The Ghost Cop: Chapter Three and Four

Chapter Three

A knock at the door brought Andrew out of thinking about what his mom said.
“Go away!” Andrew yelled back
“It’s Amy.” she said
“What are you doing here?” he snapped, turning to look at his beautiful blue eyed girlfriend.
“I figured I would come see you for a little while. Maybe we can have dinner together.” she said wrapping her arms around him.
“Why? Is there something you what to tell me too?” He continued turning away to see the daisies on the table next to the window.
“What is going on? This is not normal for you.”
“Sorry, Amy, but we know as of today that there is no genetic match available in this house, which mean my life now depends on a donor. The chances of finding a donor are slim.”
“Oh no. So, is there anything else that we can do?”.”
“Mom gave me a little hope, but I am still not sure how to respond to the news yet.”
“What’s that?”
“My mom just sprung the news on me about how Jake is not my father.”
“What?”
“She told me my father died the night I was born.”
“Really, how did this come up?”
“She gave me a article to read about a ghost cop. My mom’s name was in the article along with my father‘s name and generally what happened.”
“My god.”
“So now, I don’t even know who my father is, or what exactly happened.”
“Maybe you need to talk to your mom.”
“Why do I want to talk to her?”
“If she married him, she probably knows a lot more about him. Maybe you can find family on your dad‘s side. ”
“I don’t want to talk to her. She lied to me for years.”
“You need to forgive her. She probably had her reasons for not telling you.”
“I don’t know what kind of reason she would have to keep my father away from me for 18 years.”
“You won’t know nothing about him, or even the reason why if you don’t talk to her.”
“Okay, I will talk to her, but just because I talked to her doesn’t mean I will forgive her for the situation.”
“That’s a little better. Now give me a kiss.”
He kissed her feeling somewhat better about the situation.

Several rooms away, Angela paced the floor.
“Maybe I should have told him.” Angela said
“Honey you did what you thought was right. You can’t change the situation now.” Jake replied
“No, I can’t, but I can sure hear about the situation.”
“You can’t change the situation. You are just going to have to deal with the situation as it is now.”
“You have a point now. When Adam died, I didn’t know what I was going to do.”
“I understand you did what you need to do, but you need to be explaining your reason to Andrew.”
“I know, but I don’t know how I am going to explain when he won’t even talk to me about the situation.”
“He will come around. He will end up getting curious and he will come and ask.”
“And I am just going to suffer why he doesn’t talk to me.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. All I know is you need to wait on him to decide he wants to know, and he will, you watch.”
“Okay.”
“Now why don’t you come down stairs and we will watch a movie or something. Just the two of us.”
“I can’t. I want to finish what I started.”
“What are you doing anyways?”
“I was digging some things out I kept about Adam. I figured Andrew would be interested in some of the things I still keep.”
“You held on to these for 18 years?”
“I debated time and time again if I should tell him. Even though I never did, I still hung on to these things, thinking one of these days I would tell him.”
“So what did you find?”
“I have some pictures of us, one picture of all three of us in the ICU room just minutes before he passed away. I also have important items of Adam I figured Andrew would like to keep.”
“He probably will, Angela.”
“If he talks to me again.”
“He will, you will see.”

