Continuing on from Sins of the father. Steve and Catherine deal with a few issues from their past as the Barrow court martial begins.
Slight crossover with Jag, only because I needed the best Lawyers I could find amongst the Navy and Marine core, and we all know that's Harm and Mac.
I don't own any of the characters from Five-0 or Jag; I'm just taking them out to play for a while. All mistakes are my own; let me know if you find anything major so I can change it.
Love Wendy x
Honolulu Airport
Sunday 0530 hrs.
Danny glanced around the departure area as he waited for Steve and Catherine's flight to arrive at the gate. As a courtesy to Five-0 the head of I.C.E had allowed Danny to wait for the Tahiti flight at the gate. The newlyweds would still need to clear immigration, but Danny would be allowed to wait with them. Listening to the tannoy system that fed the terminal with information he was able to hear "Hawaiian Airlines would like to announce the arrival of flight HA 482 from Tahiti."
Noticing the ground crew heading towards the gate, Danny stood and moved towards the desk to wait for his friends. He nodded his head at the ground crew as they checked him over, visually relaxing when they spotted the badge clipped to his belt.
A few minutes later a trickle of passengers started emerging from the sky bridge. It didn't take Danny long to spot his partner in the crowd, Catherine tucked under his arm as they both entered the terminal.
Steve spotted his partner as soon as he entered the terminal. He broke into a grin as he steered Catherine towards him. "You miss me?" He asked with a grin.
"Shut up." Danny growled good naturedly as he pulled his partner into a brief hug slapping him on his back before turning to Catherine and pulling her into a hug. "Hey Catherine."
"Hi Danny, thanks for picking us up." Catherine greeted as she returned the blonde Detective's hug.
"You're welcome." Danny said as they headed towards immigration. "The team is all meeting at yours for breakfast." He told them.
"At least if you're here I know my kitchen isn't on fire?" Steve said with a grin.
"I did not set fire to your kitchen." Danny huffed out.
"When was this?" Catherine was clearly confused; Steve hadn't shared that story with her.
"Just after my reserve drill on the Enterprise." Steve explained watching as a smile lit Catherine's face. "I got home to the smoke alarm going off." He turned to Danny who was glaring at him.
"Wasn't that when you were between apartments?" Cath asked him.
"Yes it was." Danny agreed as they moved towards the U.S citizen's desk at the right of the room. "For the record your kitchen was not on fire.
"Was too." Steve responded with a grin in Cath's direction.
She shook her head and waited, not disappointed when Danny argued back. "Was not."
"Okay you two, time out." She joked.
"So how was Tahiti?" Danny asked changing the subject.
"Memorable." Steve said quickly grinning at Catherine who actually blushed.
"Stop that right now, I didn't ask about that." Danny said shaking his head at his partner's smug grin.
"Danny we were on our honeymoon." Steve pointed out, his smug grin still in place.
Catherine was shaking her head. "We had a lovely time, Danny. We didn't do a whole lot of sightseeing as we've seen most of the Island before." Catherine explained. "But we did take lots of pictures for Grace."
"She's been looking forward to that." He told them honestly as they shuffled along in the queue.
"How's thing's at HQ?" Steve asked.
"Pretty quiet really, you know the criminals take a vacation whenever you do." Danny joked. "We've just wrapped up a case yesterday, all the files are on your desk waiting for your signature. The Jag lawyers phoned on Friday, they want to run through some pointers for the court case on Monday. They want us all at Pearl for 10 o'clock." He explained bringing Steve up to speed.
"Okay. They give you any indication on what order they plan on using us?" Steve asked.
"They want to start with Cath." Danny shared with them.
They were prevented from saying anything else as a customs officer shouted them forward. They both handed over their passports and forms and the officer began flicking through the pages of the two passports. He raised an eyebrow at some of the stamps until Steve pointed out they were both Military. He passed the passports back to them and waved them on their way.
Heading towards the baggage carousel, Steve was able to quickly snag there bags off the belt. They headed towards the doors and out of the airport building, spotting Danny's Camaro parked outside Steve quickly moved towards it as Danny unlocked it with the fob. Steve threw their bags into the trunk as Catherine climbed into the back of the car as Danny handed the keys over to Steve before climbing into the passenger seat of his car.
Steve climbed behind the wheel, adjusting the seat and mirrors as Danny sighed and grumbled. "It's been great the past two weeks while you've been off the Island; I've actually been able to drive my own car."
"I thought we established that it was our car?" Steve said with a glance in his partner's direction.
"No we did not, you just claimed my car." Danny grumbled.
"That's how marriage works, Danny." Catherine teased, with laughter in her voice.
"That means he gets to drive your corvette now?" Danny pointed out to her as he turned to look over his shoulder.
"Oh no he doesn't. No one drives that car but me, and besides I've seen how Steve drives your car." Catherine laughed at Danny's indignant look.
"Sorry partner this is still our car." Grinned a smug Steve as he moved out of the parking space
...
Sand Island
The waves crashed along the shore line, pushing the polythene rapped object on to the sand. The tide receded pulling at the polythene but the object didn't get pulled back out with the tide. The work man headed over to the object, expecting to find an old carpet or something only to get a shock as he pulled the polythene aside. Falling back onto his backside he called to his friend. "Phone the police, it's a woman's body."
...
McGarrett's residence.
Steve unlocked his front door and dropped their bags inside before sweeping Catherine of her feet and carrying her inside. She smiled back at him, dropping a quick kiss on his lips just before he set her down.
"You're getting too used to doing that." She chided with a little laugh.
"You can't mock tradition." He informed her as he picked there bags up and headed upstairs with them.
Catherine headed into the Kitchen to start on the coffee for everyone. Danny was trailing behind her as a light knock sounded on the door. She heard the door open and Chin's voice call out to announce his presence.
A moment later Chin and Kono walked into the kitchen. "How was Tahiti?" Kono asked pulling Cath into a quick hug.
"It was wonderful." Catherine told her with a dreamy little smile just as Steve walked into the kitchen.
"You both look well rested." Chin commented.
"Yeah we've had a couple of very lazy weeks." Steve confirmed as he pulled the mugs from the shelf and placed them on the tray Catherine was already putting together with fresh fruit and pastries from the bakery.
"Thanks for getting the groceries." Thanked Catherine.
"You're welcome." Chin said sincerely for all of them.
"Yeah, it was a team effort." Kono said snagging a Strawberry out of the dish and popping it in her mouth.
"Hey, everyone in the Kitchen?" Called Lou as he walked into the house.
"Yeah." Called Danny as the Grover family and his daughter walked in.
"Hi Uncle Steve." Grace said as she hugged her favorite uncle before turning to her aunt. "Hi Aunt Cath."
"Hi Gracie." Catherine said as she returned the girls hug.
"Danno have you told them yet?" Grace asked excitedly.
"Not yet monkey." He told her.
"Told us what?" Steve asked with a raised eyebrow wondering exactly what his team had been up to in his absence.
"We have a surprise for you both. It's in your old room." Mary said as she came down the stairs with Joan in her arms. "Go and have a look." Mary grinned at them.
