Chapter 11

A little stiff and with a slight pain in his stomach, Steve woke up on the couch the next morning. He pushed the blanket aside and got up. The house was still quiet, and when he glanced at the clock, it showed just before six.

Steve quietly went up to the guest room, undressed and got into the shower. The warm water did him good and so he let it flow over his body for a moment longer. Then he got dressed and went to the kitchen, where he first made some coffee. With a cup he sat down on the terrace for a moment and watched how Venice slowly awoke around him.

Then he got the hidden cake from the pantry and put it on the table. Quietly, he went into Joan's room to wake her up. Then they stood in the doorway to Mary's bedroom, sang a birthday song, and presented her with a cup of coffee and her gifts. When she saw what Joan had gotten for her, tears came to her eyes and she hugged her daughter tightly. They had a leisurely breakfast and then mother and daughter were going to have a great day at the spa of a good hotel today. Originally, the day had been planned differently, but Steve's and Catherine's injuries had thrown everything out of whack.

Steve indulged the two McGarrett girls and took them to the hotel. From there he drove straight to the hospital. Catherine was still asleep when he entered the room, so he quietly pulled up a chair and sat by her bed. He must have dozed off, because when his phone rang, he startled. Anxious not to wake Catherine, he answered the call quietly.

"Steve? Where are you? I was just coming to get you, but the Jeep is gone and no one is opening the door."

"Mary is with Joan for her birthday spa and I'm with Catherine."

"How is she?" "I don't know, she's still asleep."

"Order greetings." "Yes I do, but had you only called me because you were at Mary's locked door?"

"Oh, no. We got a hit on the DNA and fingerprints. A Theodore Ginger, he lives here in Santa Monica. He looks completely different on his driver's license picture, though. Abby's figured out why, though. He must have had an accident a few years ago and has a reconstructed face. Anyway, we thought we'd pay the gentleman a visit right away."

"All right, where do I go?"

"You're where you belong, with your girlfriend."

"Danno ..." "See you later, Steve!"

"Danny? ... Danny?"

Angry that Danny had hung up on him, Steve exhaled heavily.

"Hey, sailor, what's up?" Sleepily Catherine looked at him.

"Sorry Cath, I didn't mean to wake you. Danny and Chin have a lead on the assassin and want to go see him, but Danny won't tell me the address." Catherine began to grin.

"Are you surprised? You just jumped from the brink of death, Danny is now doing everything he can to keep you out of danger."

"Great." Steve took a breath. Fine, he'd just stay here.

"How are you Cath?"

"Better and better, the doc says I can get out in a few days too. Then we can finally re-celebrate the party."

"Joanie will be happy to hear that." He leaned toward his girlfriend and gave her a heartfelt kiss.

"And me first."

Abby, Chin, and Danny arrived at the suspect's house at about the same time. Danny was still wondering whether it had been a good idea not to tell Steve the address. He would probably find out and show up at any moment. But Mary's jeep didn't show up. Should Steve really have stayed with Catherine?

He joined Abby and Chin, who were already on their way to the front door. After no one answered when they knocked and rang the doorbell, they entered the house.

"Secured!" Sounded several times, then they systematically went through the rooms for conspicuous features. The living room, kitchen, and bedroom were unremarkable. In the study, there was a laptop on the desk, and when Danny turned to the door, I had a change of heart. The wall next to the door was littered with pictures of the pier. In addition, various building plans and printed blueprints for various bombs hung between them. Chin documented everything by taking pictures with his cell phone. Abby had sat down at the computer and tried to bypass the password. After a few minutes she had managed it.

"Danny! Chin!"

She had found a video with similar wording to what Theo had already uploaded. But at the end of the video this time there was a photo of a foyer and Danny knew exactly where this foyer was.