Andrew stepped into the kitchen and watched Angela work with the daises she picked up hours before. Andrew knew it would be much longer and she would be outside planting and keep the daises alive in the yard. After thinking about the situation, he had to know about his dad chiefly with the idea of this man being their only hope of a match. He needed to know more about his father. What happened? Why she never said anything for so many years? What could have possibly been so bad she could not even tell her own son about his father?
“Mom? I want to talk to you.”
“Okay, are you ready for what I have to say?”
“Yes, I think I am ready to hear about my father. I don’t know if I am ready to forgive you, but I am ready to hear about my father.”
“I can understand if you are not ready to forgive me. I don‘t know if I would either. How about we go sit down?”
“Fine.”
“You father and I got married about a year before you was born.” She started as they sat down. “Some of our mutual friend introduced us one night while we was out playing pool at the Hi-way bar. We spent a lot of time at the bar then. Between your father and I was like love at first site between your dad and I. From then on, you couldn’t keep us apart for anything. We went everywhere and did everything together. I started writing for the newspaper in Fort Collins then, and your dad became apart of the Colorado State Patrol Office. We moved in together and got married a short time later in June 1981.
The day you were born was the day of the terrible accident. It was September 14, 1982. I wasn’t feeling very good. We had been expecting you for over a week by then. I let your father go to work anyways knowing we needed the money. Then we couldn’t afford for him to miss any day he didn’t have to. Later, after I went to bed, my water had broken and the contractions were coming. Your father wasn’t supposed to come home for another three hours, so I call the police station, explained what was going on. I waited and waited for him to come, but he never did. Our friends, David and Sandy, were with me and said your father got tied up and he was going to meet us at the hospital.
To make a long story short, he never showed up. David came in afterwards and said your father helped a lady fix a flat tire. Afterwards, a car full of what is believed to be drunken college students hit him. I was mad. I accused him of not telling me before, and of course he didn’t know before. Nobody knew then what had happened.
They gave us special clearance to take you up to the ICU room so then he could see you. We weren’t up in ICU , but maybe 20 minutes before he passed away. He knew death was coming because he told me he loved me before. I kept some item for you to look at up stairs I want to show you.”
“Okay, but mom?”
“Yes?”
“I am sorry about dad, but you still didn’t tell me why.” she turned half way up the stairs; he assumed she was going to her room.
“I am not done telling the story yet. Let me show you these.”
They reached the room, and in Angela's bedroom rested several things across the bed. Items yet to be favored by Andrew eyes. He looked from one thing to the next, knowing the items across the bed belonged to his dad. Andrew spotted a picture on the far side of the bed his mother picked up.
“This is the picture a nurse took of all three of us in the ICU room just minutes before he passed away.”
“He looks a lot like me.”
“Yes, you do look a lot like him. Let me finish telling you the story now. After your father died, I started hanging around Jake. He took us in and took care of us, because the circumstances made it impossible for me to take care of the both of us. We decided to move here years ago. We both needed a fresh start and to get on with our lives. We just figured the situation was going to be better if we told you Jake was your father.”
“So, since you and Jake are not married, the story about how I kept your name and Elizabeth got his name was just a cover up. You wanted me to keep his name.”
“I love Jake very much, but I loved your father too. I couldn’t bare to leave his name behind nor could I give you a different name either. There are things, such as the name, I still hang on to for your fathers sake. This was your baby book. I kept track of everything in here. I kept the book a secret for a long time.” She said, handing the book to Andrew. He flipped through the pages of his mom and dads writing. He noticed every stoke came from a mans hand. “The book was important to your dad to fill out. After he passed away, I continued to fill the book out for him. He didn’t put any of the family information down.”
“So tell me more about the two of you.”
“Well, we met between Sandy and started dating. You couldn’t keep us apart. We did lots of things together.
“Like what?”
“We played a lot of pool, including tournaments. We saw several movies I have on tape now. We took a lot of drives through the mountains as you see in these pictures.” She continued pointing at a stack of pictures. “In this last picture, is of me and your dad right after he proposed. He took us out to one of our favorite mountain spots and over looking some of the most beautiful valleys with nothing but mountains in the distance, he got down on one knee.”
“What was the wedding like?”
“The wedding was small with only our friends. Your dad wore a black tux with his boots. You don’t see it much in his pictures, but there was a bit of cowboy in him. I can still smell the cologne he wore day. The cologne was the same as what I gave you at Christmas. I clothed in a white dress came around so my shoulders shown with a big skirt on the dress followed by a 10 foot train on it. Candle light lit up the room from the tables and around the room. We ate and danced to the love songs of country music. Anyways, here is your dad’s class ring. I figured you could wear the ring around your neck with Amy’s. A little good luck, as your father used to tell me. Last, but not lest, this is my wedding ring. I figured you could get some use out of the ring.” She said as she handed Andrew a gold ring with a heart shaped diamond on it.
“There is something I can do with this.” Andrew said with a smile “One more question. What ever happened to my grandparents?”
“The same reason as always. They don’t talk to me because they think the accident was my fault he died. I heard they blamed the accident on me saying if I would have said something earlier then the accident wouldn’t have happened. Before then. your father didn’t want to have anything to do with them. He refused to invite them to anything, including our wedding. I never got a reason from him. I never questioned your father. As far as my parents, your Aunt Ashley was dating one of your dad‘s brothers, James. Shortly after he proposed, Ashley discovered he was already married to another women named Melissa. So my parents, of course, didn‘t want us to be together. They didn‘t want to have anything to do with the Dace family and refused to talk to me ever since.”
“Something doesn’t sound right.”
“Yes, I know. I’ve been blessed with two wonderful loves in my life and a beautiful son I don’t question. I have some things I need to get done Andrew.”
Andrew stood in Angela's bedroom for a few minutes putting the rings on the necklace around his neck. Taking the picture off the bed, he wondered down the hall to put the picture in his room with the others. Andrew lied in bed thinking about what happened. So much information in one day, he no longer knew what to think. What exactly was he to do? The only thing Andrew did know is he wanted to know more about his father, about what happened, and about the people he never met. If he found them, surely they would know more about his father. The possibility still existed they wouldn‘t even talk to him. Only one way existed for him to find out. For now, he needed to sleep. The day completely exhausted him.

