Hawaii Five O
Hook, Line and Sinker
Chapter 1
Claira McGarrett had settled into her life in Hawaii and Steve had found a school for her to attend close to his apartment.
Claira had made friends with a fellow girl in her school class, Becky Driscoll, whose parents owned a big estate on the island. Claira often stayed with them especially over the school holidays.
On one such holiday, Claira decided to have a sleep over at the house and made herself a small overnight bag.
Steve walked into her bedroom as Claira was packing her bag.
"Are you ready? I have to be in work this morning and I first have to drop you off before I can even get started on my day." He said checking his watch then looked at her packing.
"I'm all finished. I've just got to make sure I have everything."
"You're only going for a night." He said looking at her.
"I know but, they may require the kitchen sink!" Claira said shyly looking at him
"Really? Get down to the car park, on the double!" He said watching her run out as he collected her bag.
They were soon driving along the bay and pulled into the Driscoll's big house overlooking the bay. Becky came out to greet her as Steve opened the boot to his car and took out the sleep over bag as Becky's parents, Adam and Leigh came over to them.
"Steve, nice to see you again." Leigh said kissing him.
"You too, Leigh."
Adam went up to him and shook his hand.
"You really want to grace your child with our social scene again, Steve?"
"As long as Claira is perfectly happy to do so, I am not complaining."
"Here, give me that." Adam said taking the bag from Steve. "Claira, did you make sure you remembered the kitchen sink?"
"Very funny, very funny."Claira said watching them walk in. She now looked back to Steve watching her. "Well, I better get unpacked."
"Yeah, and I am late for work." He said checking his watch.
"Okay, I'll see you sometime tomorrow." She said looking down to her feet.
"Come here." He said looking at her.
Claira now forged forward and they hugged.
"You have a great night, okay." He added kissing her.
"I will." She said keep hold of Steve. "If you want to talk to me, for anything, you call me, okay sweetheart?" He said as Claira nodded like a dog.
"Yes, yes."
"I'll see you tomorrow, and I love you." He said and slowly put her down.
"I love you too."
"Bye." He said as he got into his car and drove away.
"Come on Claira, dad said we can use the pool because he has some friends coming over later." Becky said pulling her on.
Claira stepped back as Steve slowly disappeared down the road and out of sight.
She now turned round and followed Becky into the house.
They enjoyed themselves out by the pool for the rest of the day and noticed Adam's friends turned up and took over the pool for the rest of the evening.
Claira returned to Becky's bedroom during the evening and played for a while.
Chapter 2
Later, as the evening turned into night, someone scaled the wall into the courtyard area and entered the house and used a torch to look around.
Becky and Claira lay dosing in their pushed together beds. The torchlight now lit the hallway towards Becky's bedroom and she looked up. Claira was still asleep and did not notice the light. Becky now moved to get up as Claira stirred.
"What's the matter?" She said sitting forward.
"Someone's playing a game outside." Becky said moving to the door.
"Well, what time is it?"
Becky looked at the clock.
"It's just gone midnight. Stay there, because three guesses dad's up to something."
"Like what?"
"When I get back I'll tell you." She said disappearing out the half open door.
Claira looked towards the courtyard light and couldn't see anything as she moved towards the door and waited for Becky to return.
Becky moved through the hallway towards the light and realised it was coming from her parents' bedroom. She slowly realised that her parents were in bed and that someone was in their room.
"What's going on?" Becky said turning the light on.
At that moment the person in the room spun round and fired on her as she slumps into the door.
The noise of the shot made her parents jump up as Adam looked towards the door and recognised the person holding the gun.
"What are you doing in here?"
The man now hit Adam and knocked him out as Leigh jumped up and screamed.
This gunshot made Claira stand bolt upright and put her back to the wall in Becky's bedroom.
The gunman now fled the bedroom jumping over Becky and running down the corridor towards Claira in the bedroom which was the quickest escape out of the building to the main road.
Claira watched as the gunman burst through the door running into the toys on the floor and fall over. Claira started to shake as the gunman noticed her in the shadows then looked towards the large window and got back up and jumped straight out of the window out into the courtyard. He disappeared over the high wall as Claira heard a car speed away from the area.
