Chapter Seven "Picking up the Pieces"

Hello, all you lovely people. So, my weekly dose of Hawaii is about to become more special because it started snowing in my neck of the woods on Saturday. As of Monday, it was still snowing. What's more, we did not turn the heat on until it got below 57 degrees in the house on Sunday. My dad has this strange idea that we shouldn't turn the furnace on until December.

So, Hawaii here I come!

McKenzie opened her eyes when the sharp pain in the right side of her face woke her. She shifted and noticed pain in her right forearm too. She sat up quickly and regretted it as blood rushed to her head and the prickly, itchy pain worsened.

Blinking several times, McKenzie found that she had been lying on the living room floor in front of the couch and the glass top of the coffee table was in shards under her. She lifted her right arm and felt a little woozy at the sight of blood running down it.

Then she heard a low groan, but couldn't see where it was coming from because there was a large recliner between her and the sound. She stood shakily and climbed over the chair to avoid the glass on the carpet. Her bare feet hit the hardwood floor on the other side and she saw Steve rolling over and pushing himself up with his hands. There was a copious amount of blood dripping from his nose.

He looked at McKenzie and then at the wreckage of the living room. His eyes came to rest on a large porcelain vase near the wall that had a large crack down one side of it.

He wiped his nose, but it didn't help.

"You need help?" Steve asked, pointing at McKenzie's face.

"Is that a question?" she replied hoarsely.

"Not really. Come on." He turned to the bathroom once again and glanced at the clock. He'd been out for a good half hour.

McKenzie sat on the toilet lid and looked up at her protector. "I'm sorry," she said. "Did I hit you with that vase?"

"I think so," Steve said absently as he tilted her head up to get at the glass.

"You think?"

"I didn't actually see it. Careful with that arm."

McKenzie noticed that she was pressing her right arm against the counter and pulled it away. She couldn't see to pick out the glass so she waited as Steve continued to go over her face.

"This doesn't look too bad," he said dropping the last piece of glass in the sink. "Your arm looks worse."

"And your nose."

"I'll get to that."

Steve cleaned the blood off McKenzie's face and bandaged the worse spots. It was fortunate none of the glass got in her eye. Then he gently took her arm and started looking over it. His brows furrowed and he winced.

"Don't move," he said. "I think there's some jammed in your wrist, probably from when you broke the table." He reached in the first aide kit for a pair of tweezers and McKenzie closed her eyes. It was sometime before all the glass was out of her arm and Steve had cleaned it and wrapped it up.

When he had finished, McKenzie stood up. "Okay, you're turn," she said.

"What?" Steve frowned.

"I think I broke your nose. It's still bleeding."

Surprisingly, Steve didn't argue, but sat down heavily and looked up with expectation. McKenzie cleaned away the blood and found some cotton balls to staunch the flow. Then she gingerly felt along the bridge of Steve's nose for the break. She found it and without warning, she took both hands and snapped it back into place.

Steve's vociferous reaction was to be expected. When he calmed down he glared at McKenzie. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to do that?" he demanded.

"I thought it would be easier if it were unexpected."

"I don't like surprises."

"Okay, I won't do it again."

"No, you won't." Steve opened the medicine cabinet and took out the little pill bottle. "Please," he said holding it out to McKenzie.

H-5-O

Danny and Kono waited expectantly outside Arnold Hadley's hotel room. They had no idea when or if he would even show up. Kono peeked out the window for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"What time did the manager say he usually got back?" she asked.

"I believe his exact wording was 'late'," Danny replied. He tried not to sound as impatient as he knew they both were.

Kono looked back at him sympathetically. "So assuming he does com back, what do we do?"

"Wait for him to go in. Then you go around the back in case he tries to run."

"Should we call for backup?"

Danny tried not to laugh as he said, "You are the backup."

Kono stared at him for a second until a small white car pulled into the hotel parking lot. Kono pulled up her binoculars and watched for a few seconds.

"It's him," she said, putting away the specs and getting ready to move in.

