Blood Brothers
By Peg Keeley
Part 10
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Junior inserted the last bullet, then spun the cylinder of the Ruger .357. Just as he snapped the safety into place, Victor appeared in the doorway of the hotel suite."You should let this go, be glad you can still get out of here," Victor advised.
Junior eyed the older bodyguard coldly. "Don't start with me, Victor."
"I've got you on a flight in four hours, got the phony ID, got the works, Junior. I promised your Uncle I'd make sure you got out."
"You promised -- just what kind of sniveling child do you take me for?" He demanded. "I came here to show them all who is the best and I intend to do just that. If I don't take out that witness, I won't be able to show my face anywhere, stateside or here. And I sure don't want to be hiding out in this stinking hellhole forever."
Victor did not think that the penthouse suite in the Sheraton was exactly a hellhole and considered telling Junior, but instead replied, "McGarrett will be waiting for you. If you've got to do her, at least hire a hit man."
"A hit man? You know a good hit man in Honolulu? Luccio is dead, Victor -- he was the hit man. Some hit man, couldn't even take out a stupid kid." Junior stuck the weapon in his belt, walked over to the mirror and ran a hand over his dark hair. "I'm not running scared, Victor. When I leave, it'll be in style." He turned and walked towards the door. "I've got the time, the place, everything I need. See ya later, Victor." He left.
Victor gave a quiet smile and helped himself to the scotch on the divan. I doubt it. You'll leave in style all right, Junior, in a lovely black hearse. Luccio's error was in having loyalty to this little snobbish prick. Money is the best motivator I know and I know a good deal when I see one. That Chink judge's kid was the one for the job and they needed you out of the way, Junior. You never were much good for anything anyway. Too predictable. I feed you a few little details and off you go. Too much like your late father.
He turned and pulled his suitcase up onto the bed and began to toss in his clothing. If Junior managed to survive this little plan, he would never escape the Island alive. It was time to be going. Unlike Junior's flight in three hours, Victor's left in just ninety minutes.
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McGarrett stood outside the garage bay
doors of HPD and watched as the first of three identical dark green
suburbans passed through and out to the street, it turned left. The
second appeared and did the same thing. The third copied the exact action.
Three minutes later, three more vans exited, turning right as they left.
Three minutes after than, three more pulled out. The second of the last
three stopped and McGarrett got into the passenger's seat. Even before
he closed the door, it was moving and this trio proceeded straight ahead.
Steve glanced back at his team. Kono was behind the wheel, Richard in
the back seat and the blonde policewoman beside Richard snugged up her
bulletproof vest under her shirt.
In minutes, each of the three groups split again so that all nine vans
were traveling different routes towards different potential routes out
of Oahu. Steve checked the shotgun attached to the brace on the dashboard.
"Stay alert. Junior is going to see through the shell game and
come right for us."
"What if he already knows Anna is off the Island?" Richard
asked.
"He doesn't," Steve replied confidently.
The van turned off the highway and headed up towards the small heli-pad
beyond Diamond Head. It was remote, not used often, making it a perfect
place to take Junior. There would be no bystanders. The chain link fence
had already been opened and an armored police guard stood by the road
and saluted at they passed.
The chopper sat out on the pad, rotor turning, engine whining.
Steve glanced at his decoy. "Ready?" He hated placing anyone,
especially a female officer in harm's way.
She issued and courageous smile. "Let's go."
Richard opened the door and hopped out, rifle in hand, then reached
back for the pseudo-Anna.
She stepped onto the tarmac, glancing quickly around. By this time,
Kono, holding the shotgun, and Steve, his handgun in view, were both
out as well, and looking around. Hearing above the din of the helicopter
was impossible.
Steve motioned them towards the craft as he turned back. Just as he
did, he caught the slight puff of smoke from the shrubbery near-bye.
The woman officer gave a yelp and stumbled. All of the others spun their
weapons wildly around, but Steve had a bearing on the exact spot and
took one shot.
The chopper pilot killed the engine that came to a whining silence.
A second shot from the bushes whizzed past Kono as he and Richard dove
towards the ground and the fallen officer whose vest had absorbed the
bullet.
Steve fired three more shots in quick succession into the bush. "Caputo!
Throw out the gun!"
There was no motion in the bush.
"Do it, Junior!"
Still nothing. Kono crept forward to cover him as Steve ventured a step
or two closer, nerves tensed, eyes watching for the slightest movement
that might indicate Junior was about to fire. At last Steve was close
enough to the foliage, but by this time was fairly sure there would
be no more firing. He pulled back the leaves to reveal the body of Junior,
sprawled lifelessly where he had fallen from Steve's second bullet.
Steve sighed and crouched next to the young man's body. The color was
still draining slowly out of his skin as the blood sank into the soil.
The dark eyes had gone dim and Junior Caputo looked very young indeed.
Steve could not help the pangs of remorse that someone so young had
paid so great a price. No long court battles or extradition for this
one. You cheated us, Junior, we never got to make you feel the pain
you forced on others, but least you did not cheat the system. Let God
be your judge now.
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Danny and Lonnie had returned to the hospital. They kept glancing at
each other, wondering what would happen next, neither certain of his
words.
"You mad at me?" Lonnie finally asked as they got into the
elevator.
"Mad? No," Danny assured him. "I don't know how we were
got so messed up. You are always first with me, Lonnie, you know that,
right?"