Leigh quickly called for an ambulance for Becky and then the police. Steve was soon informed and drove straight over to the mansion to see the place swarming with men as he noticed Leigh walking out with the ambulance men with Becky on a stretcher. Leigh noticed him and collapsed into his arms screaming.
"Leigh, where's Claira, what about Claira?" He said holding her.
"I don't know, I don't know, we were all asleep."
Steve quickly left her with the ambulance and walked into the mansion to see Adam talking to HPD.
"Ah Steve thank god."
"Where's Claira?" He said storming up to him.
"I don't know. I haven't seen her."
Steve now moved down the corridor to Becky's bedroom and walked in looking around.
"Claira, Claira?" He shouted.
He now noticed her clammed up in the corner by the bed shaking as he went to her. He moved up to her and tried to grab her.
"Claira, Claira take it easy it's me, its daddy, I'm right here." He said slowly pulling her out from the corner as she started crying.
Adam now walked in behind her.
"Steve." He said watching him.
"Don't come anywhere near me." He said looking at him then turned back to Claira as she now hugged him. "It's alright, its okay." He added holding her.
Adam watched Steve carry Claira out of the bedroom as she slowly started to relax and fell back to sleep as he held her.
Adam and Leigh went with Becky to the hospital as she was put on the critical list. Steve stayed with Claira in another room as a doctor checked her other.
The doctor found it hard to check her as she hung on to Steve.
"Is Claira always like this when she's scared?"
"Always. She just clams up and only I can calm her down."
"How long does that take?"
"Depends on how scared she is."
The doctor looked at her.
"This is going to get harder and harder as she goes along unless you can work something out with her. Have you considered counselling?"
Steve looked at him then Claira holding onto him.
Chapter 3
The doctors let Steve take Claira home and he tried to make everything look and feel as normal as ever. He carried her over to the sofa and put her down.
"Are you hungry?" He said looking at her.
She looked at him and nodded.
He smiled and kissed her.
"You're okay here. No-one is going to get in here, but I think you already know that." He said moving away as Claira jumped up and quickly put her head into his side and pinned him to the wall.
"Don't leave me."
"I'm not going to leave you. Look, you can sit on the worktop and watch me cook you something to eat. Maybe we can have a chat, ha?" He said putting her on the worktop and watched her as he started to make her meal.
Claira stayed as close as she could to Steve as he carried on.
"Do you want to tell me what happened at the mansion?"
She did not reply and watched him making her meal.
"Becky woke me up."
"She did? Why did she wake you?"
"She said she saw a light down the hall."
"Did you see the light?"
"No!" She looked down. "Not at first."
"What did Becky do?"
"She went to find out who was making the light. She said it was probably her dad playing a game or something."
"Adam?"
She nodded.
"Well why would Adam be using a flashlight in his own home?" He said quietly.
"He wasn't, it was that guy who had the flashlight."
"Did you see him?"
Steve watched as Claira clamed up and brought he legs under her and put her head down.
"Hey, take it easy. If you did or didn't see him, we can talk about this another time."
He said and went to her.
"I want to know that Becky is going to be alright. She's my best friend at school."
"I know, I know. I've asked the hospital to phone us the minute there is any change." He said kissing her.
Claira nodded and slowly relaxed again.
Steve decided not to ask her anymore questions and allowed Claira to eat her meal in peace.
The phone soon rang and Steve jumped up to answer it in the kitchen as she tried to listen to the conversation. He turned away in an attempt to not frighten her anymore.
Steve soon returned and sat down next to her and hugged her.
"Was that about Becky?" She said sheepishly.
"No, that was Danno." He said pushing her.
"Dad."
"What? I saw you trying to listen." He said holding her.
"Well, was it about the guy in the mansion?"
Steve looked at her.
"Yeah. Danno was just asking if Adam or Leigh saw the man as he was running back through into Becky's bedroom."
"I heard the shot and then I heard Leigh screaming and then that guy just came running through the door and, and out the window. The window faces the courtyard so I guess he had to come through Becky's bedroom to get the quickest route out of the mansion and onto the main road. I did hear a car drive away but I couldn't see it because of the wall."
