Author's Notes: Mari and ilna, I am completely out of superlatives to describe the two of you. Even the awesomest awesome that ever awesomed doesn't cover it anymore. You guys are amazing. In addition to being kick-ass writers you're smart, funny, dedicated, hard-working and committed to not only keeping the REAL World going but making sure the level of quality, continuity and characterization is first-rate. Every day you inspire me to work harder on my writing. And every day each of you says or writes something that makes me real life laugh out loud, something that makes me think, and often something that makes me cry. I hope I have even a small slice of the ability to make people feel with my writing the way the two of you make me feel with yours. Thanks girls, here's to a good long run in the REAL World.
Also thanks to Sandy who is smart and funny and wickedly sarcastic and has been a good friend for over a decade. Her ability to know when to pull me out of a rabbit hole and when to say "hey there might be something interesting in there, let's go together" is invaluable. Through ten years of fandom craziness she's been there, and I'm a better person and a better writer because of that.
And finally to all our AMAZING readers—THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your support and enthusiasm for the REAL World has been overwhelming. Every review, email, tweet, and Tumblr comment is appreciated more than you can imagine. You guys are the best and an absolute pleasure to write for. And to all the Guest reviewers who I am unable to respond to personally—let me say a big THANK YOU to you as well.
We'll be tweaking our M-W-F posting schedule once again during the posting of this story. It is eight chapters long and I'll be posting one chapter each day now through next Friday.
An Earlier Heaven (1/8)
"A happy family is but an earlier heaven." George Bernard Shaw
Wa'ahila Ridge State Recreation Area
Honolulu
Thursday 6:30 A.M.
"What the hell happened to this guy?" Danny grimaced as he looked at the mutilated remains of what appeared to be a middle-aged man lying under a sprawling Portia tree at the far end of the State Recreation Area just feet away from where the ground dropped off steeply to the ocean below. "It looks like someone fed his body through a wood chipper."
Dr. Max Bergman looked up from his position crouching amidst the bloodstained twigs and stones that covered the area immediately surrounding the body, making every attempt not to disturb any evidence that might be needed later. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the rising sun and offered his preliminary findings. "It definitely appears that the disarticulation of the corpse was achieved through mechanical means," he reported. "The damage to the remaining bone structure strongly indicates the use of a motorized implement such as a chain saw or perhaps a circular saw. The way the flesh is torn here," he indicated the right wrist, "and here," he pointed to the left hip where the leg had been removed, "clearly indicates that whatever was used was not especially sharp. As you can see by ragged edges and missing chunks … "
Danny held his hands up in front of him in the universal sign of please stop. "Ok … enough … it was a rhetorical question," he winced. "Can we hold off on the gory details until I've had at least one cup of coffee."
"I didn't offer the information unbidden, Detective," Max pointed out matter-of-factly. "You asked."
"He has a point," Steve nodded in agreement. "You did ask."
"Well then can one of you two geniuses riddle me this," Danny inquired as he took a few steps and peered over the steep cliff that dropped off to the rocky ocean shore below. "If the killer had walked another five steps he … or she I guess … could have tossed the body down the cliff and who knows when it would have been found. Why was it left out here in plain sight?"
"Perhaps he or she wanted the victim to be found?" Max posited. "They might be trying to make some sort of statement."
"Maybe the body was heavier than they thought and they couldn't carry it any further so they just dropped it under the first tree they came to," Steve tossed out.
"The one thing we can be almost certain of," Max said steadfastly, "is that the victim did not walk here under his own power."
Steve and Max looked at Danny expectantly.
"I'm done with both of you," he huffed as he turned on his heel. "I'm going to find the first officer on the scene and get the name of the person who discovered the body."
Steve chuckled as he watched Danny stalk off down the gravel path in search of information.
"I hope Detective Williams isn't upset," Max said as he watched Danny go.
"He'll be fine, Max. Don't worry about it," Steve said. "Anything else you want to tell me about this guy?"
"I won't know the cause of death for sure till we get back to the morgue and I can perform a full autopsy, Commander, but my initial examination indicates that the victim is missing his left leg, part of his right foot, his right hand the left side of his jaw and his left eye and ear." Max stood and faced Steve. "The bruising under his eye socket indicates that the eyeball itself may have been removed manually."
Steve grimaced. He enjoyed teasing Danny about being squeamish but he had to admit that some of the more graphic details were a little hard to take in the early morning hours. "Thanks, Max. Just get me your preliminary report as soon as possible."
"I'll have it on your desk by lunch."
"I appreciate it," Steve said as Catherine and Kono walked towards them through the dew covered grass peppered with yellow markers indicating evidence that needed to be collected by the HPD forensic team.
"We followed the blood trail all the way to the parking lot," Kono said as she indicated the gravel area about one hundred yards away currently occupied by three or four private cars and a dozen emergency response vehicles. "We found what we assume is the dead guy's car but there's no sign of …" she waved her hand towards the body which was now encased in a blue rubber coroner's bag, "well … the rest of him."
