AN: This chapter has been beta read.

Chapter 22

SFPD, Bureau of Inspectors, 850 Bryant Street, San Francisco, 1972

It came to no surprise to Lieutenant Stone and his partner Inspector Keller when they walked into headquarters to find detective McGarrett pacing the floor outside of Stone's private office. Inspectors Tanner and Lessing sat at their desks, their heads moving to and fro as they followed the detective's ongoing ritual.

"McGarrett." Stone acknowledged the detective as he took off his hat.

"I suppose you heard what happened, Lieutenant." McGarrett replied indifferently, motioning his head in the direction of Keller.

"Let's talk in my office." Stone nodded then led the detective to his office with Keller in tow. Once they, entered, Keller closed the door behind them.

"Take a seat." Stone gestured to the empty chair in front of his desk. McGarrett nodded and sat down as the Lieutenant took off his coat and hung it on the coat stand along with his hat. He then proceeded to sit behind his desk with his hands clasped in front of him. "I don't know if you've been keeping tabs on the radio or if anyone already informed you, but we may have a strong lead on your boy. Apparently he was seen by a couple of our guys out on patrol entering a vehicle on Folsom Street about a half hour ago. We're just waiting on DMV records to give us a registration on the car so we can ask the driver where he took Williams. With any luck, he could take us right to him. Given your detective's condition, we have a good chance of catching up with him before morning."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." McGarrett replied with appreciation in his voice.

Just as Stone opened his mouth to respond further, the phone rang and he picked up the receiver.

McGarrett rose to his feet and turned to face Keller who stood by the door, a little uneasy after enduring the detective's volcanic explosion earlier. Bracing himself for another onslaught, Keller met the older man's steely gaze and waited.

"Look Inspector, about earlier…" McGarrett cleared his voice as he tried to speak his mind but Keller could see the inner turmoil the detective was battling as his brusque nature fought to regain the upper hand even though something was failing.

"Forget it." Keller waved the detective's attempt at an apology off and managed a small hesitant smile to convince him that an apology was not needed.

In the background, Stone listened to the DMV personnel as he gave him the registration details of the Buick Riviera that picked Williams up.

"Thanks, Karl for getting back to me so quickly! Father Scarne and I go back a long way. I'll head over to his place right away."

"Oh, one more thing, Mike. One of our guys told me he gave out the same information to someone from your department. I thought I'd mention it since it just seems odd that you never got the information from Cardenas first before you contacted us." Karl informed the Lieutenant.

"Wait a minute, did you say Cardenas?" Stone asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Is something the matter, Mike?"

"When did your guy give Cardenas this information?"

"No more than say, a half hour ago. "

"Karl, I don't have time to explain right now but Cardenas is not to be given any further access to DMV records, effectively immediately!" Stone stated officially.

"Got it Mike!"

"Good Karl and thanks for the heads up." Mike ended the call and saw he had caught the attention of both McGarrett and Keller.
"What was that all about?" Keller voiced his question first.

"What information was Cardenas given?" McGarrett added tautly.

"Some guy from the DMV got a call from our friend Cardenas who fished out the registration details of the car that Williams was seen getting into." Stone explained as he quickly got to his feet once more and reached for his coat and hat.

"Do we have the name of the idiot who handed this information?" McGarrett demanded hotly.

"Unfortunately the idiot you're referring to doesn't know that Cardenas was arrested. He's very well known to some of the guys over at the DMV and they had no reason to refuse him information until now. We don't have the time to start pointing fingers. The important thing is we know Cardenas has this information and if we hurry, we might get to Williams first before somebody else does. Cardenas is being closely watched so chances are he had to slip past our guys and get in touch with someone who can get to Williams. This buys us extra time." Stone was out the door before he finished his theorizing. McGarrett and Keller followed closely behind him.

"We better get to the owner of the vehicle before Tate's men do. I have no doubt in my mind Cardenas would've called Tate as soon as he got the chance. If he has, there's no telling whether or not the person who gave Danno a ride would refuse a bribe or ignore a threat to hand over my detective." the Five-O chief continued as the three men left the building.

