Hawaii Five O

Back Out Now

Chapter 1

During the summer break Claira spent most of her time at the warehouses watching the ships being loaded and unloaded.

She arrived early one morning to see a coast guard boat helping put one ship into the bay right outside the old warehouse. HPD were waiting to speak to the Captain as the coast guard pilot helped secure the ship.

"Hey Bob." Claira said moving up to help grab one of the ropes.

"Claira McGarrett. What are you doing round here?"

"This is my dad's warehouse, where else would I be?" She said looking back. "What's going on with the Captain?"

"Dead engine. He radioed for a tow into port and, well I guess your dad will want to see what we found where the engine should be."

The door was opened to the engine room as Danno and Steve looked in.

"Another person adding more than just machine parts at Trenton Exports." Danno said laughing.

Steve looked into one of the boxes that held over a thousand kilos of cocaine.

"At least Bob knew where to tie the ship up. Five O will be all over this ship now. Thanks Bob for the call." Steve said following Dan out on deck as Claira looked on.

"I knew you wouldn't mind leaving her here because if anyone turns up for the package all they have to mention is the name Trenton…"

"Yeah, but I think they've already got that message." Steve said moving towards the gang plank.

Claira quickly moved in front of Steve as he stepped off.

"Has this got anything to do with my dad?" She said trying to stop him.

"Because the ship's outside our warehouse?" Steve said looking at her.

"Yes."

"Route one, ha Steve?" Danno said moving past him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She said looking back.

"In answer to your first question, the reason that this ship is at our warehouse is because the engine is dead and Bob had nowhere else to send it."

"I already told Claira that the engine was, as we say it, seized." Bob said laughing.

"Well is it one of my dad's ships or not?"

"It's not. Now, are you staying here or are you going to come back with me?"

Claira moved into Steve for a hug.

"I'm sorry but, when this ship arrived here and John had no manifest for it. I thought my dad…" She said putting her head into his side.

Steve made her look at him.

"He didn't."

"Well, what's it doing here?"

"Just sitting, are you coming with me or not?"

She looked at Bob going back to his boat.

"Can I go to the coast guard station instead?"

"No! Bob is going to be busy filling in the paperwork on this thing." He said leading Claira off to his car.

"I know how much paperwork a ship generates."

"Good, then you can stay out of every body's way back at the apartment." He said watching Claira get into his car.

Bob untied his boat and headed off back to the coast guard station. He got a call and went to a pay phone away from the base.

"Yeah, the ship is all tied up, yeah, where you wanted it. Look I don't care what you want with it, but that warehouse is Five O now. The guy who owned it was found with a bullet in his head and his kid, the kids name is McGarrett now, yeah just like his. Yes, he is at Five O now, look, just keep me out of it, okay." He said replacing the receiver.

Chapter 2

Steve was back at his office when Danno walked in.

"We got everything we needed from the ship's manifest. Everything checks out except the Captain. He's not talking whatever pressure we put on him."

"Someone's come a very long way to bring this haul in, personally and professionally." Steve said checking the manifest." He stood up and moved to the window then turned round. "Alright, we put this out on the wire, give it some air time and we'll find out what we can dig up."

"Right Steve."

"It may take some time, but someone has to be missing that haul and we need to find out whom and why."

"What about the crew?"

"Set them loose. If it's not the Captain then someone on that ship is hiding something a little more than pure cocaine. Put a tail on the selection that can understand English. There could be an inside man and one of them might be waiting to meet with them."

"Or someone is sending us on a wild goose chase." Danno said.

"Yeah, I thought of that too especially where the ship has been tied up."

"Could be someone playing a sick joke."

"I don't know Danno, I just don't know."

Steve watched him go and thought to himself.

He returned to his apartment that evening and walked in to a wall of paperwork and looked around.

"Claira?" He said stepping through the piles of paper.

She came running out of her bedroom.

"Dad." She said looking at him.

"What is all this doing in our home?"

"Its dad's old ship manifest's for all the ships he handled while at the warehouse."

"Well, what's it doing here?" He said picking up a single paper.

"When dad died and John took over the warehouse, I guess John couldn't handle the back log and I don't think Five O would be interested in, well, in things that didn't concern them, like the machine parts etc." She said looking around.

