Silent Night, Deadly Night

By

AS

The sharp, hurried knock on his closed office door caught McGarrett’s attention but the door opened and his second in command entered before he could issue an invitation. The hasty entrance didn’t perturb the Five0 boss. His second in command knew that even when closed the boss’ office was never technically off limits to him. He glanced up from the file he was reading, immediately noticing the man’s heavy, hurried step and the somewhat exasperated way he flopped into the white chair in front of the desk.

“Problems, Danno?”

“You got any pull with those political latcheys that hang around the governor, Steve?” Williams paused only long enough to lean forward, placing his elbows on his knees and clasping his fingers in undisguised frustration. “Last week, the staff agreed that having too many costumed or made up persons at the party would be a perfect setup for trouble. This week not only are the canceled ones back but now they’ve got native Hawaiian represented as well. There will almost be more of them then of us and that’s WITH the added manpower from HPD!”

“So get them canceled again, Danno.” To McGarrett, the solution seemed so obvious that he had to wonder why Williams was even in his office. Unless of course his friend simply needed to blow off some steam – an occurrence that happened more for himself than the younger man.

“I’ve tried!” Dan’s vehement statement was made a bit loudly as he jumped from his chair to stomp/pace close to the desk. “All the staff does is refer me to some guy by the name of Anthony Saluccie. And all HE’LL say is that having the costumed staff and extras are essential for the ‘goodwill’ that Jameson needs to promote towards ‘the people’.”

“Anthony Saluccie? He’s still around? I thought the Governor only hired him for the re-election.” McGarrett’s musing was low, nearly to himself.

“Don’t know, Steve but it looks as if he’s here to stay. He’s really ingratiating when it comes to the ‘right’ people. Personally I think he sounds all smarmy and oily, Steve. You know – like one of those back room, big city type politicians. The ones you hear about in cities like New York and Chicago.” Williams had stopped his pacing and now eyed his boss, wondering what the next move would be.

Steve rose and moved around his desk to stand next to his detective. He placed a hand on Dan’s shoulder, his brow furling as he easily felt the tension in the younger man’s muscles. He didn’t like it when Williams was as tense and high strung as he was at the moment. The consummate perfectionist in his duties as Five 0’s second in command, Williams tended to be nearly obsessive when the task involved the governor or anyone else he considered to be a friend of his boss. McGarrett sighed, knowing that he had enough on his desk to keep busy until long past quitting time but realizing that this time there was something more important that deserved his concentration besides work.

“Come on, Danno,” he said as he started to move forward, using the hand that still lay on Williams’ shoulder to tug him along.

“Where? To talk to Jameson? Or that Saluccie guy?”

“No, some place more important. Now let’s go.”

Puzzled but knowing better than to argue with his boss at the moment, Williams followed McGarrett down to the Mercury.

***

Sitting across from McGarrett in a restaurant was the last place that Williams expected to end up when they left the Palace. He still wasn’t sure why they were there as he watched McGarrett sip a glass of water, the menus closed in front of them both. He was antsy, barely able to keep his hands still and to refrain from fidgeting. Always on duty, Dan couldn’t stop himself from carefully eyeing the other diners around him. Typical of the boss, the clientele of restaurant was upper scale business types, people who made their home and living on the island and not tourists. Very few paid attention to the two cops although Williams was positive that at least McGarrett had been recognized. The cop could go to very few social settings without attracting attention. It was only one of the reasons they usually ordered take out.

Out of the corner of his eye, Williams saw a man in a casual suit hurrying over towards them. He knew that Steve had noticed him as well when he saw the small shadow of a smile form.

“Steve, how good to see you! It’s been too long my friend!”

“Sal, yes it has. But…”

“I know…duty calls. Yet you still have to eat! And better my food than that garbage you have probably been subjecting your digestive system to!” The man glanced down at the table and noted both of the closed menus. He snatched them up, insisting that he would place food orders for both of the detectives. Promising to return shortly, he hurried off towards the kitchen.

Several minutes passed and then Sal returned with a waiter in tow. He stepped back long enough to watch the waiter place two plates of food down and then moved forward. McGarrett hurriedly introduced Dan before Sal could speak.

“Danno, this is Guiseppe Salvatore Cartoni. Sal to his friends, family and others who prefer to stay on his good side.” McGarrett gave a small hint of a smile. “Sal, Danny Williams – my second-in-command.”

“Mr. Williams, yes, I have heard of you from Steve. Pleasure to finally meet you. Now both of you need to eat!” He moved to turn away but was called back by McGarrett.

“Sal, if you have a minute, there’s something – a favor – we need to ask of you.”

With a slight, almost European bow of his head, the restaurant owner pulled out the third chair at the table and sat down, instinctively knowing that the new topic of conversation was not something that could be discussed in a normal speaking voice. “What is it, Steve?”

“The holiday party at the Governor’s Mansion this year – your staff is doing it again, yes?”

“AGH! Only my wait staff, Steve. That mainlander, the one with the uppity accent and fake, fancy clothes – he’s bringing in some chefs from somewhere to do all of this fancy cooking!”

“I see…Sal, the wait staff – will it be your normal staff?”

“Eh…let me see. What makes me think you want it to be, huh, Steve? Something’s up, I bet. But you probably can’t say so I won’t ask. But yes, it will be my normal staff. I’ll have a skeleton crew here to help of course and then there are those who will only work that night. But I can keep them here at the restaurant if you prefer.”

“I prefer, Sal. Mahalo.”