"What about the guy with the gun Claira, did you see him, did he see you?"
Steve watched her looking at him.
"It was dark dad; he fell over Becky's toys as he came in, I don't think I saw his face. He was wearing dark clothes; it was all very quick and it was a kind of blur as he ran through. I don't think he saw me, I was, I was up against the wall after hearing the shot and I was shaking."
"Alright, alright, do you want to come in to the office with me tomorrow and take a look at the books, see if something doesn't click with you while going through the mug shots?"
She looked at Steve.
"I don't think it's going to make any difference. I managed to recognise you in a crowd at the airport that day but, that was only because you were my dad."
Steve hugged and kissed her.
"I know, but I want you to try. I need you to relax though because I am not going to let anything happen to you."
"I want to go back to the hospital in case Becky comes round."
"Claira, her parents are with her. I guess I need to talk to them anyway so, if you're okay I will try and smuggle you in with me." He said hugging her.
"Thanks dad."
"My pleasure, sweetheart."
Chapter 4
Steve drove over to the hospital with Claira early the next morning and met Adam and Leigh looking at Becky in the intensive care ward.
"Oh Steve, I'm glad you're here, with Claira too." Leigh said giving them both a hug. "Are you alright Claira?"
"Yeah." She said trying to look at Becky. "How is she?"
"No change." Adam said then looked at Steve looking at him.
"Adam, can I speak with you outside?" Steve said.
"Yeah, sure." He said leaving Leigh with Claira.
They walked down the corridor to the vending machines.
"Danno told me that you believe the gunman was trying to kill you and Becky got in the way. You want to tell my why your kid is in intensive care and mine is in line for some counselling?"
Adam looked at him then stepped away.
"I think I recognised the guy in my bedroom."
"You think or you know?"
"I can't be certain, it was dark. Did Claira see him?"
"Don't go laying all this on my kids' doorstep! Why was that guy in your bedroom?" He said raising his voice.
"I can't be certain, maybe it was Bob."
Claira moved to the vending machine and heard the adults talking.
"Bob?"
"Bob McCarthy."
"Last time I checked he was in jail on the mainland." Steve said looking at him. "Why would you get involved with a two bit time waster like McCarthy?"
Claira watched them.
Adam looked at him then turned away and Steve grabbed him back.
"You tell me here or we do this all again back in my office."
"There's a problem with the mansion."
"Such as?"
"Well, I owe a lot of money to one of the islanders when I acquired the mansion and I guess they got fed up with waiting and they used Bob whom I've known for a long time to try and pressure me into paying back the money. I didn't expect him to turn up hours later to try and get me to pay the money back at gunpoint."
"What do you mean hours later?"
"Bob turned up at the mansion just before dinner and spent some time in our company drinking my good wines etc, where he told me that he had been asked to collect the money or else. I guess that was his way of saying or else I'll kill you." Adam said looking at Steve.
Claira watched them then stepped away and walked into someone.
"Ooops, sorry." She said stepping aside.
"Don't apologise, I often get people walking into me around here." The man said watching her moving away. "The last time someone did that they had to pay me because they just pushed a cart straight into me while I was here visiting a friend."
Claira looked at him.
"Like an ambulance chaser, you mean?"
"No, not at all, as I just said I was visiting a friend." He said deciding to walk away.
"Well, what are you doing here now? This, this is the intensive care ward and my friend Becky is here."
He looked back.
"I can read the signs, and my friend is here now." He said moving to the vending machines.
"Who's your friend?" She said following him.
"Claira…!" Steve said moving up to her. "I thought I left you with Leigh checking on Becky."
"You did, I…" She stopped and looked down. "I was just coming out to see where you were when I walked into this man." She added looking at the man.
He was now getting his drink from the machine and looked at Steve.
"Well, did you apologise for getting into this gentleman's way?"
"Of course I did."
"Good. We're just going back to see Leigh, we'll walk back with you." Steve said pulling her.
Claira looked back at the man then walked on with Steve and Adam.
Steve left the hospital with Claira and drove back to the palace. Claira watched Steve talking to Danno about getting HPD to pull in Bob McCarthy for questioning. She moved through to Steve's office and noticed the photo of Bob on her father's desk and picked it up and stared at it.
