CHAPTER 14

After getting the all clear from HPD and a new (bulletproof) vehicle, the team had managed to transport their protectee to the safe house without further incident. The house itself was nice; its backyard leading to a private beach that had its own jetty. It was quite inconspicuous for a safe house, which was kind of the point. Kono was waiting for them inside the house, having set up the surveillance and communication equipment already.

"Where are we?" Senator Iosua asked, looking around the house.

"This is an HPD safe house. You will be staying here until we find who tried to shoot you," Danny replied.

The Senator nodded shakily, still shaken up after the incident at her house earlier.

"Let me show you to the bedroom," Chin said, taking her hand and leading her away towards the back of the house.

Steve and Danny turned to Kono. "Hey Kono," Danny said with a smile.

"Hey," she said. "I can't believe I missed all the action."

Steve rubbed his chest. "I'm glad you did."

Kono eyed her boss carefully before continuing. "So, um, HPD found the snipers nest. There was a single seven-six-two casing at the scene. Whoever took that shot did it from over one hundred yards away. It took some skill. No sign of the shooter, though. Roadblocks turned up nothing. Whoever it was must have left the scene immediately after taking the shot."

"What did you find out about Sheldon Matthews?" Steve asked.

"Well, that's where it gets a little interesting," Kono said, handing a file over to Steve. "He's completely clean, at least until you run his financials. He's severely in debt. He needs this campaign to be successful in order to pay them off. That could explain him convincing the Senator to change her platform."

Steve flipped through the file and raised his eyebrows at one of the pages. "He recently withdrew twenty five thousand dollars from his superannuation fund."

"Well, that's not suspicious at all," Danny said sarcastically.

Kono nodded in agreement. "I'm thinking he paid someone to take a shot at our Senator."

"I would buy that if there was only one attempt made on her life," Steve pointed out. "But there were two. If Matthews went through all the trouble of getting the Senator more attention, one attempt on her life would be enough. It would definitely make the news quickly. Why try to kill her a second time?"

"Why don't we go ask him ourselves?" Danny suggested.

"Good idea. Kono, you and Chin stay here. HPD are patrolling the area every two minutes. You know what to do if there's trouble," Steve said.

Kono pouted. "Is there any chance I could go with you instead?"

Steve looked at Danny with an amused expression. Danny just rolled his eyes before nodding that he agreed to the change in plans.

Steve smiled. "Okay. Come on, Kono," he said as he walked out the door.

Danny grabbed Kono's arm before she had a chance to follow their leader outside.

"Just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, like throw Matthews in a shark cage," Danny said, with mock sincerity.

"Brah, I think I can handle him," Kono replied nonchalantly.

"Kono…" Danny said, his voice quickly losing all humour.

Kono looked at Danny, noting how serious his expression was. "Yeah?"

"Do me a favour?" Danny said. "Make sure he gets his ribs looked at. Please?"

Kono sighed and rolled her eyes. "You do realise what you are asking of me, right? I have more chances taking on the entire Yakuza single-handedly with nothing more than a piece of string than getting him to voluntarily submit to an x-ray."

Danny grinned. "I didn't say anything about it being voluntary."

"And you say we are evil," Kono said, smiling when she heard a car horn, indicating Steve was growing impatient. "Got to go."

Danny watched her dash out the door, shaking his head humorously. With any luck, Kono would be able to convince his stubborn partner to see a doctor.

Governor Sam Denning looked up from the document he was signing when the door opened and Steve McGarrett and Kono Kalakaua walked inside the office. He had been expecting Commander McGarrett and his partner, Detective Williams. Apparently, that had changed since he had received the call earlier that morning.

"Thank you for seeing us this early, Governor," Steve McGarrett said as he entered.

"Of course. How is Senator Iosua?" the Governor asked.

"She's fine, just a little shaken up. Understandable. We have her secured at a safe house. Detective Williams and Lieutenant Kelly are currently there, along with roving HPD patrols," Steve answered.

"You said on the phone you needed some information about one of my staff?" Governor Denning said, motioning for the law enforcement officers to take a seat.

"That is correct. What can you tell us about Sheldon Matthews?" Steve asked, getting straight to the reason they were there.