Sal slipped away to deal with what sounded like a developing crisis in the kitchen as a crash could be heard through the dining room. Williams had kept quiet throughout the exchange as he’d been busy eating. The food was quite good and he’d been hungrier than he realized when they had first left the Palace. Finally he took a moment to eye his boss.

“Why the preference on the wait staff at the party, Steve?”

“I know how Sal screens his applicants and trains his employees, Danno. If the crew that he sends there are his long time servers, that will be one less thing for us to worry about even if they are in some ridiculous costume.”

“But we won’t know if they are or not.”

“Sal will and, if I know him, he’ll be there too. If for nothing else than to make sure that guy neither of you appear to like doesn’t mess around with his staff too much. Now eat, my friend.”

****

From across the room, Danny threw yet another exasperated glance at the man whose heavily accented voice could be heard echoing off the walls. The man’s accent and word pronunciation had been grating on his nerves since he’d arrived at the mansion. And then there was the oily, almost slimy way he put his arm around some of the local women who were helping to set up the tables, chairs and decorations. Disgustingly lecherous. The detective stifled a grin as he thought of the possible consequences of one of the workers having a brother or some other rather large, local to deal with the politician if they spied the way he was acting. It was an occurrence that he couldn’t help but want to be around to see.

Williams sighed as he noticed the maintenance crew setting up decorations that went against the originally approved plan and were in fact over and above what had been outlined originally. He grumbled silently under his breath. Talking to that…that….well, he’d definitely love to leave dealing with the latest diversion from the plan for McGarrett but knew that his being at the Mansion during setup was mostly so that there were no sudden surprises when Steve arrived. Resigned to his fate, Dan moved across the room.

“Mr. Saluccie, we need to talk.”

“What?…who? Who are you again?”

“Danny Williams, Five-0.” The cop gestured back towards the crew he’d been standing near. “Those men over there….None of what they are putting up was approved on the plans presented to us by the governor’s chief of staff.”

“The plans were never set in stone, Mr. Williams.”

“For the security of Governor Jameson, I must insist that you refrain…”

“Yeah, fine…whatever…” Cutting the younger man off with smooth ease, Saluccie paused to leer at a young woman with shoulder length blonde hair as she walked in carrying a hanger with some type of black uniform over her shoulder. He eyed her as she headed off in the general direction of the kitchen.

“Look, young man, you have a job to do. So why don’t you just go do your job and leave what the governor needs for tonight to me, got it?”

Growling under his breath at both the condescending tone and words, Williams watched the man sidle off towards the kitchen. The growl changed to a groan as he realized what the man was out to do. Steve, when he got to the mansion, would definitely not be happy with all that was going on. Danny headed over to where the crew had paused in their work, sneaking an obvious break with the ‘over seer’ temporarily out of the room. Fortunately he knew a couple of the crew by name from his surfer days.

“Hey Manny, how’s it goin’…”

“Danny, whatcha doin’ man? Shaka?”

Williams gave the hand signal in return and had to smother a smirk as Manny indicated his obvious displeasure with Saluccie. Knowing that what he was about to ask was technically undermining the governor’s advisor, Dan pushed the concern aside in favor of the knowledge of maintaining Jameson’s safety.

“Manny, I need a favor…”

****

Closing the file folder, McGarrett placed the object in the tray that Jenny would check in the morning. He sighed as he rose and turned toward the lanai. Christmas was just two days away. The season of peace, love, joy and happiness had morphed into madness due to the hype and commercialism as merchants and big name stores advertised earlier and earlier in their attempt to attract customers in greater numbers both in body count and dollars into the register. He missed the simpler times of his youth. Missed the world he had grown up in when children could run and play freely in their neighborhood without the fear of kidnapping or something worse happening to them. Missed the memories of neighbors talking to and helping each other whenever possible. Sighing again, he silently acknowledged that the world had changed around him.

He thought with near disdain about where he had to go in just short time. This Christmas party that Jameson was throwing this year was so unlike the Governor. The casual open houses he had done in previous years better suit not just the Governor but also the people of the Islands. Yet ever since that mainland politician had entered the picture Jameson had been changing – becoming more polished, almost oily. If it continued too much longer, Steve knew he would soon sit down with the man and let him know exactly what he was doing wrong.

Glancing at his watch, McGarrett realized that he needed to get over to the mansion. Williams had been over there for most of the afternoon, but he’d promised his second in command that he’d be there early enough to assist in warding off any possible last-minute snafus with security issues. Both men figured there would be plenty considering the nearly ridiculous costumes and elaborate decorations that were being used. Quickly he closed up the Five0 offices and hurried down to the mercury.

Arriving at the official residence, McGarrett waved off the HPD officers who had been pressed into service as parking attendants for the evening. Haphazardly parking where he knew he’d be able to easily exit, McGarrett strode from the vehicle towards the front stairs. Approaching the small group of officers who were dressed in their more formal attire, McGarrett recognized that they were all obviously rookies to the force. He paused by one of them and noticed the man flinch and pull himself up just a bit straighter.

“Your name, Officer?”

“Patrick Heau, Mr. McGarrett.”

Steve nodded, not surprised that the rookie knew his name. “Stay sharp tonight. With all of the extra hindrances, we don’t need anything going wrong.”

“Yes, sir.”

Entering the expansive dwelling, Steve sighed at the lack of security near the front door. Although he was positive that his second in command had a plan mapped out in great detail to ensure security at the door, he decided to remind Williams anyway. After all – a gentle reminder between friends wasn’t a bad thing.

