Week 9 - UDC 4 - "So, we have a few boxes..."

41. Necklace

The area of their house he'd absolutely not expected to be in was their garage, Alan reflected as he followed Noah Finney to where they'd stacked several boxes, all labeled 'For Pete.' Noah opened one of the boxes and pulled out... was that a G-1 Flight Jacket? "When the investigation was concluded, we packed up as many things as we could that had personal connections for Pete to both his parents and stored them in here. This was his father's."

Alan took the jacket and studied the patches, noting the Dallas, Texas patch on the shoulder. "It won't fit him right now."

"No, but once it does, he'll probably never go anywhere without it."

42. Earrings

Noah pulled something else from the box and immediately snorted. "Oh no, we're not giving him this."

"Why not?" The item, Alan figured out when Noah handed it to him, was a vinyl record. Not just any record, either. "Oh."

"He didn't talk that first month, but in his sleep? Singing. Always the same song, from that record."

Alan nodded, shuddering at the reminder. "He did it yesterday, actually."

"You have his file, so you know what Harry said about it." Noah shook his head and continued looking through the box. "Where are those pictures? I know they're here somewhere."

43. Watch

It took a couple minutes, but Noah finally found the pictures, and handed those to Alan. Alan sorted through them, noticing how happy Pete, younger, looked sitting on his father's shoulders in one. Turning it over, he frowned at the date written on the back... "September of '65. This must have been in Bethpage."

"I think that's a jet behind them," Noah agreed. "I saw him once, you know? Just after we moved in, in '68."

Alan nodded and moved on to the other pictures, only to stop at another. "You wouldn't happen to know who this other Lieutenant is, would you?"

Noah frowned, then shook his head. "Sorry, Mr. Jenkins, but I don't."

44. Belt

Another picture caught his attention and caused Alan to chuckle before he caught himself and showed it to Noah. "That's definitely a jet behind them."

Noah took it carefully, smiling at the family they made. "I don't remember seeing Nora that happy, you know? That sounds awful, but I don't."

Alan nodded again. "And he never talks about her, either. Yesterday was a rarity." Noah frowned at him. "You remember that question from the police report, about the record player? Turns out, she'd been having him play that song over and over again. Pete's words: "and I know she'd been listening to it, that day.' Which..."

"That explains a lot, really," Noah said after a moment.

45. Ring

Alan handed the pictures back to him, and Noah frowned. "Give them to him tomorrow? Along with the jacket?"

Noah paused, staring at him, then nodded. "Good idea. Thank you."

Alan shrugged. "Seems the best way, if it comes from you two. Just..."

"Just not the record," Noah injected into the silence. "And if I think about that some more right now, I'm liable to shatter that thing and not feel sorry I did."

"Right now, I wouldn't stop you if you did." That they were both upset enough to consider such a thing...

Chelsea stuck her head into the garage just then, frowning at them. "You two done out here? Even if you're not, it's lunch time. I will not take no for an answer, Alan."

Alan chuckled. "I'd be happy to join you for lunch, Miss Lowell."