Jumping across the ditch to join the HPD officers on the other side, Chin glanced down at the deep burgundy puddle that darkened the rich soil into which it was soaking, the impression of a body and footprints were clearly visible in the fine red dirt.
Duke waited silently as Chin took his first impression of the crime scene before he quietly spoke. "Two boys found Steve in the ditch when they were playing this morning. If they hadn't disobeyed their father about playing amongst the cane, then Steve may not have been found for days, this field wasn't scheduled for cutting for another week or so."
Chin glanced around at the isolated spot, silently agreeing with the HPD sergeant's assessment about the possibility that Steve would not have been found for days. In fact McGarrett would not have even been missed until tomorrow when he was scheduled to return from a week's vacation from the Big Island.
"… There were bruises over both his face and body."
Chin blinked as he realized that Duke was giving him a preliminary report. "I'm sorry, Duke, can you repeat what you just said."
The HPD Sergeant nodded, "I said that it looks like Steve was dumped here. There are no signs of violence here. He must have been grabbed and held somewhere else. There were bruises evident on his face and body. Looks like he was beaten before he was shot. We found a set of tire tracks near the edge of the ditch as well as a couple of shoe prints. I doubt it was a pro hit- McGarrett survived the head shot!"
"How is Steve?" Chin asked softly.
"Not good," Duke sighed as he watched the Five 0 officer take photos of the tire tracks and the body impression in the dirt. "He was alive when he left here. The doc said he was critical."
"Chin!"
Chin straightened up and turned as Kono hurried towards him and Duke moved away.
Nodding towards the two young boys and an older man who stood with them, watching the activity that surrounded them, the young rookie began her report. "Both boys said that the field was empty when they found Steve in the ditch. Neither remember hearing a car before finding McGarrett." Chin sighed at the information as Kono continued, "But Mr. Kalaka, the older boy's father and owner of the plantation, does recall seeing a car driving out of this area about eight this morning. He didn't think much about it, he said that tourists often manage to get themselves lost while exploring the area."
"Did he get a license plate number?" Chin asked interested in the information.
"Too far away and too much dust to be able to read the plate properly but he thinks it started with NJ and possibly had the number 4 on it but he couldn't be sure, but he did notice the car was a light blue Chevrolet Suburban. It had a large dent on the right hand guard." Kono answered. "I'm just about to place an APB out on it."
Chin nodded. "After you do that, I want you to check with the airlines, find out when Steve returned to Oahu. If he was accompanied by anyone or if he returned alone." Chin paused a moment before he added, "Also contact Catherine, ask her if they know the current whereabouts of Wo Fat."
"Do you think Wo Fat is involved?" Kono frowned.
"Possibly." Chin answered slowly, "So let's check if he's around."
"Will do, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to the hospital to update Danny on what we have so far and to check on Steve's condition." Chin answered as he turned and jumped back across the ditch. "I'll be back at the palace as soon as I can." He told his cousin as they headed back to their cars.
xxxx.
Pacing the corridor, Danny Williams felt as if he was caught up in a nightmare, a nightmare that he desperately wanted to be woken from. Steve was supposed to be safe on the Big Island, not fighting for his life in an Emergency Room in Honolulu. Danny sighed in irritation at himself. He should have realized that something was seriously amiss when Steve had not contacted him yesterday morning. He should have known that McGarrett could not keep himself out of danger!
He swallowed down the hot bile that rose in the back of his throat as he remembered the sight of Steve on the gurney as his friend was wheeled into the Emergency apartment. Bloodied bandages covered most of Steve's head and the lower half of his friend's white face was hidden beneath an oxygen mask. He had attempted to follow the gurney into the examination room but the doctor had firmly stopped him at the door, instructing him to wait outside.
The door of the examination room opened and Danny spun around. He waited until the doctor approached, studying the somber expression on the doctor's face. The news was not good, he surmised. "Doc?"
"Commander McGarrett's condition is critical. He was shot in the head. The bullet didn't penetrate the skull but it did fracture the skull, and caused several small slivers of bone to penetrate into the brain, causing it to bleed. We are taking him up to surgery to try and remove the bone slivers to stop the bleeding."
"What…" Danny swallowed and drew in a deeper breath as he forced himself to ask the question that he was afraid to ask. "What are his chances?"
The doctor shook his head. "Not good I'm afraid, but we will do everything we can. Commander McGarrett has also been beaten severely. By the look of the bruises I would guess the beatings took place over the last day or so. It has caused some internal injuries that will be taken care of during his surgery."
"He was beaten over the last day or so?" Danny parroted in shock before he murmured to himself. "He must have been grabbed by whoever did this just after I spoke to him the other day."
The doctor patted the shocked man's shoulder, "I better get up to the O.R. I'll let you know about McGarrett's condition as soon as we finish the surgery." He said quietly before he turned and hurried away, leaving the detective staring after him.