CHAPTER 10

Friday evening, Five-0 Headquarters:

It was coming up on forty-eight hours since Steve had been taken against his will from Mr Chang's Supermarket.

Forty-eight hours without Steve.

Forty-eight hours without their leader, their friend.

Forty-eight hours without Danny ranting at some ridiculous stunt Steve had pulled.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

It was amazing how only a couple of days could make all the difference. The team had only been together for six months, and already they were like a close family unit. A family that would do anything for its members; including stealing ten million dollars or supporting unique interrogation techniques when it came to solving the murder of a friend or using their influence with the state's officials to help ensure custody of one's child.

Despite having two people in custody, they were still no closer to liberating Steve. On one hand, they had Jimmy Russo, an enforcer within the Galinto family. He had taken part in the kidnapping, but didn't know where they had taken McGarrett. Especially since McGarrett had managed to get the drop on him. However, he was useful as a witness against Vivaldi for the crimes he had committed over the years.

On the other hand, they had Ivan Kuznetov. According to him, Matteo Vivaldi, Roberto Vivaldi's son, had ordered the hit on the Webster's. Somehow, the gun he had used to kill them was being used by Roberto Vivaldi to kill people today. Kuznetov had sent photographic evidence to a PO box in New Jersey. The only problem was, they didn't know which box and neither did Kuznetov. If they could find that evidence, it would be another nail in Vivaldi's coffin.

"So, this all comes back to the Webster's," Danny announced.

"Looks like it," Chin agreed.

"What did they get into that got them killed?" Danny asked.

"As far as I can tell, they were law-abiding citizens. They came to Hawaii on vacation and then vanished," Kono said.

"Yeah, law-abiding citizens that just got in over their head?" Danny asked.

Kono shrugged. "Maybe."

"Kono, I want you to go through the Webster's case file, see if John left a clue in there," Danny ordered.

"I'll see what I can do," Kono said.

Danny watched her walk away and waited until she was out of earshot before talking to Chin. "Chin, you were partnered with John McGarrett for years, right?"

"Yeah. I was. He trained me," Chin answered proudly.

"Okay, and you said John suspected the Webster's case had something to do with drugs?"

Chin narrowed his eyes at Danny. "What are you getting at?"

"It's just…Vivaldi was certain that John had the thing he wants. Could it have been drugs?"

Chin shrugged. "If it was drugs, he would have retrieved them when the Webster's were killed. Why would he be looking for them four years later? Besides, John wouldn't get himself involved in a drug business."

"So, then, what is Vivaldi after? Nothing else makes sense," Danny said, running a hand through his hair.

Chin and Danny were silent as they thought about all the possibilities. Whatever it was, Vivaldi wanted it bad enough to kill people and kidnap their friend to get it. The FBI, despite having kept tabs on the dangerous man, had not been of any help in figuring out what Vivaldi had lost or why he had gone on a killing spree.

"Hey guys," Kono's voice came from behind them.

Danny and Chin turned around and smiled tiredly at Kono.

"Hey Kono," Chin said. "Did you find something?"

Kono shook her head. "I'm not sure. It could be nothing, but—"

"But?" Danny interrupted. Chin glared at Danny for the interruption.

"Well, I was looking at the Webster's case file. It was pretty thin, but something stood out in John's case notes," Kono explained.

"What was it?" Danny asked.

"The last place the Webster's were seen was outside their hotel room at the Hilton."

Chin nodded. "I remember. We searched their room after they disappeared and didn't find anything to suggest they had left or were going to leave."

Kono sighed. "According to John's notes, he had set up surveillance to see if they came back. Apparently it was successful, because Gavin Webster returned to the room two days after they had gone missing."

"What?" Chin asked, confused.

"Sorry, Chin," Kono said sympathetically.

"I don't understand. Why didn't he tell me?" Chin wanted to know.

Danny and Kono shared a concerned look.

"We don't know, Chin," Danny answered, wishing he had the answers Chin was looking for.

Chin sighed. He was beginning to wonder if he ever knew his old partner. It appeared that John McGarrett had more secrets than he realised.

Kono cleared her throat. "According to John's notes, the room was searched again after Gavin left. He found close to a million dollars in a briefcase hidden under the bed."

Chin frowned as he digested the new information. "Drug money?" he asked.

Kono shrugged. "Maybe. We don't know…The, uh, the money was never logged into evidence."

"Are you suggesting that John stole the money?" Chin asked, his voice scary calm, bordering on accusing.

"I'm saying it's a possibility…If that's the case, it could be what Vivaldi is after," Kono answered, her gaze steady in the face of her cousin's ire.

Because yeah, that's what all of this was about. Finding what Vivaldi wanted. Then, and only then, would they would be able to put the man away for a very long time, thanks to all the evidence they had mounting against him.

"So, hypothetically…if John took the money, where would he put it?" Danny asked.

Chin sighed and rubbed his forehead with his knuckles. "I don't…I don't know."