"He's a political advisor. Well, he's a bit more like a publicist. He works to help us get attention of the public," the Governor answered.

"Would he go through the trouble of orchestrating a hit on the Senator to gain publicity?" Kono asked.

The Governor thought for a moment. "He is definitely ambitious. However, I don't believe he would be capable of what you are suggesting. Do you think he was the one who shot at the Senator?"

"That's what we are trying to determine. Senator Iosua said that he suggested she change her political platform as a way of gaining more minority votes," Kono explained.

"By changing her principles so publicly, she has made more than a few people angry. It wouldn't be so convoluted to think that someone might retaliate to this degree," Steve continued.

"You think someone took a shot at her because of her statement?" Governor Denning asked.

"It's possible. However, there was another attempt on her life early this morning," Kono said.

"What?" Denning said, his eyes widening.

"She's fine, unharmed," Kono said.

Denning sighed and leaned back in his chair as he studied Steve and Kono. "What can I do to help?"

"We would like your permission to question Matthews—" Kono started.

"Granted," Denning said instantly.

"We would also like to set up a trap for the shooter," Steve finished.

"Okay, but what if the threat isn't real and it's just a publicity stunt?" the Governor asked, unsure why the trap was necessary.

"Believe me, Governor. The threat is real. I have a bullet embedded in my vest that proves it," Steve said, his tone icy.

Denning stood up abruptly. "Are you okay?"

Steve held up his hands in a reassuring manner. "I'm fine. Just a little bruised."

Denning glanced at Kono, as though asking if that was true. She just shrugged in response. She wasn't there when it happened, so she could not confirm the truth of Steve's statement.

"We believe the first attempt was just to gain attention, get the Senator on the news and gain a few sympathy votes. The second attempt suggests that someone really has it out for the Senator. We need to put a stop to it before a bullet ends up in her head," Steve said.

"Okay, do what you need to do. I believe Matthews is in his office," Denning said.

"Thank you, Governor," Steve said, relieved to have the Governor's backing.

Kono followed Steve out to the anteroom. "What's the plan, boss?"

"We will talk to Matthews, see what he knows. Then we will check in with Chin and Danny. Then we catch this guy," Steve said, walking quickly to get to the car.

Kono sighed and tried to keep up. There was no way to stop her stubborn boss. Not only was he determined, but he was also angry and Kono didn't blame him. Kono guessed getting shot had something to do with that. She was so relieved that the vest had done its job. Things could have been so much worse if he hadn't been wearing it. She hated the thought of protecting a woman that could be so stupid as to trust another person to do their job. Just for some extra votes? If Kono ever got her hands on that woman…

Now she understood why Steve was so pissed.

Chin returned from the bedroom at the rear of the house and met Danny in the study, where their surveillance equipment had been set up. He was watching the live footage from the cameras that covered the outside. So far, there was no movement outside.

"Where are Steve and Kono?" Chin asked Danny.

"They've gone to talk to Matthews," Danny replied, not turning around.

"Okay. Let me rephrase my question. Why aren't you with McGarrett? Did you guys fight again?" Chin asked.

Danny sighed. "No, Chin, we did not fight. Kono pouted and won McGarrett over before I could say anything."

Chin's eyebrows rose. "Kono, my cousin Kono, pouted?"

Danny nodded. "Yep. She really doesn't like the Senator."

"I could have told you that," Chin said as he sat next to Danny. "So you got stuck here instead?"

"Yep."

"Steve's pissed, isn't he?" Chin said.

"What would make you say that?" Danny said sarcastically.

"Let me see. First, some kid on a skateboard knocked him into a lake. Second, he got shot. And third, he's been assigned to protect someone he dislikes. Now, he's itching to catch the person who shot him so he can release some of his pent-up rage. Does that sound about right?"

"Chin Ho Kelly, you know our boss so well," Danny said with a smile. "I just hope Kono is up to the challenge."

Chin grinned like the cat that ate the canary. "I think she can handle it."

"Don't I know it," Danny said with a hint of a smile forming on his face.

Danny leaned back and opened the file Kono had left behind. Inside were all the threats that had been made against the Senator over the last couple of weeks. He gave Chin some and together they began making a list of all the people Senator Nalani Iosua had managed to aggravate in her effort to garner political income.

