For the last few weeks Sean had been helping Nick with a school project. They had one more place to visit. Nick had chosen as his project, the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was to learn all that he could about the men that had lived and died that day. Sean had been able to locate several sailors that were there that day. He had taken Nick to talk to several of them. Nick had sat there and listen as everyone of them talked about what they were doing that day and how they survive. Sean had listened as one of the men talked about his best friend and how he had died. He couldn't believe what he was hearing for the man seemed to be describring his dad, but that was not possible.
In the ride back to Jake's, Sean kept thinking over and over about what the man said. Sean drove up to the front door of Jake's. He wondered if he could ask him, but Jake had not been old enough to join the Navy, he probably wouldn't know. Jake came our of the house and Nick got out of the car. He told his dad bye and that he would see him tomorrow.
Sean was still thinking about what the man said, as he drove away. He was driving along the highway, before he knew he was at the menmorial to the men and women who died that day. He stopped and decided to look. The man said that his friend's name was Thomas Harrison. He stood beside the car and thought about it. There's no way he could be. Sean sat back down in the driver's seat and started the engine, but he couldn't leave like this, he had to know.
"This can't be possible, can it. He never knew his grandfather on his dad's side. He was told that he had died before he was born." He told himself.
Sean thought about the fact that his dad never talked about his father, it was as if he didn't know him. He thought about the man that Nick had talked to and he turned the car around and drove to the man's home. He sat there in front of his house and wondered if the old man could help him. He walked up to the front door and rang the door bell. The old man just stood there with look on his face and smiled.
"I thought that you might come here. I didn't know his first name was Sean until a few months after he was stationed here. He asked us to call him Tommy; he didn't like being called Thomas either. There's not to tell you. He was tall man and had sandy blond hair. The first time I talked to him, he told me that he was married, he and his wife had two kids, a little girl and a new baby boy, who was 6 months old. I saw him again a few days later, he said that his wife was going back to San Deigo for safety reasons. His wife was named Jean, she worried about being here. She was afraid that they we would get bombed. A lot of the wives had left for that reason," said the man sitting down on the bench.
"When they boarded the plane, it was the last time Tommy saw them. His wife had promised him that she would write but she never did, even though Tommy wrote several letters to her. He seemed to give up after that. May I ask why you're so interested in Tommy?" asked the man."
"When you described him to my son, Nick, it wass like you were describing my dad. I don't know much about my dad, my parents were killed in an accident when I was six," replied Sean.
"I have this box, if I can find it. Tommy gave it to me to give to his son, if anything happened to him. It was the morning before the 7th. He came up to me in the mess hall, carrying this box. He asked me to give it to his wife if anything should happen to him. I told him that I would. There was so much going on that day that I put the box away and I had forgotten all about it," said the man, getting up and opening the closet.
"I never saw him again till after the attack. He was one of the 3500 that died that day," replied the man.
"Did you try to find his wife and give her the box?" Sean asked.
"When it was safe for us to leave the island, I flew to San Diego. I went to the address he gave me. I found out that she had left a week earlier but no one knew where she went to. I took the box home, and I think I put it on the top shelf. I kept it, so if anyone came looking for for him..." replied the man.
"Do you want me to look in it for you?" Sean asked, turning on the light.
"You would be looking for a shoe box," replied the man.
"I think I found it," said Sean taking down the box.
"That's it. Tommy put some things in that he wanted to give to his son," replied the man.
"Can I see what's in the box?" asked Sean as he helped the old man take it off the shelf.
"This box has been sitting on the shelf since the day, I put it there. That was the morning of Dec. 7. Tommy left the address for Jean's parents in San Deigo, but when I got there her parents told me that she had left and they didn't know where she was now. I tried to find her but it was like she had disappeared. I searched for her for two months but I couldn't find her anywhere and finally I had to give up and come back to Pearl. I never tried to look for them again," replied the elderly man who sat down in the chair,
"You never tried again to find them?" Sean asked.
"No, I didn't try to find her again. I told myself that she had probably moved away from San Deigo. Why are you so interested in someone who died over sixty years ago?" The old man asked.
"it was something you said to Nick. I just barely knew my dad and I didn't even know my grandfather. My dad told me that his mother had left him when he was a baby and she never heard from him again. I thought about his name too. You said that his name was Thomas Harrison and that his son name was John Thomas. My name is Sean Thomas Harrison," replied Sean. "Can I take the box with me? I'll bring it back to you when I'm done," Sean asked as he picked up the box and walked to the door.