“Mom?”
“Yes.”
“I have made a decision.”
“Okay?”
“I am going to Colorado.”
“What?” She said shocked as she spun around. “You can’t go.”
“Why?”
“For one, as sick as you are, you don’t need to be traveling. You need your rest until a match can be found. I don’t need you traveling across the states by yourself. Plus you don’t have any money or a place to stay.”
“I have money from the lawns I did over the summer and gifts so I can pay for food and a place to stay for a few days. I am also eighteen. Plus mom, we are to the point of if I don‘t find a match I might not live. I don‘t want to die with the thought of how I could have lived if I would have only gone.”
“I don’t want you do you.”
“I am going to ask Amy to go with me so there is someone with me at all times. I will have her help. You can make me not go when to me it means life or death. I am going whether you want me to or not.”
“You can’t make me change the way I feel, but I can’t argue with you. Fine, at least take the cell phone so you can call me.”
“Okay.”
“How are you going to get to Fort Collins?”
“By bus. I have to go talk to Amy but I hope to leave as soon as I can. I don‘t want to waste time I don‘t have.”


Angela paced and waited and paced some more as she waited to hear if Andrew and Amy had made it. She should have gone with him, but how could she. What kind of help would she have been there. She had things where to keep her busy. She tried to do some cooking and then watching TV. Finally, she sat in her room looking at all the picture she had kept over the years. Especially the one of the stone on Adam’s grave. She hadn’t seen in almost 16 years now. From there she drifted, inviting back more memories.