"Okay," Danny said, putting in his earpiece. "Let me know when you're in position."

"Got it." Kono got out of the car first and crossed the street.

When she started around the back of the building and the suspect went inside his first floor room, Danny followed. He got the feeling this wasn't the wisest thing to be doing. If Hadley was the shooter, he would have no qualms killing a couple of cops and he was most likely heavily armed.

"I'm in position," Kono's voice came over the radio.

"Copy that," Danny said, reaching the door. He knocked and listened. No sound approached the door, so he used the key he'd gotten from the manager and let himself in. The room was dark and it took a moment for Danny's eyes to adjust. Then he saw the suspect trying to climb out the window.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Hadley," Danny said, raising his gun.

The man didn't listen, but dropped out of sight. Danny heard him hit the ground and then a sickening crunch. There were a few grunts and then Kono's voice saying, "Don't move."

Danny pulled back the curtains just in time to see her with her knee in Hadley's back cuffing him.

"Looks like I'm doing better than Steve," Danny said.

"How's that?" Kono asked, pulling Hadley to his feet.

"I got shot my first day as 'backup'."

"Oh, that's comforting."

Danny smirked. "I'll meet you at the car."

Danny collected what evidence he could and when he got back outside, Kono had just gotten Hadley into the backseat of the car.

"He'll be nice and snug in there," she said, closing the door and opening the trunk for Danny.

"We don't usually transport suspects in the Camaro," he said.

"Yeah. What have you got?"

"Riffle and ammo. We'll have ballistics check them out when we get back."

"I called Chin to come look over the room some more so we can interrogate him."

"Good. Hopefully we get something from the witness soon. Enough to hold this guy anyway."

H-5-O

Steve left McKenzie alone in the bathroom and went out to asses the damage. He picked up the bigger pieces of glass and got out the vacuum cleaner for the rest. Other than that there was only the cracked vase to discard.

It was only when Steve finished cleaning the living room and sat down that he realized how much his head hurt and that McKenzie was still in the bathroom. In his mind, he got up to go find out what was taking so long, but his head protested any movement. Now that there was no perceivable danger, the effects of having a vase wielded by an adrenaline filled individual bashed into his face twice were catching up with him. He hoped resting for a few minutes would help.

McKenzie finally came out of the bathroom looking pale. She had pulled her hair back from her face with a narrow headband and the dark scratches stood out against her skin.

"You okay," Steve asked, trying not to move his head.

"I thought I might throw up," she replied. "But I didn't, so I took the pills."

"That was probably because of the adrenaline. You should be fine in a couple of minutes."

"And you?" McKenzie sat in the recliner.

"My head hurts, but that's all."

"All? I didn't give you a concussion or anything?"

"Let's hope not."

"I'm really sorry. I know I keep saying it, but I don't know what else to say."

"Look, I'll forget about it if you don't tell anyone."

"That I broke your nose? Okay. Is it that embarrassing?"

Steve rubbed his forehead. "More the fact that you got the drop on me."

"Well, I didn't mean to."

"Exactly. Which is why I'll forget it if you will."

"Deal."

"And no more apologizing?"

"I'll try."

"'Try' isn't good enough."

"Okay. I will make a conscious effort never to need to apologize to you again."

"That's hardly a promise."

"Well, that's the best I can do."

"Fine."

"Sometimes you are a child."

Steve reached under the coffee table and picked up McKenzie's book from where it had fallen. "Isn't that why you wanted me to read this?" He set it on the wood frame of the table.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing," McKenzie said fiddling with the edge of the bandage on her arm.

Steve smirked and leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes.

"There's something else, though," McKenzie said.

"What's that?"

"About the shooting. I'm sure you want to know what I remember."

Steve nodded slowly, his eyes still closed. "When you're ready."

H-5-O

Arnold Hadley immediately demanded a lawyer. The man made Danny nervous. He was bigger than Danny and Kono put together and he looked just like the sort of person who would kill four people in public in broad daylight. But they needed proof.

Danny and Kono stood outside the interrogation room waiting for Hadley's lawyer.

