A Wrinkle in Time
by Cokie and Sam

Chapter 18
Monday Morning, McGarrett Household

Steve stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, noticing that his bruises had finally faded to pale green and yellow. Even better news was that when he had gotten out of bed earlier, he had been able to stand up straight without pain shooting into his back and down his leg. He knew he still had a way to go, but finally, he felt like he was on the mend.

Which was a positive because he still was annoyed with himself and his inability to chase after the thief at Governor Jameson's house. He was frustrated that there were things that needed to be done and he should be the one doing them, yet he was sidelined.

And being sidelined had never set well with him.

Back in the bedroom, he finished getting ready then grabbed his Sig and his badge before heading downstairs. Cath had already headed down, saying she wanted freshly-squeezed orange juice. Steve found Cath and his dad talking in the kitchen and overheard Cath when he came around the corner.

"I think that's a perfect idea," she told John.

"What's perfect?" Steve asked, leaning in to kiss her temple.

She turned and handed him a glass of juice, then turned back to John.

"There's someplace you and I need to be this morning," his dad told him.

Steve drained the glass. "Oh, yeah, what's up? Have we made any progress?"

"As a matter of fact, I've got a great lead," John replied. "We have a meeting at 12:30. But before that, we are headed to the docks. I'm borrowing Mamo's boat and we're going fishing."

"Dad, it's a workday."

"Yes, and you worked all weekend." John poked his son in the chest. "You and I are going out for a couple of hours to catch some fish. No arguments."

"I can't—"

"Sure you can," Cath chimed in. "We've got a lot of research and grunt work this morning to go through. Your dad's right – you need to take a breather. It's just for the morning."

"Come on, Steve, give your old man a break. Besides, I want to fill you in on the research I've done on the Noshimuri family. I had Archives pull several old records and there's some interesting stuff in there. So… technically we will be working."

"This is insane. What if the governor calls?"

"You get cell service out on the water. We're not going far, you know."

"OK, two hours," Steve agreed.

"Right, three hours on the water and then our meeting at 12:30. Now, go get changed, you're way overdressed," John said with a grin as he left the room. "I'll get the tackle boxes in the truck."

"I think I've been ganged up on," Steve grumbled.

"You think too much," Cath said. She had found two thermoses and filled them with coffee for the trip. "Just have fun for a little while. Besides, you and your dad haven't really spent any one-on-one time since you've been back."

"But it's a Monday morning, Cath."

"And Monday will still be waiting when you get to the office," she replied, then kissed him firmly on the lips. "I'm headed out, you better get dressed and not keep him waiting.

"What are you gonna tell the others?"

"That you and your dad are in an important meeting," she replied. "And if you happen to catch any fish, we will invite them over to 'discuss' your findings." With another quick kiss, she walked through the house.

"What do you mean "if" we catch any fish?" he called after her, a grin on his face.

"You better hurry…" was the last he heard before the front door closed.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Hey, Cath," Danny called from the smart table. He looked behind her and asked, "Where's your uglier half?"

Catherine smiled at the group gathered in the outer office. "Steve and John had a meeting scheduled this morning," she told them. "They should be back early afternoon." No one needed to know where the meeting was actually held unless Steve or John chose to tell them.

"So, do we know anything new?" she asked at the same time Chin's phone rang.

"Yeah, we do," he told her. "Just wait until you learn what I just found out." He went into his office to answer the call.

"We're making progress," Lou told her. "Maybe we can make sense of all these random pieces soon."

"Look at this pile of sh—crap," Danny said while pointing at the tower of boxes setting on the conference room table. Sheepishly he added, "Trying to cut out the swearing. My daughter is making me put money in the swear jar when she hears it. Anyway, all those boxes are from Jameson's office at home. If you're really nice, I will allow you to go through them with me."

"I can do that," Cath told him. "Let me grab a coffee."

"Hey!" Chin said to get their attention. "You are not gonna believe this," he said, shaking his head. "Who believes in coincidences?"

"Not me," Grover told him.

"Me either," Chin agreed. "I've always been of the mindset that coincidences need a lot of planning. And this one is a stretch."

"What have we got?" Cath asked.

"Charlie Fong was able to match the paint on the scrapings from Governor Jameson's car to a specific make and model. Either a 2016 or 2017 Ferrari. The color is Bronze Monte-Carlo Metallic."

"OK, so, do we have one here?" Danny asked.

"We actually have three on the island of Oahu.

"Huh, that is a doable number," Grover added.

"It is," Chin agreed. "And I've already pulled the owner information on all of them. One is a very prominent heart surgeon; at first glance there are no known ties to Jameson. The second is a very wealthy owner of a sugar mill who has done well for himself. He is 70, a philanthropist of the arts, does know Jameson but apparently was one of her staunchest supporters."

"And the third car?" Cath asked.

"Ah, yes, the third one. Our coincidence." Chin shook his head. "That one happens to belong to Adam Noshimuri and his fiance, Cousin Kono."

"Ouch," Grover muttered.

"Tell me about it," Chin replied. "And my phone call just now? That was Kono, telling me that "her" car was stolen on Saturday night."