Steve looked at Cath as she shrugged her shoulders and moved towards the stairs to see what their family had done. Steve placed his hand on the door handle and pushed the door open. Catherine stopped dead in her tracks as she caught sight of the room. Steve's old metal framed bed, pictures, and trophies had all been moved out of the room.
The walls had been given a fresh coat of white paint and a small freeze ran around the room with little blue sailing ships. The heavy wood dresser that had stored Steve's childhood clothing had been given a new coat of varnish. There was a beautiful oak crib set up in front of the window with an old varnished rocking chair beside it.
Catherine moved into the room, running her hand along the edge of the cot, taking in the little white satin crib set with little blue sailing ships on it. There was a mobile hung above the crib with little sailing ships and fish dangling down. A teddy bear sat in the crib wearing a little sailor suit.
"Wow." Steve said as he took in the room. Amazed at what their friends had done for them while they'd been gone. He slipped his arm around Catherine as he came to stand beside the crib. "This is mine and Mary's." He realized as he looked at the crib properly.
"We cleaned it up, the mattress is new though." Danny told him as he moved into the room. "Grace came up with the idea, because you both said you didn't want wedding presents." Danny explained watching as Steve smiled.
"Do you like it?" Grace asked a little nervously as she moved to stand beside her aunt and uncle.
"It's perfect Grace." Catherine said pulling the girl into a hug.
"We love it." Steve told the teenager wrapping his arms around both of them just before his cell rang.
Steve sighed as he spotted the caller I.D. "McGarrett." He listened for a few minutes, replying "We're on our way." He ended the call looking at the members of five-0. "HPD just fished four bodies out of the water at Sand Island."
...
Sand Island
Thursday 1400 hrs.
Slipping under the crime scene tape the six members of Five-0 headed towards there crime scene just by the water's edge. Lou and Chin moved towards the HPD officer who was currently talking to two men in their late twenties wearing hi viz jackets belonging to the Sand Island water treatment plant.
The rest of them followed Steve towards the victims; Max was busy examining the bodies. Kono and Catherine began snapping pictures of the deceased so they could start to identify them as Steve crouched down to get a better look at one of the victims. "Max, check for scorpion stings on all the Vic's." Steve said as he took in the distinct mark and swelling on the male victim.
"Scorpion's?" Danny asked moving towards Steve who was gently turning one of the victims over to check for stings.
"This one has marks on her legs." Catherine called as she checked the body for swelling and puncture wounds.
"This one has marks on her face." Steve informed lowering her back to the ground as he moved to check the next victim.
"It would appear that all our victims have visible marks indicating they were indeed stung. I will run toxicology tests to ascertain what our victims were exactly stung by." Max stated.
"How do you know they're not a spider bite or something?" Danny asked as Steve stood up, brushing his hands of.
"Because I've been stung myself. In the most severe cases they can cause numbness, difficulty swallowing, blurred vision, roving eye movements, seizures and difficulty breathing." Steve told him as he moved over to Chin and Lou.
Danny saw Catherine out of the corner of his eye as she approached him. "How badly was he stung?"
"Team 6 was pretty much in the middle of nowhere when it happened. It took them three days to get Steve back for medical treatment. He was suffering from blurred vision, difficulty breathing and swallowing and numbness in his face and shoulders. I think Freddie and Mick had to practically carry him back to base." Catherine told him as she watched Steve talking with Chin and Lou.
"You're saying he nearly died." Danny exclaimed as he watched his friend.
"He came close." She whispered moving towards Steve and the other members of Five-0.
...
Danny's Camaro
"Thanks for fixing up the nursey." Steve said glancing across at his partner as he made his way towards HQ.
"Your welcome. We weren't sure how you'd feel about us using your old baby stuff." Danny turned to look at his partner trying to gage his real feelings.
"We'd of bought new mainly because I'd forgot the stuff was even in the basement. Trust me Danny we're both okay with it." Steve sent a smile of gratitude in his direction. "Mahalo."
Danny looked out the windscreen deep in thought. "I'm trying to figure out how all of our victims came to be stung, and why they were dumped!" Danny told him.
"Yeah that's not adding up for me either. We also need to find out where they came from. We can rule out Asia for a start, they all look to be either American or European." Steve pointed out as he pulled into a parking space in front of the Palace, just as Lou and Chin pulled in to parking spaces either side of him.
...
Iolani Palace
1600 hrs.
Chin tapped on Steve's door as he pushed it open, popping his head around the corner. "You should see this." He told him as he moved back towards the smart table where Kono and Catherine were standing waiting for the others to join them.
"We ran the victim's face's through the system, but didn't get any hits with HPD, so we widened the search. All our vic's came through Port Authority in Honolulu. There all from Australia." Kono told the assembled group.
"So your saying there tourist's." Steve commented. "Why hasn't immigration picked up on them not leaving the country?" He asked.
"According to their exit VISA's there not due to leave for another two weeks. The most worrying question is why no one has reported them missing." Catherine pointed out as she brought their travel itenery up on the screen. "You would think that a cabin steward would notice that a guest hasn't used there state rooms in past couple of days or so."
"Maybe they just thought they we're being very tidy." Lou suggested.
"Everyone will leave some trace of activity in a room, no matter how tidy you are. Water drips from a toothbrush, or soap in the sink, the smell of perfume, aftershave or deodorant in a room. Wet towels hanging on a rail." Steve explained for Lou's benefit.
"Yeah and your talking hotel's, no one makes the bed in a hotel room." He said adding at Steve and Catherine's amused looks. "OK, no one but you two."
"Is there a connection with any of our victim's?" Steve asked.
"So far the only connection we have is that they were on the same cruise liner The Pride of Hawaii." Kono said. "We have Jonathon and Patricia O'Keith, and Brian and Jennifer Haley."
"Okay, I think it's time we paid the ship a visit." Steve announced heading for the doors. "Kono keep digging into their backgrounds; see if you can find a connection."
...
Pride of Hawaii
"Commander, Mark Walker head of Security." He told the Five-0 Commander as he handed over the print out, while escorting them through the ship. "My assistant will escort the other members of your team to the Haley's cabin.
"Mahalo." Steve said as he followed Walker through the ship. "Has any of the crew reported anything suspicious about the people in these cabins?"
"No, we haven't had anything." He told him as they reached the O'Keith's cabin, and slipping the master key into the door lock. He pushed the door open allowing Steve and Danny to enter the spacious room to begin their search.
The other three members of the team were also in the process of searching the other cabin. Catherine was just about to open the closet when movement on the floor caused her to call out in alarm.
"Catherine?" Lou called, quickly turning to look at her as Chin hurried over.
"There's a scorpion on the floor. It took me by surprise." She explained as she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Steve. "Be careful."
"Hey, you find anything?" Came his warm voice as he answered.
"We certainly did. There's a scorpion on the floor." She told him, watching the black body as it moved across the floor.
"More than one." Chin pointed out as he spied another one.
"We've just discovered a couple in here as well. Looks like we have our crime scenes. Chin contact CSU and pest control. Danny and I are just about to head up to the bridge to see which route they took before docking." He informed her, gently adding. "Be careful."
"We will." She reassured him before ending the call.
Catherine opened the closet to look inside and spotted more scorpions in there. She closed the door not wanting any more of them to escape into the room they were in. "I'm thinking we should wait in the hallway." Catherine suggested to Lou and Chin.