"Sheldon Matthews?" Kono called out.

Steve and Kono were standing outside Senator Iosua's offices, waiting for their suspect to appear. After talking to the secretary, they had been informed that Matthews had taken a late lunch and would be returning shortly. 'Shortly' had turned into an hour and a half and Steve had been almost done waiting until their person of interest walked right into their line of sight.

The man in question spun on the spot, trying to identify who had called his name. He was short, shorter than Danny, with curly brown hair. His large, round glasses made his grey eyes look larger than they actually were. He was dressed in a grey business suit, but was obviously sweating in the afternoon Hawaiian heat. The red tinge to his face alerted Steve and Kono to the fact that he wasn't a local.

Kono walked towards the shorter man, showing her badge, as Steve followed slowly behind. "Kono Kalakaua, Five-0. This is Commander McGarrett. We were hoping we could ask you some questions about Senator Iosua."

Steve smiled menacingly behind her. Steve was always amazed at how calm and polite Kono could be when confronting suspects. Sometimes, it even worked in their favour, getting them the information they needed quicker. Danny would often remind him that sometimes manners went a long way. Steve often disagreed with their tactics.

"Uh. I'm sorry. Now is not a good time. I have a lot of work to do," Matthews said as he moved to go inside the building.

Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett was not known for his patience. He thought he should be applauded for his restraint so far, but he was done wasting time. He had a case to solve, after all. This man had information they needed and Steve wasn't about to wait any longer to get it.

Steve exchanged a look with Kono before proceeding. "Okay, here's what's going to happen, Mr Matthews. Either you sit down with us right now and tell us what you know or you will be spending some time in our lovely rendition room. And that's after we cuff you in front of all these nice people and drag you to the car. The choice is yours."

"Okay, okay. Fine. Come to my office," the shorter man said, looking around to make sure no one had overheard the conversation.

Kono smirked at Steve, who grinned in response, before happily following Matthews inside the building. They followed him past the busy campaign room and down a large hallway to a surprisingly large and well-lit office. The room itself was spacious and clean, as though no one did any work in there.

"Okay. What do you want to know?" Sheldon Matthews said as he stood next to his desk, arms crossed defensively.

"Are you aware that Senator Iosua was shot at this morning?" Kono asked.

As expected, Matthews over-exaggerated his surprise.

"Oh my goodness. No. Is she okay?" he asked. Steve and Kono exchanged exasperated looks.

"She's fine. She's currently under Five-0's protection," Kono explained.

"Oh, thank goodness," Matthews said, slumping his shoulders a little bit.

"Where were you between the hours of midnight and two o'clock this morning?" Kono asked.

"We finished the meeting here just before midnight. I left here and went home, straight away," Matthews explained.

"Is there anyone that can corroborate that?" Kono asked.

"No, I live alone," he said before frowning. "Wait, you don't think I had anything to do with it, do you?"

"That's exactly what we think. Why did you tell the Senator to change her position on climate change, especially this late in the game?" Kono asked.

"Well, that was a strategic move. I thought it would be a way to appeal to the wider population and get her some more votes…" then it dawned on him. "You don't think that's the reason why someone tried to kill her?"

"We think it might have something to do with it…" Kono said suggestively.

The room was oppressively silent for a moment.

Steve spoke up for the first time since arriving in the office. "What we really want to know is if you were behind both attacks or just the first one?"

Matthews appeared genuinely surprised for a moment. "What do you mean, both attacks?"

"The Senator was shot at again this morning. This time at her house,' Kono answered.

Matthews appeared to visibly shrink as the information sunk in. "I just wanted to get her more attention. I was the one that shot at her earlier this morning. But it was a blank and fired away from her. I didn't intend to really shoot her. I was hoping that if the public saw she was being targeted for her beliefs, then they would be more sympathetic towards her."

Kono looked over at Steve with a bewildered expression. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard."

Steve nodded. "I agree, Kono."

"Okay, so you took the shot this morning. What about the one at her house? Was that also you?" Kono asked.

"No. I mean, it was only supposed to be fake," Matthews stammered.

"Well, it didn't feel fake," Steve said, his voice low.

