Sammy and Ilna, don't know what I'd do without you guys and I hope with all that I am I never have to find out.
Sammy another title! Another thank you!
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Loud and Clear
"Hey," Catherine greeted the cousins as she entered the bullpen.
"Hey, sista, you popped a little more since last Monday." Kono smiled and pointed at her tummy before catching her in a hug.
Chin squeezed her shoulder. He'd been at their house with Dylan to fish with Steve and Cody that weekend. "How was the fish?"
"Awesome. Even more delicious because I only had to toss a salad, Steve and Cody grilled."
"Dylan helped me grill at their house," He smiled. "Jenna was worried we didn't leave you enough."
She waved the thought away. "We all had seconds and have enough for another meal for me and Steve." She looked around. "Speaking of …?"
"He's on his was up from interrogation with Danny." Chin held up his phone, "He just texted you were on your way; asked me to pull some info and tell you 'have a juice and hydrate while you wait', he'll see you in five."
With a small smile, Catherine did exactly that. Grabbing an orange juice from the break room fridge, she took it to the conference room where Steve said they'd be meeting and sat down to wait.
Four minutes later, Steve joined her and Danny followed before they'd finished saying hello.
"What's up with Johns?"
Steve took the seat to her left, at the table's head and Danny sat across from Catherine. "He told the guard on Wednesday he wanted to talk to the psychiatrist, then asked her for the P.A."
She looked from one to the other. "And…?"
"And it wasn't the same old crap he's been spewing since his conviction," Danny said. "He told Frank Kaewa where an unknown victim was."
"They located her remains exactly where he indicated." Steve's brow furrowed and Catherine picked up the nearly imperceptible change in his posture that no one else would have detected. "She was identified by her jewelry, 31 year old female."
"I hope the family will at least get some closure."
Steve and Danny exchanged a brief look and the latter took a deep breath. He ran a hand through his hair and began to give Catherine a rundown of the events that had quickly transpired when a convicted killer who cannibalized his victims named Russell Christopher Johns asked for the prosecuting attorney and revealed the location of the badly decomposed remains of the woman tentatively identified as Daphne Kelekolio. They were waiting for DNA but in the interim, Kelekolio had been IDed by the wedding and engagement rings she'd been wearing at the time of her disappearance.
When he was finished, Danny slid a folder containing the information to her. "Here're the details, they haven't been transcribed yet." He gave her hand a squeeze and stood. "And I'll be reviewing the missing persons lists going back to 2003, because Daphne Kelekolio went missing four years before Johns' previously earliest known victim."
She said, "Okay, see you later," and nodded. As the door clicked closed, Catherine's eyes locked onto her husband's. Gesturing at the folder she asked, "What's going on? You didn't call me over to show me this." She tilted her head. "Steve?"
He ran a hand through his hair and behind his neck. "Johns offered additional info on victims. He claims there're more."
"How many more?"
He sighed and scrubbed his face with both hands. "Eleven."
"Eleven?" Her eyes widened. "That's ... we found fourteen, and the one today makes fifteen, that's twenty six." She shook her head. "Twenty six victims, going back to 2003?"
"At least. We're starting with the year he got his license because his known dumping grounds were a fifteen mile radius from his house."
Catherine picked up a pen and pulled the notepad she'd brought closer. Poised to write she asked, "So, what can I do? I'm thinking as a start the governor's office can spare a research team to help and I'll oversee the data and liaise with Chin on it …" She stopped at his hand on her wrist. "What?"
"Cath … I always want your help, but this isn't …"
She flipped her hand over and laced their fingers, immediately aware of the undercurrent that had nothing to do with work. "Steve, what?"
He huffed a sigh. "Johns wants to give up more locations. No cat and mouse bullshit with him giving clues to find coordinates."
After his arrest, Russell Christopher Johns had fed investigators clues that led to location coordinates covering miles-wide areas they'd searched for victims' remains.
Catherine grimaced at the thought of dozens of personnel searching while families waited for word on their missing loved ones. "What's the catch?"
"You." Steve's eyes narrowed and she could see the veins in his arm become more prominent when the hand she'd been holding balled into a fist. "He specifically asked for you. Says he'll only give the information to Lieutenant Rollins."
Her mouth formed an 'oh'. Her voice dropped. "This isn't about me."
She knew exactly what was happening with Johns. Like most sociopaths, he never accepted responsibility for anything he'd done and blamed Steve and the team for his arrest and subsequent six concurrent life sentences. While he held them all responsible, he'd focused on Steve as the one who'd taken him down, screaming how he'd be sorry and thrashing like a madman while Catherine read him his rights as Danny led him away.
At the time of his sentencing, he'd again promised revenge on Steve, but having learned of their recent marriage, included Catherine when spewing a barrage of such vulgarity, Steve was a hair's breadth from saving the state the cost of his facilities charges for the next hundred years and tearing Johns' head off bare handed. That was seconds before the judge had the prisoner hauled off as Danny's hand on his shoulder grounded his partner to his spot in the gallery.
Catherine looked at him with understanding eyes. "He's trying to mess with you."
He searched her face. "He's doing it to piss me off."
"So we won't let him."
"Too late."
She squeezed his hand in both of hers. "When do I talk to him?"
"Catherine…"
"Steve, when do I talk to him? Those families deserve closure." Her voice was soft, but firm.
His eyes swirled with emotion but his expression was calm. "I know. I know they do and you know I have never, ever been concerned about you handling anything, and I never will be, but right now …" His eyes dropped to her growing tummy and went back to hers. "With the baby …"
"I love you for it, but we're fine. Niblet's a McGarrett and a Rollins, we got this."
