Wanna say 'Thank you!' for all the story alerts. Glad you're all enjoying it.
This chapter begins right where chapter 2 ends; with Steve recieving a call from Vice Agent Eppes as Chief Mahaka enters as he concludes his own phone conversation with Sargent Duke Lukela.
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"THE BOOTS" chapter 3
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AN HOUR LATER...
"Whadaya mean they're missing?" Steve yells into is phone as he paces his office, running his free hand through his hair. This was bad, really bad.
"The operation was complete, surveillance agents had packed up all the equipment, then one of the vans went to pick up Miena, Kalakaua, and Walton,... but they were gone." Vice Agent Eppes explains to Steve while trying to stay calm himself. After all, one of his agents was missing, too.
Chief Mahaka walks into Steve's office as he's pocketing his phone, "I just talked to Sargent Lukela. HPD and CSIs are on route. ETA is three minutes."
Steve turns his attention back to the phone, "We're on our way." He informs Eppes before hanging up.
Chief Mahaka takes a few steps closer to Steve, "You want me to tell him?" He asked, knowing that none of them were looking forward to telling Chin that his cousin was missing.
"No." Steve declined, as he stood straight and his jaw set, "I'll do it." And with that, he walked out of his office and called Chin and Danny to the Smart Table area.
Ten minutes, and a lot of explaining, later. "I'll drive." The Chief states to Chin who is clearly surprise. "Two of mine are missing. I don't take that lightly. I'm going with you." He addes, plus, he really didn't want Chin driving right now, something Danny and Steve really didn't want either.
IN DANNY'S CAMARO...
The drive to what was originally an 'operations area' but is now 'the scene' was a tense one. Steve and Danny were in the Camaro. "Breathe, Steve." Danny said.
Steve game him a sideways glare. "If I wasn't breathing, Danny, we'd have crashed by now." He states.
"Right." Danny smirks. He was usually the one who wore his emotions on his sleeve and was surprised at Steve's clearly being upset at the current situation. Not that he blamed him, after all, it was Steve and Kono who took the money, ultimitely resulting in her current situation. Well, not the current situtation, but the situation that lead to her current situation. Danny gave his head a slight shake, he was obviously overthinking this. "Okay, so technically you are breathing, I'll give you that much, but your nuckles are white from your grip on the wheel, and you've clearly got aneurysm face. So, please, do us both a favor and take a deep breath and calm down. Because not only will you not only do Kono any good, but you really will have an aneurysm and kill us both. We clearly won't be much help to Kono that way."
Another sideways glare. Steve knew Danny was right, he needed to be clear headed to help Kono. But the assignment she'd been given put her in a situation with a lot of bad people, like angry Johns and disgruntled pimps and teritorial gangs, and it didn't help that he clearly remembered the outfit she was wearing and those boots that ... okay, he really had to stop overthinking this. He took in a deep breath and let it out in an exagurated fashion, "Happy now?"
It was Danny's turn to give a sideways glare, which was greeted by the still-present aneurism face. "Nope. Not until we get Kono back." Danny answered.
IN CHIN'S VEHICLE...
Chin didn't really appreciate Chief Mahaka being behind the wheel of his vehicle. Although Chin understood the Chief's reluctance to let him drive, it would have be better for him, at least a brief distraction to his cousin being missing. He couldn't stop picturing her in that horrible outfit and those boots. He felt like she was more vulnerable that way, certainly no place to hide a gun. Not that his cousin couldn't protect herself in other ways, it's just that... oh damn, he really should be driving so he'd have something to focus on and stop overthinking this situation.
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, AT THE SCENE...
"Charlie." Was all Steve said to announce their presence as he, Danny, Chin, and Chief Mahaka quickly walked up to what was now a crime scene.
"There's nothing here, McGarrett." Charlie says with a slight shake of his head as he lowers the camera he was using to take crime scene photos with. It was obvious he was frustrated, too. "Just common debris on a common sidewalk, and common vehicle marks on a common street."
"Any footage, Duke?" Chin asks as he turns to Sargent Lukela.
"We've getten street footage from that camera." Sargent Lukela answers, gesturing to a street-cam half way down the block. "And Eppes has his agents are checking their surveillance footage from yesterday and today."