Angela sat in the front sit of St Mary’s Catholic Church with her new born son. Dressed in all black dress with a veil over her face, she listened to the organ play beautiful tunes. Angela’s parents raised in a Methodist church, and she accepted their teachings. Adam‘s parents, on the other hand, raised him to be a catholic. Even though, she followed her Methodist belief during their married. Angela honored her late husband in the Catholic ways. One by one, the member of the choir walked in taking their place before every one. Next came the pall bears, dressed in their police uniforms, carried Adam’s casket up the walk way. Over the last week of planning the funeral, which everyone else did most of the planning for her, she became numb to the idea of Adam being gone. After watching him pass away in front of her eyes, she couldn’t bare to even think about anything. She sat hour after hour staring into the room, in her mind it was just darkness. She tried to trick her mind about him taking a trip to a conference or completing more requirements for the Patrol office. She would wake up in the morning thinking about how he would walk through the door any minute and spend the day consumed with caring for their son. As she sat watching them carrying Adam pass her, she attempted to accept the idea that her husband laying in the box. They placed him in front of the crowd and opened the top half of the casket. There inside laid Adam. For a week, she scammed herself into several ideas, but they became lies as she stared at him. Lifeless, he laid in the casket and she knew he would not come back. Tears swamped her eyes, as for the first she accepted the fact. She struggled to compose herself as the priest took his place at the stand. From deep inside she fought back the urge to stand up and yell at everyone to get out. With everyone gone, she would be free to lay there weeping over his body believing her kiss could breath life into him. Instead, she knew a kiss from her lips would only make him immortal, living a never ending life she could one day join. Instead, she said quietly, tears streaming down her face as the priest began speaking.
“Ladies and Gentleman, today we are here to honor the life of a fellow police officer. This man put his life on the line, just like the rest of the police officers in the room, to protect us. Every time these men put on their uniforms, they duty as men then became to protect the people of country. As we have seen here, the outcome of this duty is not always pleasant. Adam Dace, of the Colorado State Patrol office, gave his life to protect us. Now, it is our turn to honor him. Let us pray.
Heavenly father, we state before you today as we let go of a life and pass him on to you. He has done to duty to protect us. Now it is your turn to protect him. We ask you take him with open arms and keep him by your side until it is our time to join him. Amen.
Now I want to pass your attention to not only a fellow officer and Adam’s partner, but a friend as well. Officer David Downs.”
“Thank you everyone for coming today. I was asked to say a few words today behalf Adam wife and his newborn son.” David began. Angela was offered the chance to say something, but instead she passed it over to David. David did a good job keeping himself composed under pressure. He stood along side most other men and their ability to hide everything until they sat behind closed doors. Angela and him shared several crying sections after Adam passed, but she knew he could control himself here. “Adam was a very courageous man, putting everything he had into his job. He always kind to a passing stranger and always helped. I can’t say a lot for the childhood Adam lead or the things he done in high school. Although, there was times spend with family and friends, including me, well, lets just say should not be repeated in church. But everyone knew and loved him knew the people person Adam had grew to be. Although nobody could imagine his kindness would lead to this. The day Adam was killed he told me he didn’t feel right. Adam knew when something was wrong. I won’t forget when Adam turned to me and looked me in the eyes. Calmly, as if it was nothing, Adam told me if anything was to every happen to him to take care of his wife and his child. Adam didn’t ever say anything of the sort especially with no humor or fear in it. Adam just stated the emotional intense comments as if he read them from a sign, but as he spoke those words deep in his eyes I could see the fear. The night Adam was killed he was showing his kindness to a young lady by helping her fix a tire. Adam was on his way, off duty, to the hospital where his son was being born. Adam left behind a beautiful wife and a handsome son. From them and from me, Adam, buddy, be at peace now.”
“Thank you Officer Downs.”
Angela’s mind strayed out of time and space as she thought about David’s final comment: “be at peace now.” Could Adam really be at peace knowing someone killed him, whether it happened on purpose or on accident? The police officers at the scene of the accident explained to her several days ago the information she wanted to know. A few days before then she overheard David and Sandy talking about the information the cops managed to gather that night. She requested the time of one of the officers from the scene come down and answer a few of her questions. She interrogated him on why the Patrol office thought this might have been on purpose, if they had found any link to the person responsible for the accident, and if she should be worried about anybody coming after her. They reassured her enough to satisfy her mind, but they left several details out in order not to trouble her mind anymore. Angela forced her mind back into the church in order to hear the last words of the services, although she missed the rest.
“I would like to lead you in the Lord’s Prayer before we make our way to the cemetery.
Our father, who art in heaven, how will be our name? Thy kingdom come thy will done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive are trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thy is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
“Amen.”

Everyone stood up to pay their respects as the priest walked first down the walk way. Shortly behind the priest, the pall bears carried followed by Adam casket and the pall bears. This time the choir stayed behind sing. Angela stood up, trying wipe as many of the tears from her face before making her way out of the church behind her husbands casket. At the door, she stopped and Sandy took the baby from her in order to allow everyone to pay their respects to her as they left the church. She agreed to this mostly because it might keep a good majority of the people away from her home to give her time to grieve. She would still deal with the endless supply of food everyone seemed to provide. As if it became tradition to cook as much as possible the moment someone left the planet. Although, she welcomed the food a piece of her still wanted to be left alone. Angela accepted all the condolences as all the people shuffled out of the church. Most of the face she looked upon she did not know. Angela noticed one women coming out of the church. She didn’t follow the rest of the line as everyone else had done, yet she slipped passed them heading off quickly as if she didn’t want to be noticed. She was dressed in a long black dress with a black veil. A quick glance at her face, only offered Angela the companionship of all the tears streaming down her face. Angela didn’t know her, but by the looks of the women’s inability to deal with the passing of Angela’s husband, she obviously knew him somewhere. After all the people had passed by her, she took her place in the black car behind the hearse. Two police motorcycles and two police cars lead the hearse down the street away from the church followed by two more police cars and two more police motorcycles. The Colorado state and American Flags waved high from all of the automobiles as the drove off down the blocked off street. From out the windows of the car, she could see the people lined up for miles and miles with sign after sign reading all different messages such as “May he rest in peace.” and “May god be with you.” Angela tried to think about anything else to keep her mind from wondering to any thoughts of Adam, but it became impossible for her to succeed at. Tear filled Angela’s eyes, alone in the back of the car. Even out of sight she could still feel the eyes of everyone around her staring at her with too much sympathy or too much blame for the man’s death which only made her feel more uncomfortable.