Steve shook his head. "You're amazing, Rollins, but I gotta tell you…"
She wailed until he spoke.
"It's twenty seven murders." His hesitation and tiny hitch in his voice told her the rest as soon as he uttered the next word. "Her missing persons report said Daphne …"
"Oh," she whispered, her hand protectively covering her tummy. "Oh, how far along?"
Steve's tone was lower than usual when he took her free hand. "Five months according to the file. I'm sorry, I didn't want Johns to catch you off guard."
She knew he … they … were now doing what Danny always did. While everyone was more affected by any case involving children, they were now directly relating it to their own. "Thank you." She placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm good. If he's here, can we do this now?"
"If you're sure, whenever you're ready." He gave her the opening to refuse - one he clearly knew she'd never take.
"Let me review the information and I'm ready in fifteen." At the tap on the door they turned to see Danny, his brows up in question. She tucked the folder under her arm and stood. "Let's get those families some answers."
Forty minutes later Danny, Steve and Catherine stood in interrogation as Russell Johns was brought in and shackled to a chair.
"Ooh, Lieutenant Catherine Rollins, dreams do come true," he rasped. "We have so much to talk about. And, look at that." He gestured as far as his cuffed hand would allow as Steve moved in to check the restraints. "I could tell you two were going at it like a couple 'a dogs in heat the minute I saw you. Finally knocked you up, did he?"
"Woah, woah, shut it, scumbag." Danny's eyes flashed with anger and even as he took a step closer to his partner in case he had to intervene his gaze flicked to Catherine.
Catherine's expression remained completely impassive and Steve's face was set in stone. He straightened slowly after tightening the cuffs. Leaning close, he growled, "Watch your mouth, because if you say anything, and I mean anything, remotely inappropriate to Lieutenant Rollins again …" he annunciated each word slowly, "I will personally rip your tongue out."
Johns' grin was feral. "Done that, Commander, the frenulum can be troublesome if you don't have a sharp enough blade…"
He didn't blink, but the serial killer did as Steve whispered, "I won't need a blade."
Catherine tapped the table with her pen. "I don't have a lot of time, Russell, what is it you have to share that you want to tell me?"
The eyes that focused on her blinked slowly, like a camera shutter. They were so dark they appeared black and the irises were surrounded by white, giving him an almost perpetually shocked expression. If not for the crazed look he might have been handsome; he actually described himself as a young Ray Milland, the actor famous in the 40s and 50s.
"I decided I'm bored and I want to share. But only if I'm left alone with the lieutenant." He looked at Steve and Danny.
"Absolutely not. No way." Steve wouldn't budge.
"Then no deal."
"Fine." Catherine moved to stand.
"Wait." Johns eyed the trio. "They can watch from the other side of the glass." He tilted his head at Steve and Danny.
Catherine held a silent conversation with Steve and he reluctantly motioned Danny to the door and followed him out, but not before unholstering his weapon. "Make no mistake, I'll blow your head off if you twitch in her direction."
'Aye, aye, as they say." Resentment flashed and was masked as he turned to Catherine and started with, "April 11, 2006, I happened on a hiker. She had great calves, that one …"
Steve was pacing outside the room the entire two hours and seventeen minutes.
"There, she's done." Danny placed a hand on his partner's shoulder when Catherine stood. "She's good, babe, she got it all."
"I know. I'm just…"
"What?"
"The baby …"
"The baby's fine, Steve. Catherine's fine."
"It can h …" Steve's comment was lost when the door opened and Catherine smiled at him. "Here's the list." She handed him her notes. "They can start looking immediately."
"Outstanding. Cath," Danny squeezed her shoulder and motioned for the guards to go in and remove Johns. "Let's get upstairs."
Rolling her shoulders and letting out a sigh, she led the way. Steve's hand never left the small of her back until they were in his office. "I'm wrapped up; I'll follow you home."
"Steve, you don't have …"
"You have the afternoon off, I'm coming home with you."
"Thanks." He looked so determined, she smiled and pecked his cheek. "Let's go. We can call for take out." She opened her purse. "In the meantime, I'm having a Pop Tart."
They sat against the back of the sofa, Catherine leaning into his side, while he toyed with her fingers. "You're okay, right? I mean, Niblet is? He or she isn't … upset?"
She shook her head. "We're fine. Niblet's fluttering around right now." Her hand held his on top of the baby. "Pretty soon."
"I'm just worried he or she'd be … disturbed. By Johns."
"Steve, the guys's pretty much the devil but it's unfortunately nothing I haven't heard before. I'm not so upset it'd affect the baby."
"That's not what I meant." He shook his head.
She waited for him to continue.
"The book says Niblet can hear."
"Yes, well … oh." She turned to face him. "No, please don't worry about … Steve, Niblet can hear my voice from inside, probably yours if you're against my stomach, but the baby can't understand anything."
"I know that. I … just don't want Niblet hearing too much negative stuff. Whether he or she understands it or not."
"You," she kissed him gently, "are an incredible dad already. And I promise, Niblet's happily doing squats in there after enjoying the Pop Tart."
He smiled, relief in his eyes. "Good. But the baby should hear lots of happy things. So …" He began speaking to Catherine's tummy. "Okay, Niblet, get nice and comfortable because I'm gonna tell you a story about how I went into a diner and the most beautiful girl I've ever seen was in summer whites having a milkshake. I ended up buying her ribs …"
# End thanks for reading
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