"I think you could be right." Lou agreed, happy to leave the room and close the door behind them.
"I believe that would be the wisest choice." Chin concurred.
...
Iolani Palace
Thursday 1800 hrs
"I've just got off the phone with Max. He confirms all victims have scorpion venom in there system." Danny told them as he moved towards the smart table. "All victims died within the last twenty four hours, and he estimates they were in the water for approximately six to ten hours."
"Okay, The ship docked at 0800 hrs." Catherine said as she keyed in the information on the smart table. "Tracing their route and the knots she was doing at the time would place the ship somewhere between these two points."
"Okay, overlay that with tidal currents for the past ten hours." Steve told her watching as she brought up the shipping and tidal patterns. "Let's see exactly where those bodies went overboard."
"Fifteen miles off shore." Chin said as the information appeared on the screen. "That would indicate they were dumped overboard between 3 and 8 am."
"I think we can probably narrow that down a little more. There's no way that this was done past 0600 hrs, too much risk of being seen." Steve pointed out as his phone rang.
"There also has to be more than one person in on this." Danny mentioned as he watched Steve pulling his phone out of his pocket.
"Agreed, too much work for one person." He said checking the caller I.D before he answered. "McGarrett."
They all watched as Steve frowned before he moved away from the table to take the call. They couldn't hear what he was saying as he talked quietly in to the phone Finally ending the call.
Catherine saw him slip his phone back into his pocket, a distant look on his face. Catherine's eyes caught with Danny's concerned look, and she smiled at him briefly. "I've got it." She told him as she moved in Steve's direction. Standing as close to him as she could without touching him. "Everything okay?
"Yeah." He gave her a small reassuring smile, before moving to rejoin them. "Chin get the cabin crew logs for the past 24 hours for both couples. I want to know who cleaned those cabins and if they had room service who delivered it." Steve informed him.
"Lou, you and Kono head back to the ship and start asking around with the guests, maybe someone saw something. Check with the guests in the cabins either side of our victims." He ordered before turning to Catherine. "Go through all the camera footage, there has to be something on there."
"So where are we going?" Danny asked his partner.
"Too see Max." Steve was already moving towards the door as he spoke.
...
Danny's Camaro
"So, who called?" Danny asked as they pulled out of the parking space.
"No one important." Steve replied in a neutral tone. He was hoping Danny would drop the subject.
"Didn't sound like no one." Danny glanced across at Steve when he didn't answer. "You know you'll cave and tell me eventually."
"Is that a fact?" He said.
"Yes, because you know for a fact I will nag you until you tell me everything. Let's just save some time and tell me." Danny badgered.
Steve shook his head. "Just drop it Danny."
An idea formed in his head and he blurted out. "Was it Doris?"
"I don't want to know where she is Danny." Steve answered in a defeated tone
Danny took in the hard set of Steve's jaw at the mentioned of his Mother. He was still none the wiser over the mysterious phone call his friend had took. "You know I could just dump your cell." Danny pointed out.
"You want to spy on me?" Steve asked in amusement as he turned to look at Danny.
"Tell me who called, then." Danny demanded.
"No." He said firmly, turning back to look at the road, ignoring his partner.
...
Iolani Palace
2000 hrs.
Catherine was busy going through all the footage when a sound from the entrance alerted her attention to company. Turning to look she smiled as she saw her parents walking towards her with one of the Palace's security team. "Thanks' Bradley."
"Your welcome, ma'am." He said with a smile as he turned and left the office.
"What are you doing here?" Catherine asked hugging both her parents as they came to stand in front of her.
"It was getting late, so we thought we'd bring some dinner for you all." Her mother told her, pulling a couple of large Tupperware tubs out of the canvas bag her father was carrying. "We're is everyone?"
"Chasing up leads. I'm the only one in the office right now." Catherine told her mother just as her cell rang. She smiled as she spotted Steve's face, answering the call. "Hey Sailor."
"Max estimates that they must have been stung at least 4 days ago for the amount of toxins to work through their system to result in their deaths. I've got Chin pulling the crew records for the past week to see if there's anything suspicious." He told her.
"I've been through the camera feeds for the deck our victim's cabins were on. I haven't come across any footage; however there is a break in the camera feed for approximately one hour between 0330 and 0430 hrs." She explained.
"Stands to reason that's when they dumped the bodies." Steve theorized. "Is there anybody about in the corridors before or after the feed was cut?"
"No, the last people were seen just before 0200. Judging by the way there holding one another up, I don't think they'd even remember their own names. The first signs of activity after that aren't till 0600 when a few people look as if there probably using the gym."
"Alright keep checking. Everybody is on their way back to HQ." Steve said.
"We're going to grab some food for everyone." Came Danny's voice over the line.
"No need we have food. If I'm not mistaken, it smells like my Grandmother's Ragu." Catherine informed them as her mother smiled, nodding her head to confirm Catherine's suspicion.
"You're parents are there?" Steve asked as he heard her words.
"They are, and you better hurry up if you want some Ragu, your son's pretty hungry." Catherine told him, delighting in his soft chuckle her words created.
"See you in ten minutes." Steve said before hanging up.
"Steve on his way back?" Her Dad enquired as he looked around the room taking in the teknowledgy.
"Yes, all the team are. Mom, there's a break room over the other side if you want to sort the food out." Catherine indicated to her mother.
"That's an excellent idea sweetheart." Her mother disappeared of in the direction of the break room as her father moved to stand in front of her once again.
"So what's this case you're working on?" Patrick looked at the screen, noticing the shipping lanes and currents on display as well as the faces of four people.
"Four bodies dumped overboard from a cruise liner early this morning. They had been stung by scorpions resulting in their deaths. We've established they were stung approximately 4 days ago, but other than that we know very little." She explained with a weary sigh.
"Not your average murder weapon." Commented her father.
"No." Catherine agreed.
...
Iolani Palace
Thursday 2100 hrs.
All that could be heard from the members of five-0 were the contented sounds of people eating as they tucked into the Ragu that Catherine's mother had prepared for them. Danny was busy finishing a second helping, mumbling his appreciation. "It's late why don't we call it a night, make an early start in the morning. We're going to have to break of for the Barrow trial." Steve mentioned rising from the chair and clearing away his plate.
"Yeah, not much we can do until CSU finish processing the scene." Danny agreed, letting out a yawn and stretching.
"I'm sorry are we keeping you awake?" Chin asked with a hint of humor as he saw his Friend yawn again.
"Yes well we mere mortals require more than two hours of sleep to function, unlike the Super-SEAL over there." Danny glared at Steve who was grinning at him.
"That's what good strong coffee is for, Danno." Steve teased as their friends chuckled.
"Shut up Steven." Danny snapped, fighting to keep the smile of his face.
"And can I point out that Cath and I didn't get to sleep last night." Steve looked at his partner with a grin.
"Ooh too much information." Danny shouted looking in the direction of Cath's parent's.
"Night flight, Danny." Catherine pointed out with a laugh.
"All of you, home." Steve said glancing around the room at his team. They all cleared away and headed out the office for the evening.
Steve watched as Catherine disappeared into her office to collect her things. He wanted to talk to Catherine, and figured they could go for a quick drive somewhere before heading home. He knew there would be little chance of having a private conversation once back at the house with Mary staying with them.