At the cemetery, Angela sat in chairs as everyone gathered around. The pall bears placed the casket above the hole in the ground. After everyone gathered around, the priest took his place. To the left of Angela stood three lines of fully dressed police officers with the first row holding the Colorado and United States flag. The priest began to speak, but Angela drowned him out. She looked at all the people gather around to pay their respects to her husband. Most of them she did not know. Adam probably didn’t even know. Some showed just to pay respect to all the police officers who put their life on the line everyday. Angela watched as some of them even cried at the thought of losing a police officer. A piece of her understood, but part of her became angry with them. Never liking the public spot light, her husband gave his life in an accident not in some publicized heroic effort. How was a family able to work through a tragic event with the pubic watching their every move. She gazed from one face to another when she found the women, who slipped by everyone at the church, standing in the background. Something about her gave Angela a usual feeling deep within. She pushed it aside as she looked at all the chairs.
Angela thought about her phone call to Adam mother. Angela had never met her face to face, nor did Adam speak of her ever. When Angela had spoke to her, she simply said she couldn’t make it due to more pressing issues she had to tend too. What could be more pressing then the death of your son? Angela looked at the empty chairs next to her where she sat alone. The chairs sat for the immediate family, yet not his mother, his father, or any brother and sisters sat with her. She sat there all alone as if the only one who really care anymore about the passing of her husband then the people who brought it to the publics attention.
As the priest spoke his last lines, one of the officers stood taking Adam’s police hat from the top of the casket and giving it to Angela paying his respects in the process. Until then she held the tears inside, yet with the hat in her hand and the smell of her late husband creeping up into her nose, she could bare to hold them anymore. She pulled the hat in close against her face hoping to feel his touch again, but instead only a memory. The police officers in the front row brought the poles down carrying the flags lower to the ground to symbolize the lower of the flags during a catastrophic incident. Following shortly behind, a man standing to the side of the officers spoke ordering the officers to fire three rounds into the air. The three rounds David had informed her signified her, their son, and lastly Adam. When an officer has a larger immediate family, more rounds are fired. The crowds around Angela began to walk away as Garth Brooks song “The Dance” played at Angela’s request. Angela sat there until everyone was almost gone. Slowly. She watched them lowered Adam into the ground. When he reached the bottom, Angela stood taking the daises she had held in her hand during the service and tossed them in with him. He had always had a love for daises keeping them everywhere. They would show up in the most usual places at the most usual times. Angela never complained. She loved having flowers around the house, although he never said why. She finished the service by saying her final goodbyes to her husband.
“Adam, baby, you’re at home now. Be at peace and in heaven I will see you.” Although she knew Adam better then that.

Over the next several weeks, Angela would visit him leaning against his stone, which read: Adam Dace, March 25, 1956 to September 14, 1981, Only in Heaven. She didn’t care if anyone else got the comment, because it was something between her and Adam. Something they used to say to each other. As the months passed and spring beckoned their door, she planted his daises all around his stone and continued to keep them in the house as often as possible. Something she would carry on with for years and years to come.


