****

Circling the grounds, paying special attention to the rear of the property since it would be monitored by the governor’s usual security force, the two cops were distinctly aware of their surroundings as they walked. Yet in addition, the taller man, the head of Five-0, was also cognizant of the tension that seemed to be emanating from the man who moved next to him. Noticing that they were very near to the front entrance, McGarrett headed towards the general direction of the rear entrance.

“Steve, what’s wrong?”

“Let’s go back this way again, Danno.”

The shorter man jogged over, catching up with his boss. “Why? What’s wrong? Did you see something?”

McGarrett shortened his pace and stride, wanting to calm the other man. “Relax, Danno. Don’t think I’ve ever seen you as wound up about a function like this before.”

“You’re telling me to relax? Um, Steve…”

“Yeah, I know.” Striving for a more casual tone, McGarrett dropped a hand across Dan’s shoulders. “Kind of like the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it, Aikane?”

Williams exhaled slowly and Steve lightly squeezed the shoulder under his grasp, feeling the muscles relax infinitesimally. “I don’t know, Steve. It’s just been so different from any other political event we’ve been involved in this time.”

“I know. If this keeps up, someone is going to need to remind the governor where we’re at, I think.”

Danny paused and turned to eye his boss. McGarrett’s expression was nearly blank and without guile – a sure indication that the man was most likely planning something even as he denied it. He swallowed a grin, knowing that Steve would simply deny any and every thing at this point. “Well if you end up saying anything to that adviser just remember that I want to be there for that.”

McGarrett barely shook his head and grinned, tugging at Dan’s shoulder with his hand. “You got it. Now let’s go check out Sal’s wait staff, Danno.”

They entered the residence through the back door that led straight into the large, industrial-sized kitchen. A room that was a busy space in the normal course of the day, for this particular event it was crowded with both the regular staff as well as the snobbish ‘professionals’ brought in by Saluccie. Off to the side mostly clustered together was Sal’s wait staff, grumbling rather loudly about an edict that they found particularly revolting.

“Why are we even here? I mean, usually Sal brings in those people off the street for this gig.”

“Don’t know. Kana just said to be here, remember Sunny.”

“Yeah, but do you know how much money we’re losing tonight?”

“Maybe not a lot. Anyone who’s anyone will be here.”

“Hey Gordon – this reminds me of that wedding we got stuck with last year. Remember how they didn’t have enough of those favors for everyone. And then they wanted to pick up the unused ones afterwards. Plus take home all the extra food from the buffet line.”

“I didn’t have to work that one. You told me about it though.”

“When will people figure out that we know more about what needs to be done at these kind of things than the planners do?”

“Don’t let Patrick or Julia hear you say that. Patrick especially will be crying at his desk for a week.”

“I know. Guess I’ll have to send him some of that special mousse and spray from the mainland to keep him happy.”

“Oh my – these costumes are just pitiful. They are worse than our clothes.”

“This cut doesn’t do anything for me either. Travis, does it make my butt look big?”

“Relax, Adam, you look fine.”

“These gloves are slippery. Watch – I’ll probably drop a tray or something right on some important person.”

“Don’t have to worry about that. Don’t have any reserved tables. You and Travis got them all.”

“Lucky us.”

Overhearing the conversations, Danny was hard pressed to not laugh outright at the group. He knew it wouldn’t just be because of what they were saying but also because of the ridiculous garments they wore. Over their normal uniforms, the girls were dressed in the almost matronly garments that folklore had Mrs. Santa Claus wearing. The guys, on the other hand, seemed to be divided between looking like Santa’s elves or reindeer. At any other time, Danny knew he would have laughed himself silly over the way they looked. However he did not want to upset McGarrett or not appear to take the event seriously.

A dark suited man entered from the other side of the kitchen. It took Williams a few seconds to recognize the restaurant owner. He appeared more formal and not casual and welcoming the way he did the other day when Dan had met him over lunch. He watched as Sal moved to the group and noticed how quickly they quieted. He spoke softly to them – not whispering but yet not loud enough so that Dan could hear what was said. He couldn’t miss the near theatrical roll of the man’s eyes though as he saw him glance over towards the chefs who were busy making an extreme amount of noise as they talked loudly over their banging of pots and pans. Williams glanced over at McGarrett – the expression on Steve’s face clearly telling Dan that he had seen the eye roll as well.

The two officers watched as the restaurant owner again commented briefly to his people and then replied to a question one asked as to whether or not a certain person was present.

“No, folks, hate to break it to you. Kana is running the restaurant tonight so you are stuck with me.”

There was the normal amount of mostly good-natured groans and moans before a voice could be heard. “Hey, Boss, you got the easier gig then Kana. We knows what we be doin’.”

“True, hope those walk-offs that are there don’t chase off our regulars though. Those people usually only do banquets. They’re not gonna have a clue how to do tables.”

Sal allowed them a few more comments before he quieted them down. Looking up as he was listening, he had seen McGarrett and Williams near the center of the kitchen and had quickly waved them over. When the officers were close enough to where they could hear him, he lowly asked the Five0 boss if there was anything his crew needed to know.

“Not really, Sal. Unless you want them to know who we are or that Officer Williams is in charge of security.”

“Too bad he wasn’t in charge of planning this whole embarrassment, Steve.”

He turned then and Steve noticed the instant change in the man’s persona – from conspiratorial friend to man in charge.

“Ok, people, listen up for a minute. You guys probably know at least the names of these two, right?” He paused as he heard the affirmative grumbles. “Settle down. It’s obvious you know who they are and what they do. Now – this is important so make sure you are listening and you don’t just hear me right now. There are a lot of very important people here tonight and not just the governor. Should you notice anything odd or out of place, find one of these two and let them know immediately. Got it, people?”