He scowled slightly. "Well, I know you're trying to do it that
way. If I said it was okay not to be first if you went back to Five-0
would that mean you and Uncle Steve could go back to the good old days?
It was fun back then."
"Lonnie, you don't remember those old days. Uncle Steve has people
working for him that will do just fine. I made the university a promise
to teach this year. I can let all those students down, right?"
"Do you miss working at Five-0?"
"You know I do, but being there isn't right for us. Right now we
need to do what we can to get Audrey better," he answered hoping
to sidestep the conversation.
The elevator doors squeaked open and they stepped out into the corridor.
They walked down to the nurse's station and were waved towards Audrey's
room. As they entered, Carrie looked up from where she sat by Audrey's
bed reading a Nancy Drew book aloud.
"Hi," Carrie said with a self-conscious smile.
"Hi," Danny replied a little surprised.
Lonnie crossed his arms.
Carrie closed the book. "I - um - used to love Nancy Drew stories,
so I thought, you know, they might help Audrey." She shrugged and
rose from the chair.
"Nancy Drew?" Danny asked, looking at the book.
Lonnie walked over and turned on the TV and began flipping through the
channels.
Danny could instantly tell by the body language the boy was not happy.
"Um, Carrie, let's step out into the hallway."
She followed him out. "Look, I hope I didn't do something wrong-"
He raised a hand. "Carrie, please, look, it's okay, right. It's
just that -- well, Lonnie has been through a lot. We need to get ourselves
put back together. I think we need a little bit of time." I wish
I could just tell her how much l enjoy being with her, seeing her, but
that would be unfair to her. I saw the look on Lonnie's face. Right
now he is what is important. We need to repair our family, not add more
changes.
Carrie managed a little nod. "Well, this is a first for me. I've
never lost a lover to an eleven year old boy before."
"Carrie, it isn't like that," he said taking hold of her shoulders.
She tried to shake her head. "Danny, I really like you. You know?
I feel so foolish. I thought that maybe.." she stopped. Unable
to find the words to express her thoughts, an unusual spot for a reporter,
she finally gently broke free from Danny's hands and turned. "I'll
get my purse."
Feeling useless and torn in two different directions, he watched her
start back towards the room. Do something! Don't just let her leave!
"Carrie!" he called after her.
She turned back.
"Look, um, I was wondering if -- well -- if maybe we could just
start over."
"Over?"
"Yeah, like taking this gradually from the beginning. You know,
see each other casually once in a while letting everyone involved have
time to adjust."
"Everyone?" she asked.
He pursed his lips. "Yes, everyone needs time to adjust."
He felt nervous and miserable.
Carrie gave a little nod. "Okay. Then where do we start with this
starting over?"
Before he could answer Lonnie came running through the door. "Come
quick! There's a news flash! That guy! That guy you told me about on
TV!"
Danny dashed back into Audrey's room, Carrie at his heels.
"---at just after ten o'clock this morning," droned the anchorman.
"There is no official statement yet from authorities nor has there
been any comment regarding the condition and whereabouts of Anna Cason."
"Steve's witness!" Danny gasped.
"As you recall, the Caputo crime family has had a violent, bloody
history in Hawaii. It was Eugene Caputo, Sr. who masterminded the attempt
to take over the rackets by kidnapping and murdering Five-0 officers
in 1981. Today is was Eugene Caputo, Jr. who has continued the bloody
family line."
"Shut up and tell us what's happened!" Danny yelled at the
TV.
"Hey, he's my partner," Carrie snapped defending the reporter
on the television.
"Did that Caputo guy shoot somebody?" Lonnie asked.
The anchorman announced that they were switching to a live camera in
the field. The face of a young reporter filled the screen. "Good
morning, Hal," the younger man stated. "As you can see, the
bell helicopter behind me was waiting to transport a witness to safety.
It is still here. That witness was attacked when she and her police
guard attempted to board that craft....." He turned. "Chief
McGarrett is on his way by, let me see if I can get a word....Mr. McGarrett!"
Danny gave a sigh. One question was answered. Steve was safe.
The camera spun towards Steve. He looked old in the tungsten lamps.
He tried to turn away.
"Come on, Steve," Danny murmured, "don't be your usual
close-lipped self today."
"Just a quick word," the reporter chased McGarrett. "What
happened here today in your own words?"
Steve looked back. "We will be releasing complete information later.
I can tell you that a witness was being transferred to safety until
trial. Mr. Caputo fired at the witness and officers. We returned fire."
"Is Caputo dead?"
"Is he is." Steve attempted to turn away.
"Wasn't Caputo a candidate for the comptroller's position?"
But Steve kept walking.
"What was the witness preparing to say? Was Caputo implicated in
a crime?"
But Steve kept going.
The reporter turned to the camera. "I guess that it's it for now.
Very early information but -"
Danny switched off the set, turning back to face Carrie and Lonnie,
feeling a load lifted. "Junior made his fatal error. At least this
one is over forever." He wished he did not feel so satisfied with
Caputo's death, but he did. He hoped Nina Conner would also.
Lonnie gave a broad grin. "Uncle Steve got him! I knew he would
plug the bastard!"
"Lonnie!" Danny reproved sharply as Carrie grinned.
There was a sound. Everyone turned. "Danny," came Audrey's
whispering little voice, "Lonnie said a bad word."
end