Housekeeping: First, thanks to all of you for the well wishes for our new baby, Kate! She is certainly a cutie. I have had the pleasue of spending her first week with her, but had to come back home tonight. Her big brother wasn't too happy that Nana had to leave town either. I already miss them both!
Second, I truthfully admit that I am woefully behind once again on thanks to all of your kind reviews. Please know that I have read each one of them and appreciate your comments. I *will* get better... I do promise.
Third, thank you to Sockie1000 and Sym64 along with tgiKelly and Sherry57. You are my lights at the end of the tunnel on some very crazy days! You can't realize how much I appreciate you and enjoy seeing emails from each of you. Oh... and you're pretty great betas, too. :)
oh... one more thing... I promise we will soon get around to seeing Catherine.
~~~H50~~~
'Uhane, Chapter 6
By Cokie
~~~H50~~~
Steve started to get into the Jeep with the ensign, but hesitated before turning toward Danny. "I'm- ah, I don't think I can get out of the Camaro so Tyler can drop me off at home."
Danny nodded. "Well, I know you can't climb out of the Camaro right now. Besides, I have a stop to make before I get to your house." He turned to look at Tyler, adding, "I know he's your superior officer and you would probably jump off a cliff if he asked you to, but can I trust you to take him home and not listen if he wants to go on some wild goose chase or something?"
Tyler grinned. "Not to worry, Sir. We'll be there before you arrive."
"Does anyone see me sitting right here?" Steve mumbled as Tyler climbed behind the driver's seat.
"Someone's got to watch out for you," Danny replied, stepping away from the curb as the Jeep pulled away.
~~~H50~~~
When Danny arrived at Steve's house, he let himself in. The downstairs was quiet, so Danny grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and took prescription bottles from the bag. He headed upstairs, prepared to knock on the partially opened door to Steve's bedroom.
Steve was seated on the side of the bed wearing board shorts and a stretched out Navy SEAL shirt while arguing with Tyler who was holding the sling. "Don't want that. It's a pain in the butt to take on and off and I can do just as well without it."
"That may be true," the young man diplomatically agreed. "But my orders were to 'do whatever you need' and personally, Sir, I believe you need to wear the sling."
"I second that vote," Danny added, coming into the room.
"Not a democracy," Steve muttered in reply.
"And nobody made you king, either. Wear the sling. And when you're done, you've got some pills to take." Danny showed him the bottles. "Something for pain and another for nausea… that you will take so I don't have to clean up anything gross."
"You went to the hospital?" Steve asked with a glare.
"I did, thank you very much. Dr. Mason says 'hi' by the way. He also said that he wants you resting, so instead of getting up, why don't you just climb in there? After you take these, that is." He handed Steve the pills and they had a staring match while he waited for Steve to put them in his mouth. "I am not going away, so you might as well take them."
Danny didn't understand Steve's reply since it was in a language unknown to him, but he assumed it was a comment on his parentage. Which didn't faze him one bit.
But Steve tossed the pills into his mouth and reached for the bottle of water, glaring at his partner the entire time. "So help me, if these knock me out…"
"The pills are for pain, Steven. And while you are a pain on a daily basis, right now you are in pain." He added in a quieter voice, "So, while you have the chance, just rest, OK?"
Steve gave in and then nodded, turning to Tyler. "Thank you for your help today, Ensign Grant."
"The pleasure was mine, Sir. If you don't need anything further, I should probably get the Jeep back to Motor Pool."
"Tell your Mom I said hi."
"Will do, Sir."
Tyler nodded to Danny. "I assume you have the next watch?" he asked with a grin as he headed toward the hall.
"Yeah, wait up a second." Danny watched as Steve laid down on his right side, hugging his injured arm tightly. "Steve, I'll be right back after I see Tyler out. Do you need anything else?"
"No, not now."
"OK, don't move." With that, Danny raced down the stairs. He needed some answers.
~~~H50~~~
Tyler was standing at the front door when Danny reached the living room. "I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of Steve today," Danny told the young man.