"Why don't you both head home, while I wait for Catherine." He suggest to Patrick and Elizabeth.
"Ok son, we'll see you sometime tomorrow before we leave for the airport." Patrick agreed as he escorted his wife out of the door.
...
Steve's Silverado.
2130 hrs.
"Hey you up for a little drive?" Steve asked as he started the truck.
"Sure, you have somewhere in mind." She asked as she turned sideways in her seat to watch him.
"Yeah." He pulled on to the highway and headed out of the city.
Cath allowed him to drive for a while without saying anything. She could see he was deep in thought, his back ramrod straight as his hands griped the steering wheel. "You want to tell me what's wrong?" She asked him gently.
"Not really," He gave her a sad smile as he glanced at her. "But I know that I need to."
"Who's been phoning you?" She asked getting striate to the point.
"Doris." He told her bluntly, his voice full of emotion.
Cath sucked in a breath. "What does she want?"
"It seems Joe has told her about the baby." He explained as he pulled the truck to a stop at the side of Kamekona's shrimp truck. He turned to look at her. "She wants back in our lives."
Catherine unbuckled her seat belt and turned till she was facing him, reaching out a hand to place it on his cheek. "What do you want Steve?" She asked softly.
"I don't know anymore, Cath. She's been gone from my life for so long, and I've finally reached a point in my life where I don't need her in it. Looking back, I wish I hadn't gone looking for Shelburne." Steve grabbed hold of Catherine by the waist and pulled her into his lap, his arms wrapping around her as he buried his face in her neck.
Catherine wrapped her arms around him holding him tightly as she felt his hot breath on her neck. "We can't undo the past Steve, as much as we'd like too. You once told me losing your mother and your father sending you to the mainland made you the man you are today." She reminded him gently as she rubbed soothingly at his back.
"Yeah it did." He agreed. "This isn't just about me though." He pointed out as his hand slid to cover her stomach.
"I'll support whatever decision you make Steve." Catherine told him, placing her hand over his where it rested on her stomach.
"I don't want her hurting our son." He stated simply.
"Then we tell Doris she's not welcome in our lives anymore." Catherine said firmly as she brushed her lips across his in a gentle kiss.
"I only hope it will be that simple Cath." He sighed deeply still troubled and frustrated by the situation. "She gave Joe information last year that helped us get Danny out of a very tricky situation with the Columbian's."
"You think this is her way of calling in that marker?" She asked.
"Danny would have died without that info. He was extradited to Colombia for killing Marko Reynes, the man who killed his brother. It was all to do with a cocaine shipment that Reynes had and others wanted. With Doris's intel we were able to find the drugs and destroy them. We found files naming all of Reynes contacts, that's how we were able to get Danny back." He briefly outlined.
"You were able to blackmail them into releasing Danny." She concluded watching him as he nodded his head in the darkened truck. "Did Danny do it?"
"Yeah, I was there with him, Cath. They delivered Matt's body to him in an oil barrel, they'd hacked his body up." He told her a hint of anger in his voice. "They didn't go after me though just Danny."
"What exactly did she say to you?" Cath rested her forehead against his shoulder waiting for him to tell her more.
"She was disappointed we hadn't invited her to the wedding. Then she said Joe had told her we were having a baby, and she wanted a chance to know her grandchild." He sighed closing his eyes as he rested his head back against the headrest.
"Has she ever made any attempt to get to know Joan?" Cath asked him
"Mary hasn't mentioned anything, and I'm pretty certain she would have told me about Doris." Steve turned his face burying it in her hair and inhaling her scent. "She's been gone from my life for two years, Cath. Why now?"
"Maybe it is exactly what she says. A chance to know her grandson." Cath suggested softly.
"Yeah, maybe it is." He breathed out. "I don't trust her though."
"I know, Steve... I know." Catherine whispered against his chest.
"We should go home, get some sleep." Steve said as he released her allowing her to slip back into the passenger seat as he started the truck and headed for home.
...
Iolani Palace
Monday 0800 hrs.
Steve and Catherine were leaning over the smart table going through some of the evidence they had collected yesterday. Footsteps from the corridor caused them both to look up as the members of Five-0 entered the office.
"Well look at the McGarrett's." Lou whistled as he spotted Steve stood by the table wearing dress pants and a shirt and tie. He glanced across at Catherine who was stood in a pencil skirt and blouse. "His and hers matching outfits." He joked.
"Only just." Called Cath ruefully.
"Cath had to call in a favor very early this morning." Steve said with a proud grin.
"That's your fault Sailor." Cath pointed out with a smile.
"Not going to disagree." The proud grin on his face getting bigger as he answered the unspoken question from the rest of the team. "Cath couldn't get in her skirt."
"I've put on a little weight because of the baby. I had to ask Vicky to lend me one of hers." Cath informed them with a broad smile.
Danny shook his head. "How long have you two been here?"
"A couple of hours." Steve told him. "We've been going through the security footage and the crew rotas."
"You find anything?" Danny asked gesturing towards the screen.
"Yes we have. This is Thomas Webb he was the cabin crew for both our couples. We have him on camera every day for a week entering those two cabins to clean and refresh them, even returning in the evening to turn down their beds." Cath outlined as she flicked the still footage on to the screen for them all to see.
"He continued to visit even after we know that they were dead. If he was in those rooms then he had to have seen those scorpions and our dead victims." Steve added.
"What about the missing footage?" Chin asked.
"We're still waiting for the crime lab, but Eric wasn't too confident they'd be able to pull anything from it. I was thinking maybe Toast could take a look at it." Steve suggested in Danny's direction.
"I'll take a copy too him see if he can come up with anything." Agreed Danny taking the flash drive that Catherine handed him.
"You want to arrest Webb now?" Asked Lou as he glanced back at the screen.
Steve shook his head. "No, we haven't got time. Once we've spoken to Mackenzie and Rabb, the rest of you should be free to get back on the case." Steve told them.
"I'll start searching for Webb in the system, see if he has a record." Chin suggested as he headed towards his office to work.
"The Australian police have sent some files over on our victims. According to them there is nothing that would indicate they were targeted because of any illegal activities. Lou I want you and Kono to sift through them, see if you can find anything that the Australian's might have missed." Steve ordered as the two of them nodded their heads and moved off towards Lou's office to begin searching the files.
"None of this makes any sense." Cath let out a frustrated sigh as she stared at the images of the four victims.
"I can't understand why they didn't seek medical attention after they were stung. They would have known something was wrong long before their deaths." Steve pointed out.
"How long till you first started to notice?" Cath asked him.
"The swelling started a couple of hours after I'd been stung, but my breathing and the numbness about 24 hours after. I don't remember much after the second day, just waking up a week later with you by my bedside." He reached over placing his hand over hers to give it a quick squeeze.
"They would have had at least 24 hours to get themselves help." Catherine agreed.
...
Pearl-Hickman joint base.
1000 hrs.
The state verses Barrow. Day 1.
Colonel Mackenzie and Commander Rabb had met the Five-0 and NCIS teams when they had arrived on base, and after exchanging pleasantries had steered them all to one of the conference rooms. "We have a room set aside for us to use. We just have a few points we'd like to go over with you all." Colonel Mackenzie informed them as she closed the door behind them.
