This is the end. Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading. I especially appreciate all of the reviews and alerts.
Steve led his team back into Five-0 Headquarters. Now that the facts were coming together, he felt reinvigorated. After days of vague unease and nagging suspicions, they had an actual case to solve.
"Kono, call Fong. He was checking into the remains of the grill for me," Steve glanced over at Danny, "He was also running some fingerprints for me."
"You pulled those prints off you back door, didn't you? Of course you did," Danny sighed and sent Steve a sideways glance, "Hey Kono, while you're talking to Charlie, ask about the analysis of the wood from my apartment building."
"Didn't the Fire Marshall rule that an accident caused by rotten wood?" Steve questioned.
"Didn't he rule that your grill explosion was caused by wear and poor maintenance?" Danny countered.
Kono shook her head at the two of them and went to her office to make the phone call.
Steve stepped past the remains of the computer table to pick up the Bastet statue. He turned it over in his hands, examining it carefully. Pulling a small folding knife from one of his many pockets, Steve gently scraped at the statue's base, causing a small section to separate. Underneath it, tucked into the figure was a microSD card.
Steve smiled triumphantly, "Chin, see what you can get off of this."
"So what do you know about Himaya?" Danny wanted to know, "And don't try to claim that it's classified. These people have tried to kill me – they've injured Chin – we get to know."
"I don't know a whole lot," Steve admitted, "They're a group from Egypt. They aren't part of Al Qaeda any other of the larger terrorist networks. They're more of a cult, wanting a return to the old ways."
"So they want to build pyramids and wear white sheets?" Danny's tone made it clear what he thought of that.
Steve leveled a repressive glare at him, "I think it's more about the old ways and religions, a time when Egypt was very powerful."
"Are they known for being violent?" Chin asked from the counter where was putting the microSD into a laptop.
"Not usually, but they've grown into a large enough group to have some splinter cells that are."
Kono came out of her office, "What do you guys want first: the good news, the bad news, or the inconclusive findings?"
"Damn it, I'm too tired for this – just tell us," Danny sank into a chair to listen.
"Sorry, brah," Kono offered him a weary smile, "Fire Marshall ruled that the floor in the third story bathroom was rotten. The building is 40 years old and apparently there have been several leaks over the years. So it was moisture, some mold in the floor –"
"The things I say about your apartment being a deathtrap are true," Steve smirked.
"- and a high concentration of lye, which compounded the under other problems. The Fire Marshall did find that a little unusual so he did some investigating. The current tenant has only been there a few months. The previous tenant was very into holistic and natural living. According to neighbors, she made all her own soaps, shampoos, cleaners, etc. So it makes sense that she could have spilled a lot of over the years."
"Not suspicious by itself," Danny agreed, "but when you consider everything else that's been happening, it's very possible that someone added the lye to an already weak and moldy floor, just pull up a small patch of floor and put it underneath. You have an accident waiting to happen."
"Not terribly efficient, but a great way to avoid suspicion," Steve agreed. "What else have you got, Kono?"
"Old, worn lines allowed gas to leak out of the grill. It formed a cloud at ground level and eventually came in contact with the flame, causing the explosion. It's one of the most common causes of gas grill accidents." Kono hurried to continue before Steve could protest the condition of his grill, "The Fire Marshall looked at the lines first, saw what he expected, and ruled it an accident. Charlie compared the lines to the rest of the grill. He says that their condition and wear don't match. Someone could have switched the lines, again creating the situation for a likely accident."
"So we have a lot of possible scenarios but nothing we can prove yet," Chin concluded.
"Pretty much," Kono agreed, "We also have the fingerprints, and that's the bad news. They don't match any database Charlie as access to."
"Do you think that you might have friends that can check some databases that Charlie can't?" Danny asked Steve.
"I may be able to," Steve said mysteriously, ignoring Danny's eye roll, "Chin, are you getting anything from that card?"
"No, it's got some kind of encryption I can't break." He looked longingly at the pathetic remains of the computer table, "I'll have to take it down to the crime lab and borrow some of their equipment."
Steve surveyed his team. They had all be awake for more than 24 hours and were running on fumes. As much as he wanted to push ahead with this, he knew they all needed rest. Besides, if someone was willing to harm or even kill them to get the memory card, they would all need to be alert.
