The silence was ear shattering, filling the room with absolute nothingness. Two stunned faces and two dropped jaws later, both younger men managed to gather their wits enough to speak. Unfortunately, they chose the exact same moment to do so.
"A fourth..."
"How in the hell..."
Peter bit off he last word and silently motioned for his father to continue.
"How can this be, Father?"
Matthew sat down on the floor, indicating the other two men should join him, and explained about both the letter and his short-lived relationship with Alexandra.
"So I have come here hoping that you can help me track him down."
"Of coarse we will help, Grandfather. What other information do you have? Name, birth date, birthplace, anything like that will help."
"His name, I believe, is Matthew Aaron Griffin and I have the information about his birth right here," he handed Peter the envelope.
"Oh, and there is a picture in there as well. It's quite a few years old, but..." he trailed off as Peter's jaw once again plunged toward the floor.
"You said his last name was Griffin?"
"Yes. Alexandra Griffin was his mother, although I did not know that was her last name at the time."
Peter handed his father the photo that had fallen from the envelope. Kwai Chang also re-adopted a look of shock. "It cannot be."
"It has to be," Peter contradicted. "Just look at him. Last name Griffin, wears sunglasses even in the shade? And this could definitely be a younger version of Marilyn."
Peter pointed to the young girl in the picture. "Come on Pop, coincidence is one thing but do you really think that's the case here?"
Matthew threw an irritated glance at his offspring's offspring. "What can or cannot be? Do you know where we can find this man?"
Peter glanced at the letter and photo once again, quickly re-reading the information regarding Matthew Caine's newly revealed son. One line jumped out at him and sealed his belief with a final proverbial nail.
...I have enclosed another letter to Matthew (after you, of
coarse - although he seems to prefer some silly nickname my
youngest son, David, gave to him)...
"Kermit."
The whispered name only served to further annoy Matthew, who raised a warning eyebrow in Peter's direction.
"Yes, Grandfather, I know where we can find him. If I'm correct, and I believe that I am, he works down at the precinct with me. In fact, he's one of my closest friends."
Peter shook his head, trying to adjust his perception of reality to fit the current information. It seemed impossible, but with his family, the impossible was almost the predictable. 'Kermit? My *uncle*?' He thought back to the words he'd spoken to his father after learning of his other two uncles, Damon Caine and Martin Bradshaw. "This family is more like a creeping vine. Are you sure there aren't any more surprises I should know about?"
He reached up and rubbed his temples, trying to forestall the inevitable headache he could feel building behind his eyes. It would seem now that his words had come back to haunt them all.
Kwai Chang was also having a difficult time trying to process this newest development. He knew that Peter was right, he could sense the truth behind the words, but was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact. Kermit, his son's closest friend and self-appointed protector, was actually his own brother, another long lost sibling! It was true that Kwai Chang had felt an immediate connection to the younger man when they had fist met, but he had presumed that it had merely been a shared concern for his son, and mutual desire to keep Peter alive and healthy. This new twist threw him for a loop and he was not sure how to deal with it. One thing was certain; they needed to pay a visit to one green-shaded mercenary as soon as possible.
"We must go with your grandfather to find Kermit, my son. They will both need as much support as possible when the truth becomes known."
Peter agreed, although hesitantly. He knew his friend, and sometimes partner, better than anyone else currently in the room did, and he knew how much Kermit valued his privacy. 'That's the understatement of the year,' he thought with a quiet snort. Still, he could not just allow his friend (his uncle?) to be alone when his heritage was revealed. Especially knowing that that heritage was one they shared. He stood, dropping his hands from his head, and led the way back down to the Stealth.
*****
The 101st precinct, as usual, was immersed in chaos when they arrived. Officers, prisoners, and citizens alike were fighting the increasing noise level to make themselves heard. Peter, Kwai Chang and Matthew pushed their way through the crowd and headed toward one of two closed doors off the bullpen. Peter knocked once and listened for a response.
"He's not in there, Partner." Mary Margaret appeared at his side, nodding toward Kermit's closed door. "He and the Captain took off for a meeting with the head of the Mayor's new Crime Task Force."
"Damn," Peter muttered to himself before addressing his partner, "Do you know when they'll be back?"
"Around 3:00 I think was Kermit's estimate." She turned to Kwai Chang and Matthew. Smiling, she threaded her arm through Caine's and nodded toward Matthew. "So, who's this? Or do I even need to ask? Same beautiful hazel eyes, same smile...it has *got* to be your father, yes?"
Kwai Chang smiled back at her and introduced the two. Peter rolled his eyes.
"Well, it's 2:20 now, so I guess we wait."
He pulled two extra chairs up to his desk and indicated that his father and grandfather should sit. He sat down in front of the computer and started searching the databases for any further information on one Mrs. Alexandra Griffin.
"Alexandra Griffin? Someone related to Kermit?"
Peter turned to find Jody standing silently behind him, peering over his shoulder at his computer screen. He nodded affirmatively.
"Do you really think you should be looking up information on Kermit's family? I mean, he's totally slashed people's credit ratings for much less, ya know,” she joked. At his look, she held up her hands in front of her and backed away muttering to herself. Peter glanced up at the clock. It was 2:33.
Peter let out an exasperated sigh. It was going to be a long wait.
End Part 3