"As I said, it was my pleasure," Tyler replied. "My family owes a huge debt of gratitude to the commander. What little I did today doesn't begin to cover it."
"OK," Danny began, pursing his lips before continuing. "Can you tell me just how Steve called in a favor with the Navy and got his own personal chauffeur for the day?" With a grin, he added, "Or is that a deep, dark Navy secret that will never see the light of day?"
"Don't think it's a secret," Tyler grinned with him. "Back in '08, Steve and his team rescued my father from Libya. He was severely injured but they brought him home. We owe the commander big time."
"So, Steve just called you up and said he needed help?"
Tyler smiled again. "No, Sir. He called my dad… Captain James Grant. He's one of the officers in charge of Pearl-Hickam. Dad is the one who called me."
"Steve saved the life of the head guy at Pearl?"
"Yes, he did. So, like I said, we owe him big time." Tyler got into the Jeep, grinning as he confided, "I'm glad he chose today to ask for my help. It got me out of inventorying a month's worth of food in storage."
Danny laughed with him and shook the young man's hand. "Nice meeting you, Ensign Grant."
"Likewise. Steve has always been a hero to me. I joined the Navy to be like my Dad, but I'm going to be a SEAL to follow in the commander's footsteps."
Danny was in awe. "Well, you've got a good role model," was all he could say. He watched Tyler drive away and realized that the longer he knew his partner, the less he knew about him. He also wondered just how many more stories like Tyler's there were that he would never know about.
~~~H50~~~
Danny stopped in the doorway to Steve's room sometime later. Steve hadn't moved from when he laid down on the pillow. Quietly, he asked, "Hey... you awake?"
Steve opened his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, Danny, my brain won't turn off long enough to let me sleep."
He moved further into the room, hands in his pockets. "I understand. Look, Chin just called. He and Kono are on their way and they've got some new—"
"What?" Steve pushed himself into a sitting position. "Tell me."
"Calm down… they haven't told me yet… so be patient. What I wanted to know is whether you want to set up shop here or if you want to go back downstairs."
"Down. Let's go." He quickly stood up.
Danny grabbed onto Steve's arm, watching while Steve's face blanched once again. "Whoa. Sit back down."
Steve swallowed convulsively, but didn't budge. "No, it's OK. Just a head rush." He opened his eyes and saw Danny's concerned face staring at him. "Don't look at me like that, Danno. I'm OK."
"Yes, I can certainly see just how OK you are, Steven. I mean, it is so plain to see."
Steve motioned toward the bathroom. "I'll be down in a minute. Stop worrying."
"That, my friend, is much easier said than done." Even though he didn't want to leave Steve alone, he decided not to argue, but went to wait for him downstairs.
The front door opened before he reached the living room and Chin and Kono came in, Chin carrying his iPad and Kono, her laptop. "Where to?" Kono asked.
"Not sure. Steve is coming down, let him decide."
"How is he?" Chin asked.
Danny shrugged his shoulders. "He was lying down, but didn't sleep, so he's been up there worrying for the last couple of hours. I'm guessing he's plotting revenge on whoever did this."
"Damn right," Steve said while slowly coming down the stairs. "Danny, where's my phone? Holly's supposed to call."
Danny took the phone out of his pocket. "She did and will be here in about 45 minutes. I was hoping you would sleep, so I confiscated it." He placed it in Steve's outstretched hand and then asked, "Where to?"
"Let's go outside," Steve decided. "The WiFi is good out there and you can set up on the table."
They nodded and Kono led the way, Danny bringing up the rear, watching Steve. "Do you need anything? Did the pills help at all?"
Steve glanced at him and replied, "The shoulder feels better but my head feels like there's a bongo player in there trying to get out."
"I always said your head was a scary place," Danny replied, lightly slapping him on the back. "I'll be there in a second."
When Danny came outside, Steve was seated on a chase on the lanai and Chin and Kono were seated at the nearby table while Kono was connecting to the wi-fi. Danny handed his partner a bottle of water and then plopped a pillow into Steve's lap. "Doc said to rest your arm on a pillow when you're sitting up to take the strain of the sling off your shoulders."