"Your expression shows me that you did recognise him as the man who shot Becky." Steve said as Claira looked up.
"Seeing his photo like this." She said moving away. "He just looked at me for a second, not even that. He was at the mansion earlier, but I guess it didn't click with me until seeing this photo."
"I've got HPD out now looking for him, but something tells me he's already caught a plane back to the mainland."
"Well, you've got to get him back because, because well, Becky."
Steve looked at her.
"Don't go worrying about that, we'll get him."
"Yeah, like you did when the Chinese killed my dad." She said moving away.
He watched her sit down and tucks her legs underneath her.
Chapter 5
The next day Claira did not catch the bus to school and walked to the warehouses and watched the workers busily completing their jobs. She walked past her father's old warehouse and recognised someone and moved up to them.
"What are you doing here?" She said moving in front of the man who was at the hospital the day before.
"Excuse me, you are?"
"I'm Claira Trenton and you're in my dad's warehouse, so I ask again, what are you doing here?"
"Claira Trenton, and this is your father's warehouse, is it really? Well, I never knew that. I'm Tom Kelly and I just so happen to work here."
"I've never seen you here before."
"Obviously."
"Did my dad employ you?"
"You're dad being?"
"Paul Trenton of course. He would have told me if he had taken on new hands."
Tom looked at her.
"I think you have me confused. I work here for Ridgewell."
"Yeah, he took over the lease that my father had."
"So, you were lying when you said Paul Trenton owns this warehouse." Tom said looking at her.
"No!" She said stepping back. "My dad still has interest in this place. This is the first warehouse he bought on the island. We only moved here last year and, and…" Claira said trying to think of something to say.
"Well, I hope you'll be very happy together. You're dad and the warehouse." He said moving away.
Claira watched him step away then noticed John Ridgewell and ran over to him.
"Hey John."
"Hi Claira, does your dad know you're here?"
"Oh, sure he does." She said lying. "I noticed the new guy, Tom."
John looked at her then at Tom.
"Err yeah, defiantly a new guy."
"He was at the hospital with my dad yesterday."
"Yeah, I kind of catched that conversation." He said moving through the warehouse. "So, you skip school today?"
"Hurh err, no, dad dropped me off earlier. I'm surprised you didn't see him." She said then noticed Tom again. "Tom said he has a friend in intensive care where my best friend is at the moment."
"Claira, I do have a lot of work to get on with. Do you want to watch the crates being loaded or something?" John said looking at her.
"Okay." She said running off down the side of the warehouse.
John moved to the phone and lifted the receiver.
Claira watched Tom loading the crates and slowly moved back up to him.
"So, what happened to your friend that he is in Intensive care at the hospital?" She said trying to make up a conversation to get Tom to talk to her.
"Oh, he just had a bad accident."
"My best friend Becky, she, she was shot."
He looked at her.
"Really? Occupational hazard for your friends around here." He said looking away.
"Shot by this guy who came running through Becky's bedroom. My dad thinks that the guy could already be back on the mainland."
Tom looked at her then stepped aside.
"Who owns a black Ford Mercury?"
"I don't know. My friend, she, she is my best friend at school." She said looking at him.
"You take friendship very seriously, don't you?"
"Of course. You need all the friends you can get on the island."
"Are you sure you don't know anyone in a black Ford Mercury?" Tom said now gesturing to make her turn round.
"I just said..." She now turned round and saw Steve moving up to her. "That's my dad." She said running towards him as Tom stepped away.
Claira ran up to him as Steve stopped.
"Dad, what are you doing here?"
"I was just about to ask you that question." He said looking at her. "I thought you caught the bus this morning."
"I err…" She stopped and looked down. "I know I should be at school dad but, but…"
Steve now brought her face back up.
"You're worried about Becky not being with you at school, ha?"
She looked down and nodded.
"Come on, I'll drive you back. You'll be able to get a few hours in of study."
"Wait a minute dad; I've got to introduce you to a new employer here." She said stepping back and looking around. "Well where did he go?"
"Where did who go?"