Chapter Four

Andrew and Amy climbed off the bus in Loveland about 3 blocks from the motel he called the night before. Sleep encircled his mind, mostly from riding on the bus. Then again, being here mattered the most. He started his quest on a good foot and he wanted to keep the hope for he knew he would need it. He, also, knew in order to get a good day start tomorrow, his body required a night full of good sleep.
“Can I help you?”
“I reserved a room with you last night.”
“What’s the name?”
“Andrew Dace.”
“Oh yes, here is your key. Also this arrived for you this morning.” The front desk clerk said handing him an envelope.
Finishing up at the desk, Andrew and Amy unpacked. Andrew then sat on the bed opening the envelope. Inside Andrew found an article.

The Ghost Cop Strikes Again March 22, 1998
The well known ghost cop strikes again. Last night, Lonny Jackson was said to be west bound on Highway 34 when smoke started coming out from underneath his car. “I quickly pulled the car over and within moments I was surrounded by flames.” Jackson stated. He doesn’t remember anything more, yet one bystander stated they saw the mystery ghost cop pull Jackson out and disappeared as quickly as he arrived. Jackson is still listed in serious but stable condition due to his burns. Jackson doctor did say he will make a full recovery.

“What do you have, Andrew?”
“It’s an article about my dad.”
“How did you get that?”
“All the desk clerk knew was that it had arrived this morning. There is nothing written on the envelop.”
“What does it say?” Amy asked taking the article.
“Nothing important. Just about an incident with the ghost.”
“Strange. Maybe something will come of it later.”

Andrew wanted to visit one place before he turned in for the evening. They rode the bus across town, and got off at the cemetery. Amy stood off to the side in order to give Andrew some time alone. Even though the sun fell slowly to the west the skies, blue rang out everywhere. Through the slight breeze through the tops of the trees, Andrew could hear the squirrels playing. Under the squirrels, he found his dad.
“I made the trip dad. I came all the way from Missouri to find more out about you. I thought my first stop should be here, although I don’t know what to say. I don’t know a lot about you and where I am even going to start to look. What counts is I am here.”
He just looked upon the tombstone for a few more minutes. Cold shivers ran up and down his spine. Starting small, pressure began to fill his chest as if something was sitting on him. He tried to take in a few deep breaths, instead he hit his knees.
“Are you okay, Andrew?” Amy asked running up to him
“Fine now. I don’t know what that was, but it felt like a sumo wrestler sitting on my chest.”
Then all around them the leaves began to fall, showering them.
“It’s march?” Andrew said
“Then why are their leaves falling on us?”
“It’s time to go.”
Andrew felt something along his pant leg. Looking down, the squirrels run around Andrews legs and then out towards the rode. Looking back at Andrew, they ran back repeating the process. Andrew followed them up to the road and then watched them climb into a tree in front of a house. A little white picket fence with flowers painted on it stood in front of the house. Strange, Andrew thought.

The steps to the police station stood in front of Andrew and Amy, looking bigger and bigger as he got closer and more nervous. He wouldn’t get anywhere if he didn’t go and do what he needed to do. He climbed the steps thinking about what he would say. He didn’t know if they would take him seriously or just laugh at what they heard.
“Excuse me?”
“Yes, may I help you?”
“I am looking for any records or other information about Adam Dace?”
“I don’t know of any one by the name Dace, but I will check our file. Why don’t you take a seat over in chairs.”
He seemed to sit in the waiting room forever. The clock on the wall just kept ticking and ticking. The time just ticked away with it. People came and went some without handcuffs and some in with handcuffs. People in handcuffs came in coupled with escorting cops. He glanced at the clock again. Time just seemed to be dragging along with the moving hands.
On the wall, not far from the waiting room hung a bulletin board. Andrew and Amy wondered over hoping to waste some more time.
“It’s your dad.”
“Article after Article.”
“They are all just like the one you got.”
“Sir?” A voice came from behind.
“Yes.” Andrew said
“I am sorry, but I didn’t find any file on him.”
“Is there anybody who has been around a long time?”
“No, I don’t think so, but you can talk to Rick about the man.”
She led him down a hallway into a small office where a man in his late twenty’s sat at a desk with the phone to his ear.
“Take a seat. He will be with you in a minute.”
“Okay.”
Time once again resumed ticking away, as if nobody cared about the fact he only had just a few days.
“Can I help you?” he finally asked
“Yes, I was looking for any information on Adam Dace.”
“The ghost Cop.”
“Yes.”
“He is an unbelievable story, we don’t have anything on him though.”
“The man is my father.”
“Oh, I don’t have a lot I can tell you.”
“Nothing.”
“No, about 17 years ago the police station burned to the ground and all the records about everyone until then went with the building. We even build this station in a different spot then the old one.”
“So no record exists and no one who would know anything about my father is around anymore?”
“I know one officer who did work here for years and years. He might know. He is the one identified the ghost as him. He has only seen him once.”
“Can you tell me where to find him?”
“I will try to find the address for you.” The officer paused, “Here it is, I don’t know if the address is right or if it will get you anywhere, but you can at least try.”
“Thanks, thanks very much.”