"Coinkidink number two," Grover mumbled again.

"Agreed. I asked her what the police had said when she reported it missing and her reply was," he used air quotes and repeated, "I didn't report it… I wanted to wait until you were at work today and could handle everything for me."

Danny raised his hand. "Question, is it just me, but if someone stole my overly-priced new car, I don't think I would wait two days to report it missing. How about you? That doesn't make any sense."

"No, it doesn't," Cath agreed. "But I think we may have struck a nerve when we spoke with Adam and his father."

"That is my thought, too," Chin said. "I told Kono I was deep into a case but I would check up on her car when I had time. I didn't bother mentioning that it was the same case."

"So, you think they still have the car hidden someplace or does it now reside at the bottom of Waialua Bay?" Danny asked.

"That is the question of the day," Chin replied. "And one I hope we can soon answer."

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve looked at his dad, getting the fishing gear ready. They had settled into the new fishing spot after already having caught an ample supply for dinner. Steve grinned as a memory popped into his head. "Do you remember the last time we played hookie?"

"Yeah. You were just as reluctant as today."

"Well, we got busted," Steve reminded his dad with a smile on his face.

"Oh yeah, your mother was really pissed," John said laughing. "But we had a great day out on the water. You caught your first big fish."

"That is true," Steve agreed.

"Hopefully, we'll get another big fish today."

Steve finished hooking his bait and glanced at his dad. "Something tells me you are not talking about sea-life," he replied.

"No, as I said, I wanted to show you something."

Steve watched his dad cast the line and did the same. "So, what is this trip really about?"

"Well, for one, I wanted to spend some time with my son," John replied.

Steve rolled his eyes in impatience. "Dad, come on, what's on your mind?"

"This might be none of my business..."

"Since when did that ever stop you?" Steve ask with laughter in his voice.

"Ok, true. But seriously, I don't want you to get mad at me," the older McGarrett began. "Since I am moving out in the next couple of weeks, I was just wondering what your plans were."

"My plans? What do you mean?"

"You're in your mid-thirties, I was just wondering if I could expect to be a grandfather any time soon?"

Steve's eyes widened as he glanced at the innocently-schooled expression on John's face. "Ah, we really haven't discussed that yet," he cautiously replied.

"Do you even want kids?"

He shrugged one shoulder, thinking of his reply. "Yeah, I do. But don't you think it's a bit early to plan a family? Cath and I just moved in together."

"Ah, come on, you guys have been together for what now? Fifteen years? What are you waiting for? I'm not gettin' any younger… and neither are you!"

Steve looked at his father and shook his head. "It's like this… I think we're in a great place right now, I don't wanna jeopardize that."

"What, are you thinking Catherine doesn't want to move forward?"

Steve blew out his breath and began quickly reeling in a fish. "Can we not talk about that right now?" He asked, irritated at his father's sudden interest in his relationship. "You didn't really get me out here to talk about Catherine, did you?"

"No. But that doesn't mean I'm not interested," John replied. "And it's also fun to bust your chops." John reeled in his empty line and set it aside. "I want to show you something," John said and picked up a pair of binoculars, pointing toward the rocky shore. "Look at the boat shed right under the cliff."

Steve looked at the cliffs his father pointed to. Even without the glasses he could see a big house sitting a bit back from the water. It was clear that he was looking at a huge estate. Below the overhung cliffs he could make out what looked like to be a natural opening adapted into a boat shed with walkways built into both sides of the rock. A speedboat was idly bobbing in the water between the two sets of wood. "What should I be looking for?"

"The property belongs to Adam Noshimuri."

"Oh-kay. So?"

"See anything at the back, behind the speedboat?"

Steve put the binoculars down and looked at his father. "Why would they park a Ferrari in a boat shed when they surely have garages for that?"

"Looks like they are hiding that car for some reason."

"Maybe, but what does that have to do with anything? And how did you even know about it?"

"I have my sources. Doesn't matter how I learned about it. Something strange is going on over there. Adam is hiding something, and I think we should find out what that is."

"I agree." Steve paused and then looked through the binoculars once again. "You know, that car is similar in color to the one that hit Jameson. What are the odds of that?"

John shrugged. "Could be coincidence..."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, could be. When we leave, let's move in closer. I'd like to get a better look at that boat shed."

"Are you sure that's wise?" John asked.

"Can't hurt," Steve countered. "I'm not planning to go in."

H50 - H50 - H50

"Hey, Boss," one of the security officers said after knocking on the office door.

"What is it?" his employer asked.

"Been keeping an eye on a couple guys fishing this morning."

"And..."

"Didn't think much of it," the security guy said, "but when they left, they came in closer to the dock."

"I repeat, and..." the busy man said once again.

The officer held out his phone. "Took a shot and recognized this guy from the paper. Thought you might be interested..."

Adam Noshimuri looked up from the picture on the phone. "I'm very interested. Good work, Jake. Very good work." He leaned back in his chair and turned to stare out the window at the water below, a thoughtful expression on his face.