"You and that Doc must have had quite the conversation," Steve muttered.
"That we did, my friend. And while part of him was very pissed at you, he also said that he was surprised you even stuck around for a couple of hours. Apparently he had already told the staff not to panic if you disappeared sometime during the day."
Steve made a face. "I need to work on that. Can't be predictable."
"And he also said you needed to ice the shoulder two or three times a day both today and tomorrow. So here," he handed Steve a baggie filled with ice cubes. "Ice away."
"OK, I'm set," Kono told them.
Steve set down the ice and asked, "What do you have?"
Danny retrieved the bag and set it on his partner's shoulder before sitting down near Kono.
"Well, first," Chin began, "Beau Nordhoff was involved in a fatal car accident in September of '07."
"So he is dead?" Steve asked.
Chin shook his head. "Not so fast. The accident occurred in Encinitas when the car went off the cliff on Highway 101. One body was found, the passenger, Brittany Sanders. The car was registered to Nordhoff and his wallet and phone were found in the wreckage. But his body was never found. At the time, it was presumed he was ejected from the car and the current carried it to sea."
"So, he could be alive?" Danny asked.
"It's very possible," Chin replied. "Given what else we know, it's highly likely. Cuz, you take over."
"What did you find?" Steve asked, looking at Kono, his hand over his eyes while he squinted in the late afternoon sunlight.
"Just a sec," Danny stopped them. "You OK?" he asked.
Steve gave a slight nod. "Yeah, but the sun's bright. Would you care—"
"I saw your sunglasses on the desk. Hang tight." Danny returned moments later and handed the shades to him.
"Thanks." He winced when he touched the wound over his ear, but added, "Wow, that's better. OK, sorry, Kono."
She smiled at him. "Well, it appears that Ms. Sanders' family challenged the accident report. The records show that Brittany had taken a restraining order out on Beau a month before. Her family called for an inquest after the police called it an accidental death. It then came out she was strangled before the accident."
"But—" Danny began, and she held up her hand to stop him.
"The coroner found water in her lungs during the autopsy, so she was still alive when she went into the water. He signed off on 'death by drowning' on the death certificate. But after the case was challenged a couple days later, the coroner went back to the body for evidence. They found bruises around her neck that were consistent with fingerprints. They deduced that Beau had strangled her until she passed out and then maybe he freaked, thinking she was dead. Got her in the car and staged the accident."
"And if that is the case," Chin added, "My guess is that he managed to make it to Mexico. Maybe he had help getting there or, if the accident really was an accident, he could have swam to land and caught a ride."
They couldn't see Steve's reaction behind the dark lenses and he remained quiet for a few beats. "And I'm sure someone from home would have told him about the inquest. He was on the run. But why come back now? And why target Cath over something that happened years ago."
"We'll have to ask him that when we find him," Chin replied.
They heard car doors slamming in front of the house, so Danny went to the front door to let the lieutenants in, showing them through the house to the lanai.
"How are you doing, Steve?" Holly immediately asked, her concern showing on her face.
"Sore," he admitted. "But I'm OK. Holly, this is the rest of my team, Detective Chin Ho Kelly and Officer Kono Kalakaua."
They exchanged pleasantries and then she introduced her friend to them. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Lieutenant Jen Foster. Steve, I'm not sure if you have met?"
"I think so, a few years ago at… Cath's birthday party."
"In Norfolk, I think," Jen replied with a smile. "I remember Catherine pushing you out on the dance floor."
"OK, lieutenant," he told her with a grin. "Some things should remain 'need to know'."
"I don't know," Danny interrupted. "That could be a good story. Maybe we can talk later," he told Jen, "so start thinking of all the dirt you have, all right?"
"I wouldn't go there, Danno. I'm sure Grace would gladly spill some 'dirt' on you."
"And he is still my superior," Jen reminded him with a smile toward Danny.