"Hey Max, any chance this damage was done by some kind of animal?" Steve asked as the medical examiner oversaw final preparations to remove the body from the scene.
"No chance, Commander." Max shook his head definitively. "There are no teeth or claw marks, no scratches, no signs of animal activity whatsoever."
Steve scanned the area for trash receptacles. "Kono, grab a couple of these HPD guys and check all the garbage cans and dumpsters in the park. If the rest of the body is here I want to find it before it ends up at the dump. If it isn't here have HPD expand the search to the surrounding area."
"Will do, boss," Kono replied as she headed off to find Duke and see which officers she could get to help her with the search.
Steve turned to Catherine. "Did you get an ID?"
"The car is a rental," she replied as she handed him the paperwork she retrieved from the glove compartment of the late-model luxury sedan they identified as likely belonging to the victim mostly due to the blood soaked back seat. "According to this his name is Arthur Fogelsong from Dallas, Texas. I'm gonna run his driver's license and see if I can get contact information for his next of kin. Hopefully they'll be able to tell us what he was doing in Hawaii."
"Sounds good," Steve said. "Let me know what you find out."
Catherine nodded and headed back towards the parking lot.
"Find out anything significant?" Steve asked as Danny returned.
"Unfortunately no. The body was discovered by a jogger at around 5:30 this morning. She said she didn't see anyone else in the area at the time and she didn't hear anything unusual. Apparently she was pretty freaked out. Can't say as I blame her."
"We have a tentative ID. Arthur Fogelsong from Dallas, Texas. Chin's in court this morning but as soon as he's done I'll have him find out everything he can about the guy."
Steve moved out of the way as the morgue techs rolled the stretcher carrying the body over the uneven ground of the park towards the waiting M.E.'s van. Max followed closely behind making notes on his clip board as he walked. As Steve watched them go his phone buzzed with an incoming call.
He glanced at the screen and saw it was Catherine.
"What's up?" he said without preamble as he answered.
"We found some paperwork in a briefcase on the backseat of the car," she reported. "It looks like this guy was in Hawaii for a conference of inventors."
"Inventors?" Steve wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. He knew all kinds of groups held their conventions in Hawaii, eager to combine business with pleasure and enjoy the sunshine and beautiful beaches, but he had never heard of an inventor's conference before.
"Yeah," Catherine said. "We didn't find a key card yet but there's a check-in receipt from the Hilton. And judging by the itinerary for the convention that's where most of their events are being held as well."
"Ok. Danny and I will head over there and see what we can find out. You keep working on locating the next of kin and we'll see you back at the office later."
"Sounds good. See you later."
Steve disconnected the call and slid his phone back into his pocket. "This guy was apparently in town for an inventor's conference over at Hilton," he said to Danny. "Let's go talk to some people and see what we can find out."
"You think this might have to do with an invention he was working on?" Danny asked incredulously.
"Who knows?" Steve shrugged. "But it's pretty clear it wasn't a simple robbery gone wrong. Someone went to a lot of trouble to mutilate the body and dump it where it would be found."
"Let's go," Danny grumbled. "But can we at least stop for coffee on the way."
"If it'll stop your whining I'll even buy," Steve said as he pulled the Camaro keys out of his pocket and headed for the car.
Hilton Hawaiian Village
Ballroom
Thursday 7:50 A.M.
Steve and Danny stood just inside the doorway of the large, well-appointed ballroom at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. At the far end of the room hotel employees worked quickly and efficiently to stock a large buffet line with every kind of breakfast food imaginable. They carefully wiped each surface with clean white napkins to ensure a food presentation as beautiful as it was delicious.
At the end of buffet stood a towering display of fresh fruit overflowing with locally grown pineapples, bananas, mangoes, melons, papayas and the first star fruit of the season and complete with a palm tree ice sculpture.
The remainder of the room was filled with large round banquet-style tables draped with crisp white linens, each with its own compliment of coffee, tea and assorted fresh juices. Steve estimated the room was set to accommodate something in the area of one hundred and fifty guests.
Half a dozen members of the wait staff clad in black and white moved through the room carefully checking each place setting for completeness and filling the water glasses in anticipation of the arrival of the convention goers.
Both Steve and Danny had eaten brunch at the Hilton many times on occasions both business and personal and whether they were feeding two people or two hundred people the chefs and wait staff never failed to go that extra mile to make it a feast for all the senses, not just the taste buds.
Finally a tall man of about sixty with a lanky frame and weathered features, casually dressed in a lime colored pullover and denim shorts approached and reached out his hand to Steve. "My name is Peter Fields. I'm the Director of the American Association of Mechanical Farm Implement Inventors. I understand you wanted to see me."
"Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Mr. Fields," Steve said. "I'm Steve McGarrett from Five-0. This is my partner Danny Williams. I can see you're busy so we'll try not to take up too much of your time. We just have a few questions."
Fields looked nervously at his watch. "The breakfast session starts in ten minutes. And trust me you do not want to stand between a group of hungry mechanical farm implement inventors and food that looks and smells as good as that does." Fields pointed across the room towards the buffet as a Hilton staffer rolled out a large cart piled with plates and bowls of various sizes and positioned it at the beginning of the food line.
Steve stifled a smile as Danny rolled his eyes. "We'll be sure we're out of the way before that."
"I'd appreciate it," Fields said anxiously. "We have a tight schedule today and if we don't get breakfast started on time the entire day will be thrown out of whack."
"I understand," Steve said.
"We have a luau on the beach at 5:30 and no one wants to be late for that." Fields shuddered slightly at the thought.
"Well, we just have a couple of questions for you," Steve said. "If you can help us out with those we'll get out of your way and you can stay on schedule."
"Okay," Fields nodded his head. "What do you need to know?"
"What can you tell us about Arthur Fogelsong?" Steve asked.
"Why are you asking?" Fields immediately became agitated. "Is Arthur ok? Has something happened to him? He's my second in command and he should be here by now but I haven't seen him all morning."
"We're looking into a matter he may have been involved in last night," Steve said non-committally. Until he was sure Fogelsong's next of kin had been notified he couldn't release any information about the death. "When was the last time you saw him?"
Fields squinted his eyes and appeared to be thinking. "I saw him last night after dinner. He said he was heading to the beach to take some pictures. I don't think I saw him after that and I'm pretty sure he wasn't at any of the evening activities."
"Was he going alone?" Danny interjected.
"As far as I know," Fields nodded.
"Did he know anyone here on the island?" Steve asked. "Besides the other people at the convention I mean."
"I don't think so." Filed looked across the room fretfully as a few small groups of people began to filter in. They moved immediately towards the buffet, drawn there by both the beauty of the display and the scrumptious aromas emanating from the food itself.
"Did he have any enemies in your group?" Steve knew he was soon going to lose the man's attention altogether.
"Oh definitely not," Fields said adamantly as he turned back towards Steve and Danny and shook his head for emphasis. "Arthur was one of our most successful members. And one of the most popular."
"What did he invent?" Danny asked.
"He invented several pieces of farm machinery that are in use on every farm in America," Fields responded proudly. "He perfected an automated harvesting system that increases farm efficiency exponentially."
"Does that kind of thing make you rich?" Danny asked.
"It made Arthur very rich," Fields confided. "But he didn't do it for the money. He did it for the love of inventing. We all do."
A few more people made their way into the ballroom and Fields began to fidget restlessly. "I'm sorry but if there's nothing else I really need to attend to the guests. Lots of high IQs in the room but half the time they can't find their own place card."
"No problem," Steve smiled. "You've been a big help. We'll let you know if we have any other questions."
"I'll be here till Sunday morning." Fields nodded and headed off across the ballroom towards a small group of people who were having trouble finding the plates for the buffet, most likely because they were starting at the wrong end. Steve and Danny chuckled as the kitchen staff helpfully guided them towards the correct starting point, pointing out some of the hotel's signature dishes along the way.
"I wonder how many of those people are millionaires," Danny said as he watched the scene unfold.
"You probably don't want to know," Steve laughed. "Let's stop at the front desk on the way out and see if anyone noticed anything unusual last night."
Five-0 Headquarters
Thursday 3:00 P.M.
Catherine walked briskly down the carpeted hall towards Steve's office, eager to fill him in on the latest information she'd found on Arthur Fogelsong. As she got closer she looked through the glass and noticed his chair was turned facing the back wall which was an unusual position for him. Just as she started to push the door open he spun around and she saw he was on the phone. She gestured that what she had to tell him could wait and started to turn back towards her own office but he shook his head and waved her in. She entered and sat quietly on the couch waiting for him to finish.
"Yes, Governor. I understand. It'll get our full attention." he listened for a few more seconds before wrapping up the call. "I'll keep you apprised every step of the way, Sir. I promise. Yes, Sir. I'll let you know. Goodbye."
Steve placed his phone on the desk then leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his forehead. Before he even said a word Catherine knew the governor was applying pressure of some kind. The tension was written all over his face.
"The governor getting involved on this one?" she asked.
"Yeah. Looks like Arthur Fogelsong is more of a VIP than we thought. Apparently he sits on the boards of half the corporations and charities in Texas and a few in New York and DC as well. The governor is getting pressure from not only the Texas governor but more than a few congressmen and senators as well."
"Sorry," she said sympathetically. "I know it makes things more complicated when everyone wants the case solved immediately."
"Yeah," Steve exhaled. "Anything new on your end?"