He turned around and looked back in the room, he could see the old man sitting in the chair. He quietly closed door behind him.
"Do you think that he's the one?"
"This time I do. He looks like you. I could see it in his face. He told me that his dad died when he was six," said the man going to the window and looking out at Sean.
"Is that him in the red car?" Asked the voice from beside the old man.
"Yes, that's him," replied the man standing beside the other figure.
Sean sat there staring at the box. He wanted to open it but he wasn't sure about it. The box had been meant for someone else. He felt like he was invading someone else's privacy. He couldn't take it anymore and took the lid off the box. He found a letter to his son and daughter. There were other things that only a dad would put in a box for his kids. Then he found a letter to his wife. The address was in San Deigo. He put everything back in the box and drove to the station. He needed to use the computers at the station to help him.
"Sean, this is Kaleo, where are you? The captain is looking for you, do you copy," said Kaleo.
"This is Sean, did he say why he is looking for me? Sean asked.
"No, but it seemed to be important though," replied Kaleo.
"Tell him, I'll be at the station in a few minutes. Do you copy?" remarked Sean.
"I'll let him know, you're coming in," Kaleo replied.
"First I have something to do, before I report to work," Sean said to himself.
Sean turned his car around and drove to Harbor Drive. A national cemetary had been set up for the men and women who died that day. He parked and got out of his car. He looked at the long rows of stone crosses. He had brought Nick here when he told his dad about his project. They had walked through the crosses looking at the names. Now he was lookng for one name only. He passed the rows one at a time till he found the one he was looking for. Sean stood there and looked at the cross, it was almost scary, the name was spelled like his. The quietness of the air was broken by the sound of his radio. He knew that he had to answer it, he didn't need the captain mad at him.
"Sean, Harada is waiting on you to come in, you and John have a robbery to investigate," said Kaleo.
"I'm on my way," remarked Sean as he looked at the name one last time.
Honolulu Metro Police Dept.
"Kaleo, did you find Harrison?" asked Harada, walking over to Kaleo's desk.
"I found him. He said that he would be right here," replied Kaleo.
Sean walked down the sidewalk that lead to the memorial. He stood there and looked the names on the wall. He let his eyes roam over the names till he found the one he was looking for.
Honolulu Metro Police Dept.
"John do you know where that partner of yours is? He called earler and said that he was coming in, but that was two hours ago," said Harada, staring at John.
"You looking for me, captain?" Sean asked as he walked in the room.
"You told me that you only needed a couple of hours to do that project with Nick?" remarked Harada.
"He said something that made me think. He talked about his best friend and how he was killed on December 7th. He said that his name was Thomas Harrison," Sean replied, sitting the box down on the desk.
"Do you think that maybe he was someone from your past?" asked Harada.
"I don't know but he said the man's name was Thomas. My dad's name was John Thomas and I was named Sean Thomas. I have been looking for so long that I never thought that I would find anything from my past," Sean replied, laying his hand on the box.
"Sean, take some time off. You can't work when you're thinking about this. Just check in with me when you can," replied Harada, walking away.
"Thanks captain, I'll let you know what I find," said Sean picking up the box and walking out the door.
"Is Sean alright?" asked Linh.
"Yes, he may have found out about someone from his past. He's been looking for a long time, but never found anything till now," said Harada.
Sean walked to his car, still holding the box and its contents. He sat down in the driver's seat and sat the box next to him on the seat. He wanted to open it but he could wait. He pulled out of the police parking lot and started to drive to the hotel. He knew that Max would help him. She had been there when he started this search.
Before long Sean pulled up to the front doors of the hotel. The valet came up to Sean, taking his keys and parking the car. Sean walked in the door and across the lobby till he was in front of the elevator. The door open and he stepped in; he pushed the bottom that would take him to the penthouse. As he stood there, he wondered about the man named Thomas Harrison. He needed more imformation on him. He could use Max's computer to get what he needed.
He didn't even know how old this man was. He would have to ask for a birth certificate. He walked to the table and sat the box down. He wanted to open the box but it seemed like it to personal and not meant for him, and yet it was calling his name. Maybe it has to do with that part of my past that he didn't know.