"We'll follow-up on this tomorrow," Steve could tell they were all surprised, "Chin, in the morning I want you to take the card over to the lab. Danny, Kono, we need a picture that we can show around to the firefighters from all four scenes and a name to go with it. Assuming that our guy is following the statue, he would have arrived in Hawaii very shortly after Kilia and her mother brought it back. Try to find the flight he came in on and what name he was traveling under. If we're lucky, we can get a good picture from airport security. I'll see what I can find out about the fingerprints."
"He knows we're onto him," Kono pointed out, "Do you think he'll disappear?"
"He's followed this thing across several continents and killed at least two people, he won't give up yet," Danny told her.
"Since Danny's still staying at my place, we'll take the card and the cat – he may not realize we've found the card yet – home with us for tonight," Steve decided, "I'll it in the gun cabinet."
The weary members of the Five-0 filed out, looking forward to some much needed rest but even more eager to catch their mysterious stalker.
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As Steve and Danny drove to work the next morning, both men were extra alert, watching for another possible attack.
"At least we know your alarm system is doing its job – when you remember to set it," Danny pointed out.
Steve nodded, "He couldn't break in to steal the cat, so he rigged the grill to explode knowing the fire department would respond. He probably figured that someone, most likely me, would be badly hurt or killed. The house would be left unsecured and he could slip in."
Danny laughed softly, "I've been thinking that this thing," he waved around the Bastet figure, "was bringing us bad luck, but really, out luck has been very, very good."
"Absolutely," Steve agreed, "We avoided the car crash, no one was seriously injured by the grill, and when he knocked out the power the battery back-up kept him from getting in. Even when he rigged the computer table to catch fire, Chin's quick thinking kept the fire from spreading and the firefighters never got to come in."
Something clicked in Danny's brain, "Why did he rig the table to catch fire?"
"To gain access to the room . . ." Steve came to the same conclusion that Danny already had, ". . . that he was already in to rig the table. Why didn't he just take Bastet while he was there?"
"It moved while we were out, maybe he couldn't find it," Danny suggested, "Bastet is a goddess of protection, maybe she's looking out for us."
Steve sighed and let it go – if Danny wanted to believe that the trinket had some kind of magical properties, he wasn't going to debate it anymore. He'd just wait until they caught up with their suspect and get the real reason from him.
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The morning passed quickly. Chin immediately left for the crime lab, eager to find something useful on the microSD. Kono and Danny began the tedious and time consuming task of going through airport security footage. Steve spent his time calling in favors to see if anyone could get a hit on the fingerprints. While he waited, he filled out a requisition for a new computer table.
"Hey McGarrett!" Danny yelled from the large conference room, "Get in here. We've got something."
"You called it, Boss," Kono told him cheerfully, "Our guy was on the first flight that landed after Kilia's." She moved aside so that Steve could see the image frozen on the screen. It was definitely their guy.
"I've got a name," Danny announced, "The plane ticket was sold to Akil Malek."
"Anything else on him? Did you check for credit card activity? Any car rentals under his name?" Steve bounced on the balls of his feet ready for some action.
"We've done this before," Danny reminded him, "It just takes a few minutes. Relax."
Kono was on the phone, with a cab company from the sound of it, while Danny printed off copies of the best image he could capture from the video.
Steve had just finished using his phone to confirm that no one had sent him any info on the prints yet, when he spied a now familiar black shape on the table next to Danny, "Why isn't that locked up in the evidence locker?"
Danny and Kono both glanced down at it. She was still on the phone, so it was Danny who was forced to answer, "Locking her in a safe didn't seem right. The card's with Chin, so what does it matter?"
Before Steve could comment on that, Kono came to the rescue with a distraction, "The camera caught the license plate of the cab Malek took from the airport. Unfortunately, he took it directly to a Western Union, where he received a wire for a large amount of cash."
"If he's gone all cash, he'll be almost impossible to track down," Danny sounded frustrated, "I thought we were getting somewhere here."
"Don't worry. I have a plan," Steve smiled. It was the same smile that appeared right before Steve produced a grenade or a shark tank. Danny shuddered.