"Dallas PD tracked down an ex-wife," Catherine said. "From what they can tell she's his closest living relative. They divorced ten years ago and she moved to Manhattan. NYPD is on the way to make the notification now."
"That's good," he said. "But if they've been divorced ten years she might not know much about what he's been up to lately."
"I agree," Catherine nodded. "But it's worth a try."
"At this point we can't afford to leave any stone unturned," Steve agreed.
"Chin's putting together a list of current associates both business and personal." Catherine stood, crossed to the desk and gave Steve's shoulder a quick squeeze. "I thought I'd head over to the Hilton and see if I can find anyone at the convention who knew him well enough to give us some more information."
"Sounds good," he smiled. "You might want to start with the guy in charge … Fields … according to what he told Danny and me he and Fogelsong have known each other for years."
"Will do," Catherine nodded.
"We didn't tell him about the death earlier because we hadn't located next of kin yet so I'm not sure if he knows," he said.
"I'll take care of it," Catherine assured him. Death notifications weren't something she enjoyed but they were part of the job. Oftentimes when she went to interview friends and associates of a victim, especially in the hours immediately following a murder, they had yet to hear about the death. Catherine had become quite adept at allowing a few minutes for the interviewee to pull themselves together before she proceeded as gently as possible with her questions.
"Thanks." Steve managed a small smile as she started for the door. "Hey, Cath."
"Yeah?" she turned to face him.
"About this weekend … " he said ruefully.
Steve and Catherine had planned to slip away for a few relaxing days alone on Kauai. They'd arranged to stay in the condo of one of Steve's SEAL buddies who was on temporary assignment on the mainland and had offered them use of the place whenever they wanted to get away for a little peace and quiet and escape from work. They hadn't had a chance to take him up on the offer, what with the kitchen remodel taking up most of their free time, but now that that was done they were looking forward to forty-eight hours away, without any distractions.
But now it looked as if that would have to wait.
"With the governor keeping such close track we can't really afford to take off," Steve said apologetically.
"I figured as much." Catherine smiled a reassuring smile.
Even without the governor breathing down his neck Catherine knew Steve wouldn't feel right about taking off in the beginning stages of a murder investigation. And to be honest she wouldn't either. The longer a murder went without being solved the less likely it was the killer would be caught and brought to justice and that wasn't acceptable to either one of them, whether the victim was a VIP or not.
Having to cancel plans at the last minute came with the territory.
"I'm really sorry." He smiled a remorseful smile. "We'll reschedule as soon as we can."
"I understand, Steve. Honestly. It's the way the job goes."
"Unfortunately it is," he nodded. He knew Catherine understood but that didn't mean he didn't feel bad about having to cancel their plans. "Let me know what you find out from the inventors."
"Will do." She had her hand on the door when Steve spoke again.
"Hey, you can take Kono with you if you want. Those farm implement inventors looked like a pretty crazy bunch when we were over there earlier," he teased.
Catherine chuckled. "Maybe I will. Between the two of us I think we can handle them if they get out of control."
"If I recall correctly they have luau scheduled for 5:30," Steve said, recalling Fields' determination to keep the day on schedule so as not to interfere with the evening's festivities.
"Sounds delicious," she teased back. "Maybe they'll invite us for dinner."
Steve looked up at her and grinned. "Bring me back a plate if they do."
Hilton Hawaiian Village
Conference Room B
Thursday 3:45 P.M.
Catherine and Kono entered the mid-sized conference room on the third floor of the Hilton Hawaiian Village and found what the convention itinerary described as an 'informal meet and greet cocktail party' in full swing. They asked the first person they came to, a well-toned and well-tanned man of about forty wearing a Hawaiian shirt, flip-flops and a John Deere hat, where they might find Peter Fields. With a broad smile the man pointed across the room. Catherine thanked him and the two women headed off to find the man in charge.
"Mr. Fields?" Catherine asked as she and Kono drew near the man who had been pointed out them.
"Yes, I'm Peter Fields," the man replied. "Can I help you?"
"I'm Catherine Rollins from Five-0. This is Kono Kalakaua. We're here to ask you a few more questions about Arthur Fogelsong."
"I saw the story on the news about the man found dead in the park," Fields said grimly. "It's Arthur isn't it?"
"Yes, I'm afraid it is," Catherine said. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Fields shook his head in disbelief. "Arthur was a good friend and a good man. Who would do this to him?"
"We don't know. But we're going to do everything we can to find out," Catherine assured him.
"Can you think of anyone who might have had a problem with Mr. Fogelsong?" Kono asked. "Did he mention any issues he was having or anyone who might have been bothering him?"
"Not a word," Fields insisted. "And I've talked to him at least once a day for the last month as we planned this convention. As far as I know everything in his life was fine."
"We know he's divorced," Catherine said gently. "Was he dating anyone?"
"Not recently," Fields replied. "And he stayed friends with every woman he ever dated so I don't think any of them have reason to want him dead."
