CHAPTER 27

Friday morning, temporary Five-0 offices:

Three days later, Danny was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands as he tried to stave off the headache that came from too little food and sleep and too much caffeine. He pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes and wondered when his life would return to normal. And by normal, he meant not being awake at ungodly hours in the morning after nights of no sleep.

Nothing would be normal for a long time yet. At least, not until they found Steve.

There was no doubt in his mind that Rebecca Marsden was responsible. He recalled her voice on the phone, telling him to stop looking for his partner. She was out of her mind if she thought that would ever happen. Despite being mentally unwell, it was clear that she was meticulous and level-headed.

She knew exactly what she was doing. They were several steps behind her and they had no way of catching up.

After being released from the hospital, she had accessed her inheritance and bought a series of properties that she rented out to wealthy families holidaying in Hawaii. She'd started her job at the Honolulu Times not long after, renting the house down the street from Steve. They had yet to ascertain the exact moment the obsession started, but he figured it was close to the time when Steve returned to the Islands following the death of his father.

They'd been too preoccupied with finding Hesse and starting the Taskforce to notice anything out of the ordinary. Not that they should have suspected anything then. But now? How did they not spot her sooner?

Danny realised that's where Marsden had excelled in her deception. Her job as a reporter allowed her to get close to Steve without being noticed. For years. If there was an award for longest performance, she would've definitely made the cut.

Other than the little information they'd managed to cobble together about their suspect from the files, they knew almost nothing about her. Raised by a single father after her mother left them at the mere age of six. No siblings. Studied at the University of Hawaii to get her journalism degree. No traffic infringements or trouble with the law. She seemed like an average, working class woman.

Danny flicked back through the photos that Kono had collected from the house. The earlier photos were taken from afar, as though she'd been afraid to get too close. The most recent photos, including the one of him drinking coffee with Steve, were more focused, clearer. It was like she'd been growing more bold with every passing day. Until she finally became brave enough.

Danny thought back over the last year and wondered if there was a sign that something was not right, something he should have seen. An image of a paranoid, jumpy Steve flew into his head.

'Of course!' he thought.

Initially, he'd put it all down to his partner's paranoid tendencies; Steve's need to double check the locks, the times he'd expressed to Danny that things felt off, the rare moments he'd nearly jumped out his skin when Danny caught him off guard. Maybe Steve's paranoia was well founded. Maybe he really was being watched.

Even before everything with Fuentes and Nazeef, there had been something about the way Steve held himself. A constant state of tension despite the overlying relaxed appearance. On numerous occasions, Danny had caught his partner scanning his surroundings, like he was expecting an enemy to attack at any given moment.

However, after Fuentes had threatened their lives, Danny had noticed Steve's increased attention to detail when taking on new cases, like he was trying to see if there was any way that case could result in the team coming to harm under his command.

The way Steve would hover closer to his team, yet keep them at arm's length told Danny everything about his partner's increasingly frayed mind. He wanted to protect them, yet he didn't want to put them in danger. He stayed close, but never close enough. It was a constant internal battle with himself. No wonder the guy was so tired all the time.

Danny couldn't wait until they found him and brought him home.

Home?

Danny started flipping through the photos, looking for one that had caught his interest earlier. There was something…something that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

There!

Danny pulled a picture from the bottom of the box and brought it closer to his face. It was a picture of Marsden and her father, Mark, before he passed. He had his arm around her shoulders and her eyes were twinkling with joy. They were standing in front of a two-storey house, a sold sticker plastered on the sign out the front of the building.

Danny reached over for his phone and quickly found Chin's contact. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the desk while waiting for it to connect.

"Kelly," was Chin's sleepy response.

Danny glanced up at the clock and winced. It was only just four o'clock in the morning. He'd even insisted the night before that the cousins go home to get some real sleep.

"Hey Chin. It's Danny. I need your help to find Marsden's house."

There was a moment of silence on the other end. "Danny. We already searched all of her properties. There was nothing to find at any of them."

"This isn't one of the houses that she bought with the inheritance money," Danny explained hurriedly. "This is her family home."

"What makes you think she'd be there?" There were shuffling sounds in the background.