"And you asked for it to be brought back here?"

"No, I…" She stopped. "Dad, that ship is at our warehouse, ours…"

"I know, but I don't want all this paperwork in our home."

"I brought it back just to check on something."

"Like what, for instance?"

She looked around.

"Yeah, I thought so. You clear all this up right now."

"I was just wondering if dad had handled that ship before."

"And had he?"

"Well, I'm still checking. If you give me a while…" She said grabbing another set of papers.

He stepped up to her.

"Claira, this is our home."

"I know, but dad that ship is without power in our warehouse."

"It was without power because they loaded the engine with cocaine instead of diesel. It has nothing to do with our warehouse or your father." He said looking at her. "I want you to take this back to the warehouse where it belongs until John does not require it anymore."

"But John doesn't require it now."

"Claira, legal documents, whether mine, yours, Paul Trenton's even John's for that matter must be kept for a minimum of three years. This is another reason why Five O has our warehouse, until anything or everything to do with your father is completed."

"You mean dead and buried." She said grabbing the paperwork and turning around.

"Claira!" He said as he watched her stop and turns round. "This is not personal, this is business. You're father ran a business in Hawaii from our warehouse. Anything that your father dealt with even third party has to be handled as if your father still had a viable company."

"You mean Trenton exports."

"Exactly." He said touching her. "Now, I am going to start on dinner."

"I'll, I'll clear all this away and send it back to John where it belongs in the morning." She said as Steve kissed her.

After dinner Claira watched TV with Steve as the news came on about Five O releasing the crew regarding the ship at the warehouse.

"You had to let them go?"

"Yeah, we still have the Captain and his manifest but we can't hold the crew on anything."

"So, what happens to the ship at our warehouse?"

"It stays where it is, impounded."

"Until, when?"

"Until we find out who ordered that ship."

"But, that could take ages."

"However long it takes. That ship is not going anywhere."

Chapter 3

The next day Claira found her at the coast guard station and looked at the boat that had previously been at her father's warehouse. Bob finished his duties in the station and noticed her on the boat and slowly made his way out to her.

"Claira?"

She looked at him then jumped off the boat and went up to him.

"Hi Bob."

"Does your dad know you're over here?"

"I don't know, I just came over here to look at the boats." She said looking around.

"Well I do have work to carry on with." He said looking at her.

"Don't let me stop you."

Bob watched her then moved to the phone and looked at it. He looked at Claira just standing there looking at the boat and the other boats around her. He then picked the receiver up and contacted Five O.

Within the hour Steve pulled up outside the station and watched Bob walk over to him.

"I know I shouldn't have called you Steve but, I have duties to do and I can't look out for a child, that's just not my area."

"It's quite alright Bob. Claira loves the sea and boats of all shapes and sizes." He said as the phone started to ring in the station.

"I've got to get that."

"Sure, I'll go collect Claira." Steve said moving away.

Bob watched him go then moved to the phone and answered it.

"Yeah?" He stopped as he recognised the voice on the other end. "Do you know who is out on my front porch at the moment? Yeah will you better be watching because if McGarrett comes snooping around here for anything or anyone other than his kid then you better get the hell out of here, period. You read me? Good." He said slamming down the phone and went back to watching Steve walking up to Claira.

She looked at the ropes tied to the capstans as she turned round and noticed Steve.

"He called you?"

"Bob did, yeah."

"Well why? I am alright here dad, you know I am."

"Claira, your seven years old and school is out for the summer. I know that you have grown up with the boats and ships of LA but you were only minutes away from your father up in his ivory tower overlooking you from his warehouse. Hawaii is different, I am back at Five O and although I don't mind coming to collect you from where ever you end up, if you are becoming a nuisance to workers then I have to take you back to Five O or the apartment." He said moving up to her.

"But I am never a nuisance dad. I am just watching the boats and…"

"Claira, I know, but if I have been asked to collect you then I have to do just that."

"Then just take me back to our warehouse."

"And watch me get called out again, no thank you. I am not a taxi." He said looking at her.

Claira chuckled to herself.