There was a low grumble of affirmation before both McGarrett and Williams turned and left the kitchen.

“Ten minutes, folks. Then I want you out on the floor.”

****

Once again summarily stuck close to Jameson, McGarrett carefully eyed the assembled guests, wait staff and security. Eyes meeting Sal’s, he resisted the urge to copy the roll of the eyes he’d seen the restaurant owner do earlier in the kitchen as both men now watched the wait staff as they moved between the tables in the awkward costumes. At least the guests all seemed to be enjoying themselves as they feasted on the food that had been so elaborately prepared by the mainland chefs and made many trips to the numerous bars placed throughout the lower level. Few if anyone paid attention to the music that was being piped in to the speakers strategically stacked in various corners of the room.

Steve’s gaze caught that of his second in command. Cognizant of the security measures and activity going on around him, Danny nonetheless took a few moments to drop his professional guard and let his eyes travel to the hidden speakers before pointedly rolling them at his boss. The music had been a steady stream of seasonal favorites. While not inappropriate, Williams wondered why the songs were all the traditional tunes from the mainland rather than a mixture of the wintery carols along with several timely, holiday island favorites that had been sung for many years. McGarrett bit the inside of his cheek to stifle a grin of his own, knowing that the governor would not understand or appreciate it. Softly the music wound down as ‘Let It Snow’ finished playing. The dark-haired detective paused for a moment to think about the like actions/reactions by his two very different friends.

Sal, he knew, was really more of a social acquaintance then a friend. Steve enjoyed talking to the man when they ran into each other at various social functions and McGarrett was an infrequent visitor to the restaurant. Williams was more than just a co-worker. He was McGarrett’s closest friend. Had been for several years and Steve had no trouble believing that he always would be.

He thought it was ironic that two such different men had chosen the same facial _expression to convey different thoughts. Sal had rolled his eyes in commiseration with the opinions of his employees regarding the outlandish costumes as well as to make a point at how annoying he found the chefs in the kitchen. It had not bothered the restaurateur that not only was the look seen by his staff, but also by the two detectives and likely anyone else that had been in the vicinity. Williams had done it more as an expression over how out of place he found many details in the holiday gathering. A private look shared only with McGarrett.

The music began again – another bouncy, holiday number whose lyrics would definitely fit better on the mainland, especially the East Coast. ‘It’s a marshmallow world in the winter. When the snow comes to cover the ground.’

Turning his head, Steve caught Dan’s attention and silently raised his coffee cup, a small shadow of a smile on his face. The silent toast acknowledged as his colleague lifted the glass of water he’d held for most of the evening. The distant yet close call of his name registered in his mind and McGarrett turned away as the governor claimed his attention and Williams drifted off to stand unobtrusively behind the large ice sculpture.

McGarrett was glad he had the coffee cup to hide his smirk behind as he thought back to the discussion he’d had with Williams when they had first entered the room from the kitchen. The ice sculpture that his second-in-command now stood close by had been the subject of an unusual burst of smart remarks and laughter from his friend. Looking at it now – after it had been subjected to several hours of the standard Hawaiian December temperatures, he had to admit that it was probably inappropriate considering their tropical surroundings. However having been raised in the frigid cold winters of the East coast, McGarrett thought he might be able to understand the whimsy that had prompted the political consultant to request an ice sculpture of Santa Claus in his sleigh with his reindeer on top of a snow covered roof. Even after years of living in paradise, he occasionally still found himself missing the Christmases of his youth. And a green Christmas just couldn’t compare to the magic of the white Christmas of his memories. He was positive that Saluccie, spending his first holiday on the islands, was probably feeling the same.

Mostly listening to Jameson and Attorney General Walter Stuart as they discussed (what he felt to be) inane issues that they saw as vital to the political health of the islands, McGarrett noticed that, with the band getting ready to start the night’s festivities, much of the help appeared to be leaving the room. One of the bars near the dance floor had closed and was being rolled out of the room and the wait staff was moving towards the kitchen, trays on their shoulders. Sal also was up and moving but in the opposite direction. He was headed for an employee who appeared to not have gotten the hidden signal to leave the room. On the other side, Steve noticed that Saluccie was moving towards a pile of covered speakers. Violins started to play, then the voice of Dean Martin filled the room. ‘Silent Night, Holy Night. All is calm…’

Without warning, there was a shout from the other side of the room. Hysteria broke out with the loud cries of several revelers as several loud firecrackers blew off in the room. Instantly tense and on alert, it only took McGarrett’s brain seconds to realize that the fireworks were really gunshots.

“Down! Everybody down!” he yelled as he nearly leaped at both men in an effort to force them to the ground.

The screams grew louder around him as sheltered the governor from harm. He heard and felt people as they ran, desperate to escape the insanity and violence. He heard more than one gun and knew that either Jameson’s personal security detachment or HPD officers were now in the room hopefully working to subdue the shooter. Time seemed to crawl. He despised the inactivity and lack of involvement he was currently forced to endure but knew it was necessary to keep the governor safe. Suddenly there was a loud bang and thud, like doors closing. For several seconds, there was quiet except for the now scratchy sound of the speakers.

“For those of you unfortunates who are still in here, you are now trapped. Know that the windows and doors have been wired with explosives. Set to blow the moment they are opened.”