"You think it's one of the Johns?" Steve asks no one in particular, as Sargent Lukela steps aside to answer his phone.
"Doubtful. But the ones from yesterday and early today are already out on bail, so we can't discount the possibility." It's Danny who answers.
Sargent Lukela rejoins the group before speaking, "That was the lab, the footage shows a black van that pulled up and picked up all three women." He said, while pocketing his phone. "There were two black Vice vans here earlier. One a block that way, another a block that way." He said, gesturing in each direction as he talks. "But this third black van, it wasn't from Vice and picked them up before one of the Vice vans was supposed to."
"Does the footage show if they were forced into the van?" Chin asks, concern obvious in his voice.
Sargent Lukela shakes his head, "No, Chin. The camera angle doesn't show that. But we have a make, model, and a partial plate, so an APB has already been issues on it for a triple officer abduction."
"I just got a text from Eppes." Chief Mahaka says, still looking at his phone, "His crew has isolated several of the Johns from their footage that exhibited risk factors."
"Chin, I need you back at HQ. I want that footage from the street cam gone over again, frame by frame if you have to. See if you can find us anything else that will help." Steve ordered. He wanted to give Chin something to do to feel useful and he certainly didn't want him going where he and Danny were headed. "Danny and I will head over to Vice and see what they've got."
"I'm on it." Chin stated, determination evident in his voice.
"Come on, Lieutenant Kelly." Chief Mahaka said to Chin before turning to Steve, "I've got to get back to my office anyway. I want to make sure there's a media blackout on this. We don't want whoever obducted the women to realize they're law enforcement."
They all knew the Chief was right. If the obductors found out, the women would be dead soon.
30 MINUTES LATER...
Agent Eppes leads Steve and Danny into an AV room where Vice agents have footage cued and ready for them to see.
"These Johns, in particular, were more interested in giving the women a hard time, one even trying to get out of paying." One of the men said aloud to everyone in the room. Steve and Danny stood behind the man who spoke, looking over his shoulder at the monitor as it played the first video clip.
'This is hard to watch.' Steve thought to himself as he looks at the monitor, watching Kono play her role in the sting operation to the best of her acting abilities. On this first clip they watch as she sits on the edge of the bed leaning back to rest on her elbows, as Miena is trying to get the guy to either pay or leave. The guy ignores Miena and walks over to Kono, standing between her knees and leaning into the mattress. "I'll pay ya when I see how good she is." His words make them sick, but they continue watching as Kono pulls up a knee to place the bottom of her boot on the John's chest, "Ya gotta pay before you can play." They hear her say, and a slight shocking jolt through them.
A moment later the second video clip begins and they watch as another John tries to touch Kono before she playfully slaps his hand away. 'No free samples.' they hear her say, and another shocking jolt goes through them. Steve notices Danny posture stiffen and the men give each other a brief sideways glance. Unspoken words exchanged, 'It's a good thing Chin isn't here to see this.'
On the third video clip they all hear the John say he couldn't blow that much cash, followed by Kono's words about her blowing something. Steve and Danny both try to let that particular shocking jolt go directly to their brains so they wouldn't have to remember what they'd just seen and heard, ever again.
"Saved my favorite for last." They heard the agent who was running the AV room say as the fourth video clip began. Kono was once again laid back on the bed propped up on her elbows. The John couldn't pay Miena fast enough, which was no surprise to any of them as he was a short, fat, bald guy. Kono straightened her leg, slowly sticking it up into the air and twirling her foot around playfully. She then reached behind her thigh and slowly started to unzip her boot, stopping behind her knee, just far enough she could fold down the front of her boot to reveal her badge clipped to a garter on her thigh before she looked at the guy with a smile. 'Busted.' she all but whispered to him before the Vice team swarmed into the room to cuff him.
"These four men are our starting points." Eppes said, then Steve and Danny take their leave to start tracking them down. These women were cops, their colleagues, not just Kono, but all of them. They were unarmed, hell they barely had a place to conceal a badge in those outfits, and they were going to find them, no matter what.
HF-0, HF-0, HF-0, HF-0, HF-0, HF-0, HF-0, HF-0, HF-0, HF-0
Hope you are enjoying the story so far.
Who do you think took the women?
In the next chapter you will meet Stevie,... and he's nothing like the Steve we're all used to, that's for sure.