Chin didn't want to believe the insinuations. The only reason he could think of as to why John decided to exclude him from the investigation would be to protect him. Just like he had tried to protect Steve and Mary all those years ago when he thought his wife had been murdered.

"The Champ Box," Chin announced suddenly.

Kono frowned. "Chin, we all saw what was in that box. There was no money."

Chin shook his head. "No, but there was a key."

Chin brought up all the images Mary McGarrett had taken of the items from the Champ Box and scrolled through them until he found the one he was looking for.

"Okay, am I the only one that sees a problem with this?" Danny asked the cousins.

The problem was all the evidence had been disposed of by Hiro Noshimuri when he had kidnapped Mary McGarrett. It had still yet to be recovered, so at this point, they had nothing.

Saturday morning, unknown location:

Roberto Vivaldi's threat hung over Steve.

He knew it was time to make a plan to get out of there, hopefully without getting hurt in the process. Well, hurt any more than he already was.

Steve thought back to the last conversation he had with Vivaldi. He wondered what his father had to do with all of this. What did he take from Vivaldi that would warrant this kind of retaliation? Steve could think of any number of things, but none of them really fit with Vivaldi's erratic behaviour.

Somehow, Vivaldi had gotten wind of the investigation being conducted by the FBI into the Galinto crime family. For a man that had been generally under the radar, this response was unprecedented. It could only mean one of two things: either there was a mole in the FBI feeding Vivaldi information, or Vivaldi was trying to do some damage control to stop the investigation.

Steve's thoughts turned back to his father. Steve wondered if his father had any information or evidence that could be critical to the case that would eventually convict Roberto Vivaldi once and for all. He wondered how many more secrets he would have to uncover about his father before he finally got to the bottom of everything. Why was his mother murdered? Why did his father send his children away? Why did he leave him the Champ Box? He had more questions than answers. It was like he never even knew his father.

But Vivaldi's son? He knew his father well. Well enough to leave a trail for the FBI to follow. If Steve was right, he had some cards to play. If he could pit father and son against each other, he just might be able to use that to escape.

Before he could get a plan in place, the ominous sound of the door screeching open brought him back to his current predicament. Steve listened intently, pleased to note there was only one person in the room with him. The door closed loudly behind the person and then it was silent.

Steve waited with tense anticipation. He shivered slightly. The longer he was in the bunker, the cooler the temperature appeared to get. The fact that he couldn't move from the chair didn't help matters. That wasn't even his greatest concern at the moment.

Right now, it was the man standing in front of him. The man that had threatened his team's safety and used him to force them to play by his rulebook. Steve wanted nothing more than for the man to be buried deep under the ground.

There were a few things that bothered Steve about the whole situation. Why didn't Vivaldi just go straight to John to get what he wanted? Surely, that was the most logical thing to do? It wasn't like Steve's father's death was a secret.

"So," Steve said, as though it was just a casual conversation between two old friends. "Whose ridiculous idea was this?"

"It was mine," Roberto Vivaldi replied confidently.

Steve smirked under the hood. That was the answer he had been expecting, which amused him to no end. It just proved what he had already concluded, that Vivaldi was not really in charge. His son was playing him.

"Seriously? I'm sure you are much smarter than this. Come on, you can tell me. Whose idea was it really?" Steve said.

There was silence. Steve heard the rustle of fabric and assumed Vivaldi had crossed his arms in a defensive manner.

"That's okay. I didn't think you would have been capable of such an idiotic plan…Let me guess, this was your son's genius idea? To kidnap a law enforcement offical?"

Steve didn't hear or feel Vivaldi coming closer, but he definitely felt the punch to his gut. He could almost imagine Danny's reaction. Don't antagonise the bad guy, Steven. Steve ignored what would be considered sane advice in favour of continuing to put Vivaldi on edge.

"Can't you see what he is doing?" Steve gasped as he tried to catch his breath again.

There was heavy breathing. Steve had definitely hit a nerve.

"Who told you about the FBI's investigation?" Steve asked. When he got no answer, he provided his own. "It was him, wasn't it?"

The heavy breathing increased. Steve was definitely on the right track.

"Do you know how we even got on your trail? The bullets from the gun you have been using to kill people match the bullets used to kill Charlene and Gavin Webster four years ago. It obviously wasn't you who killed them. Someone else did and led you to believe they were still alive and talking to the feds. Who gave you the gun? Your son did, didn't he?"

There was a low growl and then a fist connected with his jaw. Steve had been expecting it, but that didn't make it hurt any less. He shook his head and felt around his mouth with his tongue. Everything was still in place, but his jaw was stinging.

"What else has he told you?" Steve continued to needle. "Is that why you let him come up with this plan? Aren't you supposed to be the head of the family? Aren't you supposed to be the one giving the orders? Why are you taking orders from your son?"