"Tom. The guy who also has a friend in intensive care. He was around here a minute ago." She said stepping away.
"Claira, if I don't get you back to school now I never will." He said pulling her back.
"Alright okay, I guess I'll have to introduce you later." She said then followed Steve back to his car.
Chapter 6
Steve walked back into his office later that day and closed the door behind him.
"Do you know how cold it gets around those warehouses?"
Steve looked over to Tom standing up from the chair in his office.
"I didn't hire you to tell me the weather." He said going up to him.
"No you didn't." He said shaking his hand.
Steve watched him sit back down as he went over to his desk.
"Well, are you going to leave me in suspense or are you going to give me your professional opinion of my daughter?"
"It all depends if there's a tape recorder in your desk somewhere." He said looking at him.
Steve now stared at him.
"Claira's that bad?"
"Steve, she's a wonderful kid, but she's been through a lot lately. Coming to the island and losing her father. Getting her father back, the adoption, a new school to attend and now her best friend in hospital. I would clam up just like Claira if this all happened to me in less than a year."
"You're here to give me advice on how to handle Claira. I know exactly what she's been through." Steve said sitting down.
"Great, then I'm sorry to say this but you handle it like Paul Trenton would handle it because you don't need reminding that that's who you are. Back at the warehouse I gave her plenty of pointers over who drives a black Ford Mercury and her reply was that she didn't know."
"I am not Paul Trenton and I will not be Paul Trenton however much I may sound and look like him to Claira or to anyone for that matter." Steve said standing up.
"Remind me, what are you paying me for?"
"The doctor who checked Claira over recommended you to try and help Claira relax and to not clam up, as we've both witnessed. That's what I am paying you for."
"Alright and in my humblest opinion you are Paul Trenton and Claira is still in all honesty his daughter. I can't see how that is ever going to change. You, as Paul are the only person on this planet who can reach Claira now and in the future." Tom said looking at him.
"As Paul, not as myself?"
"It would be straight forward if you didn't have a double, but you did and Claira is witness to your double even though Paul is now dead. Her likeness to you is one of off spring but, as you know that's only because of Paul. You can open Claira just like her father, but how Paul went about getting her to open is something only a key family tie between you will unlock."
"And you think that is where I'm failing, because I am not Paul and in Claira's eyes I never could be?"
"Maybe because as you just said, you are not Paul Trenton." Tom said watching him.
Steve now looked away and thought about what he said.
Chapter 7
Claira walked off the evening school bus and noticed Steve's car as she moved through the door to the apartment block and up in the elevator to the apartment and opened the door to smell dinner cooking.
She put her bag down and moved through into the kitchen to see Steve preparing their dinner.
"Dad."
Steve looked up and smiled.
"Hey sweetheart." He said moving forward to kiss her.
"What's cooking? The Claira McGarrett special, I guess."
"As a matter of fact this is something a little more special than that."
She stepped forward.
"Really? Looks like my special to me."
"This is the Claira Trenton special."
She looked at him.
"You go and sit down, go on, it's nearly ready." He said pushing her on.
She slowly moved out into the living room and sat down.
Steve soon walked in with the dinner plates and handed one to Claira and sat down next to her.
"What's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Claira Trenton special?" She said looking at him. "What happened to Claira McGarrett, it's the reason why you adopted me, isn't it?"
"Just be grateful that I am allowing you this little excursion back to the Trenton family tree."
"Well why, what have I done?"
"Nothing." Steve said looking at her. "Seriously, you haven't done anything wrong."
"If it's about this morning dad, I'm sorry but, without Becky being at school…"
"You don't have to apologise. I know that Becky has really helped you settle in to your school on the island and that you miss her while she is in the hospital." He said looking at her.
"Can we go and see her tomorrow dad, please?"
"You have school. I don't want you to miss another morning without study." He said looking at her.
"Dad would allow me to go." She said shyly looking at him.
"Now you know that's not true and by the way I am your dad."
"Yeah, with the Claira Trenton special, wow sure."She said putting the plate onto the table in front of her and jumped up.
Steve now stood up and stopped her.
"She'll be okay."
She looked away.
"Do you want me to say that I promise you that she'll be okay?"