He was staring at the box so hard, that he didn't hear Max come in the door.
"Sean, is everything okay?" asked Max, going over to the table.
"I'm fine, except something happen this morning with Nick," replied Sean.
"Is Nick all right?" asked Max looking at Sean.
"Nick's fine. His class is doing a report on the survivors of Pearl Harbor. The man he was talking to, told us how his bestfriend had died that day. He said that his name was Thomas Harrison. He said that days before the attack that Thomas's wife had gone back to San Deigo, so that her and the kids would be safe. It was the last time he heard from her," replied Sean.
"Where did the box come from then?" asked Max.
"According to the old man this belong to Thomas," said Sean looking at the box.
"Have you opened it to see what's inside? The contents may be able to help you, or help you understand," replied Max.
"I thought about that but I wasn't sure about opening it. He wanted his wife to have it but the old man said that he couldn't find her after the war," exclaimed Sean, putting his hand on the box lid.
"If the box was his, then maybe it would help us to find out something about him and his family," replied Sean opening the box.
"Sean, there are letters to a woman named Jean. It must of been his wife. Look at this picture, Sean. It must be Thomas but I would say it looks very much like your dad," remarked Max, picking up the picture.
"It does look my dad but then we don't know that much about him," replied Sean.
"What was his full name?" asked Max sitting down at the computer.
"The old man said that his name was Thomas Harrison but he didn't know where he was born. He was married and had two kids. A girl who was two and a boy about six months. According to this letter, she took the kids and went back to San Deigo for safety reasons," replied Sean looking at the items in the box.
"I put his name in the computer under search. It shouldn't take long to find something. It should tell us where he was born and how old he is," remarked Max walking oer to where Sean was looking out the window.
"I keep asking myself why I'm doing this. For years I have been looking for something about my past. When my parents died, I didn't even know if I had any grandparents. It was pretty obvious that I didn't have any family. That's why I went to Father Michael's," replied Sean staring out the window.
As Sean stood there staring out the window, he feel the ghostly figure walking behind him. The man was dressed in Navy whites. He stood beside Sean and looked out the window. He stared at Sean's face and then he looked back at his. He could see that their faces were very much alike.
'Everything matches; he has blond hair and green eyes, he's six foot, and I was six foot. There's only one thing wrong, he's not old enough to be my son but maybe my son had a son... but I don't know that. I don't even know what happen to him, Thomas thought to himself as he stood looking at Sean in the window.
Max, was sitting in front of the computer when the information came through on the screen. She slowly read what was there and then the expression on her face changed.
This doesn't make any sense, thought Max. This can't be right but it has to be since it's part of the public records. This says that Thomas Harrison wasn't born in June of 1942, in California. So who is buried under that marker with the name of Thomas Harrison?
"Sean, the information up on the computer, you wouldn't believe what it says," replied Max looking at Sean who was walking across the room.
"Max, this can't be right? It says that he was born in 1942, almost six months after the attack. Then who was the man that died that day if the real Thomas Harrison wasn't born till six months later? Sean asked looking puzzled.
"Can you ask Terry to have the body exhumed?" asked Max.
"I'll have to if I want to know who he really is. The old man told me he was Thomas Harrison, his bestfriend, but he couldn't have been," Sean replied looking at Max.
"Pete, didn't lie to you. I was his bestfriend and did die that day, but maybe you'll understand when you find out the rest of everything. I knew why Jean was going back to the States. She had to protect the children," replied the ghostly figure standing behind Sean.
"Sean, where did the cold draft come from? Did you turn the air condition down?" asked Max, shivering from the cold.
"I felt that draft of cold air behind me," replied Sean looking at Max.
The Penthouse
Sean sat the bottle down on the table and put the baby over his shoulder. He slowly patted her on the back and she burped. He smiled as he laid the baby back in the crib. It had been a long time since Nick was a baby. He covered her up and she quietly went back to sleep. He had gotten up with Arrianna because he couldn't sleep. He was still thinking about what he had found earlier about Thomas.
He looked in and found Max still asleep, but she had someone in bed with her. Sean went over to the bed and looked to find Brianna next to Max. He picked her up and moved her to a crib.
"I see how it's going to be. You can't sleep with mommy all the time, Brianna. You have to give me some time with her too," said Sean, covering her up.