"Can't say I didn't try," he told her, then switched gears in the conversation. "Lt. Foster, can you tell us anything about Beau Nordhoff?" Danny asked. "Do you think it was him you saw last week?"
She sighed and turned back to Steve. "Commander, I am so sorry this happened. Maybe if I had acted last week, all this could have been avoided."
"Not your fault," Steve assured her. "Just tell us what you saw."
Both women took a seat and Jen began, "At the time, I didn't think that much about it because I would have sworn Beau was dead. In fact, I told Holly it had to have been his 'Uhane… his ghost… but I'm not so sure now. I was in Home Depot on Pakaula Street this past Tuesday and was going down the aisle looking for a rope for a tire swing. I glanced at the guy next to me and almost turned to stare at him when I realized who he looked like. He glanced over and saw me and then moved down the aisle."
"Do you think he could have recognized you?" Danny asked.
"I don't think so. I mean, it has been six years or more since I've seen him and I only knew him through Cath. I doubt he would recognize me, and besides, I was in civvies. But… the more I think about it, the more I'm sure it was Beau. I remember he had that acne scar on his cheek and this guy had it, too. But, what's important is what was in his cart."
"Go on," Danny prodded.
"He was looking at a long roll of cable… the kind that has the inside made of wire. And there were a couple big rolls of duct tape."
Steve wanted to hit something or to yell at the top of his voice. Or both. Instead he breathed through his nose and slowly let it out, knowing that all eyes were on him. Finally, he composed himself enough to speak. "Chin, you've got to find out if this SOB is on the island."
"Working on it, Brah. Just sent an email to Duke to send a unit to the Home Depot and pull their video from Tuesday. We have his Navy photo, but that was taken several years ago. With any luck, we can get a decent new picture and run it through facial recognition. We can also check airport footage and maybe find out when he arrived."
"Good work," Danny said while watching Kono head into the house.
She returned a moment later with a banana that she had half-peeled and held it out toward Steve. "I'm going to guess that you haven't eaten anything today and you need something in your stomach."
He took off his sunglasses now that the sun had dipped below the horizon. "Thanks, but not now."
"Come on, just a couple of bites, Steve. I'm going to order pizza, but you need something else in your stomach."
He conceded and reached for the banana. "I don't want pizza, but my wallet is in there somewhere, so take my credit card."
Kono squeezed his good shoulder as she reached for her phone. "We got it, Boss." she assured him and then asked what everyone wanted. She received a chorus of, "anything is fine," from three people.
Then Danny popped up with, "You know what I don't want."
After she had taken her seat again at the table, Danny broached the question on their minds. "OK, I've been dying to ask, but what did you do to make Nordhoff hate you so much?"
Steve dropped his head back onto the chaise. "It's a long story," he said, sighing as he did so. "But a fair question."
He was interrupted by Holly. "How about if I start telling it and you jump in where you want. I'm sure we have different viewpoints so we can compare what we know."
Steve agreed. "Great. Go ahead."
"Pizza will be here soon," Kono told them. "Can we take a break for a few minutes and eat, Boss? Then we can begin again."
"Kono, I'm OK, you don't have to—"
"OK, didn't want to bring this up, but *I* for one, could use a bathroom break. And we can get drinks and plates for the pizza. How about it?"
Steve twisted in the chaise in order to get to his feet. Seeing his discomfort, Kono held out her arm for him to grab, pulling him up. He grinned and said, "I will never deny you a bathroom break, Kono."
"That's good, because I think there are laws against that," she told him, her arm around his waist. They walked into the house and she added, "Wish you would eat something."
"Yeah, I will, but just not now. Since we're taking a break, I'm going upstairs for a few minutes."
Steve entered his bedroom and sat on the side of the bed, looking at the place Catherine had been lying earlier in the morning. If her kidnapper truly was Beau Nordhoff, Steve fully knew the man was taunting him. And he also knew there would be a confrontation. And the stakes were high.
The stakes were Catherine.
But whatever happened, he would fight to the death if need be, if that was the only way to keep her safe.
~~~H50~~~