"I think, given her condition, that she'd go somewhere familiar. Somewhere she didn't feel abandoned."

Danny suspected much of the trauma Marsden experienced as a young child when her mother left had caused her psychiatric condition. Years later, she'd latched on to Steve as a way to cope with the abandonment by her mother and the death of her father.

More silence. "Hmm. Okay. Can you send me a picture?"

"Sure," Danny replied and managed to send the picture without too many complications. He was finally getting the hang of technology.

"That looks like Mauna Kea in the background. Huh, I guess Kamekona was right." Chin sounded amused.

"What?"

"Nevermind. I'll explain later. But if I'm right, the location fits. Kamekona's botanist friend said Waimea was a possible location the roses were grown from. Add in the bodies that washed up near Puako and we may have found where she's keeping Steve." The excitement in Chin's voice gave Danny hope. "I'm coming to the office now. Send that photo to Catherine. See if she can pinpoint the exact address for us. I'll pick up Kono."

Danny didn't have a chance to respond as Chin hung up the phone. Danny prayed that this was the break they needed.

"We're coming Steve. Hold on a little longer," he whispered into the empty room.


Friday morning, unknown location:

Gabriel Ortiz was a man that could have anything he wanted. He was intelligent, resourceful and ambitious. His special forces training alone made him a formidable foe. However, right now his only enemy was guilt.

Regret for having sold information to terrorist groups that then used that intelligence against American forces. Remorse for the multiple families he single-handedly ruined both abroad and at home. The true source of his repentance, however, was his slain blood brother.

He'd become so focused on getting the money, on making the sacrifice worthwhile that he'd lost all judgement and had mowed his own brother down with a single bullet. At the time he'd told himself it was for the better, that he couldn't have Samuel telling the Five-0 cops about him. Now, he wondered if he should just turn himself in.

As the days wore on, he realised that the woman he'd once been so infatuated with had turned into a psychotic lunatic. Her obsession with McGarrett was abnormal. She claimed to love him yet wanted him to change to reflect her insane image of the perfect man; a man that would submit to her every command without question.

McGarrett was far from subservient.

Ortiz knew he could handle McGarrett, but he had no idea how he'd escape her ludicrous fantasy without becoming another nameless and faceless body that was thrown away like garbage when she no longer had a use for him.

He peered into the room he'd been guarding the past few hours and wondered if he should just run now. He had resources and could easily disappear without so much as a trail. The money, however, would be essential for his future plans.

Ortiz knew that McGarrett would do everything he could to escape. Despite being drugged to the point of not being able to even move, he would not underestimate the trained SEAL. Doing so would mean losing his job, maybe even his life. That was something he did not want to happen.

Still, he felt a tug of sympathy for the man laying tethered to the bed. For as as long as Rebecca kept McGarrett sedated, his job was simple: make sure the prisoner did not escape. Not that he could with the amount of drugs in his system. In addition to losing his freedom, McGarrett was not even able to prevent her hands roaming over his body. That was something he couldn't stand to even watch.

He just kept thinking about the pay check. Everything else, Ortiz pushed to the back of his mind. As soon as Marsden decided it was time for McGarrett to wake up, his job would become much more complicated. He couldn't afford to be distracted, not with so much on the line.


Friday morning, the Big Island:

Kono rubbed her sore wrist as she watched Danny arguing with the woman at the rental car counter at the Kona International Airport. She grinned when Catherine stepped in to take over, only for Danny to gently push her aside and become more vocal. Kono sympathised with the poor attendant; Hurricane Williams was well and truly fired up today.

Kono glanced over at Chin and noted he was slouched against the wall. She knew he was feeling just as wrung out as she was. "How certain are we that Steve's in that house?" she asked.

A closer look at the photograph Danny had sent them had given them an approximate location for the two storey home. The Governor had even allowed them to utilise a helicopter to get to the Big Island faster. The only downside was that without absolute proof that McGarrett was being held hostage on the property, the Governor could not send any additional backup.

Not that HPD would have volunteered anyway. They were still miffed about Rogerson's death and Kono knew she hadn't helped the matter any by confronting Lieutenant Clarke. Regardless, it had taken the small Five-0 team three days to search all of Marsden's listed properties when it would have taken less than half a day with the assistance of the department.