Sean looked at the time and realized that Terry would be at the station by now. He got dressed and started out the door when he heard a scream from the bedroom. He ran to the room and found Max looking everywhere. He knew that she was looking for the baby.
"Max, she's in the crib. I was going to tell you but I didn't want wake you up, and Arranna has been fed," stated Sean giving her a kiss.
"Where are you going?" asked Max.
"I can't sleep, so I'm going to the station. Terry should be there by now. I need to get this started," Sean said giving her a kiss and walking toward the front door.
Sean drove out of the parking lot of the Hawaiian and turned on to the boulevard that went to the police station. He was thinking about his request to exhume the body. What if there's no body or it's not the one he's looking for? Sean had no choice he had to know something, one way or another. He had just drove into the police parking when he noticed the captain getting out of his car. He grabbed the papers from the car seat and followed the captain into the building.
"Captain, I need you to sign this paper for me," said Sean following Harada into his office.
"Let me see the request. You want to exhume a body? This person is Thomas Harrison. Why do you want to exhume the body of a relative?" Harada asked picking up the pen and sighing the request.
"He's not a relative, at least I don't think so. He was killed when the Japanese attacked pearl but his name made me wonder, and when I put his name in the vital statics for Califrornia, it came back that he wasn't born till June 1942, almost six months *after* the attack. I need a few days off, I'm going to the area around San Deigo. His wife left a few days before the attack. She went back to San Deigo. I thought that I would start there," said Sean.
"Sean, you know that you have to have permission from the Navy to exhume a body from that cemetary," explained Harada.
"I know, that's why I called Admiral Moore this morning. He said that he would sign the papers if you agreed to it. He will have his men exhume the body and do the DNA on the body," replied Sean, walking out of the office of Harada.
Sean sat down at his desk, thinking about what was happening here. Sean checked his computer for any information on this man. Admiral Moore had agreed to do all he could. The Navy database had the names and picture of all the men and women who had died during the attack. Moore had his people search the database till they found Thomas Harrison. He just sat there and stared at the picture that had been sent.
"Captain, I have to leave, I'll be back in a few days," said Sean standing in the doorway of Harada's office.
"Keep in touch with me. I want to know everything you find out, okay," replied Harada.
"Understand. I'll be in California, trying to find answers to these questions," Sean said going out the door.
"Sean," yelled Declan running after him.
"What John?" asked Sean turning around.
"This really has gotten to you," said John, leaning up against the car.
"Yes, it has. The name has a lot to do with it. I have to know one way or another, Even if it means tracking it down," Sean replied getting into the car.
"I hope you find what you're looking for," said Declan watching Sean drive off.
The Hawaiian Hotel/ The Penthouse
"Miranda, I need a bottle for one of the girls," yelled Max who was busy changing one.
"I'm coming and it's Brianna, she's hungary all the time. She was just fed two hours ago and she's hungry again, but I wouldn't complain, because the Dr. Hamil said that they would be like this for a few months," replied Miranda sitting down and giving Brianna the bottle.
"That must be Sean at the door now. He said that he had to talk to Terry about something and then he would be back to help," said Max going to the door.
"You're not Sean," said Max with a surprised look on her face.
"No, I' m not. I'm Commander Hays. Admiral moore ask me to come here with this information for Sean," said Hays.
"Sean is here now, he just got off the elevator. Please come in," said Max.
"Sean, there's a Commander Hays to see you," said Max.
"Detrctive Harrison, Admiral Moore gave me these papers to bring to you. He said that you would know what they are," replied Hays.
"Thank you, Hays, I do know what they mean," replied Sean.
"He said to tell you that if you had any questions just call him," replied Hays, closing the door behind him.
"Admiral Moore called me at the office, he had Seaman Harrison's body exhumed as soon as they realized that there might be something wrong. He told me that they would have to get DNA from living relatives," replied Sean opening the envelope.
"What does it say Sean?" asked Max.
"It says that he is Thomas Harrison. The DNA taken from his two children matched his DNA," replied Sean laying the paper on the desk.
"Then this Thomas Harrison may not be anyone connected to him," said Max taking Sean's hand and holding it.
"This can't be the end of it, there has to be more to it. I have someplace to go Max. Do you want to go with me?" asked Sean looking at her.
"Let me see if Miranda will stay with the girls," replied Max.
"I heard that over the monitor, Max. Go, the girls will be fine," said Miranda watching as Sean and Max walk out the door.