"What about a business deal gone wrong?" Kono asked. "Someone who thought he stole their idea?"
"Not a chance." Fields shook his head vehemently. "You can ask any person in this room. They'll all tell you that at some point Arthur either helped with their invention, gave them advice about their patent application, or helped them find a manufacturer. No one in this room wanted Arthur dead."
"Would you mind if we talked to some of them," Catherine asked. "Maybe they know about something going on that he hadn't mentioned to you?"
"Be my guest. Talk to anyone you'd like." Fields made a sweeping gesture towards the crowd. "I'll be amazed if anyone has anything bad to say about Arthur."
"I'm sure you're right," Catherine said in a soothing tone. "But we have to be thorough. Sometimes people know things they don't realize are significant."
"I understand," Fields said. "You're just doing your job."
Ninety minutes later as the crowd began to make their way towards the private beach outside the hotel for the scheduled luau Catherine found Kono finishing up a conversation with one of the inventors in the far corner of the conference room.
"Did you find anything out," she asked after she heard Kono thank the man for his time.
"Nothing," Kono said. "Fields was right. Everybody loved this guy. No one can think of a single person who might have had an axe to grind."
"Same with the people I talked to," Catherine said.
"Someone definitely wanted him dead but it wasn't any of these people," Kono said.
"I think you're right," Catherine agreed. "Let's head back. Maybe Chin dug something up none of these folks know about."
Five-0 Headquarters
Friday 10 A.M.
Steve sat at his desk flipping distractedly through a stack of papers that needed his signature before they could be sent back to HPD for final processing. As he signed his name by each brightly colored post it tab that said 'sign here', which had been helpfully affixed by one of the clerks at HPD who was apparently tired of getting back forms that were missing signatures and had to be sent over to Five-O again, he balanced his cell phone precariously between his shoulder and his ear.
"I'm really sorry about the delay, Mary," he said. "Everything is set but I just haven't had a chance to talk to Catherine about it yet. We caught a new case and the governor is breathing down my neck because it's some bigwig from the mainland."
"It's fine, big brother," Mary said. "I was just calling to check and see if there's something you need me to do on my end. I called Binderian's office to see about settling the bill and he said there was still an open matter so he doesn't have a final total yet."
"I feel terrible about holding you up," Steve said as he pushed the papers aside and gave his sister his full attention. "I've been trying to get to it. But things are crazy here. And I want to pay for half the lawyer's bill considering some of this stuff is for me."
"We'll worry about that later," Mary said. "I just wanted to make sure everything's ok there."
"Everything's fine. But thanks for your concern. I'm gonna talk to Catherine within the next few days and then I'll get back to you with the rest of the details."
"Sounds good. I'll let you get back to work."
"Hey, before you hang up, you're still planning on bringing Joan for Thanksgiving, right?"
"That's the plan. Why?"
"Just double checking. Cath's family is coming and I want you to meet them."
The Rollins' had always been so warm and welcoming to Steve, right from the beginning, and he knew they would embrace Mary and Joan with that same spirit and make them feel like part of the family. Mary had missed that growing up as much as he had. Aunt Deb was great, and she did her best, but it just wasn't the same as sitting down to a meal with multiple generations all telling stories and sharing their lives. He knew one Thanksgiving wouldn't make up for what happened to them when they were young but he had experienced first-hand what spending a holiday with Catherine's family was like. How it created a feeling of warmth you could carry with you throughout the year.
He wanted Mary and Joan to know that feeling.
"Are you sure we won't be too much? We can come another time. We were there last Thanksgiving and I know Catherine's family hasn't been to visit for a while."
"Don't be silly," Steve insisted. "We really want to get both families together and give everyone a chance to get to know each other. Plus you have to see the new kitchen."
"Cath sent me pictures. It looks amazing." Mary paused and her voice got quieter. "Is Mom invited?"
"If she ever decides to talk to me again I'll invite her," Steve shrugged. "But I'm not holding my breath."
"That's probably a good idea," Mary said. "OK I hear Joan waking up in the other room so I gotta run. You go catch your murderer."
"I'll do my best," Steve smiled. "Talk to you soon, Mare."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
He disconnected the call, slipped his phone back in his pocket with a frustrated huff, and returned to trying to bring order to the stack of papers in front of him.
Five-0 Headquarters
Friday 2:00 P.M.
Steve was standing at the smart table with Catherine, Chin and Kono pouring over all the evidence that had been collected on Arthur Fogelsong's business and personal life, looking for any lead as to who might have wanted him killed in such a brutal way, when Danny entered the office in the middle of an extremely animated conversation with someone on the phone.
Forty-five minutes earlier Grace's school called and asked him to come in for a meeting. They assured him Grace was fine and that it was actually an administrative matter that had nothing to do with his daughter but that needed his attention as soon as possible. Steve assured him they could start sifting through the new materials on the case without him and Danny left for The Academy of the Sacred Heart immediately. He knew he'd feel better getting whatever the matter was taken care of before the weekend.
