Ronald Gates sits in the dark interrogation room, tapping a finger against the back of the metal chair he's been sitting in for what feels like six hours. He's hot and hungry as hell and not to mention uncomfortable from the darkness and the fact that he's left his store- his recently robbed jewelry store closed for the day. The two HPD cops that had brought him had driven in him to Ioloni Palace in complete silence, leaving him sure that he's due to be arrested and put on trial for what had happened at the jewelry store.
I shouldn't have asked about the detective who was hurt, Ronald thinks anxiously. He puts his head in his hands for the tenth time and shakes it from left to right. "No, no, no-"
The lone door to the room suddenly opens and a female cop- no, a member of the Five-0 task force walks in and shuts the door without a word. She rests her back against the door and eyes him in a way that he's too anxious to place. Then it hits him.
"Are you going to interrogate me?" Ronald stammers. His comment startles the woman and she takes a few steps towards him. "Are you serious?" she asks in disbelief.
"I've seen the cop shows-"
"Please, stop." The woman closes her eyes and forces out an annoyed breath before continuing, "I'm Officer Kalakaua from Five-0. I'm here to ask you about the inconsistencies we found in your file regarding the-"
"Is that cop alright?" Ronald blurts out. He doesn't pick up on Kono's glare. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt- well-well, I didn't want cops to get hurt. It- it just happened the way it happened and I…..is he ok?"
"You didn't want anything to happen to anyone? So you admit that you have a hand in all of this?"
Ronald puts his hands up in defeat, trembling. "I did- I mean, I do. Well, good Lord, it's hot."
"Ok, stop," Kono groans. She takes a glance back at the door and contemplates walking out of the room and begging Chin or Lou to deal with this. She soon huffs out a frustrated breath of air and turns back to Ronald. "I need you to tell me who contacted you, how many people came with you during your tour and why they chose you of all the places to rob. Time is of the essence here."
"Well, my pieces are-"Ronald drops his shoulders and apologizes, "Sorry. My secretary had called me a bit ago and told me that a client had requested a private viewing of my Hawaiian historical jewelry collection. It's one of the rarest on the island, mind you. So I come to the appointment and my client is there with a bodyguard-"
"Describe the client. His name, height, build- anything. Do you have security cameras with pictures or video?"
"A tall guy, nice black double-breasted suit and his bodyguard was a huge, beefy guy," Ronald replies. He scratches behind his left ear and adds, "I can get you the name he used but we don't have any security cameras for our client's privacy. I can tell you that once he got there, he seemed more interested in my life, the amount of customers I get it and….."
Kono places her hands on her hips. "And what?"
"He- um- asked about if any important people came through here. I told him that the Mayor, a- a few state officials and celebrities. And that Lieutenant Kelly had stopped in here once. He seemed more interested in when and what Lieutenant Kelly did and when he came that than anything else. He sent a group of people about a week later who came for an appointment."
"And what did they-"Kono is cut off by the sudden vibration of her cellphone in her back pocket. She holds up a finger while pulling the phone out of her pocket, before dropping her gaze down to the flashing notification on the screen. Her heart drops at the sight of a text message from Lou, reading:
Get back to the hospital. We've got a problem.
"We need to stop here, Ronald," Kono calls out. She doesn't check for a response from Gates as she heads to the doorway, replaying the important information she's just managed from the interview- This wasn't random. Someone hired a team and planned this down to the wire. Question is – was this against Chin and Danny was just collateral damage?
The moment he arrives home; Steve quickly showers, changes into a blue muscle shirt and black cargo pants and makes his way to his bedroom.
Sitting at the edge of the bed, Steve sits arched over with his palms resting on his thighs. During the drive home, the numbness he had felt in the hospital had dulled slightly due to the fresh air and change of scenery. But now, alone in his room with over two hours to kill, Steve's once again feeling complete and utterly lost.
Steve closes his eyes, drops his shoulders and allows himself to take in his surroundings. He can hear Duke busying himself in the kitchen downstairs, more than likely cooking the lunch he had offered Steve on the drive home. Outside, the crashing waves on the beach walking distance from the backyard has never felt so comforting since returning home nearly ten years ago. He doesn't allow himself to think of anything other than his surroundings. Joe White had spent time training Steve after a heartbreaking mission how to focus his energy away from "overthinking". Even though it's a technique he rarely remembers or cares to use, he's decided that in this moment alone and away from the hospital, it wouldn't be a bad thing to try.
This isn't working, Steve thinks in frustration less than a minute later when his mind once more drifts back to the clear image of finding Danny lying, alone and bleeding on the street. The memory is unbearably clear as everything replays in slow motion. He can remember feeling unusually relieved when initially handcuffing a suspect on one of the delivery ramps, the blaring police and ambulance sirens fading into the background and heartbreak and despair hitting him hard at the pooling blood next to his partner's temple.
"Gah, stop!" Steve exclaims. He inhales deeply before he slowly leans back until his back touches the sheets, settling onto the bed. His eyes lock onto the spinning fan, the light brown fan slowly blowing the humid air around the room. Steve notes the chipped edge of one of the fan's blades and snorts at the memory of arguing with Danny in his bedroom during a barbecue the previous summer.
" I told you- I told you, Super Seal, that something bad was going to happen today."
"Stop being overdramatic. The ball went through the window because Chin didn't catch my pass. It's not world ending."
"Your psychotic little ninja throw went across the yard, over the trees, broke the window and your ceiling fan on your second floor. You never listen to me, do you?"
"Still overdramatic," Steve whispers out loud. A smile momentarily creeps on his face before his mind wanders once more to the memory of finding Danny. This time the memory includes what he believes to be the suspect, a man in a black sweatshirt and jeans, running down the street away from Danny. He isn't sure whether the memory is true or not, but it's enough for him to spark an awareness of details of the case that's been missing since finding Danny. I need to make sure nothing like this happens again,
"You alright, Steve?"
Steve doesn't flinch at the sudden sound of Duke's voice. He only sighs before looking to the doorway to find the sergeant leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. Mustering up a weak smile, Steve nods and replies, " I'm alright. Thinking about Danny and the case. Is it alright if I check in at the office before we head back to the hospital?"
Duke raises an eyebrow, his eyes searching Steve's expression suspiciously. "So you want to grab….paperwork?"
Steve shrugs, keeping a relaxed expression on his face; however, his mind begins racing, picturing Chin, Kono or Lou giving Duke instructions on how to "handle" him. "Look, Duke. I'm scared as hell for Danny- terrified if I'm honest. I can't just sit here for two and a half hours without doing anything and I-I can't sit in the hospital and wait without losing my mind. Least I can do is check in with the Governor and make sure that everything in this case is over and done with when Danny wakes up."
There's a moment where Steve swears he can see what looks like uneasiness in Duke's eyes. The sergeant states calmly, "Well, I know that Chin and Lou have it under control so there's really no need. I made a few sandwiches downstairs. You've got to eat something and give yourself a minute before rushing off to the hospital."
Steve sits forward and his expressions darkens "I lead Five-0, Duke. Is there- is there something you aren't telling me?"
"Come on, brudduh. There's no conspiracy against you here. We want to make sure you are alright during all of this. Trust us," Duke pleas. He steps in the room before squeezing Steve's shoulder in solidarity. The older man then leaves the room quietly, leaving Steve with a single thought- Something's wrong. He's hiding something from me.