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Several hours later, the four members of Five-0 stood in the parking lot next to the Palace. The area was once again full of firemen in bulky uniforms and large vehicles with flashing lights, all gathered around the smoking remains of what had once been a small red car.
"Steve, I'm not doing this anymore!" Danny yelled, "This thing," he waved the Bastet statue at the taller man, "this thing is going to kill us!"
"Danny, that's crazy!" Steve yelled back, "We need to keep looking through our old case files until we find the connection to the guy from yesterday."
"Yes," Danny agreed, "After we get rid of this thing!" He waved the cat some more.
"Please listen to him," Kono was standing next to Danny, facing off against Steve.
Chin stepped up next to the taskforce leader, "Kono, you can't seriously believe what Danny is saying about that piece of ceramics."
"My car just burned up!" Kono shrieked, "Think about everything that's gone wrong since Danny got that thing. It needs to go!"
"Fine!," Steve seized the cat statue from Danny and hurled it into the dumpster at the back of the parking lot, "Now we can get back to work!"
The foursome exchanged hostile glares before stalking back inside. The assorted firefighters, Palace employees, and random bystanders that had gathered to watch the argument scattered before them.
Inside, they headed for the stairway that led to the back entrance to Five-0's office space. As soon as they were alone in the stairwell, the hostility vanished.
"Think he bought it?" Danny asked, "Hell, do you think he was even there?"
"I'm sure he was hidden in that crowd somewhere," Steve replied confidently, "And now he just has to wait for everyone to finish up and leave."
"Probably after dark," Chin guessed, "Let's get into position so that we're ready for them."
Instead of heading upstairs, they went down to the basement and made their way through the building. They came up on another wing of the building and made their way to a small second floor conference room that overlooked the dumpster in the parking lot.
"Are the cameras in our cars working," Steve asked.
Chin checked the laptops set up on the table, "All three on transmitting." Steve's truck, Danny's Camero, and Chin's motorcycle were all strategically placed to provide the best possible coverage of the parking lot. Kono's car was parked several blocks away, which had allowed them to set a controlled fire to a decoy car.
Steve surveyed his taskforce, "Is everyone clear on their assignments?"
"I'm going to stay here and monitor the cameras. Once Malek shows up, I'll cover the parking lot," Kono gestured towards the sniper rifle resting by the window.
"I'll be in the west exit door, waiting for Kono's signal to move," Chin said.
"I'll be in the east door, across from Chin, also waiting to hear from Kono." Danny pointed at Steve, "And you will be in the window above the dumpster, ready to jump down on Malek. You realize that is crazy right? There's no reason you can't be positioned in the building by a door."
Steve refused to get into another debate with his partner about the distance to the dumpster from each of the building's exits. "Let's do a radio check and then we'll all get in position."
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It turned out that Chin was right – Malek waited until just after dark to approach the dumpster.
Kono saw him first, "Everyone be alert – I have a lone male walking across the parking lot towards the target. Confirm visual."
She got three confirmations.
"Wait until he lifts the dumpster lid," Steve instructed. They had to be careful, they had three sides covered but there was no one behind the suspect. Having Kono take him down with a shot was a last resort.
Malek approached the dumpster confidently. He carried a small bag. Anyone watching would have thought he was taking out a bag of trash.
As he lifted the dumpster lid, Steve shouted, "Go!" and leaped from the second floor window. He landed on the dumpster, slamming the lid down on Malek's hands. The man yelled in pain. Metal doors slammed into brick as Danny and Chin raced across the parking lot. For one moment, it seemed as if everything would go perfectly.
Then a gunshot rang out and a bullet penetrated the dumpster next to Steve with a loud metal clang. The former SEAL slid backwards, falling down into the cover behind the dumpster. Chin dove behind a nearby car, scanning the parking lot for the shooter. Danny found shelter behind the hedge that separated the parking lot form the sidewalk.
Malek wavered uncertainly for a moment before turning back to the dumpster, determined to complete his task.
"Kono, do you have eyes on the shooter?" Steve demanded.
"I don't see him," Kono was scanning frantically but couldn't see anyone, "Do you want me take down Malek?"
"Negative, keep looking for the shooter. I'll flush him out," Steve ordered.
"What does that mean?" Danny yelled over the headset, "That had better not mean what I think it does."