"You see, McGarrett, that's one thing we have going on our side. I happen to know the man who supposedly gave Williams a ride. He's a good friend of mine. There's no way that Father Joe Scarne would accept a bribe of any kind and give your man to Tate's men. He would also never give in to any threats made against him if another human being's life would be compromised. Knowing him the way I do, Joe would probably adopt Williams as one of his charges. He does this frequently; aiding those who have strayed on the wrong path, taking them in and turning their lives around. He takes trust and loyalty very seriously and not even the law can interfere with his mission. Believe me, detective, I tried. He won't betray Williams. In his present condition, Joe will mistake him for a lost soul in need of his protection and guidance." Stone reassured the detective as they neared the Ford Galaxy parked at the curb.

"Mike's right. If I were Williams, I'd probably be looking for a friend right now. He's in a strange city but I can relate to him wanting to leave the hospital in search of his own answers. He probably felt like a prisoner in that hospital room with us constantly breathing down his neck. No offense, detective but that's how I see it because if it were me I wouldn't have lasted that long in that place. I would want to get far away, even from Mike because to imagine seeing him go through the pain of trying to piece my life together again must feel like hell. A stranger would look at me differently just like the way Father Scarne would look at Williams. There's no emotional attachment." Keller interposed.

"I hope you're right. I'll follow behind you. Olsen arranged for a car for me earlier. I'm parked just up ahead." McGarrett called back as he made his way swiftly to a black sedan. Keller's words struck a chord in him, though he didn't think he could face the young man and admit that he was impressed by his intellect.

…..

Folsom Street, San Francisco, 1972

As the Buick Riviera drew nearer to The Embarcadero, Father Scarne threw a right turn into a quiet side street and slowed down as a run-down hotel came into view. He parked the car in the space then gently nudged his passenger to wake him. The young man stirred and moaned as he lifted his head from the side window and unbuckled his seat belt. "We're here." Scarne declared.

"China Town?" Dan asked groggily.

"No but we're not far from there. It's getting late and you could use a rest, son. Tomorrow I'll take you there myself on my way to the church." Scarne compromised.

Dan nodded and attempted to exit the vehicle himself but fell forward onto the curb.

"Hey, easy there. Let me give you a hand." The greying priest insisted as he stepped out and walked over to the other side to give his young companion a hand. Dan accepted the offer and together they walked up to the hotel entrance. "I'll get you a room for the night then I'll swing by in the morning and pick you up. My apartment's just around the corner if you need anything. Unfortunately I don't have a spare room at my place and I figured you could use some privacy."

"Why are you doing this? Helping me?" Dan stopped short of the door and looked into Father Scarne's grey eyes.

"Because if I don't, then who will? Look I'm not doing you any real favors here. This is the cheapest place in the district and chances are Walt, the guy who runs the place, will probably let you stay for free as long as you keep his dog Raven company. He doesn't like to be left alone and knowing Walt, tonight being Friday night, he'll be out playing cards until dawn. I'm still trying to convince him that gambling is a sin. Someday I'll make him come around." For a moment Scarne stood still as he wistfully thought about his friend, Walt Samuels.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me." Dan murmured gratefully.

Scarne smiled and nodded then he placed a steadying hand on Dan's back as he pushed open the door and led the young man inside the dreary hotel complex. "Oh and in case you're wondering, Raven is part wolf, part who knows what. Don't worry, he's never barked in his life and spends most of his time sleeping, so long as he knows someone will be there when he wakes up." Scarne whispered as an after-thought. Dan smiled weakly, feeling more at ease than he had since he first woke up in General Hospital. For some reason, he felt he could like and trust Scarne and decided that listening to his advice might not be such a foolish idea.

…..

Kajukenbo Dojo, Pine Street, San Francisco, 1972

Sean Tate handed the athletic blond youth a set of car keys and gave him a friendly clap on the shoulder before ruffling his hair. "Remember, I don't want a dead priest on our hands. We have enough complications as it is with McGarrett sticking his nose in where it doesn't belong. Find the cop and waste him. Make it look like an accident. Just make sure Williams is dead, then call me. I'm counting on you not to fail me."

"I won't," the young hood,Riley Griffin , promised as he pushed aside the nervousness that started to infiltrate his system. There was no way he would allow Tate to see his uneasiness for he knew the Kajukenbo master would only see it as a sign of weakness. Taking a deep breath he bowed to his Sijo then set off to fulfil his mission.