Steve pulled up his shirt to show Matthews the damage done by the bullet. Kono winced at the already black and purple bruising spread over the centre of his chest. If he hadn't been wearing a vest… Kono shook herself and refused to think about what ifs.

Matthews gulped nervously. "Look, I swear I don't know anything about this second attack."

"Were you aware that the Senator had been receiving death threats?" Kono asked.

"Yeah, she mentioned them to me. She wanted to go back to her original campaign, but I insisted that it was going to work. I could tell she was skeptical, but I didn't think anything of the threats. I mean, politicians get threats all the time. No one politician is liked by everyone. It just doesn't work like that. You can't please everyone."

"So, you decided to use the opportunity presented to you?" Kono asked, the disgust clear in her voice.

Matthews had the decency to look sheepish. "Yeah."

"Alright, idiot. Is there anyone you can think of that could want to genuinely kill the Senator?" Steve asked, trying to mask the frustration in his voice, but failing.

"Not really. I mean, she was well liked, at least before…well, you know. Other than her opponent for Lieutenant Governor, Michael Kamaka, there isn't anyone," Matthews answered.

"Where's the gun you used?" Kono asked.

Matthews pointed to the cabinet behind Steve. "It's in there."

Steve turned to Kono. "Watch him."

Steve opened the cabinet and found the rifle. "M14, nice."

Steve quickly removed the magazine and cleared the chamber while admiring the weapon.

"We'll test this, see if it matches the bullet in my vest. If it matches, you will be in serious trouble. If it doesn't match…well, you're still in trouble," Steve explained. "Book 'em, Kono."

Kono pulled out her handcuffs. "Danny's not going to like that."

"Well, he's not here right now," Steve commented as Kono read Sheldon Matthews his rights. "So he can't complain."

Steve and Kono walked out of the office with their criminal in hand. As they entered the main campaign room, everyone went silent as they watched the two Five-0 officers walk past with the Senator's political advisor in handcuffs. They felt uncomfortable with so many eyes on them. If they felt uncomfortable now, it was nothing compared to what they were about to face.

Kono stopped just in front of the door that would take them outside. "Uh, boss?"

"What is it Kono?" Steve asked, glaring at the people still staring at him.

"We have a slight problem," Kono explained.

Steve turned around and immediately saw the issue. Outside was a crowd of reporters and various news vans.

"Great, just great," Steve groaned before turning to Matthews. "This is your fault, you know?"

"I see news of the Senator's attack finally caught the attention of the press. What do we do, boss?" Kono asked.

"We go out there and take this idiot to HPD lockup," Steve said as he marched outside, knowing Kono would follow him.

As soon as the door opened, the media swarmed the trio. There were various microphones shoved in their faces and many cameras with red lights pointed in their direction. Steve ignored them all and pushed his way through the crowd.

"Commander McGarrett!"

"Officer Kalakaua!"

"Is this the man who shot at the Senator?"

"Is the Senator safe?"

"Where is Senator Iosua?"

"Is this going to impact the election?"

"Commander McGarrett!"

With his stoic mask in place, Steve continued to push on through the throng of reporters, all clamouring for a statement from Five-0. Steve was glad he had parked the car two blocks over. Reporters, although often persistent, weren't that persistent. Finally, the car came into view and with it came a sense of security as they left the throng of reporters behind them.

Kono shoved their criminal into the back seat before jogging around to the passenger seat and climbing inside. Steve automatically made his way to the driver's side. Before he could get inside, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from behind him. He spun around and found himself face-to-face with a reporter.

"Commander McGarrett?" she asked.

"Look, I can not discuss as open investigation…" Steve started.

The woman shook her head. "No, I'm not here about Senator Iosua. I was hoping to get some information regarding the serial killer case?"

Steve narrowed his eyes at her. She was blonde, wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks. She looked somewhat familiar, but Steve just couldn't place her.

"I'm sorry. Now is not a good time," Steve said, smiling at the reporter while gesturing to the man in handcuffs in the backseat of the car.

She smiled back, her teeth blinding white in the Hawaiian sunshine. "Okay," she said simply.

Steve nodded at her and got into the car before driving to the police precinct to book their pathetic excuse for a criminal. It was only as he started driving away did he start getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like there was something missing and he just couldn't put his finger on it.