she had walked into the room, they came quickly after her. The moment her husband entered the hallway, one of