McGarrett, Jameson and Stuart all turned at the words as they slowly tried to rise to their feet. The Five0 cop visually searched the room, looking for the owner of the voice.

“YOU, Cop! Don’t move or I’ll blow the Governor to bits!”

There was a loud clang and McGarrett was finally able to locate the voice. He stared, shocked, at the uniformed man atop the speakers about to enter the large heating duct. After a moment’s thought, McGarrett recognized the man as one of the bartenders that had been brought in for the evening by Saluccie. The man’s eyes were fixated on him, the gun steady in his hand as it was pointed at Jameson. McGarrett knew he was helpless to act and the ire that knowledge raised cause his temper to burn. The one thought that kept him from acting despite the warning was that he was certain that his second in command was at the moment either in the room with him and moving to somehow intercept the madman. Or had managed to escape and was outside the residence coordinating both the madman’s capture and freedom for the people still in the room with him.

“What do you want? Why are you doing this?” The attorney general pointedly stared at the man.

“What I want….Nothing you can give me, old man.”

“Then what’s your purpose?” Jameson questioned.

“Ahhh, Governor. I’ve heard you are quite the feisty fellow. But then you’d have to be to be able to deal with those two over there.” The man eyed both Stuart and McGarrett. “I think I like you, Sir. Now as far as your question…” He paused and hoisted himself into the vent, disappearing completely before momentarily sticking his head back through the opening. “I do it because I can!”

Stillness existed for a several minutes after the head disappeared. McGarrett took a quick look around, guessing that most of the people in the room had managed to escape, wondering if the nut had been truthful and that they were now locked in the room by explosives. If so, how had he managed to do so without being noticed? A quick, rough head count told McGarrett that there were probably no more than a dozen in the room. Just enough so that disaster could strike if someone panicked. He began to move towards the double doors. Danno…he needed to make contact with his second-in-command. Not having seen him in the room, Steve was relieved, knowing that Williams was safe and working to resolve the crisis. The logical part of his mind needed verbal contact with his officer, needed to be involved on even the most superficial level in the planning that was undoubted happening on the other side of the doors.

McGarrett moved away from the governor to check out the rest of the room. On the opposite side of the room, he found Sal. The man was unconscious, lying on his face but McGarrett was unable to tell if he had been shot or what had happened to him. He was by himself and the cop wondered what had happened to the waitress he had been speaking with right before the hysteria began. He opted not to move the restaurant owner just in case he had been seriously injured, satisfied instead that there was a steady and strong pulse beneath his fingertips. Once he knew who was hurt and how and exactly who was still inside the room, then he would look for someone to either sit with Sal or a way to move him.

Moving towards the doors, he noticed that both the governor and attorney general were speaking to several people. Just behind the governor was the ice sculpture that Williams had found so amusing when they had first entered the room. Having melted steadily for most of the evening, it now had several pieces missing from it – no doubt it had been a casualty of the spastic gunfire.

“Oh no, he’s going to the door!”

“Didn’t he hear that man? The door, we’ll die!”

McGarrett didn’t bother to take the time to answer but heard both Jameson and Stuart placate the two frightened women. Standing a few inches from the doors, he carefully examined them and the frame but did not notice any wiring.

“Is anybody out there?” He called, half expecting to hear Dan’s voice answer him. Distantly, as if the reply came from outside the residence, McGarrett heard indistinct voices remarking on activity in the room. Raising his voice, he requested that someone needed to find Danny Williams and get him to the door quickly.

While the cop rather impatiently waited for his request to be fulfilled, Walter Stuart walked around a collapsed pile of speakers, coming to a sudden stop as he stared down at what he’d found.

“STEVE!”

McGarrett whirled in the direction of the voice. “What, Walter?”

He watched as the Attorney General glanced in the direction of the Governor before looking back up at McGarrett. Stuart glanced down again before looking up at the cop.

“He’s dead!”

McGarrett couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the man look quite as green as he did at the moment. However his own tension over the situation not to mention the lack of response from the men outside the door was starting to fray at his nerves. “Who?”

“Saluccie’s dead, Steve.”

Both men inadvertently glanced towards Jameson. While neither of them had been extremely fond of the consultant, both knew that the governor had considered him an asset during the previous campaign. Neither man wanted to tell the politician of the death. McGarrett watched as Stuart moved over to a table that was reasonably cleared of dishes and glasses. He moved the centerpiece and then took off the tablecloth, using it to cover the man’s body. As the cop turned back towards the door, the lawyer turned towards Jameson, watching as the man moved around the table that held the ice sculpture and quickly dropped to his knees. McGarrett resumed his position by the door.

“What’s taking so long?” He growled under his breath.

Across the room, the governor knelt down, fear of what he was going to find growing inside of him. Although the body on the ground was lying face down, the identity was easy to determine. The tight, curly hair was an easy give-away. He stared down at the still form of McGarrett’s second-in-command, eyes fixated on the light spatter of blood that dotted the visible corner of Williams’ forehead.

“Steve…” The name came out softer than Jameson had intended and he knew it would not carry over near the door. He eyed the body on the floor. Outside of the blood near the forehead, he couldn’t tell if there was anything wrong with the younger man. But if there wasn’t, then why wasn’t he conscious. Either way Jameson knew that as tense as the situation was at the moment, it was going to get worse as soon as he got McGarrett’s attention. He thought about turning over the body but decided that he did not want to take the risk of further injuring the officer. He needed to get McGarrett’s attention.

“Find Danny Williams, Officer. Like I asked earlier.”

“We’ve tried…”

“Who am I speaking with? Who are you?”

