AN: Thank you to my readers for reading. Special thanks to my beta for keeping me in line.

Chapter 28

Bryant Street, San Francisco, 1972

As the tan LTD drove down Bryant Street toward headquarters, its sole occupant, Inspector Steve Keller, picked up the mike from beneath the dash and requested dispatch to patch him through to Inspector Tanner. He couldn't reach his partner or the detective who accompanied him. They remained unresponsive to his attempts at radio communication and it started to worry him. Although he'd only been his partner for two years, Keller had known Lieutenant Mike Stone for a lot longer. He was more a mentor and even a father to him than just a partner. So when the patch came through and Tanner informed him that neither Stone nor McGarrett had been seen or heard from since their stake out outside a suspicious building on Pine Street almost three hours ago, Keller felt an uneasiness settle in the pit of his stomach. He knew then and there that something was very wrong. He'd spent most of his time at the hospital making arrangements to put a guard outside of Dan Williams' room and waiting on reports to his condition. After being told the news that Williams was still unconsciousness coupled with his growing concern of the unreachable Lieutenant and detective, Keller left the hospital.

Letting out a pent up breath Keller headed toward China Town.

…..

Kajukenbo Dojo, Pine Street, San Francisco, 1972

With both wrists cuffed behind them, the two detectives were led back down to the garage.

"Move it!" Tate ordered as he shoved the taller man through the doorway.

"You won't get away with it this time, Tate!" McGarrett snapped as he wheeled around and glared at the martial arts instructor.

"Get away with what? With this?" Tate scoffed. Then, before the detective could retort, he swung his arm fast and hard, striking McGarrett across the face. With a grunt of pain the big cop fell the short way down the steps and landed face down on the ground. Out of concern for his companion, Stone glanced down at McGarrett's still form lying sprawled on the cement and did not see the blow landing at the base of his neck that rendered him unconscious. He fell beside the Five-O detective at the bottom of the steps.

"Get the car they drove in and park it in here then I want you to take them to the warehouse and waste them. Charlie's there tonight. We're expecting to ship out a few crates before dawn. Tell him I want to add two cops to the inventory list. Get rid of the car. Burn it if you have to! By morning no one will know what became of Detective McGarrett or Lieutenant Stone."

Griffin looked down at the two unmoving figures and swallowed nervously. He had already pushed a man into the bay and left him to drown. That act alone weighed heavily on his young shoulders. He couldn't help but wonder if Williams survived. He couldn't bring himself to shoot the cop and now Tate was going to make him waste the lives of two more men. Cops or no cops, Riley Griffin never saw himself as a murderer. He was a hood but he never killed anyone. Tate backhanded him in the face, bringing him to attention.

"Are you listening? I said get the cop's damn car!" Tate roared into the young man's face. He pulled out a set of car keys from his pants pocket and dangled them in front of him.

Griffin rubbed his jaw and nodded. He took the keys from Tate's hand then hurried to do his mentor's bidding.

…..

Pine Street, San Francisco, 1972

Cruising down Pine Street, Steve Keller kept his eyes out for any sign of the black sedan. He tried to radio his partner and McGarrett again. This time, not only was there no response but Stone's radio was dead. That could only mean one thing. Someone must have tampered with the radio. A sense of urgency crept through him and he pressed his foot down harder on the accelerator. He reached the end of the street and still there was no sign of the car. No sign of Stone or McGarrett. Where the hell are they?

Keller started to grow anxious. Just as he picked up his mike to report the missing detectives, something drifted back into his memory. Something had caught his eye as he drove down the street. Replacing the mike beneath the dash, Keller turned his car back the way he came. This time he slowed down and peered beneath the awnings of the shop fronts along the street. It was dark and the streetlights provided barely enough light for him to make out the signs and numbers that marked the buildings. When a sign attracted his attention, Keller pulled onto the side of the road and slowed to a stop. He backed up until he was parked alongside a building with a distinct red sign displayed below the awning. Sticking his head out the window he read the lettering above the double doors of the front entrance, Kajukenbo.

Pulling the keys out of the ignition, Keller stepped out of the tan Ford and quietly approached the entrance to the building. A closed sign was hanging on the inside of the glass and the blinds were pulled down. The Inspector recalled learning about Tate's business as a Kajukenbo instructor from McGarrett when they were in Johnny Barker's apartment. The apartment block was coincidentally situated on the same street. Putting two and two together, Keller's gut told him this must be the dojo Tate used to instruct his pupils. Better call Tanner, just in case. Although there was no sign of Stone or McGarrett, Keller knew better than to walk alone into what could very well be the lion's den without back up at hand. Just as he turned around to head back to the car, a noise stopped him in his tracks and he turned back to face the location of the sound. A door opened and there stood a tall, dark haired man with eyes black as onyx staring back at him. He was dressed in all black from his pants to his jet black tee shirt and leather jacket. He was a good head taller than Keller, who could see the man was also powerfully built.

"Yes? Is there a reason why you're lurking outside my premises in the middle of the night?" The man demanded in a quiet but serious tone.

"Inspector Keller. SFPD." The young Inspector declared in a voice of forced confidence and calm as he showed his badge.

"Sean Tate." The man stuck his hand out and Keller accepted the gesture by extending his own.

The handshake was brief and the firm grip left Keller feeling uneasy. Alarm bells rang but it was too late for him to head back to the car and call head-quarters. To do so would cause Tate to become suspicious and there was no telling what the man might do. Two possibilities raced through Keller's mind. One possibility was that Tate could take him down there and then. The street was empty and the neighborhood itself was foreboding. The second possibility was that Tate could outsmart him and play victim to police harassment. Either way, Tate held the higher ground.

"What can I do for you, Inspector?" Tate asked in a silky voice.

"I'd like to ask you a few questions, Mr Tate. May I come in?" Keller replied. With two missing detectives and another in hospital, Keller knew he was taking a big risk but it was one worth taking if it meant finding his partner and McGarrett before any harm came to them.

"Couldn't we do this in the morning? Later in the morning?" Tate frowned.

"This will only take a few minutes." Keller stated as he stood his ground.

"Alright. Come in." Tate moved back to allow the Inspector to walk inside.