Jim McCartney couldn't sleep. All day long, he'd turned what the police had told him about this mysterious British band over in his mind. How they had come to New York from England. How they all seemed to want to be rock musicians. And how one of them was calling himself James.
It was silly, Jim knew. Paul couldn't have gotten all the way to New York on his own! For one thing, the airlines wouldn't have allowed it. But he might not have been travelling alone, Jim remembered. There were three other boys in this band, who would have had to come over from England too. Could Paul have really formed a band and then brought them halfway across the world to make sure Jim wouldn't find him? Would Paul really do that to him? And going by his first name, too, as if he was in disguise. Did he really want to hide from Jim that badly?
It might not be him, Jim kept telling himself. James, after all, was a very common name. But this was a British James with ambitions to be a rock musician - and very likely a runaway, too. Otherwise, his parents would have put a stop to this silly band of his. How many Jameses like that could there be running around?
In the morning, the Harrisons came over for breakfast. The two families had been spending a lot of time together over the past month. Jim looked tired and upset, and as he, the five Harrisons, and Michael all sat around the table, one of the first things he mentioned was the police's report on that British band. There was no point in trying to pretend he could think about something else.
"It sounded promising," Louise Harrison (senior) agreed hesitantly. "Part of me almost wants to believe my George is part of them somehow; it would mean he's not... well... it would mean he's all right. But as none of these boys are calling themselves George, I don't see how he can be." She finished with an air of finality, as if she was done talking about this, but Jim wasn't yet.
"What if they were all using false names?" he asked seriously, with a troubled frown.
"But why would George be doing that?" asked Harold Harrison with some agitation. "Wouldn't he tell someone who he is and where he belongs as quickly as possible, so he can get back home? Doesn't he want to be found?"
"Paul doesn't," Michael pointed out - he knew all about Paul's argument with their father by now. George was classified by the police as a missing person, but everyone knew Paul was a runaway.
Mrs Harrison frowned. The McCartneys had a lot less reason to be worried than the Harrisons did, because their son was trying not to be found. In a way, it might be a relief to find out that George didn't want to be found either. At least, it was a better alternative to all the other horrible things she had thought of. But she couldn't get her head around the possibility that her baby might be deliberately staying away from her.
"It wouldn't be so bad if George did want to stay in America, Mum," said Louise Harrison Jr, as if reading her mother's thoughts. "I thought it was really nice there, meself."
"He can stay there when he's older," Mrs Harrison said fiercely, suddenly angry. "Not now!"
"Paul doesn't care," Michael said. "Maybe George doesn't care either. Maybe they're both in this band."
The Harrison parents looked both shocked and angry at this, but George's brothers were both nodding thoughtfully. "That wouldn't be so bad, Mum," Peter Harrison soothed her. "At least he'd be all right."
"My George doesn't want to join a band in New York instead of come home with me!" cried Mrs Harrison. "How could you suggest such a thing...?"
"Whether he does or he doesn't," Jim McCartney broke in, "I'm going to the police and ask them to look into this further. If my son is part of this band, I want to know about it and put a stop to it immediately."
It was silly, Jim knew. Paul couldn't have gotten all the way to New York on his own! For one thing, the airlines wouldn't have allowed it. But he might not have been travelling alone, Jim remembered. There were three other boys in this band, who would have had to come over from England too. Could Paul have really formed a band and then brought them halfway across the world to make sure Jim wouldn't find him? Would Paul really do that to him? And going by his first name, too, as if he was in disguise. Did he really want to hide from Jim that badly?
It might not be him, Jim kept telling himself. James, after all, was a very common name. But this was a British James with ambitions to be a rock musician - and very likely a runaway, too. Otherwise, his parents would have put a stop to this silly band of his. How many Jameses like that could there be running around?
In the morning, the Harrisons came over for breakfast. The two families had been spending a lot of time together over the past month. Jim looked tired and upset, and as he, the five Harrisons, and Michael all sat around the table, one of the first things he mentioned was the police's report on that British band. There was no point in trying to pretend he could think about something else.
"It sounded promising," Louise Harrison (senior) agreed hesitantly. "Part of me almost wants to believe my George is part of them somehow; it would mean he's not... well... it would mean he's all right. But as none of these boys are calling themselves George, I don't see how he can be." She finished with an air of finality, as if she was done talking about this, but Jim wasn't yet.
"What if they were all using false names?" he asked seriously, with a troubled frown.
"But why would George be doing that?" asked Harold Harrison with some agitation. "Wouldn't he tell someone who he is and where he belongs as quickly as possible, so he can get back home? Doesn't he want to be found?"
"Paul doesn't," Michael pointed out - he knew all about Paul's argument with their father by now. George was classified by the police as a missing person, but everyone knew Paul was a runaway.
Mrs Harrison frowned. The McCartneys had a lot less reason to be worried than the Harrisons did, because their son was trying not to be found. In a way, it might be a relief to find out that George didn't want to be found either. At least, it was a better alternative to all the other horrible things she had thought of. But she couldn't get her head around the possibility that her baby might be deliberately staying away from her.
"It wouldn't be so bad if George did want to stay in America, Mum," said Louise Harrison Jr, as if reading her mother's thoughts. "I thought it was really nice there, meself."
"He can stay there when he's older," Mrs Harrison said fiercely, suddenly angry. "Not now!"
"Paul doesn't care," Michael said. "Maybe George doesn't care either. Maybe they're both in this band."
The Harrison parents looked both shocked and angry at this, but George's brothers were both nodding thoughtfully. "That wouldn't be so bad, Mum," Peter Harrison soothed her. "At least he'd be all right."
"My George doesn't want to join a band in New York instead of come home with me!" cried Mrs Harrison. "How could you suggest such a thing...?"
"Whether he does or he doesn't," Jim McCartney broke in, "I'm going to the police and ask them to look into this further. If my son is part of this band, I want to know about it and put a stop to it immediately."