T As the phone rang endlessly in Danny's apartment, Steve began to feel slightly uneasy. Perhaps Danny wasn't on call tonight; perhaps one of the others had swapped with him, but Steve thought that unlikely. Danny wasn't at the office and an earlier attempt to contact him via dispatch had failed as well. Crashing the phone down, Steve paced for a few moments as he considered what this meant and then dialled Chin's home.

As the Chinese detective assured Steve that Danny was on call that might, Steve began to feel very uneasy. His gut told him that something was going on. "Chin, what was Danno working on?" he asked.

"A missing persons, Steve," Chin replied. "Someone you know – Brian Leadbetter."

"Leadbetter?" Steve mused. "Oh, yeah. I wouldn't say I know him, exactly, but we've met. He's missing? Isn't he something to do with State finances?"

"Yeah, that's him," Chin agreed and filled Steve in on what they knew about the disappearance. "Thing is, boss, Danny discovered that this Leadbetter has a false birth certificate and he spent the afternoon trying to track down the person who cleared him for working for the State."

The picture was becoming a bit clearer to Steve now. "I'm coming back," Steve told his detective. "Can you cover being on call tonight? I'm going to get the next possible flight." If Danny had been persistent in his digging, and Steve knew there was no question that he would have been persistent, then he would undoubtedly have stepped on the wrong toes somewhere. He clearly had some suspicions that all was not as it should be and to Steve, that shouted of Federal involvement.

Quickly throwing his few belongings into his case, Steve called down to the hotel desk to have his bill prepared and order a cab to the airport. A swift call to his sister to apologise for leaving so abruptly and he was on his way. He managed to get on a flight leaving in two hours and spent the next while on the phone, treading heavily on a few toes himself until he found the person he wanted. By the time he boarded the flight to Honolulu, he had made his displeasure known to various of his Washington acquaintances and fully expected to be able to resolve this situation to his own satisfaction when he returned home in a few short hours.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kono and Chin met at the Palace. Kono's face was clouded with worry as Chin related Steve's call to him. "Who do you think got da kaikaina?" he asked.

"Dunno for sure," Chin replied, "but Steve thinks it's the Feds."

"Why?" Kono wanted to know.

"I dunno, bruddah, but let's get on and do some more work so we know a bit more when Steve gets back," Chin suggested. "We need to look into Leadbetter's finances and let's look at the company as a whole. Find out who these other guys are who work with him."

"Okay." Kono paused. "Da kaikaina – he'll be all right?"

Soberly, Chin met Kono's gaze. "I hope so, bruddah," he sighed. "I hope so."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The darkness combined with his long, frustrating day and his sustained burst of bad temper sent Danny to sleep. He was subliminally aware of being slightly cold, but not aware enough to waken and try to do something about it. All through his dreams, he followed the thread of Leadbetter's disappearance and his sleep was anything but restful. He woke several times to the same impenetrable darkness with only the tiny, glowing red dot in the corner keeping him company.

The lights blazing on again woke him from a light sleep and he shielded his eyes until they grew accustomed to the brightness. He made use of the facilities and longed for a cup of coffee and something to eat. It didn't seem likely that either would be forthcoming any time soon. The knuckles of his right hand were bruised and swollen, but the cuts had scabbed over. His hand was sore, but Danny knew he had been lucky not to hurt himself worse. He vowed to keep a tight lid on his temper from now on. He also knew that that was easier said than done.

Some time later – Danny hated that he had already lost track of time – a slot in the bottom of the door opened and a tray was slid inside. The tantalising smell of hot coffee hit him like a ton of bricks. Rising, Danny collected the tray and placed it on the bunk. Besides the large mug of coffee, there was a plate with a couple of bacon-filled bread rolls. They also smelt heavenly.

After a momentary hesitation, Danny started eating. If the food was drugged with truth serum or something similar, it wouldn't gain the agents any ground. Danny was telling them the truth and if they didn't believe it, there was nothing he could do to change their minds. He doubted if proof of innocence would carry any weight in this case and wondered at his own cynical attitude. Normally he would never have believed that this kind of treatment happened in the US. Now he knew better.

Finally warm and with his belly at least partly satisfied, Danny leaned back against the wall and waited to see what would happen that day. He wondered what his friends would think when he didn't turn up at the office and they could find no sign of him. Another missing persons hunt would be underway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Steve!" Chin sounded relieved as he greeted his boss. "Glad you're back, boss."

"Thanks." Steve put down his suitcase. He had not taken the time to go home, but had come straight to the office. "Any word?"

"Nothing," Kono reported gloomily.

"All right. I'm going to shower and change quickly and then I have a couple of calls to make. If anyone phones for me, I won't be long." He headed off in the direction of the locker room and emerged a short time later showered and shaved and dressed in a suit, ready for business. Chin reported no phone calls, but as Steve reached for the phone to start pestering people again, it rang under his hand. "McGarrett."

Watching Steve as their boss listened to someone at the other end, both detectives were glad they were not on the receiving end of the dark looks that the boss directed at the hapless phone. Steve said nothing for several minutes as he listened and then finally nodded. "Good," he snapped. "This was a ridiculous situation from the word go. There had better not be any more interference in this case. I'll be right there and Detective Williams had better be waiting for me." He slammed the phone down and found a tight smile for his detectives. "I am going to fetch Danno now," he told them.

"He's all right?" Kono asked.

"He'd better be," Steve replied.

"Where is he?" Chin wanted to know.

"I can't divulge his exact whereabouts, but suffice to say that the Feds once more decided to poke their noses into something that was none of their concern." Steve sighed. "I hopefully won't be long."