“This is Patrick Heau, Mr. McGarrett.”

Steve paused for a second to recall the image of the younger officer he had met outside at the start of the festivities earlier in the evening. A rookie? What was Danno thinking to have a rookie act as a messenger? His officer would know how vitally McGarrett would want to stay as involved in the operation as possible. He couldn’t understand why his second-in-command had made such a decision.

“Look, Officer Heau, I understand that it’s probably chaotic out there. However I need to talk with Danny Williams.”

“With all due respect, Sir, he’s not out here!” The young man on the other side of the door was amazed that his voice wasn’t quavering in fear. Not only was he speaking with the head of Five0 but he was also the one delivering undoubtedly unwelcome news to the one and only Steve McGarrett – a man not known for understanding and patience when certain things did not go the way he thought best or at least that had been what he’d heard around the department.

“What do you mean he’s not out there?” McGarrett’s ire was rising. He’d already looked around and Danno was not in the room with him. That meant that his officer had managed to escape. Yet now this…rookie was saying that he couldn’t find him. “Officer Heau…”

“STEVE!!”

Jameson’s voice carried from across the room.

McGarrett paused briefly and he turned his head just enough to deflect his voice away from the door. “Sir, I understand that you want to know what’s going on but I need you to wait a few minutes.”

He’d barely turned back towards the door when Jameson’s voice carried across the room again.

“No, Steve. You need to come over here now.”

Although not yelling or even raising his voice much louder than when he normally got angry with McGarrett in his office, there was something about the tone and inflection of the governor’s words that made Steve lose not only his train of thought but also the ability to voice it. He half turned away from the door but did not completely face Jameson or move his way.

“Now, Steve.”

Unaware that he was even moving, McGarrett soon found himself standing by the table next to Jameson. He looked down and immediately understood the dread he had felt since he’d heard Jameson’s demand a few seconds ago. It was a dread that was born when Danny wasn’t immediately on the other side of the door talking to him. It had grown as the seconds turned to minutes and his initial request wasn’t met; then it choked him as he’d heard the rookie officer tell him that Williams hadn’t been out there. But he had not allowed it to take control, had not even named it and had denied its existence. But he could deny it no longer as he stared down at Dan’s body lying next to the governor.

“He’s alive, Steve.”

The three words were the catalyst that McGarrett needed to react and he quickly moved to Dan’s other side, lowering himself to one knee next to the too still form. His eyes appraised the body and he unconsciously sighed with relief as he didn’t find any obvious injuries. He’d noticed the small amount of blood on Dan’s forehead but it did not seem that serious to McGarrett.

“Has he been conscious at all, Governor?”

“No, Steve, and I haven’t touched or moved him. This is exactly how he was when I came over.”

Leaning closer, McGarrett ran his hand on Dan’s back. “Danno,” he whispered. He ran his hand over Dan’s shoulders and paused as he thought he felt a small tremor in them.

“Danno, it’s time to wake up, my friend.” He called again, this time letting his voice be louder than a whisper.

McGarrett felt the body shudder under his palm and he instinctively ran his hand across Dan’s shoulders in a soothng motion. “Easy, Danno. You’re ok.”

Jameson tried not to watch the interaction between the two officers, somehow feeling as if he was intruding on something personal. Lowering his eyes, he noticed that Williams’ eyelids appeared to be fluttering as if they were trying to open.

“Steve,” he whispered. “I think he’s trying to wake up.”

Both men noticed Dan’s head slightly raise and then fall back down to rest on the floor.

“Danno, are you with us?”

“St…”

Dan’s head curled downward a little, his forehead touching the floor and Steve’s hand automatically resumed its soothing motion over Williams’ back.

A few minutes later, Dan’s voice was heard again – this time a bit louder. “Sss..teve, itt..t’s cold…”

McGarrett felt Dan’s body shiver more violently this time under his hand. He paused, not making the response that he’d originally thought to say. His heart beat faster almost in warning. Reaching up with his hand, he let his fingers grip Dan’s shoulder.

“We’re going to turn you over, Aikane.”

“Do you really think we should move him, Steve?”

Instead of replying McGarrett reached out, grasping Dan’s shoulder and arm in his hands as he slowly began to move him. He paused at what sounded like a painful moan from Williams but then continued to turn him. Leaning lower, he positioned his arms so that he supported most of Dan’s weight as his eyes studied his friend’s face.

His eyes studied the blood in the corner of the forehead, not sure of its origin. Perhaps Dan had hit his head when he went down. There was a small cut or crease there but he was unable to determine whether or not it was a cut or a bullet wound. He held his friend’s shoulders firmly in his arm. Suddenly he heard a shocked gasp from Jameson and glanced up to see what the man had seen. Following the line of sight, McGarrett’s eyes landed on Dan’s suit jacket and he spotted edge of blood that appeared to decorate Dan’s dress shirt. Reaching out he pushed the jacket aside and his own body jerked as he struggled with what he saw.

McGarrett’s eyes moved quickly back and forth, alternating between Dan’s face and his blood-soaked shirt. His face essentially devoid of expression, his insides were jumbled and his emotions scrambled. Unable to predict if he was about to explode in a fiery eruption or simply and completely shut down. Around the center of the stain, what looked to be a large chunk of glass had sliced through the shirt clearly protruding from Dan’s upper chest. But where had glass as big as that come from?

Jameson glanced at both men before his eyes fixated on the shirt. He stared at the object, trying to comprehend what had happened. Suddenly he glanced up and over at the table before looking back at the injured man. He repeated the movement several times, not able to consider the possibility but slowly realizing that it was the only option.