"Commander if we could start with you. We spoke about your team withholding something." Mac pointed out getting straight to the point.
Steve waved Danny of when he went to say something in denial. "It's nothing to do with the case. It's a personal matter between Cath and me." He told her.
"If Commander Volkovic or Lieutenant Robert's pick up on the fact your team is keeping secrets they will push on the fact. Is it something that can discredit any of your testimonies?" Harm asked him.
"No. This is entirely personal between the two of us." Steve indicated between Catherine and himself.
"Okay we'll leave that there for now." Mac conceded. "Commander you made a valid point during your interview about your team being non-military. The judge presiding over the case is allowing some leeway with the Five-0 team in asking for explanation's on something they're unsure off."
"Well that's a relief." Danny spoke up from his seat round the conference table. "We need a translation dictionary half the time with Rambo and the Ramboette."
Steve grinned at his partner and shook his head. "Danny play nice."
"I'll be on my best behavior while I'm here, Steven. I'll save the insults for the office and my car." Danny told him as the Five-0 team chuckled at the banter between the two of them.
Harm and Mac were looking between the members of the Five-0 task force. None of them seemed alarmed by the Detective's words. Mac was about to ask about the comment when the Commander spoke again.
"I guess there's a first time for everything." He smirked at Danny before turning towards the two Jag lawyers. "Will you require all of my team to be present today?"
"No, we'll be mainly concentrating on Lieutenant Rollins... sorry Lieutenant McGarrett today." Mac said remembering they had recently married.
"Rollins is fine." Cath assured the Colonel.
"Catherine's only using McGarrett socially." Steve explained not wanting the lawyers thinking he had a problem with his wife not using his name.
"Lieutenant you'll be asked to go through a brief outline of your mission. We're aware that it's classified, so you only need to tell us the bare bones of it for the jurors." Mac outlined the itinerary for the Lieutenant.
"We're in the middle of a case, so can my team go if you don't need them yet?" Steve asked them.
"Yes that will be fine. If you can make yourselves available though as soon as we need you that would be helpful." Harm said as he watched the task force rising from their seats around the table. The Commander issuing orders.
"Get down to the port and pick up Webb, see what he has to say about the victims. Danny find out if toast has been able to do anything with the video feed, Webb had to have an accomplice to pull this off.
"I've been wondering where he got the scorpions from. There has to be some way he came by them." Chin pointed out.
"Exactly, see if Kamekona can put you onto anyone." Steve suggested watching as Chin nodded in agreement.
"You know I've been thinking they had to have known something was wrong. The only reason they wouldn't have tried to get help is if they couldn't physically do so." Cath pointed out.
"You're thinking they were somehow drugged." He realized. "Danny get a hold of Max; have him run toxicology on all the victims." Steve told Danny.
"Okay. How long till they started with symptoms?" Danny asked his partner.
"Within a few hours, they would have noticed the swelling. It would have been painful with a burning sensation." Steve shared a look with Danny.
"How likely is it they tried to treat themselves?" Lou asked.
"Maybe for 24 hours, after that they would of been suffering from numbness and difficulty with their breathing." Steve explained, before pointing out. "I doubt they would have had the knowledge to treat it themselves, unless. Kono check all their web access for the past week."
"Got it." Kono told him.
"I'll have my cell turned off, I'll call you." He told them. The members of Five-0 nodded their heads and began heading for the door Kono's voice floating back to him.
"I'm sure you've used that line plenty, boss." She teased as she left the room.
"We're due to start in the next few minutes, so shall we?" Mac gestured towards the door as the NCIS agents and the two Naval officer's filed out of the conference room after their lawyers.
...
Pride of Hawaii
1200 hrs.
Danny walked back towards the assembled team. "Webb is currently off duty. Security still places him on board, so he should be in his cabin which is located on Deck 3." Danny explained as Lou and Kono followed him towards the elevators. Danny swiped the crew card that security had provided him with and pressed the button for deck 3. Taking the lift down to the third deck they excited and made their way along the corridor towards Webb's cabin.
"You know this is a completely normal and civilized way to walk through a boat." Danny pointed out to the others.
"Williams what the heck are you going on about?" Lou grumbled in confusion.
"This." Danny said indicating around him as they walked down the corridor. "You take the lift to the floor you want; you walk down the corridor like civilized people. You know you're not going to get lost."
"You're still smarting over not knowing where you were going on the Enterprise." Kono surmised.
"Who builds a ship that you have to go up a deck before you down a deck or you go to the back before go the front." Danny ranted as Lou and Kono chuckled at him.
"I think that would be the Navy, and you might want to save that little conversation for McGarrett?" Lou asked as he gestured to the cabin door. "This is our boy, right here."
They all pulled their weapons from their holsters as Danny knocked on the door to Webb's room, waiting till he opened the door. "Thomas Webb." Danny said as the man opened it. "On your knees and cross your ankles, hands behind your head."
Webb followed Danny's instructions as Kono slipped into the room and moved around behind Webb. Kono holstered her weapon, pulling her handcuffs from her vest pocket, as she clicked the cuff in place. Pulling both hands behind Webb's back she clicked the second cuff in place, tugging him to his feet. "You're under arrest for the murders of Jonathon and Patricia O'Keith and Brian and Jennifer Haley." Kono said as she began reading him his rights.
...
Pearl-Hickman Joint base.
Court room.
"Lieutenant, would you mind giving a brief explanation of your mission assignment." Mac asked her after she'd been sworn in.
"Yes Ma'am. Naval Intelligence had discovered that weapons and munitions had been going missing from shipments that were being sent stateside from our bases in Afghanistan. My team was tasked with tracking those shipments to find out who were behind the thefts." Catherine told the court.
"What exactly had been stolen?" Mac moved across to stand in front of the jury as the Lieutenant answered the question.
"Of the top of my head, 16 crates of M4, 1 crate of Mk16, 5 crates of HK M27, 4 crates of MP5, 2 crates of M24, 1 crate of M39, and 6 crates of MK12 SPR's. There were about 4 crates of RPG's various models and about eight crates of munitions of various calibers." Catherine explained.
"Would you explain to everyone present exactly who those weapons would have been used by? Mac asked as she turned to look at the Lieutenant.
"A lot of those weapons are what our Special forces unit's use. SEAL's, Ranger's, Delta force, Marine Recon, any unit with a contingent of sniper's would of used them." Catherine glanced towards Steve who gave her a reassuring smile.
"How did you manage to track the last shipment?"
"We tagged a variety of the weapons and munitions. Jamerson placed trackers inside some of the munitions while Myself and Collins were able to partially dismantle some of the larger pieces and replace the firing mechanism's with new one's that we'd embedded trackers into." Catherine told her.
"That wasn't in your reports?" Mac turned to look at her.
"No Ma'am. We knew there was a leak somewhere on the base. If shipments of arms were going missing, it was an inside job; there was no way of getting round that. Jamerson, Collins and I had worked together before, we trusted each other. We made the decision to keep the trackers to ourselves." Catherine looked across at Commander Barrow who was glaring at her.
"Did you suspect anyone?" Mac asked.
