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Chapter Eight: Spotted

It wasn't until their third day of staking out the shipping company that Baldwin was spotted.

He and Rick had been taking turns staking out Port-to-Port Shipping, hoping to get lucky enough to find Baldwin. They wouldn't have been able to do it without T.C. thankfully having enough time to take a few short shifts to give them the occasional break and for Rick to check in at his real job.

Rick called to tell him that he'd finally spotted Baldwin not long after a newly arrived freighter had begun to unload its cargo. It seems their quarry was spending as much time as possible at sea to avoid detection.

As he headed towards the shipping company to meet up with Rick, his friend called to say he was on the move, heading inland as he followed the manager's car where Baldwin was the passenger. Magnum changed direction and followed as best he could with Rick's occasional updates, having a pretty good idea what part of the island they were heading towards.

With the Ferrari being so noticeable – not that he'd ever admit to that fact – Thomas parked farther away than he would've liked and jogged towards where Rick said he was parked.

Rick grinned as he got into the car. "Took ya long enough."

Thomas rolled his eyes as his friend tilted his head towards an old, two-story building, which might have been a motel at one time, but had been converted into cheap apartments.

"Our boy is in there," Rick said. "Got lucky and didn't even need to leave the car to see what unit he's in."

"You're sure it's him?" he asked, hoping Rick wouldn't take offense to his question.

"As sure as I can be," his friend replied with a shrug. "He's colored his hair. Blond. Cheap dye job."

Thomas tipped his head slightly in acknowledgment and grinned. Of course, Rick would notice the difference.

"Want to go pay our architect a visit?" he asked.

"Sounds fun," Rick replied as he reached under the driver's seat for his gun and checked it.

They got out of the car and headed towards the apartment building, approaching from the side farthest away from Baldwin's unit.

Knocking on the door several times, it took a few minutes before the occupant answered. When he did, Thomas had confirmation it was his client's husband – bad dye job and all.

Magnum smiled a bit, hoping to put Baldwin somewhat at ease, the guy already looking wary of them.

"Mr. Thompson? Hank Thompson? I was hoping—."

"I'm not interested in whatever you're selling," Baldwin said brusquely, cutting him off. As the architect shut the odor, he continued, "Now, if you don't mind—."

Rick stuck his shoe in the door before it could be closed. "Perhaps you'd be interested in what Annie has to say instead."

Thompson, or rather Baldwin, blanched, and Thomas immediately realized how that might sound if even a part of his theory was correct.

Magnum lifted his hands in an attempt to show he wasn't armed and didn't plan to harm the other man.

"No, Sam. It's not what you think. Annie has not been harmed. I swear. She hired us to find you because she's worried and Jonah misses you."

Baldwin didn't look all that convinced.

Rick rolled his eyes. "Look man, if we were really here to do something you, wouldn't we have done it by now? You know like, put a gun in your face and threaten you or something."

Magnum sent a brief glare towards Rick, silently cursing his friend's contribution, which hadn't really been all that helpful in his opinion.

"Annie got your postcard. That was you, right? She knew it the moment she saw it, because of the picture of the sunset. Please. We only want to help."

"You can't help me," Baldwin said, misery oozing from every syllable.

"We can try," Thomas said. "How about you let us inside so we can talk?"

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Baldwin let them inside, and after a few minutes, he began to tell his story.

How he'd discovered TruBuild was using substandard materials, charging full price, and pocketing the difference.

How he'd been discovered, threatened, and decided to leave everything he knew behind to protect his family.

How he'd managed to make it to Hawai'i under the radar.

How he couldn't bear his wife and son thinking he might be dead and sending the postcard in hopes it would somehow reassure them.

The man's story confirmed his theories and filled in details neither he nor Rick had known.

However, Baldwin outright refused to contact his wife, not wanting to endanger the lives of his family. TruBuild would do anything to keep their secrets, because he suspected there was more than one property built with substandard materials.

It took a while, but they managed to convince Sam to go to the authorities here in Hawai'i, in particular Tanaka, because there was no way the detective would ever be corrupted. After Baldwin consented, he wanted to go directly to the station before he lost his nerve. The architect quickly packed his meagre belongings and they left the apartment.

Thomas spots the men almost immediately. Their suits are out of place, and if he wasn't mistaken, they had been tailored to conceal weapons.

Because the men might not necessarily be waiting for them, he makes the decision to continue to Rick's car, keeping an eye on them and waiting to see if they would make a move.

A moment later, Rick said, "Thomas."

With one single word, Rick managed to impart more than having seen the two suspicious men.

"I see them," he said, pitching his voice low and feeling as if his luck had changed for the worst.

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Next time: Chapter Nine: Gun!

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Many thanks to Celticgal1041 for proofing. Any remaining mistakes are my fault.

Thanks for reading!