Here ya go. Next chapter. More to come soon - hopefully. I split this off a larger chapter because the rest was weighing me down.


Steve leaned against the wall just outside Danny's room. The ward was quiet as it still wasn't visitor's hours. He decided he'd better make his call in the small waiting room at the end of the hall. He didn't want to get kicked off the floor.

The TV in the corner was on, but muted. The magazines were neatly stacked, and the garbage cans were empty. Like no one had been there in ages. Waiting rooms always felt like they existed in a bubble. An alternate universe. He walked to the couch positioned on the far wall and sat down, making sure he had a clear view of the door. An old habit that would never die.

With a heavy sigh, Steve closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax. Just for a minute. His job was nowhere near finished. He was happy Danny had finally fallen asleep. It gave him a minute to think. He ran a checklist through his mind - call Lou, follow up on leads, check with Danny's doctors. Maybe he'd go home and shower, but that was a luxury right then. He could clean up at the office just fine. Then he thought about Eddie. God, he missed that dog. He felt awful leaving him for so long, though he knew their extended ohana was looking out for him.

He pushed everything unnecessary into its respective compartments and set upon his first task. A quick swipe into his recent calls, and he found the number he wanted.

Lou picked up on the first ring. "Steve, I've got some bad news."

"What Lou? Everyone okay?" His heart rate sped up a little, and his relaxed mood vanished. Bad news wasn't what Steve wanted so early in the morning.

"Oh we're fine. Charlie's getting spoiled. Rachel too. You know Renee. She loves houseguests - even Eddie."

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out an annoyed exhale before commenting. He was too exhausted for this beat around the bush crap, and he let it show. "That sounds like good news, Lou."

"I've got more. Chin met Grace's cheer squad at LAX. Caught them right before they boarded. Grace will stay with him and Abby for a few days."

"That's all great, thank you. Quit stalling. What's the bad news?"

"Well," Lou drug out the word. "Seems like the owner of the company likes to surf. A lot."

"And this is important to me, why?" Steve had almost hit his limit. He hoped Lou got the hint.

"I'm lookin at a sign that says be back tomorrow. Junior says the place has been quiet as a ghost town. Phone goes straight to the company voice mail. The governor's off the island. We're still trying to reach her - as a courtesy - since the guy's her cousin before we go barging in there."

"Seriously?" Steve paced the cramped room, knocking his shin on a coffee table, disturbing a pile of magazines. "All you've been doing is watching?"

"Yep, afraid so. We haven't made a move all night."

"How can the place be closed? It's a car rental company."

"Hell, it's one of those fly by night, small time shops. Cheap, relaxed attitude. Looks like there's a drop box for the keys. You can just leave the car when you're done. They'll bill you an arm and a leg later. Cameras everywhere, too."

Steve shook his head and switched the phone from one ear to the other. He opened his mouth to speak but Lou read his mind.

"So, they have to use GPS trackers on the cars."

"Which is why I want to talk to the owner. We need access to his computers." Steve was fuming. Jaw tense, teeth grinding. He wanted to smash the phone.

"And don't go getting any big ideas about stormin the place. HPD is here, too."

"HPD? Can't they just break in? They have probable cause."

"Yea I thought of that, too. Duke says they were told to wait. They got wind that the car was from Aloha Rides and beat us here. You know how it is. Tourism, a celebrity. Some higher ups in DA's office put the word out. We don't move til we hear from the governor."

"This is bullshit, Lou, and you know it."

"I had a feeling you'd say that. But our hands are tied." Lou sighed. Steve could tell he was frustrated too. "HPD is willing to risk that this nut isn't going to mow anyone else down. Danny's mother-in-law was the target. And since she's safely tucked away - well - there's no hurry apparently. They added a few extra patrol cars to the hotel, but that's it."

"Come on. How hard can it be to find the cousin? Doesn't he have a cell? Can't Jerry ping the number? Where does he live? Have HPD send a car." Steve knew he was barking orders and he didn't give a shit. "What's the surf report? There can't be that many places -"

"Hey, hey, slow your roll. We've got this. You look out for Danny."

Steve knew the mention of his best friend was only to appease him. Right then, he wanted to break something. "Tell me something good, Lou."

"We got BOLOs out for the vehicle, Steve. Parking garages, valets, hotels. Everyone's been given a picture of the vehicle and a vague description of the driver. Something might turn up."

"And our guy could leave the island or go underground. We're blind here."

"I know. I feel you. I put another call in to the governor."

"Have Jerry hack his computers. Something."

"We already thought of that. You know we gotta do this by the book. Too many eyes."

Jaw tense, Steve replied. "I don't care about the governor's cousin. Fuck waiting."

Lou muffled a chuckle. "Oh, I'm afraid there's more to it. This is a high profile event. It's all over the news."

"What?" Steve shook his head, exasperated.

"Amanda Savage is a pretty big name. Who knew?"

Steve did know. He'd attended her book signing and had researched her before she arrived. He'd been curious about the infamous mother-in-law Danny bitched about so much. He could have kicked himself for how things were handled. "Why wasn't the scene locked down better?"

"Hey, don't grouch at me. You know how it is. Moths to the flame. Vultures have the hotel staked out. It's crawling with reporters. Thank god we got Amanda back to her room without them noticing. I hope she doesn't talk. Make this seem like a publicity stunt."

"I hope it wasn't."

"Hold up." Lou's tone was mixed with disbelief and curiosity. "You don't believe she'd arrange for someone to almost run her over, do you?"

Steve didn't answer.

"Come on, man, that's crazy."

"Spend some time with her."

"No thank you." Lou cleared his throat. "I have my own in-laws."

Taking a deep breath, Steve closed his eyes, his free hand pushing back the looming headache. This conversation was getting them nowhere. "Alright. Thanks, Lou. I'll call the governor. See what I can do. She might take my call over yours."


Sooooo...did Amanda plan the whole thing?