"What? So, you want me to pay their exuberant prices the minute they realise we're from LA?" He said pointing back.

"No, dad."

"Good. Now come on, I'll take you back to my office for the rest of the day." He said pulling her away from the boat to his car.

Bob watched them get back into the car then drive away.

A few hours later a man arrived at the coast guard station and Bob showed him into the back room.

"Have you got the keys?"

"Yeah, a guy dropped them off earlier." Bob said handing him the keys. "One set for the holds on the ship that are the same as the hold in Trenton's old warehouse, the other is to the coast guard boat."

"Now you're clear on what you have to do?"

"Yes, make it look like a robbery of some kind and that my keys to the boat were stolen."

"And we'll do the rest with the keys for the ship and the warehouse."

"You have to catch the morning tide if you want this to work."

"We will handle the cargo Mr Riley; you just make sure Five O concentrates their interests on you." The man said looking at him.

That night as the world slept some men entered the ship parked at the old Trenton warehouse and collected the cocaine and used the coast guard boat to make quick their escape.

Steve was alerted early in the morning and drove over to the coast guard station to see Bob being put in an ambulance.

"How is he?" Steve said moving up to Danno.

"Pretty badly beaten up. The place is a mess and the coast guard boat along with the keys for the whole area was stolen."

"Like someone wanted something pretty quick but they didn't know what belonged to where so they took everything that resembled a key."

"Yeah, that along with trashing the place."

"Alright, you get over to the hospital, if and when Bob wakes up I want to know everything he can tell us."

"Right Steve."

Duke now appeared behind Steve.

"Steve."

"Yeah, Duke."

"John just called in. The old Trenton warehouse was turned upside down last night along with the ship; everything has been touched or displaced and get this that goes for the ship too."

"What about the cocaine?"

"All gone. The ship is basically a skeleton now." Duke said looking at him.

Steve drove over to the Trenton warehouse as John was clearing the yard.

"How do you like this?" He said looking around.

"I know. Have you had the lab boys over here yet?"

"Yeah, they're just starting on the ship now. Are you sure this isn't some pay back over Trenton Exports?"

"It sure is pointing in that direction but everyone who had dealings with Paul knows he's dead, but, why you got done over along with the ship too…" Steve looked around. "Something just doesn't fit."

"I heard the coast guard station got robbed too."

"Yeah."

"One of the night watchmen said they saw the coast guard out on early patrol this morning."

Steve looked at him.

"They can't have. That ship was stolen last night." Steve said then stopped and looked at the ship.

Chapter 4

Steve drove over to the hospital to find Chin in the waiting room.

"What's the word from the doctors?"

"Well, he's a little concussed, shaken up but the doctors said he should be alright to be discharged tomorrow."

Steve knocked on the door and opened it to see Bob covered in bruises but otherwise okay.

"Steve."

He slowly walked in and shook his hand.

"Easy, easy my ribs are in pieces at the bottom of my stomach." He said holding his chest.

"You got pretty beaten up."

"Yeah."

"The Trenton warehouse got shaken up too, along with that ship you brought in."

"What?" He looked down. "Ah man, I'm sorry Steve."

"Don't worry; we'll catch whoever was behind it."

"Well, I hope so; I would like to identify the man who did this to me."

"We'll worry about that later, you just, you just get yourself better."

"Okay Steve."

Steve turned round and went to the door and stopped and looked back.

"No doubt Claira will be upset to hear you got beat up."

"Yeah, no doubt." He said watching him go.

Steve went back to his apartment to collect Claira and drove her other to the coast guard station as another worker was helping to clear the place up.

"What I can't understand is why they would destroy the station if all they wanted was the cocaine on the ship parked in our warehouse." Claira said getting out of the car.

"That's been worrying me too."

"I bet Bob is asking himself that question too. Do you know when dad wanted a ship in and out of the warehouse on the tide he would make sure that Bob was on duty?"

"I know, I know. He knows his job that's for sure."

"But knocking over our warehouse, it had to have been a joke on my dad."

"Or a well planned heist that wanted to put the blame on work your father had done."

"Well what kind of work? You were an exporter dad, what can they get from that?"

"Maybe nothing, maybe everything."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"And Bob's right in the middle of it. He doesn't deserve it dad, he knows what we did at the warehouse."