Chin sighed and fixed her with an uncertain look. "Honestly? About fifty percent. We have no evidence that suggests anyone has inhabited the property in over four years, let alone anything to suggest that Marsden has been there recently."

Kono nodded along. They'd already talked about this. The chances that they'd find Steve today were slim. Images of his broken body laying on the cold, hard floor flooded her mind and she shook them away. There was no way they would be too late. No way.

She tapped Chin's shoulder when she noticed Danny and Catherine walking towards them; Danny with a triumphant look while Catherine's face held an exasperated expression.

"Let's go," Danny announced and continued walking without checking to see if they were following him.

Kono's eyes met Catherine's as she rolled her eyes at her. "Remind me to never cross Detective Williams."

Kono laughed. "Now you know why Steve gets so irritated by him." Kono watched as Catherine's face fell and instantly tried to say something to make it better. "As soon as we find them, Danny's going to rant Marsden into insanity."

Catherine gave her a grateful look. "Now that's something I'd like to see."

Kono hitched her bag up higher on her shoulder as she followed Chin and Danny to their newly obtained rental car. Kono suspected that Danny had abused the badge to get the car because it was huge. At least a seven-seater.

The team stowed their gear in the back; several guns, ammunition, tactical vests and…grenades?

"Danny, why are there grenades in the car?" Kono asked.

Danny, already seated in the driver's seat, didn't turn around. "You never know when you might need some."

Kono's eyebrows rose at Danny's statement. It was like he was channelling McGarrett. While not necessarily a bad thing, he had often accused the others of doing the exact same thing. In this case, Kono was willing to give him a pass. If the situation called for it, then at least they'd be prepared.

Danny pulled out the airport onto Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway. The short drive to the Hawaii County Police Department was punctuated with Danny screaming at other drivers to get out of his way, even though he knew they couldn't hear him.

"Easy Danny," Chin muttered as they passed the fourth oblivious tourist.

"Why couldn't they just meet us at the airport?" Danny muttered as he pulled into the parking lot outside the station.

"Because we are working in collaboration with them and don't want to step on anyone's toes," Chin answered patiently. "And we seriously need the help."

"Steve doesn't have time for us to be nice," Danny grumbled.

"If we want any assistance in this case, then that is exactly what we need to do," Catherine reminded him. "Besides, they know the area better than we do."

"We also need to maintain positive relationships with all police departments," Chin added as he climbed out of the car and opened the rear doors to start retrieving their gear.

"You guys must be Five-0," a tall, thin man in a sheriff's uniform greeted them. He had greying, short-cropped hair and a moustache.

"That's us," Chin said and shook the man's hand. "I'm Chin Ho Kelly. That's Detective Williams, Officer Kono Kalakaua and Lieutenant Catherine Rollins."

"Sheriff Thompson. Pleased to meet you. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances. I understand you're missing a man?"

"Yeah. Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett. We have reason to believe he's being held hostage on a property in Waimea," Catherine answered and handed him the photograph Danny had found earlier that morning.

Sheriff Thompson furrowed his brow at the photo. "I know the place, but no one's lived there in over four years. It's abandoned."

"Maybe not," Chin replied. "This house used to belong to our suspect's father. It's possible she's using it to avoid detection."

The sheriff looked at them skeptically for a moment before shrugging. "Okay. Let's check it out." Thompson looked down at the bags sitting at their feet. "I assume I don't need to ask if you need any weapons?"

Danny shook his head. "I think we're covered."

"I heard Five-0 was a different group, but this is overkill," Thompson responded, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Well, when we find Steve you can ask him all about our arsenal," Danny said as he hitched the bag with all the grenades over his shoulder. "I'm sure he'd be willing to talk to the Governor about getting you guys some more equipment out here."

"How many people are we expecting to find up there?" the sheriff asked, getting down to business. Kono admired that he ignored the obvious oversupply of ammunition.