Andrew and Amy rode the bus down to as close to the address he held. Getting off he began his walk down the block looking for the house he needed. About two blocks down, he found the address.
A younger man answered the door.
“I am looking for a David Downs?”
“Who?”
“David Downs.”
“I don’t know the name. I think you have the wrong house.”
“He was a cop and the police station gave me this address.”
“I am sorry. I don’t know the name.”
He closed the door, probably not even thinking twice about the boy standing on his step. Andrew read the address again. Unsure of where to go now, Andrew reached the only conclusion possible. He was lost with where to go now, except back to his room.

A pair of eyes looked out of the window at him. He looked familiar to him, as if he knew him from somewhere else. He searched through his past memories and the faces in them. Face after face, hunting for a memory of him. And then in the police station years before he meet this same face. The face of his new partner, unable to find the happiness in getting a new one, but he didn’t retain the choice. Then again, in his life, a new partner could become a good thing. His mind skipped forward to the night of the accident and the baby boy. Could this young man searching from house to house be his boy after all these years? He grabbed his coat and headed out the door.

He stepped in the door of his room, as tears filled his eyes. Andrew found so much information and now nowhere to go with it. He walked across the room to the little sink. Turning the water, he splashed face to get rid of the tears. He lies on the bed, flipping through the channels. He didn’t even stop once since he found out about his father, maybe the time to relax found him exhausted. He would try something different later.
A knock came from the door. Who would be showing up here at this time?” Either the knock brought something bad or something stupid.
“Who is it?”
“David Downs.”
Was it he? Or was it just someone pretending to be him?
“How do I know it is you?”
“You was born September 14, 1982.”
“Okay, you know me.”
“Can I come in?”
“Oh, yes, you can.
“Thanks.”
“This is my girlfriend, Amy.”
“Hello Amy.”
“Hello” Amy replied
“So how did you know I was here?” Andrew asked
“I seen you across the street. You look like Adam.”
“I am his son.”
“I know, I could tell.”
“I just found out about my dad a few days ago. I came to Colorado on a dime to find more out and to find his parents. We have never met.”
“I can’t tell you much about them.”
“I was hoping maybe just for a place to start.”
“I can tell you where they used to live, though.”
“Maybe I can at least go over and look around. Maybe someone else knows something.”
“Do you want some help hunting them down?”
“I only have just a couple days left before I need to leave and little money to do it all so every little help counts.”
“Why don‘t the two of you join me and my wife for dinner? We can sit and get to know each other a little more. Then when you check out tomorrow and come stay with me? I can help you out in your search.”
“Okay.”
They reached David’s house sitting in the same part of town he traveled around yesterday afternoon. Stepping into David’s house, a beautiful entry way or mudroom in the front greeted them. David showed him through the house starting at ground level with the living room, dining room, the kitchen including where to find food, and the other rooms, and then they went up stairs to find the bathroom and the guest room, or Andrew surrogate room.
“We lived across the street for the longest time, but this house was newer and smaller. Plus, this house fit our budget better. The people across the street now are the third couple to move in to the house. The house is just too expensive to own. So nobody knows us. We don’t talk much to our neighbors anymore.”
“That explains a lot.”
“This is my wife, Sandy.”
“Hi. My mom told me about the two of you before I left.”
“Oh, really. That can’t be good.”
“She didn’t have nothing bad to say. She only told me about how Sandy had introduced her and my father and how David was a friend of my dad’s before work.”
“She didn’t tell you anything else?” Sandy asked
“No she wouldn’t have, Honey. You know how Angela gets under a lot of pressure. She can’t think outside of the immediate picture, so to say.” David said, “We will tell you more when we sit down for dinner.”
“Amy, you want to help me get some of the final things done?”
“Sure.”