"Yeah, he knows. The problem is he could have easily told somebody else, or is helping somebody else."

"Well Bob wouldn't do anything like that; he's like you, the best."

Claira said moving into him for a hug.

"The sooner we can clear this up the better."

The next day Bob was at work collecting what the fake robbery left behind when Claira walked in.

"Bob, what are you doing here?"

"Arh, the boss called and he wanted me to collect the stuff the robbers didn't take, and then I am going home to relax."

"Couldn't this wait?"

"No. It's alright. It won't take long." He said as Claira recognised some key blanks.

"Hey, what's that?" She said grabbing one of the blanks.

"It's just a blank key, you know, if you want to make a new set of keys up you start with this. The Coast guard use them all the time for, well for when they need to get into ships etc." He said watching her.

"Can I have it?"

"Well you can't do anything with it in its present form."

"I know but…" She stopped looking at him.

"Alright, what can you do with it anyway, rob a bank?" He said laughing.

"Thanks." She said putting it in her pocket.

That night Claira was watching the TV when the report came over about the cocaine heist from the ship. Steve watched the TV from the kitchen then noticed Claira looking at her key blank.

"Claira, what's that?" He said stepping forward.

"It's a key blank, nothing special."

"Well, where did you get it from?"

"Bob."

"Bob, Bob Riley, the coast guard?"

"Yeah."

"Did you see him at home?"

"No sir, at work. He was asked to come in to the station and collect whatever of his stuff was left over from the robbery."

Steve looked at the blank.

"Why would Bob have blanks at the station?"

"He said they use them when they need to get inside ships. I don't know if dad had any, but it would be interesting to find out."

Steve watched her with the blank and stepped away thinking to himself.

The next day Steve drove out to Bob's home by the bay and found him resting on the back porch.

"Bob."

"Steve."

"No, don't get up." He said moving up to him to shake his hand. "Claira said you got called in yesterday to clear up your things from the robbery."

"Yeah, it was no big deal, I'm okay. Takes a little more than cracked ribs and some cuts and bruises to put me down for long."

"You gave my kid a key blank that you said you have for getting into ships…"

"Yeah, when Captains don't co-operate when we come aboard we sometimes use key blanks or skeleton keys to open holds on the ship."

"The keys to the boat were stolen in the robbery yeah?"

"Yeah, I told HPD that. What? Have they found them or something?"

"No, no. It's just weird that your keys go missing and ships entire contents of cocaine that Five O impounded at Trenton's old warehouse disappears on the same night."

"Wait a minute, what are you implying?"

"You tell me. Claira tells me that you and Paul Trenton worked hand in hand together. I don't like shattering my kid's dreams if for some reason you had something to do with the robbery."

Steve said looking at him then left.

Bob moved to the window to see him pull away. He then moved to the phone and lifted the receiver and dialled out a number.

"Yeah, yeah it's me. McGarrett was just here… Yeah you might think he's clutching at straws but if you don't do something quick I'm going to be one of those straws." He said dropping the receiver.

Chapter 5

HPD soon found the coast guard boat and Steve drove over to it as the forensic teams arrived.

"Duke, what have we got?"

"Well the lab team have just turned up, but the boat was empty. The radio has been busted and the wheel damaged.

"Perfect cover up." Steve said looking around. "I guess we'll have to wait to see what the lab boys come up with."

He returned to his car and drove back to the palace.

Claira was waiting for him with a cup of coffee.

"Danno said the coast guard boat was found."

"Yeah, I've sent a forensic team over there but three guesses they all used gloves and covered their tracks."

"I bet Bob won't be seeing that boat any time soon."

Steve looked at her.

"Claira, let me take a closer look at that key blank Bob gave you."

"Sure." She said handing it to him.

He looked at it.

"Dad had one like this for the warehouse." She said watching him take out his keys.

"Like this one, you mean."

"Yeah." She said looking at him. "I'm sorry dad, I keep forgetting."

"It's alright." He said looking back to the blank again. "Was this the only type of blank you saw Bob with?"

"Yeah, what? Do you think dad might have given him a key to our warehouse?"