"You're promises don't mean nothing. Their as empty and as shallow as you are."
"Now that just got you grounded."
"Great, do whatever you want dad because I couldn't care less." She said running off to her bedroom.
Steve watched the door close behind her.
Chapter 8
The next morning the standoff continued as Claira stared into her plate while sitting at the breakfast table.
"It's not going to eat itself, Claira." Steve said watching her.
"Hurh?" She said looking up.
Steve was about to say something when the phone rang. He stood up and went to the worktop and lifted the receiver.
"Yeah?"
Claira shyly looked at Steve.
"Adam, how's?" He stopped and turned round to see Claira staring at him. "This morning?"
Claira now jumped up and went to him and moved into his side, looking up at him.
"Right, well we'll be there. I'll see you later." He said replacing the receiver and looked down to Claira looking up.
"Was that about Becky?"
"Yeah. She had a relapse during the night and they have just taken her down to surgery again." He said leading her back to the table. "Finish your breakfast."
"I'm not hungry, dad can't I come with you to the hospital. I won't be any trouble, please."
They looked at one another.
"Alright, alright." He said as Claira jumped up and hugged him. "I'll call your school and tell them that you will be at school the minute you know Becky is going to be okay."
"Thank you daddy." She said kissing him.
Steve drove Claira over to the hospital and they walked through to the intensive care room and found Adam and Leigh waiting for any word about how Becky was.
Claira watched Steve shaking Adam's hand and kissing Leigh then moved back into him for a hug and then sat down with Steve to await the doctors.
Sometime later Tom walked past as Claira recognised him and slowly made her excuses to Steve and went to find him. She soon found him by the vending machines and moved up to him.
"Hello again." She said trying to think up something to say.
Tom slowly turned round and recognised him.
"Oh hi."
"I'm here today for my friend Becky. They took her down to have some more surgery done this morning. Are you here to see your friend too?"
"Yes, I am."
She looked at Steve in the corner then moved in closer to Tom.
"About yesterday…"
"What about yesterday?" He said turning to look at her.
"You asked me who owns a black Ford Mercury." She said looking at him. "My dad does, Steve McGarrett. I'm Claira McGarrett, not Claira Trenton and my real dad was Paul Trenton but, not anymore because, he's, he died."
Tom watched her trying to explain herself to him.
"Steve is my dad and I'm sorry if I confused you. I don't understand why I introduced myself as Claira Trenton to you."
"Maybe because you didn't want to forget her which is like closing the door on your life with your father." He said watching her.
"I can't close the door on my life as Claira Trenton when my dad is still here, to me, I mean even last night he's was there and I tried to be Claira McGarrett but dad soon brought me back down again. I just couldn't talk to him." She said now looking at Steve.
Tom watched her doing this.
"You couldn't talk to, to him?" He said looking at Steve.
Claira spun round and looked at him.
"I've got to go." She said stepping away. "It was nice meeting you again." She said moving back down the walkway to Steve.
Tom watched as Claira moved into him for a hug but looked at Tom.
Steve left Claira with Leigh waiting with Adam for any news. He walked up to the vending machine as Tom slowly walked up to him checking that Claira had not seen him.
"What happened last night?"
Steve looked at him.
"In what way?"
"Claira said that Paul Trenton was with her last night."
Steve sighed and looked at him.
"I thought that it would make her happy, obviously, it didn't."
"Claira said she wants to close the door on being a Trenton but, you won't let her."
"Me?" He said looking at him.
"In a way, I kind of agreed with her."
"Wait a minute, you agree with her? I thought you said that Claira will always see me as Paul."
"From Claira's point of view, yes, but would Claira always see herself as Claira Trenton, even when she's trying to be big in front of strangers, like I was standing in front of her father's warehouse."
"Meaning what, that I am never going to have a kid who believes that she is Claira McGarrett?"
"Possibly." He said stepping away.
"Wait a minute; I'm paying you for answers here. What does possibly mean?"
"Look, I can only give you my professional and honest opinion here, but I think Claira has accepted being Claira McGarrett but she cannot understand if you have accepted being Steve McGarrett, if you understand what that means."