"Where are we going, Sean?" asked Max as her and Sean walked up to th car.
"Some place that I have put off going to, but now I need to go. Maybe there's something that I have overlooked," replied Sean driving out of the parking lot.
After driving a while, Sean drove into the entrance of the cememtary. It had been a long time since he had come here. The last time was the day he had brought Nick, just after bringing him home from the hospital. Sean got out of the car and started to walk to where his parents were buried.
As he came closer, he could feel his emotions change. As he got closer, he could feel the presence of someone watching him but when he turned to see who was there, no one was there.
"Sean, whats wrong? Maybe you shouldn't have come here," replied Max following him.
"I needed to. I have put this off for to long. I was afraid to come here as it meant facing the reality that they were gone. I was about five when my dad told me that he didn't know who was family. After he was born, he was taken by an aunt and uncle who raised him. They told him that he had an older brother and sister who would be staying with them till his mother got better but a year later, a woman came and took the boy and girl but not him. He told me that he stayed with his aunt and uncle till he was eighteen and then he joined the military. He married my mom five years later. It was another four years before I came along. My dad always thought about his mother and he wondered why she never came for him," replied Sean, standing in front of the stone.
"This says that your dad was born in June of 1942. He was named John Harrison. There's no middle name," said Max.
"He told me that he didn't know his middle name. I need to leave, this is getting to me. That's why I don't come here. Did you feel that?" asked Sean as he stood up.
"I didn't feel anything," replied Max looking around.
"It was like someone was watching me," said Sean walking back to the car.
Sean stopped and turned around, he thought he could feel the cool air as it went by him. The ghostly figure stood in front of the stone. The teardrops laid there on the stone.
"This is why you wanted to go back. You told me that it was so the kids could be safe. I never even guessed that you were pregnant. Is John the child that you had? Does that mean Sean is my grandson?" asked the ghostly figure.
Sean couldn't shake of the feelings and ran to the stone. He noticed the drops of water on the stone. Someone is here, he thought to himself. Sean turned annd went back to the car.
"Something wrong?" Max asked as he sat down in the car.
"There nothing wrong. I need to go back to your place and run somethings through the computer," said Sean.
"Are you sure about that. You have a confused look on your face. Like something doesn't make sense," replied Max.
"I was so sure that I would find the answers at the cemetary. I thought that my dad was the Thomas Harrison that was born in June of 1942, but there was no middle initial. There has to be a connection somewhere. I'm going to find it, even if means going to California," Sean remarked.
As Sean walked in the room, he was thinking about the possibility of what was there. Had he found his dad's past after all these years? He sat down at the computer and started to put in his father's name and the date of his birth. His connections with the police dept. would allow him to other areas.
Sean stood up and walked to the window and looked out. He thought about the box, there was more in it than he had looked at. He went to the desk and started to look through the box. He laid each item out on the table. They were like looking at someone's past. There were also sorts of papers that Thomas had put together for his wife. He looked at them hoping to find some answers.
"Sean, what you're searching for has come up. I printed it out for you," said Max going over to Sean.
"Thanks Max, I was searching for my father's birth certificate. Hopefully, it will have what I need on it but it's not here. There is no middle name down and it doesn't says who his father is but his mother is Jean Harrison and he is her third child. He was born June 5, 1942 at the San Diego Naval station," replied Sean.
"Did you find anything that can help you?" asked Max.
"I found something. Now I need to know more. I have to go to San Diego and find Jean Harrison or her children," said Sean.
"Sean, I have to ask you something. The last few days I have been wondering. Why are you so interested in this Thomas Harrison? I know you have the same last name but I thought it was just a coincindence," said Max.
"It was something that the old man said. It was like he wanted me to search for my father's past. I remembered my dad always talking about finding his past. Maybe that's what the old man was trying to tell me," replied Sean.
"If you need to go to San Diego, we can go. I can have my jet fly us there right now," said Max.
"That's what I want to do. I have to find them to get the answers," Sean replied looking at the pictures that were in the box.
The Penthouse
"Sean, the jet is ready when you are. Jim just called and said it all ready. How long do you think will be there?" asked Max looking at Sean.
"Maybe a few days depending on if I find who I'm looking for. Wait a minute, I'm going alone," replied Sean, looking up from the computer.
"No you're not. I'm going too. You don't need to be there by yourself and that's final," said Max.