"Not exactly. There are hundreds of key blanks for all kinds of keys that are out there and yet this one blank goes for warehouses and ship cargo holds for one reason and one reason only."

"What's that?"

"For ease of use. Dock workers, ship crew, coast guard, even the night watchman have this same type of key."

"For our warehouse and that ship docked at our warehouse."

"That was full of cocaine." He said looking at the blank. "A key that is fully available to the coast guard."

"Like Bob."

"Yeah…"

"Well that's why they picked on Bob, knowing he had the key blanks. They must be trying to frame him for the robbery even though he wasn't involved."

Steve looked at her.

"Lets just suppose he was involved."

She stepped back.

"No way dad. I told you, Bob is like you, the best. He wouldn't, he couldn't be involved in something like this. The blanks, their, their just, it's just his job." She said snatching the blank back.

Steve grabbed her.

"Claira, I like the guy too, but there's just too many coincidences, the blanks, the fact that our warehouse, the ship, the coast guard, all deal with the same sets of keys."

"You're wrong. You, you just want to have a go at my dad because he's not here anymore." She said trying to pull away from him.

"Claira, I am your father." He said trying to keep hold of her.

"You're lying, Bob wouldn't do anything like this, you, you go ask my dad." She said finally pulling away from him and running out.

"Claira, Claira!" He said after her.

She ran out of Five O and down the stairs and into the street.

Steve put out an APB for Claira and set about bringing Bob in for questioning. He drove over to the warehouse and met up with John.

"When you called and told me that the warehouse robbery might have been a cover up for the cocaine heist, I was a little surprised."

"Yeah, you and me too. Look, when Trenton had this place and was living upstairs with Claira did he have a special hold in the back?"

"Yeah he did."

"Do you have a key for that hold?"

"Sure!" He said grabbing the keys and handed them to him.

"They're the same." Steve said looking at them.

"The same as what?"

"The same as the blanks Bob Riley had."

"Bob? Wait a minute, after the fire, the door lock was melted and Bob made me new locks for that hold. He gave me the keys."

They raced up the stairs to the back of the warehouse and opened the door to see the cocaine staring right back at them.

Chapter 6

Claira found herself outside Bob Riley's residence and stood watching the door. She looked at the blank in her hand then at the house and slowly stepped up to the door and rang the bell.

The door opened but no-one was there.

"Bob?" She said slowly walking in.

She was now grabbed and pushed to the floor and looked up at Bob looking down.

"You? My, my dad was right."

"Shut her up." A man said walking in holding a gun.

"No, wait a minute. If Claira's here then McGarrett must be right behind her, they're family, I told you that." Bob said looking at the man.

"Yeah, my dad's right behind me alright along with the whole HPD."

"That's bull, we just followed you here and you were on your own."

Claira looked at the man then Bob and looked down.

Within the hour HPD turned up outside with Danno. He casually started to walk up to the door when a shot rang out and hit him in the arm. He immediately fell to the floor.

"We've got McGarrett's kid in here, now you try something like that again and she's dead, do you hear me, dead!"

Danno slowly got up and went back to his car and called in.

Steve drove over and went up to Danno in the back of an ambulance.

"How are you?" He said checking his arm.

"I'll live, but what I'm more worried about is Claira being in there."

"She must have left the palace and come straight here to see Riley." He said looking towards the house. "How many do you think are in there with her?"

"With Riley, at least two more, maybe three."

"We've got to find a back door in there, Danno. Alright, Chin and Ben are on their way, but we've got to keep them talking. I'm also going to try and find a back way into that house."

Claira kept her head to the floor until she recognised Steve's voice.

"That's, that's my dad." She said jumping up. "Dad!" She said shouting out.

"Claira?" Steve said looking for signs of life at the window.

"Shut her up."

"I'll put her in the back room." Bob said grabbing her. "She'll be no trouble if I stay with her." Bob said looking at the gunman.

"Alright, but don't try anything funny, you hear me?"

"I hear you." Bob said picking Claira up and moving to the back room and put her on the bed as Claira watched him turn away and close the door and put his back up against it.

"What happened to you, Bob?" She said watching him look away. "I trusted you, my dad trusted you. He's out there now, didn't you hear him? Bob?"