"No. We didn't have anything at that point. That was our reasoning behind tagging that last shipment. It wasn't till Five-0 and the NCIS team became involved that we were able to get a lead on the person behind it all." Catherine explained to the Colonel.
"You managed to track the last shipment when it arrived at Pearl - Hickman by using the trackers. Would you tell the court exactly what happened once you left the base?" Mac glanced across at the presiding Judge to see him sit forward slightly in his seat to listen to the Lieutenant testimony of events.
"We used an Icon recon satellite to track the shipment to a warehouse on the docks. After notifying our C.O Commander Barrow, that we had a lead on the shipment, Lieutenant Jamerson, Ensign Cooper and I went to the warehouse. When we arrived we were ambushed pretty much straight away. "Catherine pulled in a deep breath attempting to steady her emotions.
"They were waiting for you." Mac suggested.
"Objection your honor, speculation." Commander Volkovic pointed out.
"Sustained." Replied the Judge.
"You were ambushed, Lieutenant. What happened next?" Mac asked gently.
Flashback
Catherine checked once again with the night vision glasses before she signaled to Jamerson and Cooper that she was moving. Slipping through the inky darkness of the night she was able to get across the open space and slip into the open door way of the warehouse. She motioned for Jamerson and Cooper to join her, as she continued to check the perimeter for any hostiles.
Hearing a grunt behind her, Catherine turned in time to spot her two colleagues dropping to the ground. She raised the assault rifle in her hands ready to fire at an attacker when she felt a sting in her leg. Catherine glanced down seeing the dart in her thigh as her vision began to swim. She heard a voice in the distance, the words sounding slurred and far away as her body welcomed the darkness.
Catherine groaned as she attempted to open her eyes. Her head was a little woozy, her eyes heavy and gritty as she forced her eyes to open. Her vision was still a little blurry as she tried to assess her situation by glancing around the room. Attempting to move her arms caused her to panic. She couldn't move her wrists or lower her arms. She quickly realized she was stood on her feet with her arms tied up above her head. Catherine pulled at the restraints trying to free her, groaning in pain as the rope chaffed her tender skin.
"Rollins" She heard Jamerson call out from her left. "Take it easy, they have us all suspended."
"Cooper?" She enquired for the other man.
"I'm here." He answered, his voice coming from the other side of Jamerson.
"Everyone okay?" Catherine asked.
"Just peachy." Replied Cooper dryly.
"Yeah, just hanging around." Agreed Jamerson jokingly attempting to ease the tension.
"Anyone else get the impression we were set up?" Catherine said as she attempted to turn to look at her team mates.
"Exactly what I was thinking with our little welcome wagon." Jamerson said with a growl.
"We were suspended from meat hooks, and over the course of several days we were all systematically beaten and tortured. Lieutenant Jamerson and Ensign Cooper attempted to keep them off me as much as they could. They never asked us any questions, just hit, punched, kicked and cattle prodded us." Catherine swallowed down the tears that threatened to spill as the Colonel reassured her.
"Just take your time Lieutenant." Mac reassured her.
"Fucking asshole... pick on someone your own size..." Shouted Jamerson as the thug punched Catherine again in the face, the bruised skin breaking with the contact. "Leave her the fuck alone you Bastards."
Catherine watched as the man picked up an iron bar from the floor and hit Jamerson repeatedly till she heard the crunching of shattered bone through Jamerson's screams of pain. The thug threw the bar back to the ground and grabbing hold of Jamerson's head. "Shut the fuck up, we're having a little fun with the lady." He shouted at him with a slight Irish accent before turning and walking away from them.
Catherine watched as Jamerson sucked in a few raspy breaths, his face grey from the pain. He winked at her and gave her a small smile. The two men had diverted the attention of their attackers away from Catherine several times over the last few days. "You okay?" He asked her in a pained voice.
"You're asking me? You're the one with the broken ribs, Matt." Catherine pointed out to the other man.
"Well I'm not pregnant am I?" He said before asking again. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, they haven't hit me anywhere other than my face, chest or legs." She explained with a small smile. The man was as protective as Steve at times. "I get the impression the woman is aware I'm Pregnant." She shared her suspicions with them.
"What was that she said to you yesterday?" Cooper asked tiredly.
"The ultimate pain of retribution was through the eyes of a child." Catherine recalled as she glanced over at Cooper to see how he was holding up.
The blood seeping from the cuts on his arms had slowed and dried as had the ones on his chest. Catherine could see how tired and weak he was, she knew that if they were going to get out of this alive, rescue needed to come soon. Catherine couldn't help but wish for Steve to come charging in to rescue them.
She'd been back on Oahu for a week but the Commander had issued orders that she was not to contact him till after the mission had concluded. It had been shear torture to be this close to him and not be able to go to him. She just wanted to see him and tell him about the baby. Catherine was nervous about how he'd react to the news of her pregnancy, would he even want them in his life after what she'd put him through.
"Why haven't they asked us anything?" Jamerson brought up with them.
"I don't know." Catherine shook her head as confused as her two colleagues. A noise from the back of the warehouse drew their attention to the woman and their attackers.
"Start with her." The woman announced in her Irish accent as one of the attackers produced a cattle prod.
Catherine watched as he stepped towards her, and slowly began circling her with an evil glint in his eyes. He ran the end of the cattle prod over the skin of her arms and chest before jabbing it into her shoulder as he pressed the on switch. She screamed out with the pain as he held it there for several seconds before pulling it from her skin.
She sagged against her restraints breathing deeply to control the pain still tingling through her body. Closing her eyes against the pain she didn't see him come towards her again till she felt the searing pain in her other shoulder. He laughed evilly as she screamed through it. Catherine could hear Jamerson and Cooper screaming insults at him just before a shot rang out.
Her eyes shot open as she stared at Jamerson's body, his head slumped backwards with his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Catherine allowed the tears to fall as she stared at the lifeless body of Matt Jamerson. They didn't cut him down; they just left his body suspended from the meat hook as they walked out of the room leaving them alone again.
"They stabbed Cooper in the stomach, he bled out." She closed her eyes attempting to block out the images of her two fallen colleagues.
"Your honor we'd like to submit this as government exhibit 1. This is video feed taken from the warehouse which collaborates the Lieutenants statement." Mac handed over the disc to the Judge before turning back to the witness. "Lieutenant would you tell the court how you were found."
"A HPD patrol found me." Catherine explained. "One of the officer's cut me down and called for the EMT's." Catherine glanced across at Steve who was watching her, the slight tic in his jaw the only indication of how upset he was right now.
"Ma'am, can you hear me?" The police officer asked as he held her body upright so his partner could free the woman's wrists from the hook she was suspended from.
She moaned in pain as they lowered her to the warehouse floor. One of the officers placing a rolled up blanket under her head.
"You're safe now. Can you tell us your name?" He asked her.
"Cath...rine." She managed to get out through the pain. She carefully opened her eyes to look at the young police officer who was leaning over her.
"EMS are on their way, and we've placed a call to Five-0. Commander McGarrett will need a statement as soon as you're up to it." He told her.
The knowledge Steve was on his way made her sigh in relief. She nodded her head slightly to acknowledge the officer's words. "Good." She said on an almost whisper.