"Max, you have the girls to take care of," Sean said.
"Miranda, has already agreed to watch the girls," replied Max.
"I don't know what I'm going to find," Sean remarked.
"That's why I'm going, you may need someone to talk to," Max replied.
"All right, we need to leave soon. Harada says for me to check in with the local police. He says they may be able to help me but I don't know how they could help. It's like looking for a needle in haystack," replied Sean looking frustrated.
"Is there anything in the box that would give you an idea of where to look. Think Sean, you're a detective. There has to be something that would help you," replied Max taking things out of the box.
"There were some letters that she wrote to him. They may tell me where she was living after she left Hawaii. Hey Max, grab the pictures that were in there too," yelled Sean from the bedroom.
"Sean, I have them. Are you ready to leave?" replied Max, moving toward the bedroom.
"I'll be out in a minute, I'm doing something. Right Arrianna, guess I should change Brianna. That way you two can go back to sleep," said Sean as two little faces looked up at him.
"Sean, what are you doing?" asked Max opening the door.
"Before you say anything, they were already awake so I thought I would change them," Sean remarked looking at Max.
"I'll let Miranda know that they're awake," Max replied, turning to the phone.
"She already knows. She heard them through the baby monitor and came to check on them. I offered to change them while she fixed their bottles," replied Sean as Max walked over to the side of the crib.
"After everything I went through having to give up Michelle. I didn't think that I would want any more kids but I realized that I wanted them when I saw them in the nursery," said Max picking up Brianna.
"Okay, no spoiling them. I have their bottles and now to feed them. Arianna, you come with me. Max, bring Brianna out with you," replied Miranda.
"Are you sure that you can do this? It's not going to be too much for you?" asked Max laying the baby down.
"Miranda, the captain said to call him and he can send Linh over to help you," replied Sean giving Arrianna to Miranda.
"will you guy's get out of here and let me take care of my girls okay," said Miranda holding Arrianna.
"All right we are going okay, Miranda," replied Max going toward the door.
"Did the front desk call? John was suppose to be dropping off something for me?" asked Sean following Max to the door.
"John is waiting in the lobby for you. I told them we would be right down," replied Max as the doors to the elevator opened.
As the door closed, sean thought about what he was doing. What had been a school project for Nick had turned into a mystery for him. He knew that the name of the man had something to do with it. Everything that he had learned about Thomas Harrison only made the mystery more stranger for him. He had so many questions but wanted to know the answer to one of them. Could this man be a part of his father's past?
"Sean, the door to the elevator has opened," replied Max walking out into the lobby.
"Sorry, I was thinking about something. I called John and asked him to go to my place and picked up something. I hope he found it," said Sean looking around the lobby.
"Sean," yelled John coming across the lobby.
"John, did you find it?" Sean asked walking toward him.
"I hope I found the right one. You didn't tell me there were three of them. So I had to look in it to make sure that it was the right one. There was a couple holding a baby. I take it the baby is you?" asked John.
"Yes, the baby is me. Most of those pictures were taken after my dad came to Hawaii. My mom's wedding rings are in the album," replied Sean holding it.
"I saw them in an envelope," said John.
"It's the only thing that I have of my parents. Most of their things disappeared after they died. The woman who was my babysitter found the album, put it in with some things that were mine," Sean replied.
"Sean, I took some time to investigate this Jean Harrison after she left Hawaii. She went back to San Deigo but know one knows what happen after that. She disappeared after Thomas Harrison was born," replied John.
"What about the two children? Is there anything on them, they would be about 63 and 64," said Sean with a puzzled look in his face.
"I don't know. We were more concerned with looking for her. We found a birth certificate for Thomas Harrison but it doesn't say who his parents were," replied John.
"Thanks for everything you did. It means more looking for me, when I get there," replied Sean.
"Call me if you need any help," said John walking toward the door.
"Max, are you ready?" asked Sean.
"Yes, we had better go," replied Max starting to go toward the door.
Sean followed Max toward the door. Not knowing what he was going to find in California. He couldn't stop thinking about everything as he rode to the airport. He stared down at the photo album, the only clue he had known was in there. He opened the album to look at the pictures of his parents. It had been a long time since he had looked at any of the pictures. He smiled as he looked at the pictures of his dad. He knew who he looked like; he had his father hair color and eyes. It was like looking at his father in the mirror and his father looking back at him.