"I understand that," he said with a clenched jaw as he stopped in the middle of the bullpen. "But I'm telling you ... that the payment was made ... on time and in full ... exactly the same way it has been every quarter since Grace came to your school. I gave you the receipts ... I gave you the transaction numbers ... What more can I do?" Danny rolled his eyes as he listened then spoke again, "Listen … do me a favor … check your records, closely this time … then get back to me. As soon as possible please. Thanks."
He disconnected the call and shoved the phone disgustedly back in his pocket.
"Problem?" Steve asked.
"Yes, there's a problem," Danny growled. "Apparently the people in charge of bookkeeping at Grace's school are morons. They called me down there to tell me her tuition hasn't been paid and they said if the 'situation isn't rectified immediately'," Danny made air quotes, "she won't be allowed to attend classes anymore."
Danny joined the others at the smart table.
"I assume you told them you paid the tuition," Steve said calmly. He could tell Danny was in no mood to joke. Grace loved her school and the thought of anything interfering with that was unacceptable for both men and not something they took lightly.
"Of course I told them I paid the tuition," Danny huffed. "I pay it online every quarter. I've never had a problem before. But all of a sudden ... they say they have no record. I gave them the transaction numbers from my bank ... you'd think that would be good enough ... and they still say they can't find proof of any payments."
"I'm sure it's just a glitch," Chin said confidently. "They'll figure it out."
"They better," Danny grumbled. "Because the last thing I need is them calling Rachel and Stan and saying I haven't been paying Grace's tuition."
"How can they say they have no record when you showed them the receipt?" Kono asked.
"Receipts," Danny stressed the 's'. "They said they have no record of payment for this year at all. And I asked them that very same question. But they just keep insisting nothing has been credited towards Grace's tuition this year at all."
"What the hell?" Steve said.
"I got absolutely nowhere with the vice-principal so ... I went to the administrative offices ... but I didn't have any better luck there. They did at least promise they'd take another look at their records and let me know."
"What are you gonna do?" Kono asked.
"I have no idea but I'm certainly not paying them again if they couldn't keep track of the money the first time," Danny said.
"It's probably an innocent mistake," Catherine said. "They'll call back in a few minutes and tell you they transposed a number or something."
"I hope so," Danny said. "These people are in charge of educating my kid."
Danny Williams' Camaro
Saturday 5:00 P.M.
The team spent most of Friday afternoon and Saturday attempting to create a timeline showing exactly where Arthur Fogelsong went and who he talked to in the hours after he left the Hilton on Wednesday evening and before he turned up dead early Thursday morning. They canvassed area businesses to see if anyone remembered talking to him, checked surveillance and traffic cameras, tracked his cell phone and logged the mileage on his rental car to get an approximation of how far he'd driven that night. Unfortunately the GPS on the car had been malfunctioning since he picked it up so it was of limited usefulness in terms of helping track his movements.
The last confirmed sighting they had was when he gassed up the rental car at 7:30 P.M. Wednesday night at a Shell station in Honolulu. The traffic cameras in the area picked him up turning north out of the parking lot but that was the last time they were able to pinpoint his exact location.
Danny and Steve spent Saturday afternoon at HPD pouring over all the available footage looking for any sign of Arthur Fogelsong but came up empty except for one very blurry image of a vehicle that looked similar to the one Fogelsong was driving parked at the far end of a parking lot at a local strip mall in the wee hours of Thursday morning. They went to the strip mall in hopes the merchants would have some video with a clearer image but unfortunately their cameras focused solely on the areas immediately outside the storefronts and didn't cover the back of the parking lot.
It had been a frustrating couple of days and Steve called the team from the car and told them to pack it in and barring any major developments they'd start fresh first thing Monday morning doing phone interviews with employees at some of the corporations Fogelsong was associated with on the mainland. Max had also promised to have his complete autopsy report as well toxicology results on Steve's desk as early in the week as possible and he hoped there might be information there to help narrow down the search for whoever wanted Fogelsong dead.
"You have plans for tonight?" Steve asked Danny as they made the turn out of the strip mall and headed for the palace.
"I'm taking Grace to the movies and then we're going out for ice cream," Danny smiled.
"That sounds like fun."
"It does," Danny nodded. "What about you?"
"Nothing special. Just a quiet night at home," Steve shrugged.
"Yeah … well … when it comes to you and Catherine I know what quiet night at home means."
Danny rolled his eyes and Steve smirked.
"Hey, I forgot to ask you this morning, did you hear anything back from Grace's school?"
"Not yet," Danny huffed. "And if I don't hear anything by Monday morning ... trust me ... I'm heading down there again."