"Ballistics is going to take too long," Kono said. "We need something else to hold him on."

"Which means either Steve or Chin needs to call right now," Danny said. "Or this guy's gonna disappear."

"He wasn't that hard to find the first time. Almost like he wasn't trying to hide. But if it was common knowledge that he argued with our vics, he'd have to know he'd be a suspect. Why wouldn't he try to get out of Hawaii?"

"Maybe the kind of guy who murders four people in front of God and everyone is confident enough to think we won't be able to find anything on him. He might have been trying to divert suspicion as well."

"Didn't work. I'm suspicious."

"You and me both, but that's not going to do us any good."

The lawyer arrived. They had twenty-four hours.

H-5-O

"Ever since that day on the beach," McKenzie began, "I've remembered more and more. But I haven't been able to think about it. Not enough to explain it. I don't know if the drugs are working or what, but I feel like I can do it now. I can tell you everything."

"Everything?" Steve asked, calmly. His eyes were still closed.

"Everything." McKenzie nodded vigorously. "I'd just taken the card key from the receptionist. I picked up my bags and turned away from the desk. He was there, standing up at the top of those stairs. He didn't see me at first. He shot all four of them. Three shots each. Then he looked up. Everyone else was looking at the bodies, but I was watching him. He met my eyes. Then he turned and walked out... that's the short version."

"Can you remember what he looked like?" Steve asked, finally sitting up and opening his eyes.

"I do. I drew a picture."

"A picture?"

McKenzie got up and went to her room. A couple of seconds later, she came back with a sketchbook. She sat next to Steve and opened it.

"Here," she said. "I'm not sure if I got his eyes just right, but they were dark brown and his skin was sort of olive toned."

"You remember all this?" Steve asked.

"I hear that traumatic memories are especially vivid."

"Who told you that?"

"Dr. Eisner. He says lots of stuff like that."

"Do you have a cell phone?"

"I'm not supposed to."

"But do you?"

"It's off."

"Go get it. Does it take pictures?"

"Yeah." McKenzie went back into her room and got the contraband item. She handed it to Steve and he laid the open book on the couch. He took several pictures and then he dialed Danny.

"Hey, Danno," he said.

Danny could hear the smile in Steve's voice. "What are you so happy about and why are you calling me again?"

"I'm sending you some pictures. McKenzie says this is what the shooter looks like."

There was a brief pause. "Did you draw these?"

"Are you kidding? I can't draw. It was her."

"The witness?"

"I think that's what I just said."

"Actually your poor grammar did not make that clear, but this picture is accurate?"

"As far as she knows."

"Steve, this is Arnold Hadley. We have him in custody right now. He had a weapon of the same caliber used in the murders and he's already lawyer-ed up."

"So that's it?"

"Can't be that easy. I have a feeling he's gonna find a way out of this. We have to nail him to the wall."

"Then do it. I think McKenzie's ready to testify to the whole thing. If you send us an actual picture of him, she could confirm that it's him."

"Steve, this drawing looks exactly like him. Exactly. It's creepy in fact."

"She is a little creepy—ow!"

"And she's standing right there?"

"Yeah. If you need anything else you can call this number."

"Are you even supposed to have a cell phone?"

"It's hers."

"That's not an answer."

"I have complete authority to do whatever the hell I want. Besides, now that you have the guy we can probably let McKenzie go home."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'll let you know how the interrogation goes."

"Wish I were there."

"I know. I think you'd like this guy."

"Well, don't have too much fun without me."

"I never have fun without you. Now, get off the phone."

Steve hung up and rubber his shoulder where McKenzie had punched him.

"I'm creepy huh?" she asked.

"I was exaggerating."

"Uh huh." She picked up her sketchbook and snatched her phone. "So I get to go home soon?"

"Possibly. But how would you feel about lunch?"

"Honestly, I'm starving."

"That's not hard to believe. For a little person, you do eat a lot."

"What does that mean?"

"What are you, five-two?"

"Five-three."

"Oh, that's different."

"Shut up, tall man."