"Sean, we've arrived at the plane," Max replied getting out the car.
Sean closed the album and stepped out of the car. He walked the few steps to the plane and boarded the plane. He sat down in a seat next to Max, who was talking to the captain about taking off.
San Diego, California
"Matt you have to stop whoever this person is that is trying to find her. She has been at peace with herself for all of these years. She can't go through it again. It will kill her this time," said the woman.
"Grace, maybe it's time she knew. She has blamed herself for all of these years," replied Matt.
"She left to protect us," replied Grace.
"Yes, she did leave for that reason but if she had stayed there, then maybe he would of stayed with us," replied Matt.
"You don't know that for sure. We know now that every one reported for duty after the attack started," said the woman.
"That not true. Many of those with families didn't report. They had to take their families to safety. That's the reason mom blames herself," said the man.
"Do you know who is looking for mom?" asked Grace.
"Yes, A Detective Declan of the Honolulu Police Dept. has been inquiring about Jean Harrison, but Uncle Frank had her name changed back to her maiden name after she came back," replied Matt.
"Matt, we have one more problem. Someone has requested a birth certificate for Thomas Harrison," replied the older man in the chair.
"We can't protect her forever. We knew that someone would come looking for answers. I knew about the request but there was nothing I could do to stop it. The request came from someone in the Honolulu Police Dept," replied Matt looking out the window.
The Maxwell plane
"Sean, we've arrived at San Diego," stated Max touching Sean on the shoulder.
"I'm awake, Max. I guess I must have been tired," said Sean moving in the seat.
"It was a long flight from Hawai. A car is here to take us to the hotel. If there is some place you need to go, the driver will take you there," said Max.
"I need to go to the police station. I have been talking to a Lt. Johnson. He has been getting information for me about the whereabouts of Jean Harrison. With what I have learned, her two children live in San Diego. He goes by the last name of Madison; it was his mother's maiden name. Lt. Johnson says that may be why we can't find her," replied Sean.
"Do you think that she is going by her maiden name?" asked Max gettig into the car.
"In the last few days I have learned a lot about her. She never gave her son up but she raised him under another name. All I have to do is to find her. Lt. Johnson has men following her kids, hoping that they will lead him to her but why go through all of this to hide? She didn't do anything wrong when she left Hawaii to protect her children," said Sean
"We should go to the police station. You won't be able to rest till you get to the bottom of this," said Max giving the driver new orders.
"The sooner I get started the sooner I can go home," said Sean.
"What made you think of investigating any of this?" asked Max.
"It's what Nick said, that the old man's bestfriend's last name was the same as his. He kept talking about it and it made me think about my dad and his searching for his family," replied Sean.
"Sean, is there a part of you that hopes they are your family?" Max asked.
"I don't know, there's a part of me that would like it to be, but I'm not sure," said Sean getting out of the car.
Sean walked to the front door of the police station. He opened the door and walked in, looking for the front desk, when an officer came up to him.
"Can I help you?" asked the officer talking to Sean.
"I'm looking for a Lt. Johnson," replied Sean.
"You'll find him at his desk; it's over by the window," replied the officer, pointing it out to Sean.
"Thanks," Sean said walking to the desk.
"Can I help you?" asked Lt. Johnson looking up at Sean.
"I was told to look for you when I arrived," replied Sean.
"Well I'm Lt. Johnson, I'm sorry I just realied that your Sean from the Honolulu Police Dept. I'm sorry, no one knew when you were arriving," replied the lieutenant.
"Do you have anything for me?" asked Sean.
"In this file you should find everything you're looking for. Why is it so important that you find this woman? Did she do something wrong?" The lieutenant asked, handing the file to Sean.
"It started as a school project for my son. Every year the students are given the assignment of talking to the survivors of December 7th. The man my son talked to told us about his best friend died that day. For some reason, he gave me a shoe box full of items from his best friend. One of them was a picture of him and his family. I looked at the picture several times before I realised that I was looking at a picture of my dad. My dad didn't know who his parents were. I sent for a copy of my dad's birth certificate. It back with the name of John Thomas, for his first name and that he was born in June 1942," Sean replied looking at the file.
"If you need any help, just call me. I love a good mystery and this has me puzzled. If we need to get a hold of you, who do we ask for?" asked the Lt.