"After the EMT's treated you at the scene you were transported to the Hawaiian medical Centre for treatment." The Colonel moved back towards her co-council and picked up a thin file from the desk. "Your medical report compiled by a Doctor Susan Nailor States you were treated for a couple of cracked ribs, electrical burns and cuts and bruises. Nothing broken and no internal bleeding, but you were suffering from elevated blood pressure." Mac paraphrased from the report she held in her hands.
"Yes Ma'am." Catherine agreed.
"Your Doctor was more concerned about your blood pressure wasn't she? What was the reason behind her concern?" Mac asked.
"She was concerned that my blood pressure would bring on a miscarriage." Catherine told her before the Colonel moved on with her questions and began to ask her about the details surrounding tracking the shipments to the 4 locations on Oahu.
...
Iolani Palace
Interrogation Room.
Danny was shaking his head as he circled the perp that was currently handcuffed to the chair. He had claimed his innocence all the way along, then five minutes ago he had claimed he had been payed to place the scorpions in those rooms. He claimed he didn't know by whom, only that he'd been payed $20,000 to do it. Kono was busy checking his financials.
"How was you contacted?" Danny asked again.
"I told you, he left an envelope on my car with all the details in it." Thomas explained as the Detective moved to stand in front of him again. "I swear I never met him in person."
"Where did you get the scorpions from?" Danny demanded.
"A storage locker at the ferry terminal." Thomas told the Detective. "There was a key to the locker with the instructions. I had to pick them up and take them to the ship."
"You must have had a way to contact him when it was done?" Danny asked as he stood in front of Webb.
"I had a number for a Doctor I had to call once it was done." Thomas explained nervously.
"His name?" Danny demanded.
"Doctor Taylor."
The ringing of Danny's phone prevented him from asking any more questions. Slipping his phone from his pocket he checked the caller display. "Hey Steve, how's it going?" He asked his partner as he left the room.
"They've just finished going through the mission details and what happened in the warehouse with Catherine." Steve explained with a sigh.
"How's Catherine holding up?" He asked Steve.
"She's just had to relive the torture and deaths of her team, Danny. Cath's just about holding it together, and the real kicker is as much as I'd like to comfort her, I can't." Steve sighed in frustration.
"Why? Have they got you separate because of evidence or something?" Danny was confused over his partner's words.
"We're both in uniform, no public displays of affection aloud." Steve explained with a sigh. "I'm just waiting for Cath to come out of the bathroom. She pretty much bolted in there once the Judge called for a break."
"Catherine's tough Steve." He pointed out.
"Yeah, she is. How's the case going?" He asked Danny.
"Webb has confirmed he was payed $20,000 to plant the scorpions in the cabins and then phone a certain Doctor. Chin's still trying to find out where the scorpions came from." Danny told him.
"So we still don't know why they were targeted. Look I've got to go, Catherine's back." Steve told him as he disconnected the call.
...
Pearl-Hickman Joint Base.
Steve ended his call with Danny as he spotted Catherine emerging from the ladies room with Colonel Mackenzie. He could see the tears in her eyes as she headed in his direction. He glanced around at the doors that lined the corridor, and quickly steered her towards the nearest empty room.
Catherine was in his arms as soon as they entered the room. She wrapped her arms around his back and buried her face against his chest as she let the tears spill from her eyes. He held her tightly letting her cry as he whispered softly to her. He pulled back slightly to look down into her face as he brushed the tears from her eyes with his thumbs. "You're not doing this alone Cath, I'm right here for you." He told her.
Mac knocked softly on the open door way, to alert the two officers to her presence. "The Judge is calling everyone back in to court." She told them both.
"We just need a couple more minutes." Steve said to the Colonel before he turned back to Catherine. "Catherine remember; I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight." He recited part of the SEAL creed to her and she smiled at him nodding her head as she pulled herself upright drawing strength from his words.
"Let's do it." She said as she moved past Colonel Mackenzie and headed towards the doors to the court.
"I'll have to remember that pep talk for my next client, Commander." Harm said as he watched the Lieutenant march into the court room in determination.
"Might not work on all your clients, Sir." Steve pointed out as he took his seat in the first row behind the two prosecuting jag's.
...
Iolani Palace
Chin knocked on Danny's door as he pushed it open. "I've found our Doctor Taylor." He told the other man before heading back into the bullpen where Lou and Kono were stood waiting for Danny to join them.
"Do we have an address?" Danny asked him as he joined the other members of the team.
"We do." Confirmed Kono as she brought up the information on the plasma screen on the wall.
"Doctor Taylor used to work on Venom research at Melbourne University. He was struck of Four years ago for malpractice after injecting scorpion venom into a patient to help cure them of ankylosing spondylitis; it's like a spinal arthritis." Kono explained for the benefit of the team. "After injecting the patient with the antivenin the patient made a full recovery and is to this day completely pain free from the disease."
"So why was he struck of? It looks like he was successful in treating the patient." Lou pointed out.
"He was, however the patient was also unknowledgeable about the treatment he received till afterwards. He thought he was getting a cortisone injection to help him deal with the pain his condition caused. The Australian Medical Board withdrew his license four years ago and since then he has been running a drug store in Maunakea market place." Kono told them.
"I think we should go pick up Doctor Taylor and find out what he's been up to." Danny said as the four of them left the office to head towards their vehicles.
...
Pearl-Hickman joint base
"I have no further questions for this witness." Colonel Mackenzie said as she retook her seat.
Commander Volkovic stood and moved to stand in front of the witness stand where Lieutenant Rollins was seated. "Lieutenant McGarrett." He addressed before Catherine cut him off.
"It's Rollins, Sir." Catherine stated.
"I was under the impression you'd recently married, Lieutenant." Volkovic said with a smile that didn't meet his eyes.
"We have. The Commander and I work together; therefore I will only be using his name socially." Catherine explained with a smirk at the Commander who now seemed little flustered.
"Lieutenant Rollins, during your time at the warehouse did you ever see Commander Barrow?" He tried again.
"No, I did not." Catherine replied.
"But you hold him accountable for your capture and torture?" The Commander asked her.
"Yes Sir, I do. The only person who knew we were going to that warehouse was Commander Barrow." Catherine responded not fazed by the man's antagonistic approach.
"You have already stated it was a woman who was responsible for the acts that befell your team. By your own testimony, you never saw my client, correct?" He demanded.
"Yes, Sir." Catherine choose not to let the man get too her as she answered him firmly.
"Where were you when the Navy re called you to active duty, Lieutenant?" He turned to watch for the jury's reaction as the woman answered his question.
"I was doing aid..." Was all Catherine managed to get out before the Commander rounded on her?
"Where were you Lieutenant?" He demanded.
Catherine paused a moment staring him out as she quickly answered. "Aid work in Afghanistan."
"Is it not true that you actually went to Afghanistan with Commander McGarrett last year without the knowledge of the military?"
"Yes we did." Catherine glanced across at Steve who smiled back at her to reassure her.
"Not only did you go into the country without informing the military of your actions, but Commander McGarrett was captured by the Taliban and required rescuing." Volkovic pointed out. "Did you know the Commander was close to being executed?"
"Objection, Irrelevance." Harm called out the judge.
"Sustained." The Judge replied.