Five minutes later Steve turned into the parking lot at Iolani Palace and noticed a vaguely familiar figure leaning up against the building outside the front door.
As the car pulled to a stop the figure turned around, smiled shyly and waved.
"Is that Gabby?" Steve said, his voice filled with astonishment.
"What's she doing here?" Danny released his seatbelt, exited the car and headed hurriedly up the sidewalk towards her.
McGarrett/Rollins Residence
Saturday 9:45 P.M.
Beach
When Steve arrived home after dropping Danny back at headquarters and retrieving his truck he found a note from Catherine saying that she and Cammie were out for a run. When they returned forty-five minutes later Cammie still seemed to have lots of energy so the three of them played fetch on the beach then went for a leisurely swim.
Steve told Catherine about how he and Danny found Gabby waiting for them at headquarters and Catherine was as shocked as Steve had been. Steve knew she exchanged emails with Gabby occasionally but Catherine swore that Gabby hadn't mentioned a thing about returning to the island.
When they finally made their way back inside Catherine shampooed Cammie in the shower then dried and brushed her while Steve grilled some fish and vegetables and they shared dinner on the lanai, Cammie sleeping at their feet.
After the dishes were cleared and loaded into the dishwasher Catherine and Steve moved to the Adirondack chairs positioned close to the water's edge. Steve dropped a folder he'd carried from the house onto the sand beside his chair then settled in, turned to Catherine and took her hand. She always looked beautiful to him, no matter the setting, but there was something about the way she looked in the moonlight that took his breath away.
"Is everything ok," she asked, her voice laced with concern. She'd had the feeling there was something Steve wanted to talk about for a while now but he never quite managed to bring it up and she didn't want to push.
She knew he'd let her know what was going on in his own time and in his own way.
"Everything's fine," he replied with a slightly nervous smile. "There's just something I need to talk to you about."
She squeezed his hand and smiled softly. "You can talk to me about anything, Steve. You know that."
He felt the tension leave his body.
"I know," he said.
From the earliest days of their friendship at the Academy Steve had always known he could talk to Catherine about anything. Things he'd never had the courage to say to anyone else in his life—about his mother, his father, his feelings about leaving Hawaii—flowed easily when he talked to Catherine. Not only was she a great listener but she never judged him, never made him feel guilty about the complicated feelings and mixed emotions he had when it came to his family, and always made it clear that she would wholeheartedly support whatever decision he made for himself regarding events in his life.
He looked into her eyes and smiled. "This wasn't how I planned on bringing this up. I was gonna talk to you about it when we went to the big island for the weekend but then that trip got postponed and I really want to get this taken care of sooner rather than later."
"And since there's no way of knowing when we might get to big island … " Catherine replied, trying to give him an opening to say what was on his mind. She knew he'd feel better once he got whatever it was off his chest.
"Yeah," Steve sighed.
This moment felt momentous to him, and he hoped it would feel the same way to Catherine, so he wanted to make it as special as possible. But the more he thought about it the more he realized that this setting, the beach behind the house, the sound of the waves rolling in, Cammie asleep on the lanai, was probably as perfect a backdrop for what he wanted to discuss as he could possibly get. "I wish I could wait till things were a little less chaotic but I can't. So here goes."
Catherine gave him a small, encouraging smile.
"Do you remember a month or so back when Mary came to the island and we went to see the lawyer to draw up the codicil to her will?" Steve asked.
"Of course I do," Catherine replied. "I was so touched she wanted me to be Joan's guardian, along with you of course, if anything happened to her." Her eyes grew misty at the memory.
She'd grown much closer to Mary in the years since she'd come to Hawaii full-time, almost like the sister she never had, but still being entrusted with the care of Joan was a privilege Catherine would never take lightly. She certainly hoped they never had to worry about Mary not being in her daughter's life, but the fact that if that happened Mary wanted her to step in meant more to Catherine than she could ever express.
Steve smiled softly. "It meant a lot to her that you agreed."
"Has she changed her mind," Catherine asked quietly, thinking maybe that was what Steve needed to talk to her about. "Because if she has I understand. If she's found someone else … "
"No, no of course not." He shook his head vigorously. "She's thrilled that you agreed. She doesn't want to change her mind."
"Then what do you need to talk to me about that involves your trip to the lawyer?" Catherine asked.
"There was one other thing we dealt with when we were there," he said, looking at her, his slightly nervous smile back in place. "Or rather that we started to deal with. There are a few details that need cleaned up before we can finish."
"Finish what?" she couldn't help but be put on edge by the fact that Steve was having so much trouble getting to the point. That wasn't like him at all.
"Mary has decided she wants me to buy her out of her half of the house," he spit out in a rush. "She said she'll probably never live back on the island permanently and if she does she'd want a place of her own anyway."
Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all?"
Steve smiled then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Not quite."
"Do you want to buy her out?" Catherine asked. She couldn't imagine any situation where Steve wouldn't do anything and everything in his power to stay in his family home.