"I'm staying at this hotel and the name is Sean Harrison," said Sean walking out of the room.
"Did he say Sean Harrison?" asked Johnson.
"Yes he did lieutenant," replied the officer.
Sean walked to the waiting car. Max was sitting in the seat as he got in.
"Well did you get what you were expecting? How shocked were they to know who you are?" asked Max.
"We need to go to the office of Matthew Madison. Her son is a lawyer. He has to know where she is," said Sean.
"In the beginning, I didn't think anything about what the old man said to Nick. Then I started to think about what he said about Thomas and I realized that he was describing someone that was very much like my dad. Then there was that shoebox, it was like looking at a part of his life that was important to him," replied Sean holding the box.
"I read one of the letters he wrote to his kids, It was like he was talking to them. When he wrote that, I think that knew he would never see them again," said Max with a sad tone in her voice.
"Mrs. Maxwell, this is the address you ask me to drive to," said the Driver.
"Thank you. Do you want me to go in with you?" Max asked.
"Yes, I may need someone for support," replied Sean getting out of the car.
The man watching from the window, looked down on Sean as he entered the building. He knew where he was going. An earlier call from Lt. Johnson had warned him that Sean was coming to see him. In a chair near his desk sat his sister, Grace.
"He just got out of a car. He's on his way to my office. We have to tell him everything, we can't protect her any more. He looks like him," replied Matthew looking at the picture on the wall.
"Mr. Madison, there is a police detective from Honolulu who needs to speak to you," said the woman.
"Send him in," replied Matt.
"You can go in," replied the woman.
Sean still carrying the box, opened the door and walked in.
"I think that you know why I'm here. My name is Sean Harrison and John Harrison was my father, but he was born Thomas Harrison in June of 1942 to Jean Harrison and her late husband," said Sean looking at them.
As Sean stood there, the door opened and a much older woman walked in. Sean turned to look at her. He could see the tears in her eyes as she closed the door behind her. She came closer to him and touched his face.
"I can see him in your face; the eyes, the color of his hair. You have his built and height. You look like my Thomas," said the old woman.
"Are you Jean Harrison?" asked Sean.
"Yes, I am, but what made you come looking for me?" asked the woman.
"An old man's memories of his best friend Thomas, and this shoebox of memories," said Sean handing the box to her.
"These are letters to me from Thomas and pictures of us and of him. I never wanted to leave Hawaii but I had to. Thomas was afraid that we would be attacked and that the kids and I would get hurt. Many of those were sending their families back to California. I begged him to let me stay but he wouldn't me. So I left. We heard about the attack on the radio. The news kept talking about how many had been killed. I told myself that Thomas wasn't one of them but I knew better. He would of been one of the first ones out there fighting. Answer one question for me. Are you my Thomas's son?" asked the woman looking at the pictures.
"I'm Sean, my dad was John Harrison," answered Sean.
"I gave him the name of John Thomas, but I always called him Thomas. My Thomas didn't know about him. I found out after I left Hawaii. I tried to keep him but it was really hard for me. He reminded me too much of his dad. When he was two, I made arrangememts for some friends to take him. I would visit him twice a week for almost a year and then they disappeared with him. I never saw him again. I never knew what happened to him," said the woman with tears in her eyes.
"My dad told me how he remembered a blond woman coming to see him. He also said that your friends were afriad that you would take him back, so they moved to another city in California. Eventually he joined the air force and married. I was born a few years later but my parents were killed when I was six. As my dad got older he didn't remember if he had any family left, because he thought your friends were his parents," said Sean sitting beside the woman.
"Now that you know everything, will you be staying here?" asked Matt.
"No, I have a family in Hawaii and I'm a cop with police department," said Sean.
"Is this your wife?" asked the woman.
"Not yet, but she could be soon. I have a son who's eleven," replied Sean standing up,
"Will you come back?" asked the woman.
"Yes," replied Sean
A cemetary in Honolulu
As the car drove up the driveway, the man and woman sitting in the backseat were very quiet. The car stopped and the man got out and started to walk to a stone, where he put the flowers in the vase. Sean just stood and looked at the names and smiled. He could feel the breeze as it turned cool. He knew that he wasn't alone. He knelt down and put his hand on the stone. He could feel the tears start to well up in his eyes. I never will forget, thought Sean whispered to himself.
THE END
PHOENIX
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