Part VI

  Closure

  Chapter 84

  Shawn received a UPS letter at his home two weeks after Jesse left that required his signature. The letter was from an attorney in the U.S. named Fredrick Walker, stating that he was the sole beneficiary of an estate in Virginia. He didn’t elaborate other than to tell him he wanted to travel to Thailand and meet him in person. He was given a number to call or could respond by letter or e-mail.

  At first, Shawn was skeptical and had Tim Choi look into the attorney and his law office in Virginia. The following day, he told Shawn the law office was legitimate and a well-established law firm with an excellent reputation. Satisfied with the information, Shawn called and set up a meeting with Walker at his home ten days later.

  The airport limo arrived on time, and the now full-time guard at the reinforced gate looked at Walker’s credentials and phoned the home for instructions. Minutes later, Kasem greeted Walker at the front door and asked to follow him to the kitchen, where the homeowner would meet with him shortly. Kasem offered him coffee, tea, or bottled water, and the man thanked him and said that coffee would be just fine.

  Shawn entered the kitchen five minutes later wearing a lime-green Tommy Bahama silk shirt with “Life’s a Beach” and a Scarlet Macaw embroidered on the back, khaki cargo shorts, a light gold chain around his deeply tanned neck, a Submariner stainless steel Rolex watch on his wrist, nothing on his feet and an untidy head of hair. Walker got up when he entered the room and extended his hand.

  "Mr. Harris, Fredrick Walker, it's a pleasure to meet you officially."

  Walker's statement went over his head, and he said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Walker. I hope you had a pleasant flight."

  "Yes, I did. It was very long but pleasant."

  I took a minute for Walker's opening words to register finally. When they did, he studied the small man a bit closer. Shawn guessed him to be in his mid to late 70's or possibly older. He was dressed in a very nice dark suit, a simple white long-sleeved shirt, and a nondescript silk tie. His hair, or what was left of it, was completely gray, and his face looked to be very kind despite his profession.

  "You said officially, have we met before?"

  "Yes, we have. In fact, a few times over the years, but I'll get into that in a moment."

  Shawn had met so many people and seen so many faces from around the world that nothing seemed to register as he studied the man’s face.

  “I assume you are still wondering why I couldn’t give you more information over the phone, but as I said in my follow-up letter, my client’s instructions were very explicit. He would only allow me to discuss this matter with you in person.”

  “Ok, I’m listening.”

  “As I stated in my letter and during our phone conversation, I am the executor of a large estate in which you are the sole heir. The man that held this estate was my very good friend for far more years than I care to count.”

  Walker took a sip of his coffee and said, “He also happens to be your father.”

  Shawn just stared at the man for a long moment. He slowly ran his big hands through his long hair and then his beard before he replied.

  “Is this some sort of joke because I don’t think it’s amusing?”

  "I can assure you that this is no joke, Mr. Harris. Your father wanted me to tell you this in person and not by some letter or other means of communication. Your father was three years older than your mother, and he loved her very much. They made plans to marry after your father found out she was pregnant. But HIS father wouldn't allow it because, as he put it, "she came from the wrong side of the tracks and would ruin his life." He was in his first year of college and you were born, he secretly made plans to marry your mother without his father's consent, but it was too late. Your mother had already married another man. I met your father in college, and we have remained friends all of our lives. I studied law and your father's business. Everything your father touched in business turned to gold, while his personal life, especially with women, turned out to be just the opposite. I started a law firm, and your father was my first client. As his wealth grew, so did his problems with women. He was married five times and lived with a few more. He never had any children of his own because he told me he didn't love them enough to have children. He claimed that the only woman he truly loved was your mother. He instructed me to hire a private detective to find you after you disappeared following your stepfather's death. Truth be told, you did something that he was contemplating also, but unlike you, he failed to find the man."

  Shawn stood and said nothing. He walked over to the refrigerator, pulled out a Tiger beer, and cracked open the bottle.

  “Kasem,” Shawn called out.

  A few seconds later, Kasem entered the kitchen from the living room, where he was watching TV, and looked at Shawn.

  “Please see to it that our guest is comfortable.”

  *****

  While Kasem offered Mr. Walker something to eat and more coffee, Shawn headed out to the balcony to gather his thoughts. Before he did, he asked Walker one question.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “Mr. Walker…what was his name?”

  “His name was Sean Kelly, the son of Thomas Kelly, the Knox County magistrate.”

  Jesse nodded and said, “I need some time to digest this. Will you give me a moment, please?”

  Walker looked at Shawn and said, “Oh, course, take as much time as you need.”

  Shawn walked out onto the balcony and looked out over the great Andaman Sea expanse without seeing it. As he stood there in the warm breeze, some deeply buried painful memories crept back onto the surface of his mind. His emotions were rocked by anger, fear, hate, love, and sorrow. A single tear ran down his cheek as he tipped his head and held the bottle of beer to his lips.

  Shawn regained his composure and returned to the kitchen a few minutes later. He grabbed another beer from the refrigerator and sat across from the attorney, taking this all in stride. He acted like he did this all the time. Shawn pointed to Kelly’s coffee cup and said, “Would you like something stronger?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “How do you know that I’m his son, and how can you give me whatever you prepared to give me without any proof?”

  “I’ll get into that in a moment, but first, I want to explain some things.”