"We know for certain that there are two people involved. Our main suspect, Rebecca Marsden and her accomplice, Gabriel Ortiz. We suspect there are more involved, but have no way of knowing just how many. We also believe those bodies that washed up in Puako Bay were involved," Chin explained.

"Yeah, you mentioned that on the phone," the Sherriff looked around at the group. "Okay, how do you want to do this? You guys have more experience with this kind of thing than we do."

Everyone turned to Danny. "What!?" he exclaimed. "I'm not Rambo. I don't have a clue how to storm a compound."

Kono turned to Sheriff Thompson. "What do you know about the property?"

Thompson pulled out a map and laid it on the hood of the patrol car. "It's a two-storey house with several outbuildings. Fairly secluded and surrounded by trees on all sides. It's located at the end of a dirt road, so driving right up to the house is out of the question. I suggest we drive until about two kilometres away, then hike the rest of the way in. We can evaluate our approach once we have eyes on the building."

There was a hum of agreement from the group. Given the limited information they had, it was the best plan.

"Okay, let's do it," Danny agreed.

Ten minutes later, several squad cars and sheriff department members were on their way towards the property. Kono sat with Catherine in the backseat of one of the cruisers and watched the scenery flash by, unable to calm the anxiety bubbling inside of her.

Her attention was taken away from the view when the car turned onto a rough road. Her body bounced along as the vehicle hit several potholes. The whole time, she kept her grip on her service weapon.

Suddenly, the car came to a complete stop and she exited the vehicle. She stood up straight, letting her mind focus on the task ahead. It was go time.

"Teams one and two flank from the west, three and four from the south. Keep off the road, stay covered. Report any movement," Chin briefed the group. "Check in once the house is in sight."

Kono and Danny moved off to join their respective teams while Chin and Catherine hurried to join the teams moving in from the west.

Kono kept her eyes on the ground, trying not to trip on any stray roots or branches as the group picked their way through the underbrush. It was humid and she felt sweat beginning to trickle down her back under the backpack. She pushed the mild discomfort to the back of her mind as she continued to tread carefully.

"We've got eyes on the house." Thompson's voice came through her earpiece. "Thermal camera shows two bodies inside the house. They're moving around the bottom floor…hang on. There's one more, top floor. Not moving."

Kono looked over at Chin and knew he was thinking the same thing. That had to be Steve.

"We've got another one. Outside the front door. I'm seeing a semi-automatic weapon," one of the deputies reported.

Kono looked over to where the deputy was pointing and saw a familiar figure. A sudden pulse of anger went through her as her eyes settled on the familiar frame.

Ortiz.

Kono felt Chin's hand on her shoulder. She looked over and he shook his head. Not yet.

They didn't have a chance to form a plan before Ortiz suddenly started running. She had no idea what had spooked him but she had no intention of letting him get away. Kono ignored her cousin's shouts as she took off after the fleeing man.

If Steve wasn't inside the house, Ortiz would be their one remaining source of information. There was no way she would let him slip through their fingers. Not again.

She followed at a quick pace. "Five-0! Stop!" she yelled after the retreating form.

As predicted, Ortiz did not stop. She did not, however, expect him to turn and start firing his gun at her. She dropped to the ground and heard a bullet whizz over her head. She listened and heard him crashing through the underbrush.

"Drop your weapon!" she screamed as she stood back up and vaulted over a fallen branch.

She sped after him, quickly catching up to him when he tripped over some hidden vines. She kicked out at Ortiz when he tried to raise his gun, knocking the weapon from his grip. She grabbed his arm, twisted it behind him before grabbing his other one and cuffing them both behind him. She ignored his grunt of pain when she tightened the cuffs around his wrists.

She was surprised when he didn't try to fight back any more. She pulled him up by the collar of his shirt and shoved him in the direction of the house.

When she finally emerged from the forest, she noticed a hive of activity around the property. The raid must have been successful. Several men were sitting in a line with hands cuffed behind their back as two deputies watched them closely.

Kono's eyes, however, sought her team. She spotted her cousin deep in conversation with Sheriff Thompson. She assumed Danny and Catherine were still inside the house. None of that answered her question. Where was Steve?

She didn't have to wait long to find the answer as Chin met her gaze over the sheriff's shoulder.