Steve came out from around the side of the dumpster and dove at Malek. Another shot rang out, catching him in the vest and throwing him into the dumpster.
"I see the shooter!" Kono yelled. Her shot found its target and the man went down.
Malek lost his nerve and tried to run. Danny took off after him, tackling him easily. Chin raced over the check on Steve.
Kono called HPD for backup and an ambulance. By the time they arrived, she had determined that the second Himaya was dead. Danny had Malek handcuffed and ready for HPD to book. Chin was trying to convince Steve to stay down until the EMT's could look him over. Predictably, Steve was ignoring him.
A short time later, Danny fingered the bullet lodged in Steve's discarded vest, "You're sure you don't need to go to the hospital?"
"Leave it alone, Danny. I'm fine," Steve waved a hand dismissively, "I could tell from the first shot that the bullets weren't high enough caliber to penetrate the vest."
"You are not fine," Danny told him, walking away towards the dumpster.
Chin came up on Steve's other side, "I checked with the lab. They still haven't been able to get anything off the microSD."
Steve pulled out his own phone, frowning as he checked, "No one's gotten back to me about the fingerprints either."
"Danny, what are you doing?" Kono demanded. The other two men turned towards her voice and found Danny halfway in the dumpster.
"What the hell, Danny?" Steve grabbed his partner's waist to keep the smaller man from tumbling in and yanked him out.
"It's not in there," Danny complained.
"There's nothing in there but a few bags of paper shred," Chin told him, "We had the dumpster emptied this morning, just in case one of ended up in it. Don't you remember?"
"Of course I remember that," Danny replied indignantly, "That's why I should be able to find Bastet."
"Oh for the love of –" Steve grabbed one of the portable floodlights that HPD had set up on the parking lot and carried over to the dumpster, "I'll get the damn thing back for you." He shined it in the large metal box. After a few minutes, Steve actually climbed into the dumpster. "It's not in here he finally admitted."
"It has to be," Chin insisted, "We all saw you throw it in there and we've had eyes on the dumpster ever since. No one took it out." He also climbed into the dumpster and failed to locate the small black cat.
Kono patted Danny's shoulder sympathetically, "I'm sorry Danny, but I don't think we're going to find it."
A black SUV pulled into the parking lot and several men in government issue suits got out.
One approached Steve, "Commander McGarrett?"
"Yes," Steve answered warily.
"We're from Homeland Security." He offered Steve his badge and credentials. Steve gave them a cursory glance and handed them back. "We're here to take custody of Malek."
"Why is that?" Steve asked.
"I'm afraid that's classified, Commander. We've also taken the microSD card that you were trying to analyze. It also contains classified information." The other two men were already loading Malek into their SUV. Within minutes they were gone.
"What are you doing?" Danny asked, "You're just going to let them do this?"
"Danny, do you remember all those times I've told you that something was classified? Well sometimes that's the answer I have to live with." Steve shrugged, "I don't have to like it but I have to accept it."
"On the plus side, we don't have to do the paperwork now," Kono pointed out as they headed across the parking lot towards their own office.
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It was a few hours later that Steve pulled into his own driveway. Rachel and Stan were away and had invited Danny to stay at their house with Grace while they were gone, so for the first time in days, Steve was alone.
He was just about to step inside when movement from the corner of the porch caught his eye. A tiny black kitten looked back at him.
"Where did you come from?" Steve asked, bending over to pet the tiny head. The small creature tried to brush past him into the house, "Whoa, you're not doing that. You need to go back where you came from."
Steve went inside, making sure that the kitten didn't get in. He made himself dinner and settled in to watch some TV. Glancing over at the front window, he found two green pin pricks watching him. For a minute, Steve considered getting a bowl of water and maybe some of the sliced turkey he had in the fridge, but he brushed the idea aside. If he fed it, the animal would never leave.
Turning off the TV 2 hours later, Steve stretched and prepared to head off to bed. The kitten was still watching him from the window.
How did such a tiny kitten get onto his porch? Steve wondered. It didn't really seem big enough to be away from its mother. Would it be okay outside all night?
Feeling the inevitability of it, Steve opened the front door and let the kitten walk past him, into the house. He could already imagine what Danny would have to say tomorrow when Steve told him that they had to stop a pet supply store.