Catherine looked over at Steve who was shaking his head as she tried to tamper down the guilt over his capture. She watched as he leaned forward to whisper something to Commander Rabb, who nodded in return.
"No further questions, your honor. Although we retain the right to recall this witness." Volkovic said as he returned to his seat beside Barrow.
"State would like to cross examine." Harm called out, rising from his seat and moving to stand in front of Catherine.
"Lieutenant why did you enter Afghanistan?" Harm asked her gently.
"I received a call from a friend, someone who had saved my life when I had been injured and separated from my unit. He took me home with him and at great personal risk to his family, gave me medical treatment and hid me from a Taliban patrol. He called last year to say his son and several other children from his village had been taken by the Taliban. Commander McGarrett went with me to help get the children back.
We were able to get a location and set up a small ambush for them. We came under fire and he ordered me to get the kids and leave. He was captured when one of the men threw a grenade in his direction; he was caught in the blast. I made a call to a friend who was able to get an extraction team to pull him out of there." Catherine swiped at the tears that ran down her cheeks.
"You told the court you were doing aid work, is that true?" Harm asked her as he passed her a handkerchief to wipe her face.
"Yes. After rescuing the children I stayed in the village to help them set up a school." Catherine explained to him.
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Harm said to her before turning to the Judge. "No further question's your honor."
"I'll adjourn till 1000 hrs tomorrow." The judge declared.
...
Maunakea market place.
1120 Maunakea Street.
Pulling up outside the Maunakea market place, Danny glanced around to see Lou pulling up in his SUV with Kono as Chin parked his motorcycle beside Danny's car. The four team member's quickly began pulling on Tac gear and checking weapon's. After they had Tacked up Lou and Kono headed towards the rear of the building as Danny and Chin headed into the front door of the drug store. Pushing the door to the shop open they glanced around spotting their suspect stood behind the counter.
Doctor Taylor looked up as he heard someone entering his shop, noticing the police officer's he panicked. He grabbed for the hand gun he had under the counter and pointed it towards them, just as he heard a woman's voice from behind him.
"Five-0, drop the weapon Taylor." Kono ordered as she aimed the rifle at his back.
Taylor glanced over his shoulder and realizing the woman had a lethal looking gun pointed at his head. He gently placed the hand gun onto the counter in front him and raised his hands in the air.
Danny stepped forward and pulling cuffs from his vest, non-too gently handcuffed the man's hands behind his back. "Mark Taylor, You're under arrest for the murders of Jonathon and Patricia O'Keith and Brian and Jennifer Haley." Danny told him as he began to read the man his rights.
Kono pulled her phone from the pocket of her jeans and scrolled through the contact list till she found the number she wanted, placing her call.
Chin and Lou were busy pulling on gloves as they began searching Taylor's shop for evidence. Chin was crouched down looking under the counter when he spotted a small glass tank with scorpions inside. Carefully lifting the tank he placed it on the counter for the rest of the team to see. "Look what I've found." He informed them all.
"What's that?" Danny asked Taylor as he pushed the man towards the glass case.
"I want a lawyer." Demanded Taylor not saying anything more.
"CSU are on their way." Kono informed Danny as she disconnected the call.
"Take him to the Palace." Danny told her just as his cell rang. Slipping his phone from his pocket he checked the caller id. "It's Steve." He told them as he moved away to take the call.
"Hey, how's it going?" Danny asked him as he took the call.
"We're just leaving the base; they've adjourned till tomorrow morning." Steve explained.
"We've just arrested the Doctor. Kono's transporting him back to the Palace for interrogation." Danny informed him as he watched Kono placing there perp in to the back of Lou's SUV.
"Do we have a motive yet?" Steve asked him.
"We've discovered that our good Doctor was struck off for malpractice after injecting a patient with scorpion venom before administering the anti-venom. We don't know why these particular victims' yet though." Danny answered.
"I'm going to drop Catherine off home and change out my uniform, and then I'll head into HQ." Steve told him.
"We've got this covered. Cath probably needs you more than the case does right now." Danny told him.
"If you're sure." Steve said knowing how much Catherine and himself needed to talk about a few things.
"Yes I'm sure. We've got this handled the guy will be spilling his guts as soon as we have him in the interrogation room." Danny reassured his Partner.
"Okay, call me when you have something." Steve said just before he disconnected the call.
...
McGarrett's residence
Catherine dropped down onto the nearest chair as soon as she entered the house. Lowering her head she let the tears fall. She sobbed as Steve dropped to his knees in front of her and pulled her into his embrace. He hugged her close, rubbing soothing circles on her back as he kissed her cheek and whispered soothingly in ear.
"You nearly died." She sobbed against his chest when she could get the words out.
"Cath, don't do this to yourself." He pleaded.
"I nearly got you killed, Steve." She tried to pull out of his embrace but he wouldn't release her.
"Listen to me." He pulled away slightly to look her in the eyes. "I knew what the risks were going in, and I'd do it all over again for you. Stop blaming yourself, you are not responsible for what that animal did." He brushed a kiss across her forehead as he pulled her head back onto his shoulder.
Catherine gasping caused him to raise his head to look at her in alarm just as she grabbed his hand quickly pulling it across her stomach. "The baby moved," She told him excitedly. "There, can you feel him."
Steve frowned in concentration, and then smiled as he felt the butterfly movement beneath his palm. "Yeah. That's our son, Cath." He said in awe.
Catherine was grinning at him, her distress of a few minutes ago forgotten at the joy of sharing the feeling of their baby moving with Steve. She giggled at the soft expression on his face. "Yes it is, Daddy." She whispered as she brushed a kiss across his lips.
...
Iolani Palace.
Danny and Lou strolled into the bullpen and headed towards Chin and Kono who were stood by the smart table going over the evidence that had been taken at Taylor's shop. Chin turned to them as they approached.
"Did he tell you anything?" The Hawaiian man asked his two friends.
"Yeah, sang like a canary when we told him we had a confession of Webb." Lou commented.
"The victims are actually his previous patient, his wife and his in-laws." Danny explained. "It was simply payback for giving evidence against him. He's been keeping tabs on travel plans for the past four years."
"Webb was targeted because he has a gambling problem. Taylor payed a desperate man to plant a box of scorpions in their rooms and to make sure they didn't make contact with the outside world." Lou filled in.
"Max sent the full toxicology report through while you were questioning Taylor. All the victims had traces of Benzodiazepines in their systems." Chin told them.
"Benzo... what" Danny asked not familiar with the name.
"I had to ask the same thing." Chin said before he explained. "There sleeping pills, these ones stay in your system longer and can cause drowsiness during the day. Most doctors would only prescribe these for someone that suffers from sleep walking and night terrors."
"I'm guessing the good Doctor prescribed them." Lou theorized.
"That would explain how he was able to keep them from contacting anyone for help. He probably passed them off as some type of antivenin treatment. Once they were asleep he wouldn't have to worry about any of them trying to contact anyone else." Danny concluded looking around the room at the other three members.
"I'll get onto HPD and get him transferred to lock up in the morning." Lou said with a grin. "I'm sure he'll be even more co-operative after a night handcuffed to that chair."
"Home?" Danny asked as he glanced around the room, watching as everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
...