"I do," he assured her. "Very much. I went to the bank last week and talked to Kalani Inoke and he told me I can use the equity in my half the house to get a mortgage on the other half so I can buy Mary out."
"So what's the problem?" Catherine asked. She could tell he still hadn't gotten to the heart of what was bothering him.
"It's not a problem really," he replied. "At least I hope it isn't."
Steve reached down beside his chair and picked up the folder he'd carried out with him earlier.
"I talked to both Mary's lawyer and the bank about adding another name to the deed."
He watched as realization dawned and Catherine's jaw dropped open slightly.
She couldn't hide the shock on her face.
"Yours." He smiled and waited for her to process the information.
"You want to put me on the deed to the beach house?" Catherine was stunned. Quite honestly the thought never crossed her mind. Ever since she'd rented out, then eventually sold, her house and moved in with Steve he'd always referred to the beach house "their" home. He told her repeatedly he wanted her to be comfortable and she should feel free to make any changes.
Still, until the kitchen remodel she'd stuck mostly to small cosmetic things.
Nothing too jarring.
It wasn't that she didn't feel free to redecorate it was just that Steve seemed so comfortable in the space she wanted to let him make any major changes that might come along only when he was ready.
"Yes, I do." There wasn't a hint of doubt on Steve's face or in his tone.
"But Steve, this is your house. Your family house." Catherine struggled to get her mind around the idea.
The offer was so generous.
Of course she pictured herself always living there with him, but assuming half-ownership was something she'd never even thought about.
It felt big.
But it felt right.
"It is," Steve agreed. "But as I've told you before a house is all it was until you moved in. Now it's a home. Our home."
"Steve … " Catherine trailed off, her voice choked with emotion.
He tugged gently on her hands and pulled her out of her chair and settled her on his lap. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and she laid her head on his shoulder as happy tears dampened his shirt beneath her head. After a few minutes he spoke again.
"Well, before you get too excited, there is one little catch, Lieutenant," he said as the slight nervousness returned to his voice and he planted a kiss on her temple.
"What's that?" she asked as she raised her head and looked into his eyes.
"Kalani said that even though it's not 100% necessary, if we're putting your name on the deed it would look better to the bank if we also put your name on the mortgage."
A sly smile spread slowly across her face. "Well that only seems fair," she said and immediately Steve's nervousness faded, replaced by a broad grin.
"Are you sure? You do realize this means you're signing on with me for thirty years of mutual debt." He waggled his eyebrows.
"You're the only person I know who could make that sound sexy," Catherine laughed as she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. He felt himself becoming aroused as Catherine wiggled in his lap and there were a few other things he wanted to discuss with her before they moved to the celebration portion of the evening.
He kissed her once more than turned his attention back to the folder.
"The payments would be very manageable." Steve opened the folder and showed her the preliminary paperwork that had been drawn up by Kalani Inoke. Once he explained to the bank manager that he wanted this to be a surprise for Catherine the man had agreed to prepare a document using the financial information they already had on file for her from other business she had done with the bank.
It was something he normally wouldn't do but if he couldn't trust the head of Five-O who could he trust.
Catherine scanned the documents. Inoke had given them a great interest rate and the most favorable terms available in the Hawaiian real estate market. With just a little buckling down they could actually get the mortgage paid off early.
The difference between what Steve's dad paid for the property and what it was worth on today's market was mind-boggling. And since the warm weather and ocean side location weren't going away anytime soon there was no reason to think the value of the house wouldn't continue to appreciate.
As she looked at the figures it hit her like a ton of bricks.
This was an incredibly valuable asset.
She had to ask one more time.
"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"
"I am absolutely positive," he said.
Catherine glanced back down at the figures. "Ok then you know what would make these payments even more manageable," she asked without looking up.
"What?" Steve's hands dropped to her hips.
"If we took the money I got from the sale of my house and used it as a down payment." She flipped through the documents doing some quick calculations in her head.
"Catherine," he protested. "I wouldn't expect you to do that."
"Why not? I mean, your offer is so generous, Steve, and if this is going to be our home, and if we're going to be legally joined in debt for the foreseeable future," she grinned, "then of course I want to contribute."
He looked in her eyes. "I love you, Cath."
"And I love you," she said as she leaned her forehead against his.
"So we're really doing this?" he asked excitedly.
"I'm game if you are," she smiled back at him.
"I'll call the bank and we'll find some time to get over there Monday morning and get going on the paperwork."
"Sounds great." Catherine turned to straddle his lap and began peppering his face with kisses. "So you know what I think we should do now?"
"What?" Steve moaned as he grabbed her hips and pressed up against her letting her know exactly what it was he'd like to do next.
"Celebrate." Catherine's hands slid between them and reached for his belt buckle.
"I like the way you think, Lieutenant."
END CHAPTER 1
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