“Steve, is that ice in his chest?”

McGarrett swallowed as he tried to process the idea that Jameson had just spoken to him. He seemed unable to function beyond staring at his second-in-command’s shirt.

“Steve!” Jameson reached out and touched McGarrett’s arm. Not something he’d normally even consider doing but the governor felt like there needed to be something to jolt McGarrett since he seemed to be frozen in place.

Startled, McGarrett’s head jerked and then he glanced at Jameson before once again fixating his gaze on Williams. “It couldn’t be ice,” he whispered.

Slowly his hand moved until it touched the object. Fingertips barely grazing it, Steve couldn’t believe the wetness that he felt. His lips parted, closed, and then parted again – the only outward sign of his struggle to understand what had happened. Finally he raised his eyes and actually looked at the governor. “It is ice,” he confirmed.

McGarrett felt his friend’s body shiver in his hold and instinctively tightened his grip.

“uh…”

Hearing the sound, Steve glanced down, noting immediately that Dan’s eyes had opened a little but not sure how lucid he was. He felt the arm move that was pressed against his chest.

“don…don…”

“What, Danno?” McGarrett stared at the younger man, trying to figure out what he was attempting to say.

“Not…not out…tee…”

McGarrett did not have any understanding of what Williams was trying so hard to tell him. Yet there was no way he could admit that to him. It hurt too much just watching him try to talk. He felt the barest of brushes against his jacket material and glanced down to see Dan’s fingers trying to pull at his arm. He looked back at his friend’s face, still not comprehending the message.

“Steve, I think he’s talking about the ice.”

McGarrett’s eyes flew to the governor’s face. “What? It doesn’t make any sense.” His own frustration growing over his failure to understand.

“He doesn’t want you to pull the ice out, Steve. I’m sure that’s what he thinks you’re going to do.”

McGarrett’s gaze returned to Dan’s face. “Is that it, Aikane?”

He watched as Dan slowly blinked and his lips opened, but this time no sound came from him. He tightened his grip on Dan’s shoulders again as he moved his other hand to rest on Dan’s stained shirt near his heart. His own chest hurt as he quietly promised Williams that he had no intention of taking out the ice even though that was the one thing he wanted to do the most. He despised seeing the object sticking out of his friend’s body, knowing it was the cause of all of the pain Williams was in. Yet on a subconscious level he had also realized that it was the presence of the ice that had slowed the wound’s bleeding to non-existence. His mind fought to process the idea that something good was happening within the wound.

Jameson heard a rustle of material behind him and turning slightly, he saw that Walter Stuart stood nearby, a large white tablecloth in his hands.

“Steve, here – we can use this to cover him - keep him warm.”

The two politicians draped the material over Dan’s body then the governor rose, taking a step back away from the scene. He glanced over at the other man. Neither one of them could ever remember seeing McGarrett react the way he was and both had an extensive history of dealing with the Irish cop and, what they thought was, all of his moods.

“Danno, look at me.” Steve’s voice was soft. He didn’t want the others to hear what he said – not even Jameson and Stuart. He waited until he thought he saw Dan’s blue eyes open. “You’ve got to hang in there. You got that.”

Williams slowly blinked, a slight smile crossing his lips. “Got…it.”

Steve wanted to scream ecstatically. Williams had spoken clearly; he could understand him. Certainly that meant he was going to be ok. He heard a voice call his name from what sounded like the other side of the room.

“Steve! Steve, it’s Chin. Is everything alright in there?”

“No, Chin, get us out of here – NOW!”

As he answered the Oriental detective, McGarrett moved accidentally jostling Williams.

“uhhhh…”

Immediately realizing what he had done, McGarrett focused back on the body he was holding. “God, Danno, I’m sorry.” His voice low so that no one else would hear him.

“We’re trying, Steve, but…”

McGarrett stopped listening to what Kelly was saying as he felt Dan move in his hold again. He stared at his friend and was a bit unnerved to find Williams’ eyes clearly studying him.

“G…G…Go, Ssttteve.”

“What? Go? Go where?” His second-in-command had to be getting delirious if he thought that McGarrett was going to leave him. “I’m not going anywhere, Danno.” He affirmed.

“You…you have to. Onnnly one…who…can.” Danny’s eyes closed as he took a breath. Keeping them closed, he whispered. “Go – find a way…get us…out, St…eve.”

Williams opened his eyes and stared at McGarrett. “Doesn’t…hurt…Steve. Feeeelllls….numb.”

Before McGarrett could answer, Dan’s eyes slid closed as he succumbed to the shock of the injury. Steve continued to hold on to him for a brief time, his brain arguing with his heart. He knew duty would win out no matter how much he wanted to stay where he was and support Williams. The job always seemed to come first for him. Slowly he lowered Dan’s now unconscious form to the floor, arranging the material that covered him. Then he took off his own suit jacket and balled it up, slipping it underneath the curly head. The actions felt woefully inadequate but he knew it was the best he could do at the moment.

“I’ll get you out of here, Danno. Just don’t do anything dumb.” He whispered and then he rose.

Noticing that both Stuart and Jameson had stayed close, he knew they had overheard most of what had happened. He was grateful that neither chose to comment on his behavior since he did not feel like he needed to justify himself to either of them at the moment.

“One of you needs to stay with him. I don’t want him alone and I want to know if anything changes.”

Without waiting for a reply, McGarrett headed towards the door and a chance to speak with his Oriental detective. Still not sure of what they were dealing with, McGarrett kept what he hoped was a safe distance from the wood. No sense in getting too close and risk blowing them all to infinity.