Steve looked at Claira staring at the floor then slowly walked back up to her and sat down and pulled her into him.
A doctor now walked through the doors from the surgery room and cautiously moved up to them.
"Mr Driscoll?"
"Yes, yes." He said standing up.
"Could I speak to you and your wife alone, please?"
"Sure." Adam said.
Steve and Claira watched Adam and Leigh move into a room.
Claira moved away from Steve.
"Hey, sit down."
"I want to know what's going on."
"They will be out any minute, now sit down."
"Okay." She said sitting back down next to Steve.
There was now a screaming sound from the room which made Steve and Claira both stand up.
"I'm going in there." Claira said as the door now opened.
The doctor moved up to Steve and told him which made Claira look at him.
"Becky? Is it about Becky, dad?" She said moving up to him.
She watched him nod her head as Claira saw Adam and Leigh walk out arm in arm.
"No, not Becky. Not again." She said running off.
"Claira! Claira!" He said making sure Adam and Leigh were okay then ran after Claira and soon found her in the car park by his car. "Sweetheart." He said lightly touching her.
"She can't be dead. She's my best friend. She can't…"
Steve now hugged her.
Steve drove Claira over to the palace and they went into his office as Danno followed them in. Steve watched as Claira sat down and pulled her legs underneath her as Danno now stepped in front of her.
"What have you found out about Bob McCarthy?" Steve said now looking at Danno.
"Well, he is back on the mainland, but not in LA."
Claira looked up and listened to Steve and Danno talking.
"Wherever he is hanging out Danno, you find him. We're looking at murder one now and the longer he stays on the run the more he has time to hide his tracks.
"We know he has family in Long Island so I have men searching his connections there." Danno said flipping through a file.
"Good, then start there, because I want to get him back to Hawaii for justice a.s.a.p."
"Right Steve." Danno said leaving the room.
"Well, where's Long Island?" Claira said looking to Steve. "Is it on the mainland?"
Steve looked at her.
"You have never been outside LA except for coming here and yes, Long Island is on the mainland."
"Where?" She said watching him.
"It doesn't matter, we'll get him."
Claira looked away.
Chapter 9
The next day Claira skipped school again and caught a bus to the warehouse. Tom had heard about Becky's death and took a hunch that Claira would be at there and watched as Claira walked through the main gates towards the warehouses.
Claira moved into her father's old warehouse and noticed a map of the islands and searched for one of the mainland.
Tom walked up behind her.
"Hey Claira, are you lost?"
She spun round and hid the map.
"No, no. I am just trying to remember where my dad had his warehouse in LA on the mainland. Being nearly a year over here, I kind of forgot so, in case anyone in school asked where my dad and I came from, I could show them.
Tom looked at a notepad she had written on.
"Well, LA is nowhere near Long Island."
"I know that, I mean, it isn't?"
"No, Long Island is in the East, New York."
"New, New York, where's that?"
Tom looked at her.
"Let's see if you have a big map of the mainland." He said grabbing the map from her and checking the pages as Claira watched him.
That afternoon Claira got a bus to the airport and looked around for any departures to the mainland.
May, Steve's secretary was at the airport meeting a friend when she noticed Claira at the departures area.
"Hi Claira, is Steve here checking arrivals and you got lost again?"
She looked at her.
"No, I'm going back to the mainland to get the person who killed my best friend, Becky Driscoll." She said turning away.
"Is your dad here?"
"No. I don't need my dad to accompany me everywhere. I'm checking departure times for somewhere called New York. I understand that Bob McCarthy is in Long Island somewhere but I can't see any departures for that place."
"You can't go on your own to the mainland Claira, you're a child, and an adult must be with you. Does your dad know you're here?"
Claira looked at the board as a departure time appeared for New York.
"Yeah, I'll see you when I get back." She said moving away.
May watched her go then moved to a phone and quickly called the palace. Steve answered the phone in his office.
"May, I thought you were off today."
"I am. Steve, Claira is at the airport."
"No, you must be mistaken; Claira caught the school bus this morning…" Steve said as Tom walked in.
"Steve, Claira is here talking about going to New York to get Bob McCarthy for killing her best friend, Becky. Do you know anything about this?"
