One is a retired Kaua'i police chief, the other a retired New York City firefighter. Together, the veteran tough guys are conducting an exhaustive search for Sweetie.

They both admit it's a little crazy, but when your beloved daughter loses her favorite doll, they feel it's a father's duty to do what he can.

Sweetie was lost during a vacation to Hawai'i. Firefighter Andrew P., a protective dad who doesn't want his family's last name in the paper, was celebrating his retirement from the FDNY. The family stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Tapa Tower, and that's where Sweetie was last seen.

The Hilton staff was alerted, and they dutifully conducted searches of the hotel laundry chute, bedding and service elevator, but still no Sweetie.

Andrew's daughter Kate, who got little Sweetie as a baby gift and has loved her as long as she can remember, is worried about the doll all alone in Waikiki with no one to look after her.

This happened in late October. Seven months later, Sweetie still hasn't been found and Kate still misses her.

Brian Fujiuchi, now a private investigator after retiring as chief of the Kaua'i Police Department, got the call about the missing Sweetie. His own daughter Lauree lost her Humpty Dumpty on a family trip when she was little.

"My ingenious wife sewed another Humpty, dirtied it with coffee, etc., washed it and presented it to my daughter who suspiciously accepted it as the original," he said.

Fujiuchi was lucky. Or his daughter was complicit.

Andrew tried the same ploy. "Being a good dad, he figured he would buy her another Sweetie," Fujiuchi reported. "Well, it didn't work — as she said, it doesn't smell or look like her Sweetie."

The next plan was to hire a detective.

Andrew, who has family in Hawai'i, asked for recommendations and searched online for a private investigator with a good reputation. He wanted a retired cop because he felt they would be on the same page. With Fujiuchi, he found instant rapport.

"We're two grown men talking on the phone about Sweetie and Humpty," he says. "It's crazy."

Sweetie is 11 inches tall, made entirely of fabric, and is a faded pink. She is soft and her facial features are sewn in. There are no buttons, tags, or breakable parts. The photo on Page A35 shows the substitute Sweetie, which is close. The real Sweetie has no identification tag on the front of her dress like this version does.

Though his daughter is dealing with her first experience of loss, Andrew says Kate will be OK with whatever happens. It's just important to her, and to him, that he tries.

"I'll do what I can, and then we'll make our peace with it," Andrew says.

If you have information on Sweetie's whereabouts, contact Fujiuchi at his Kaua'i office, (808) 246-1162. Substitute Sweeties need not apply.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.