Natalie took out the medal and the original letter that had been tucked into the tin box with it. Her friend from the auction house had treated the dry, brittle paper with a spray to keep it from crumbling, and it was now encased in plastic. They took a moment to admire the find. Objects that evoked memories had a peculiar sort of power, Andrew reflected. As he and Blythe had sorted through the precious few items Colleen O’Rourke Harper had left behind, he had felt a subtle tug of connection to a stranger he’d never known. Perhaps that was what the Larrabees were feeling now.

“I can’t tell you how much this means to our family,” said Gus Larrabee. “It’s a major piece of a puzzle I’ve been putting together for years.”

“My grandfather spoke with such pride of this medal,” Augusta said, “but after the earthquake and fire, he assumed it was lost, like so much else in the city.”

“This was one of the few structures left standing,” said Andrew.

“Such stories he had,” Augusta continued. “When he was under Commodore Dewey’s command, he was blasted into the sea during a battle. Half his regiment drowned, but he and several men were rescued by native rebels—they were called Tagals back then. It didn’t sound like a good outcome, though. He was taken prisoner, and only managed to escape when the Tagals got into a skirmish with Spanish soldiers.”

“My grandfather went to fight in the Philippines as well,” said Andrew, “but he never returned and no one ever discovered what became of him.”

The woman regarded him with a gleam in her eye. “When we spoke on the phone, you said his name was Julio Harper?”

Andrew nodded, though he couldn’t remember speaking to her. “His name is on the marriage certificate left by my grandmother. Other than that, there was no other information to be found.”

“We’ve brought a few things to show you,” said Gus. “When you gave us that name, we knew there was a connection. There was a Julio Harper under Dewey’s command.”

Natalie looked at him. “Grandy, did you hear that? Julio Harper.”

Andrew nodded again. “When he was declared missing in action, Colleen applied for a widow’s pension. Yet she never received any funds. She had a letter denying the claim based on a dispute over the validity of the marriage. We never discovered the reason.”

“This might explain it.” The younger Larrabee, Auggie, placed a photograph on the table. “It’s a replica print from the San Francisco Examiner.”

Andrew leaned in, pushing his glasses against the bridge of his nose. The photograph showed a line of black soldiers standing at attention and gazing straight ahead. The caption read, Some of our brave colored boys who liberated the Philippines were among the most gallant and soldierly … A list of names under the photograph identified the soldiers in order.