"No, I don't." Steve said looking at Tom. "Alright May, thanks for telling me. I'll be right over to collect her."
"Steve, you better hurry, there is a plane to New York already boarding."
Steve put the receiver down.
"Did you see Claira this morning?"
"Yeah at the warehouse, she was studying a map of the mainland. She was talking about Long Island in New York. Something about that she's never been there before."
"Yeah, she was born in LA and Paul had a warehouse on the dock side."
"So, why is she talking about New York?"
"Bob McCarthy is in New York. Claira must have heard Danno and me talking about him yesterday. May just said she saw Claira at the airport checking departures for New York."
"That's why she was asking me how to get there."
"We better get over there and quick." Steve said grabbing his jacket and they went out the door.
Steve pulled into the airport with Tom and raced to the departure area.
Claira moved to the departure desk and checked the board again to make sure the flight was boarding then went up to one of the ladies at the desk.
"Hi, my name is Claira Trenton and I would like to book a ticket to New York on the next flight out of here."
"I'm sorry but, it's strict company rules not to allow any unaccompanied minor on board our planes."
"But, I am not unaccompanied. I…, I."
"Hello Claira, what are you doing here?"
She turned round to see Tom standing behind her.
"Tom, what? I err." She looked down.
"Are you going to New York too?"
"Yeah, yeah I am. Could you sit with me so that the airline can't say that I am not travelling alone?"
"Well, where's your father?" He said looking around.
"He err…" She stopped then looked at him. "He knows I'm here and he said that as I've never been to New York before, he would let me go on ahead and he would join me there a few days later."
"Is that so? Somehow I don't think that's quite true."
"I have to get to New York."
"Why?"
She looked away.
"I have to do something that I guess I should have done when I lost my dad."
"But you're dad's right behind you." Tom said.
Claira looked up and spun round to see Steve in front of her.
"Dad." She said then looked down. "May called you."
"Well, what do you expect a child trying to get to the mainland alone and my child of all people."
"You've got to let me go dad, please."
"Answer Tom's question, why?" Steve said.
"I didn't do anything when dad died and now my best friend is dead and I haven't done a thing to help either of them. That guy McCarthy, he, and he was at the mansion while Becky and I…" She stopped and looked down. "Dad went back to get his money from the Chinese and I couldn't stop him. I had to do something to, to…" She said turning away.
Steve pulled Claira away from the desk to a row of chairs and sat her down.
"You really think that going to New York, doing what you think is right and facing McCarthy there instead of here is helping to save Becky in some way?"
"I have to do something dad. I couldn't help Becky because I was scared and I couldn't save my dad because…"
"Because you were scared?" Steve said watching Claira nod her head. "No, you listen to me; you couldn't help your father because you did what was right for you to do. You're father was wrong to go back for his money. You knew they'd be waiting for him and that he might have been walking into a trap."
She now jumped up.
"I sat there in our warehouse, and he died. I sat in Becky's bedroom and she died."
"And I bet you're wondering who next are you not going to save, ha?"
She turned round and looked at him.
Steve sighed and held her hands.
"Claira, you are at the beginning of a long chain in life, and along that chain there will be cracks and kinks that you will find hard to straighten out at the beginning but you have friends and family that will help you. You do not have to do anything on your own and going to New York to face McCarthy down is stupid and wrong."
"But I can't do anything to help them dad because their gone, my dad, my best friend. Who else am I going to know and love and then lose, you?"
"No-one, because we've got each other." He said pulling her into him. "You father was stupid but my child, never." He said kissing her.
Tom watched them hug each other.
"Now, will you let HPD do their job and you go back to school where I thought I left you this morning."
"I would be glad to drive her over there myself, Steve." Tom said as Claira looked at him.
"Do you two know each other?" She said turning back.
"No." Steve said looking at her.
"But, we both have mutual interest in a Claira McGarrett." Tom said smiling.
"Me?"
"Oh, so now it's you." Tom said pushing her on. "I thought you were Claira Trenton."
"I, I was." She said looking back.
"Was, well, you can tell me all about it on the way to school."
Steve watched Tom leading Claira out of the airport as he looked around the departure area.
The End.