The Loud House - Calling Card

Chapter 2: The Lincoln Loud Case

Of all the things he was expecting after all the years of monitoring the Louds, this was the last thing he ever would have seen coming. He had to get these pictures to his superiors. There was no way they would believe him without them. If it wasn't for the fact that he had seen the boy with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe it either.

"Dr. Farroway!"

Marcus Farroway was walking down a long hallway with his personal assistant, Army Lieutenant Malorie Baker, when he turned at the sound of his name, observing one of his subordinates, Captain Bradbury of the US Air Force, quickly approaching him. "Sir," he said, saluting once he reached him. "I need to speak with you."

"I'm on my way to a meeting with the Secretary of Defense, so make it quick, Captain," said Farroway.

"It's about the Lincoln Loud case," said Bradbury.

Farroway paused, considering if he heard him right. "All right, you have my attention," he said.

"We've been keeping an eye on the Loud family periodically, just as you ordered," said Bradbury. "For the past five years, since their parole ended, things have been quiet, nothing out of the ordinary....until now."

"I want a full report on my desk by 0900," said Farroway, checking his watch. "In the meantime, keep watch on the Louds, and keep me apprised of all their activities."

"With respect, sir," said Bradbury, handing him a manilla envelope. "I think you're going to want to see this now."

Farroway took the folder and observed its contents, his stoic face quickly morphing into that of shock as to what he was seeing. It was an image of a young boy, no older than 12 years old, with short, sheet-white hair, covered in old scars and bruises that looked to be still healing. To the untrained eye, he looked identical to the boy who disappeared ten years ago.

"Baker," Farroway said to his assistant. "Tell Secretary Albertson I've been detained indefinitely and will need to reschedule." Baker nodded and pulled out a cell phone, continuing down the hall as her boss and the Captain remained behind.

"When was this taken," asked Farroway quietly as Baker walked away.

"Yesterday, sir," said Bradbury.

Farroway continued to study the affidavit before him. What he was seeing shouldn't be possible, perhaps easily dismissed as a coincidence or a trick, but a man like Farroway was not easily fooled, and in his line of work, he didn't believe in coincidences. "Did we pull an ID on the boy?" Asked Farroway.

"Yes, sir," replied Bradbury. "According to records the boy is Lincoln Loud II the 11-year-old youngest of the Loud family. We were able to pull a birth certificate, hospital records, and even dental records. To the untrained eye, or even medical professionals, everything seems rather ordinary. This image is destroyed, however, when compared to the first Lincoln Loud's own records."

Farroway took the files and compared them to each other. It was clear as day, everything was the same, right down to the medical records, between the "two" Lincolns' files. It was one thing to create a fake identity for someone, but faking dental records was extremely difficult to do. There was no doubt in his mind: the medical and dental records, the white hair, the cuts and bruises that aligned his face, and the fact that the boy hadn't looked like he aged a day.

This boy was Lincoln Loud.

"Sir, we should bring him in," said Bradbury.

Farroway thought for a moment. "No," he said finally.