Hey guys, here's a chapter for you. Happy new year!

Chapter 16

Rachel woke up with a start. She knew instantly that Danny wasn't in bed with her. Laying there listening to the quiet house she couldn't hear his whereabouts. Getting up, she grabbed her robe and went searching. Finding him in his recliner, she was surprised to see he was wide wake just staring out the window to their darkened neighborhood. Not wanting to intrude on his moment but concerned he wasn't sleeping, she decided to make sure he was ok.

"Daniel, are you OK love?" She said as gentle as she could.

"Just thinking." Danny said.

"About what love?"

"Just finality of it all. l wonder if you die in your sleep if you wake up for just a moment from the pain or do you just keep on dreaming? Or just slip into nothingness?" Danny shared quietly.

Rachel had no answers; quite honestly she didn't know if he was asking rhetorically or he was waiting for answer. She approached his chair and started massaging his shoulders.

Danny leaned forward to give his wife easier access. "You know, Steve annoyed the hell out of me when l met him. I didn't even consider how the guy was feeling seeing his friend dead. All l saw was a stiff back and an attitude. My hackles went up which triggered his hackles. Now that we're 'friends' I find I like the guy, even though he IS an annoyingly arrogant son of a bitch." Danny chuckled. "I swear he does things just to get a rise out of me."

"And you oblige him no doubt."

Danny grinned at how well his wife knew him. "Do you know how much I want to figure this one out. At first, it was to shut him up and get him out of my life. Now, I want to give the guy some peace. What is wrong with me?''

Rachel sighed and came around the chair to sit on the armrest. "Your better nature won out. He probably uses his 'arrogance' to protect himself. He is far from home, family and friends, probably a habit. There must be a chink in his armor if you made friends with him. You're a good man Daniel Williams."

Danny pulled Rachel into his lap in one swift move. "Too early to get ready for work and too late to go back to sleep. What shall we do, any ideas Mrs. Williams?

Rachel smiled. "Possibly."

Steve stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Breathing hard, he looked up at the brightening sky. He took the stairs up to his temporary quarters two at a time. From the landing, Steve could see the base waking up. Almost every window had lights on now.

Junior came out of the small apartment. "Good morning sir. Coffee?" He offered Steve one of the coffee mugs he was holding.

Steve accepted the mug with a smile. ''Thanks, Junior." He leaned on railing. "I like this time of day. Everyone waking up to a new day, new possibilities. Today's Friday. Big date day. What have you got planned?"

"Haven't decided yet. L really don't care as long as we're together." Junior admitted. "I honestly don't care if we sit and drink coffee all evening.''

Steve nodded as he drank. "I understand that. You know it's a good connection when simple things are exciting or even silence is comfortable. But you two have already lingered over coffee. Find something else to linger over. Hey, did you like that restaurant we took Lynn to?"

"Oh yeah."

"Get a reservation for you guys. You can linger there. Between appetizers, dinner and dessert, you could linger until closing time."

"Great idea. But a little pricey."

Steve shrugged. "My treat."

"Ah sir, l appreciate…"

"And I appreciate you covering my six, the coffee, the reminders to eat, all you do for me." Steve smiled. "Please.''

Junior smiled back. "Okay. May l have your permission to check out a car from the motor pool?"

"Get the paperwork and I'll sign it."

"Thank you sir."

"I hate McGarrett." The exhausted cadet griped. "How many times is he going to make us do this? The water is cold."

His friend only nodded because he was too busy gulping air to verbally respond.

Junior overheard and knelt down to the side of the pool. "He's making sure if you guys end up in the drink you'll survive. The Coast Guard may be the Navy's little sister but he's giving you a grade A survival education. Hopefully, you'll never need it. But his job is to make sure if you need it, you've learned it. Carry on Cadet."

The cadet mumbled an apology and dove under water while his friend nodded then did the same.

Junior continued his check around the pool and then returned to the commander's side. "They are grumbling sir."

"Good. Then the lesson will be remembered. Now, let's have them do ten laps with a victim."

"T.G.I.F. team." Danny greeted his task force. "I don't know about you guys, but I am so ready for this week to be over."

"Me too." Lou agreed. "I am so sick of the characters at that old hotel. My money's on that shifty bartender."

Chin nodded in agreement.

Both Jerry and Kono exchanged smiles.

"Let's make a murder board. Post all our evidence and see where we are. I feel so close to solving this. So close, just out of reach. I feel like we're doing a jigsaw puzzle with the benefit of the box top." Danny sighed in frustration. "Chin, Kono: I want you two to head to supply and get poster board, tape anything to get our murder board up and put together. Jerry: coordinate all your cyber info and get it ready for a team rendering. And don't forget to make a packet for McGarrett and Reigns."

"What do you want in the packets?"

"Copies of everything. Bank statements, personnel list, crime scene photos, autopsy results. If we got it, copy it. Put in chronological order. Put a notebook in every packet so we can all make our own notes. Unless we break this case today, we're having a working cook out tomorrow."