Andrew and David took their place in the living room.
“So what really brought you out here, Andrew?”
“Just after information about my father.”
“I can see it, Andrew. You’re not in a healthy place right now. You are skinny, pale, and exhausted.”
“I have leukemia, David. I have been fighting with it for a long time. I am down to a bone marrow transplant. At home, I couldn’t find a match. That is when my mother told me about my father. I had to come to Colorado in hopes of finding a match. Without a match I have to wait on a donor. I don’t have much time left.”
“I am so sorry Andrew. I will to everything I can to help you out. How‘s your mom taking it?”
“She’s okay. I think over time she has been able to face it a little bit more.”
“I could imagine Angela having to face more then just the death of her husband. That was tough enough on us. Your family now is all Angela has left.”
“I know now. I spend a lot of time thinking about it. I didn’t come to Colorado just to save my life, but to save it for my mom. My mom is not a bad women, and she has never asked for any of this to happen. She doesn’t deserve to lose both people in her life. I had to come to Colorado for her.”
“You asking didn’t go over well, but she knew you was all she had left.”
“She never said it, but you can tell the way she talks about the items she still has of dad’s.”
“She has always clung to him. Not because she could make it, because she obviously did. She loved him, more then could be explained with words. Even when he could be with her, she always had something of his with her.”
“Dinner’s done.” Amy said
The all gathered around the diner table, looking at all the food. It was nothing to very fancy, but a nice dinner.
“So what did my mother not tell me.” Andrew said
“Sandy grew up with your mother. As your mom had said, Sandy did introduce your mother and father. Your father was my partner at the Colorado state patrol office. One evening your father, Angela, Sandy, and I went to dinner. Afterwards, you could not keep us apart. For a long time, the four of us did a lot of things together. Sandy and I were there through your mother’s pregnancy and your delivery. Sandy and I filled in on some of the things your father had to work though.” David said
“I don’t understand how all of you was so close, yet I have never meet you. I have heard of you. My mother would say: David would like to hear that or I could just imagine now what Sandy would have said. When I asked, she would just say they was friends and someday I would get to meet them.”
“When your father died, it was tough on Angela. For a little while, we took care of her. She became so depressed getting dressed, cooking, and other chores became almost impossible for her to do. She didn’t know how she was going to make the money she needed to. It was difficult. Then she met Jake. Jake had been through the same accident before. He lost a wife and his child in an accident as well. He understands what Angela was going through in a way we couldn’t. When Angela left Fort Collins, she told us she would be back and to let us know everything was okay. We never heard of her again. Some things you can’t force.”
“I never knew Jake was married and had a child.”
“I would imagine he hid it like your mother hid your father. Their way of not facing it. Everyone has to face their past again. You can run from it, but it you can‘t hide.”
“So, what do you know about my father’s family?”
“Not a lot. I do know your father was adopted.”
“Adopted?”
“Your mother didn’t tell you that?”
“I don’t think my mother knew. She would have said.”
“Don’t know anything about your adopted grandparents. Adam only told me just in case anything was to happen, but never to tell.”
“I wonder why?”
“I don’t know. Adam only talked about his biological mother once. The same day he pressured me into taking him by their house.”
“So you know where the live?”
“Yes, Adam had me take them over. I stayed in the car while he went up to the door. He wasn’t gone but a few minutes, but when he came back he didn’t say much. I could tell he was upset, but I didn’t press the subject. I knew Adam would talk when he was ready to. We rode in silence back towards his house. With a few miles of the house, he told me it didn’t go very well, but something wasn’t right about it. He used to have these feelings before something would happen. He warned me something wasn’t right, something was going to happen. He said he shouldn’t have gone there, because something told him Angela was going to suffer because of it. It was the same day your father was killed in the car accident. For a long time, I always thought it was the accident he had strange feelings about, yet now I think about what he said it almost sounds like Angela was going to suffer because he went to their house. It’s not possible though.”
“The more of this story I hear from everyone. The more things don’t sound right.”
They finished their dinner and made their way back to the motel room.