H50 – H50 – H50

Three hours later, Cath and Danny were still reading through Jameson's files, finding nothing whatsoever of interest to them. They heard a voice and looked up from their reading to see Lou motioning for them to join him at the smart table.

"What's up?" Cath asked while stretching her back muscles. Sitting hunched over a desk wasn't her usual morning.

"Charlie managed to work some magic on Jameson's phone," Grover told them. "We didn't get everything, but he managed to isolate some phone calls. Several are to numbers with local area codes. Hopefully we can get hits on the owners."

"That's good work, Lou," Chin told him. "Hopefully we can get a lead." He took the printout from Lou and began plugging numbers into the computer.

"Who has a lead?" Steve asked, coming up behind them.

"No one yet," Grover explained as Steve and John joined them. "But Charlie managed to pull some info from Jameson's cell."

A very relaxed looking Steve nodded. "Good work."

"Speaking of work," Danny began, "Where have you been all day?"

Steve glanced at Cath who gave him an imperceptible nod. "John and I had a very interesting meeting. We'll fill you in after I check my mail," he said, heading toward his office.

"Fine," Danny replied, heading back to the conference room and the files. "Does anyone else smell fish in here?"

H50 - H50 - H50

"Hey, Steve, I'm heading home, Catherine said, coming into Steve's office late in the afternoon. "We need to do some shopping if we want the team to come over."

"Oh, OK. Do you want me to get anything?" Steve asked, barely looking up from the file he was working on. "I need to finish this for the Governor."

Steve had been called into a meeting with Denning and had just been back for about half an hour.

"Well, you and John are providing the fish," she said with a grin. "I'm just glad John went home to clean and filet it. Chin's still in his meeting with his cousin and Grover-"

"And Grover just heard his name," Lou said, stopping behind her. "Don't'cha go talking about me behind my back."

"I was telling Steve that you were picking up Renee and would be over in a couple of hours."

"That we will," Lou told them. "Looking forward to my first taste of your 'world-renowned' grilled fish, as John called it. Are the others coming?"

"Chin is planning to pick up Malia from work… that is, if he finishes talking with his cousin," Catherine replied.

"That's good," Steve replied and finally looked up. "What about Danny?"

"He's not sure if Rachel has made other plans," Cath told him. "I told him he could bring Grace, too, if a sitter was an issue."

"Oh, yeah, sure," Steve agreed and glanced back down at his computer. "Sorry I haven't been of much help this afternoon."

"You meeting with the 'officials' keeps the hardship from us," Cath told him with a smirk and a wink at Lou. Fully knowing that he wasn't a fan of such meetings. But who was?

"Funny."

"Somebody's gotta be the big cheese," Lou added. "Better you than me. Mind if I head out?"

"Of course not," Steve replied. "Hey, you two. Thanks for all the help today. You really made headway with the car situation."

"Hey, we just found the paint… you and John found the Ferrari," Lou pointed out. "That was a piece of luck. Just what is John's source?"

Steve shook his head. "Dad wouldn't say. But whoever it was is good to keep around."

Lou turned and then waved as he walked away. "That it is. See you two later. Renee said she's bringing a salad tonight."

"Thanks," Cath told him. "See you soon. Turning back to Steve, she asked, "Anything I can help with before I head out?"

"No, just get me a couple of cold beers." Steve grinned at her. "I'll be heading out soon, too."

"OK, see you at home."

Steve watched her leave and thought it sounded really good when Cath called their house 'home'. He shook his head and got back to his report.

An hour later he was just about to leave the office when his phone rang.

"McGarrett."

"Commander, this is Sergeant McCann from Tripler."

"Yes, Sergeant, what can I do for you?" Steve asked and waited for the officer's reply.

"Sir, I'm very sorry to tell you, but Lt. Catherine Rollins has been involved in an accident."

"What? What happened?" Steve stood up, closed his computer and grabbed his keys.

"She lost control of her car and crashed into a tree. She was brought to Tripler a few minutes ago."

"How is she?" Steve asked while he practically ran down the staircase.

"I have no information about her condition, Sir."

Steve ended the phone call when he reached his truck. Seconds later he was on his way to the hospital, sirens blazing.

H50 - H50 - H50

Steve ran into the ER, but was stopped by Dr. Wilson before he made it to the front desk. Steve recognized him as the same surgeon who he had met when he had visited Freddie.

"Commander, please wait. Let's move into my office," the kind doctor said.

"No, I need to... wait, why into your office?" Steve stopped and looked at the older man, scared of the answer.

"We will have some privacy."

Steve gripped the man's arm. "No. Just tell me. Please. What's going on?"

"I am so sorry, Commander. We did all we could, but..."

"No, no, this is not happening," Steve's grip tightened as he stammered and looked pleadingly at the doctor.

"I'm sorry, but there were complications." He gripped Steve's wrist. "I'm sorry, son, but there was really nothing we could do."

Steve blankly stared at the man standing in front of him. It couldn't be true. She couldn't be dead.

"This is a sick joke. This is not... Please."

"Again... I'm so sorry."

H50 - H50 - H50