  “Very well, please continue.”

  “Well, Mr. Harris —.”

  “Please call me Shawn. Mr. Harris, it sounds like you’re talking to someone else in the room.”

  “No problem, sir. After your father found out that you had moved to Thailand.”

  “And just how did he discover that may I ask?”

  “As I said, Mr. Kelly requested I hire a private detective. That detective contacted your sister and her husband on their farm just outside Middlesboro, and I offered them a deal.”

  “And that was?”

  "I'm sorry, I'm not at liberty to say. All I can tell you is that they accepted my offer and kept their promise of silence under the contract we signed with them."

  Shawn wasn't happy. He also had an agreement with them to keep his location a secret. Just before he traveled to Florida, he asked them to keep his 56 Chevy in their barn until he returned for it. Little did he know that he would be in Thailand for all these years. He paid them for storage until he had them ship the car to Phuket some twenty-odd years ago.

  "Okay, I'll let that go for now. Please continue, Mr. Walker."

  "When your father found out where you were living, he hired a man in Phuket to keep him informed on your condition. Through this man's eyes, your father watched you build your club from the ground up, and he was extremely proud of you and your accomplishments. Your father and I started to travel to Phuket about fifteen years ago to see you and your club firsthand."

  Walker reached into his briefcase and handed him several eight x ten color photographs. Shawn looked at the photos and recognized one man instantly. He was looking at himself.

  “First, let me say that your father wanted to identify himself to you many times. On every flight we took to Phuket, he told me this. But in the end, he never had the courage. It wasn’t that your father was a coward; he was one of the most fearless men I’ve ever met. Nonetheless, I believe the only thing he feared in life was your rejection. He took these photos of you so he could feel close to you and had them framed all over his office.”

  Walker handed the last print to him and said, “This was the photo he had on his desk. It just so happens that I took this photo at your club about eight years ago when a group of tourists were all posing with a picture of you and some of the stage dancers in costume.”

  Shawn looked at the photo and was stunned by the resemblance. The older man in the photo had a big smile, and his right arm was around Shawn’s shoulder.

  “It’s a photo of you and your father.”

  Walker watched Shawn’s face as he studied the photo. He could plainly see that the man was tormented, and he was fully prepared for this.

  “I know this must be very difficult for you, Mr….Shawn, if you need some time—?”

  “No, I’m fine….I guess I wasn’t expecting this.”

  “Now you asked about proof of your relationship. Your father didn’t request this; however, I did take the liberty of having a sample of your DNA tested.”

  Shawn’s eyes opened a bit further, and in a slightly raised voice, he said, “And just how the hell did you manage that? And doesn’t that infringe on my privacy just a bit!”

  “Again, I’m not at liberty to answer that. But for now, let’s say the man we hired in Phuket got it from a young lady friend while you were sleeping.”

  Shawn finally found something to laugh about and said, “Oh My God… what is this some sort of conspiracy?”

  “Well, I’m glad you can see some humor in all this.”

  Walker handed Shawn an official-looking piece of paper and said, “This is the result of that test. You are definitely Mr. Kelly’s son. The DNA match is 99.7 percent positive.”

  Shawn looked at the results on the page, which looked like it would require a team of lawyers to understand, and just nodded his head.

  Walker took this as a signal to continue, saying, “And now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to show you a synopsis of your father’s assets and net worth.”

  Shawn was handed the single page that contained a list of his properties, businesses, and partnerships, bank statements, foreign, domestic, and numbered accounts, stocks, bonds, and other holdings, and the last category of just other property. He looked at the numbers behind each one, then at the bottom line, and was shocked.

  Shawn finally said, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

  “No, sir, I am absolutely not kidding you,” Walker said with a straight poker face.

  *****

  Walker wrapped up his meeting with Shawn and took a cab to meet his next client. He could have merely sent the man his last check; however, he wanted to thank him personally for his years of service to Mr. Kelly. He climbed the stairs, walked down the hall to the office of Choi Investigations, and knocked on the newly installed security door that featured bulletproof glass and an electronic locking system. Choi had also installed a new security system and security cameras. He was taking no chances of someone surprising him again. After Kelly left, Choi opened the sealed envelope and was stunned by the size of the check. In their meeting, he told Kelly he would have done it for free because “Shawn turned out to be one of his dearest friends, and no amount of money could replace that.” Choi’s next task would be a pleasure. He logged on to his bank account and transferred a substantial amount into David’s account in LA.

  *****

  After Kelly left, Shawn called Kim and told her he wouldn’t be coming into the club that night, giving her no explanation. He sat at the island bar in the kitchen and studied the man in the photo. He ran his finger over his father’s face until the anger that was building up inside of him had to be released. He stood and picked up the bottle of beer he was drinking and threw it against the kitchen wall, where it disintegrated into a thousand pieces.

  He screamed at the top of his voice, “I don’t want you’re fucking money, you bastard.”

  With his pent-up emotions released, Shawn fell back into his chair and looked at the picture of his father again. He looked at the man’s arm around him, and the brilliant smile on his face, and a lump started to form in his throat until he finally burst, and the tears began to flow.

  “I just wanted a real father. Why didn’t you tell me? Shawn said through trembling lips just above a whisper. “And now you’re gone, and I never knew you.”