“What’ve you got, Chin?”

“Not much, Steve. We know that our bomber-wannabe escaped and we should have a name for him soon. Just waiting on the info from HPD. The bomb squad is on its way – should be here in about twenty minutes I think. So just try to keep everyone in there calm for now and we should be able to get everyone out in a while.”

McGarrett carefully inhaled as he worked to hold his nearly infamous temper in place.

“Chin, ‘in a while’ won’t work. Danno’s been hurt. We need out quick.”

“How bad, Steve?”

“I’m not sure if it’s worse than it looks or it just looks bad at this point. At least he’s not bleeding anymore but it looks like he lost a lot of blood.”

“Auwe…ok, I’ll see what we can do out here and try to speed up the bomb squad. Anyone else injured in there besides Danny?”

“One that I know of but I’ll see what we’ve got, Chin. Keep me posted.”

“Right, Steve.”

****

Turning away from the door, McGarrett fought with his need to return to his second-in-command’s side. He glanced in the direction and even took a couple of steps before his gaze met the attorney general’s. Stuart glanced down at the ground before looking back up and shaking his head, mouthing the words ‘no change’. Reluctantly Steve moved off in the opposite direction to check on three couples who had gotten trapped in the room with them.

As he approached he heard two of the women talking, not understanding why they were trapped in the room with the political bigwigs of their state. The men were being highly conciliatory and comforting – McGarrett personally thought they were probably over doing it but then the last thing he wanted were panic-stricken people in the room. Although knowing that the tension was high, he still wanted it as calm as possible. His rationale was that the calmer it was the quieter Williams would stay and the less likely he would probably be to be further injured. Also McGarrett simply found it easier to think and he desperately wanted to figure out a way out of the room.

Somewhat assured that none of the six people were injured but also knowing that they would be of no assistance in figuring a way out, McGarrett started back towards where Dan was when he heard a low moan for the other side of the room. He recognized the moan as coming from the general direction where he had first discovered Sal. In the shock of Dan’s injury, he had forgotten about the restaurant owner.

Hesitating a moment, McGarrett’s desperate urge to check on his friend almost over rode his duty to check on the other injured man. With a quick glance to reassure himself that both the Governor and Attorney General were still attending Dan, Steve sighed and turned back, heading towards where Sal lie.

Sal groaned softly, white-hot pain lancing through his head as the sounds and movements around him slowly began to filter through the darkness that had held him. Reaching up with one hand, he carefully felt the painful lump on the side of his head as he tried to remember how he had come to be on a cold tiled floor. His eyes opened wide in shock and surprise as he slowly lowered his hand and stared at the red sticky substance that coated his fingers. Blood, his blood.

“Easy, Sal, easy!” McGarrett kneeled down and gently placed his hand on the man’s back, visually scanning the small bullet crease now evident along the side of Sal’s head now evident as the older man slowly raised himself up.

“Ste…Steve?”

“Yeah, it’s me, Sal.” McGarrett answered softly as he helped the older man sit up, quickly reaching into the restaurant owner’s pocket and removing his handkerchief before pressing it firmly on the bleeding wound. “It’s just a graze, my friend. Probably caused you a slight concussion but you’re going to be fine!”

Blinking in an attempt to clear his vision and to stop the room from spinning wildly around him, Sal swallowed hard as his stomach protested the movement of sitting upright before he managed to lift his head up enough to focus on McGarrett’s face. “What happen, Steve?” He whispered as he slowly began to look around at the frightened people huddled in small groups.

“The party was interrupted by some uninvited guest. Gunmen opened fire, most of the guest managed to escape before they closed and supposedly wired the doors with what they claim to be explosives.” Steve softly explained. “My men are outside now trying to find a way to get us free.”

Sal’s eyes opened wide as he listened to the explanation, a small part of him finding it hard to believe. “Were any of my staff involved, Steve?” he asked, “I swear I would never have allowed any staff member I didn’t know and trust with my life to such an important party.”

Steve gently patted Cartoni’s shoulder, “I know Sal. At the moment, I’m not sure who is involved but I DO trust your sense of judgment.” Steve reassured him before quietly asking. “What do you remember?”

“Not much I’m afraid.” Sal shook his head and than grabbed it, immediately regretting the movement as a wave of nauseating dizziness almost toppled hi. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes tight before slowly answering. “I remember watching my people serving the guests, everything seemed to be going well, even with that idiot, Saluccie, trying to countermand my directions and the procedures that my people routinely follow.” Sal stopped speaking as he slowly glanced around at the faces around him. “Guess he managed to get out!”

‘He was shot and killed.” Steve told him softly.

“Oh Lord, I never liked the man but I never would wish that on anybody!” Sal breathed softly before looking back at McGarrett. “Anyone else hurt?”

Nodding slowly, Steve’s eyes wandered back in the direction where he knew his closest friend lie. “Danny has a chest wound.” He said quietly, his chest tightening at the sound of his own words.

“I’m so sorry Steve.” The sympathy was instant. Cartoni was one of the few outside of Steve’s law enforcement circle who knew of the bond McGarrett felt with his youngest officer. “Is there anything I can do to help?” San asked.

Steve began to shake his head no as the sounds of the weeping women caught his attention. He knew he had to reassure them in an attempt to stop any panic before it started. He also knew he needed to check the doors to the kitchen for wires. Torn between the two duties, his mind was made up for him as one of the women started to head towards a window, threatening to open it to escape.