"He's not Trenton alright! If he was maybe he'd be in here now because he wouldn't miss a cut like this."

"What cut?"

"The cocaine. There was money in it, thousands."

Claira watched him moving around the bedroom.

"You, you'd choose money over my dad, over our warehouse?"

He looked at her.

"You don't understand."

"No, I don't understand. You were the first one to help my dad get started when we came to Hawaii, anything my dad wanted he only had to ask you and you did it for him, you, you got it for him."

"Yeah, yeah, everybody's lap dog. Sit up and beg Bob, your ships just come in. My ship has been in for ages only I never collected; well now I am. They get the cocaine; I get the respect and the money that has been coming to me for ages." He said looking at her. "Your old man, back in LA, he must have seen all this before. He knew what I was like and given the chance he would have been standing here now waiting to collect."

"My dad's not interested in drugs. That warehouse on the bay, that's from hard work just like my dad has always done and if you think that you can get your money any other way, then…" She looked away. "Maybe my dad was wrong in meeting and working with you and just maybe I don't want to know you anymore."

Bob looked at her.

"You're a kid. You would be waiting for any money you could get from Trenton any way you could. It wouldn't bother you where he got it from, just that he had it and it could be spent in any way possible."

"And it would be on my dad's conscience as much as it is on yours now that whatever money he did make was illegal and wrong." Claira said looking at him.

"By the time Trenton would have seen sense and gone to confession the money would have been spent after being long in and out of circulation not to be traced back to anyone, even me."

"That's wishful thinking for someone who's faked a robbery and using a hold in Trenton's warehouse that you supplied the locks and keys to while you sit back and wait for the money to come to you." Steve said by the open patio door.

"Dad!" Claira said jumping up.

Bob now grabbed her.

"Don't even think it Bob, my men are just behind that door."

"But I still hold all the aces McGarrett with your kid." He said fumbling for his gun.

"You're only making this harder for yourself. As I said the cocaine has already been found, don't add my child to your charge list. You're a good man, we know that much."

"Yeah yeah, too much of a good man." He said watching Steve move closer. "Don't!" He said pulling back the trigger as Claira struggled in his arms. "Now drop your gun and move back outside that door onto the patio, do it!"

Steve looked at him then Claira and slowly dropped his gun and stepped back as ordered.

Bob moved to the door and tried to open the door but found it locked.

"I told you my men were behind that door." Steve said looking at him. "They must have known you'd go for the door so they locked it." He said watching him check for a key. "The key's on the other side and I don't think you've got a blank for that door. Now, let my kid go and let's end this here and now."

Bob looked at him but still held Claira tight.

"Daddy." Claira said as a tear fell from her eye.

Bob looked at McGarrett on the patio.

"I'm not going to end nothing; I've got a Trenton, something you will never have." He said as he pulled Claira into his gun just as she heard a gunshot and started to scream.

Claira hit the deck and covered her head into the carpet pile and started to shake.

Steve rushed forward and grabbed her.

"It's alright, I'm here, I'm right here." Steve said picking Claira up and held her. She put her head into his chest and looked back at Bob on the floor in front of the door.

The door now opened and Danno was standing there holding his gun.

"Good shot." Steve said looking at him.

"Thanks. At least I have one good arm left." He said putting the gun into his holster.

Steve looked at Claira holding on tight to him.

"Let's get you out of here, ha?" He said kissing her.

Chapter 7

That evening Claira stayed close to Steve as the news showed the scene at Bob's home.

"Dad?" She said looking up.

"Yeah?"

"I, I'm sorry for running away like I did but, but." She stopped and looked down."

"Hey, you don't have to apologise. I know how you felt about Bob, that he was like me, the best." He said moving to make her look at him.

Claira pushed her head into his side.

"What did Bob mean when he said he has a Trenton which is something you'll never have?" She said looking up.

Steve looked at her.

"I have no idea. I seem to be holding a Trenton now, don't I?" He said hugging her.

"I'm McGarrett now."

"Oop's, my bad, sorry." He said kissing her.

"No, you're my dad, you could never be bad." She said hugging him.

Steve held her for the rest of the evening.

The End