There was silence once again. Steve wondered if another punishing blow was headed his way when the door creaked open and slammed shut. Steve strained his ears and quickly realised he was alone. He used the time to work on the ties around his wrists and ankles.

Slowly, he tried twisting the plastic until the locking mechanism was between his wrists and the arm of the chair. With any luck, all it would take was a quick, but powerful tug for the tie to snap and then he would be free.

Before he could test his theory, the sound of people arguing filtered into the room. Although it was muffled by the door, Steve could make out the tone. Whoever was yelling was angry. Apoplectic, even. There was a moment of silence and then...

Bang!

The sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the bunker. He heard the unmistakable sound of a body dropping to the floor.

Then footsteps. Coming closer.

Then nothing.

Saturday morning, Five-0 Headquarters:

Danny Williams awoke to a not-so-subtle shake. He lifted his head from his desk, absently wiping away the trail of drool from his mouth as he sat up. He stretched, grimacing when his back popped in protest to the change in position. Glancing out the window, Danny was surprised to see the sun high in the sky. It had been dark when he had sat down at his desk.

Danny closed his eyes and pressed on them with the heel of his palms. He saw miniature fireworks before he rubbed his eyes and opened them again. There, standing in front of him, was a slightly agitated Chin Ho Kelly.

"Hey Chin," Danny said, his voice a little rusty after disuse. Or maybe snoring.

"I have an idea," Chin said as he started to pace in Danny's office.

Danny frowned. Chin appeared to be excited, or maybe just nervous. Danny could never tell with the man. He rarely showed any form of emotion.

"What's that?" Danny asked.

Chin spoke quickly. "I've been thinking about what Vivaldi said. He was pretty certain that John had taken something from him, right?"

Danny was following him. "Yeah?"

"Right, so we were under the assumption that it was money. But what if it's not? What if it was something else?" Chin asked.

Danny's brain was not ready for this kind of thinking after having just woken up. "Like what?"

"Like evidence, brah!" Chin stated, like it was obvious.

"Okay, Chin, slow down and take a breath. What do you mean?"

"So, John McGarrett was a cop, right?"

"Yeah," Danny said, not sure how that was relevant.

"What if John found evidence against Vivaldi when he searched the Webster's room? And he held onto it until such a time as it would be useful in the investigation?"

Danny shook his head. "Chin, man, you've lost me."

"Okay, hear me out. The gun that was used in the hit against the Webster's four years ago is being used to kill people today. We know that Vivaldi's son ordered that hit, thanks to Kuznetov. We also know that there is photographic evidence somewhere in New Jersey. What happens when Vivaldi learns of the case building against him? Roberto would check to make sure they had nothing against him. But, surprise! A key piece of evidence is missing."

"So, you're saying that the Webster's stole evidence and gave it to John McGarrett before they went 'missing'. Now, when Vivaldi finds out about a federal investigation, he believes the Webster's were the leak. He found out you and John investigated the case and assumed that you had the evidence and gave it to the FBI. He kidnaps Steve to get John to give up the evidence, thereby ruining the chances of the FBI making a reasonable case against him."

"Something like that," Chin said.

Danny thought it over for a moment. "What about the money?"

"I don't think there ever was any money," Chin answered. "I think John was leaving a clue in his notes…He used to tell me that if he ever had more than a million dollars, he would put it under one of the floorboards in his bedroom, so no one would ever find it."

"You think he hid the evidence in his house?" Danny asked.

"I think it's possible. It's worth checking it out. For Steve," Chin pleaded his case.

Danny sighed and rubbed his hands over his face before conceding. It wasn't like they had any other leads. It was their best shot.

"I hope you're right, Chin."

Chin nodded sombrely. "Me too."

Danny stood up from the chair and went to grab his phone, before something occurred to him. He swivelled on the spot to face Chin again.

"Hang on. There's one thing that's bugging me," Danny said.

"What's that?" Chin asked.

"Why would Matteo Vivaldi order the hit on the Webster's?"

Chin thought for a moment. "That is a good question."

"Who would stand to gain the most if Roberto Vivaldi was out of the picture?"

"Matteo Vivaldi," Chin answered without hesitation. "He is the second in command."

"Are we suggesting that Matteo Vivaldi orchestrated the hit on the Webster's in order to frame his father, just to take over the family business?" Danny thought the whole thing sounded ludicrous.

"People have done more for less. Power is a common motive," Chin added with a shrug.

"So this is all just a power play?" Danny checked. "Steve was taken to be a pawn in a father-son feud?"

"I don't think that was the original intention, but essentially, yes," Chin surmised.

"Jeez. That's really…that's messed up," Danny said. He had no words to explain just how screwed up that was.

Chin agreed. None of this had anything to do with Steve, yet he had been brought into it against his will. Chin couldn't help but think he was responsible for this. If he had just talked to John, kept in touch more, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe Vivaldi would already be behind bars, serving his life sentence. Or maybe, he would be dead. One could only hope.