Wiggling the keys into the lock he shouldered the door open standing there looking lovingly at the mess that was his, he was going to enjoy this a project something he could take pride in.
Steve didn't stop to admire what Danny was seeing he just let out a low whistle commenting that the place should be bulldozed not lived in, He couldn't understand why Danny had finished his contract on the last place. It might have been the reason he was going to let Danny stay with him while he tried to find the place under the debrises.
Danny walked into what he presumed was the reception room, broken glass crunching under his shoes. Steve had practically searched the whole place clucking like a mother hen, it made Danny chuckle, for once he was the one with nothing to say.
Wandering into the the broken and disused kitchen threw more ideas into his head although at this rate the home he could envision was a long way in the future. A long winded case would also throw a spanner in the works but it wasn't deterring him, he was however going to find some tape and gag Steve with it.
Steve muttered about needing to run some errands and disappeared shouting back that he would be back later to rescue him.
After another half an hour Danny had explored the whole of the building and garden and was completely amazed how such a beautiful house in a great neighbourhood could have been abused in such a cruel way. It was Danny's baby now and he was going to give it back the love it deserved.
Before returning to Steve's they did a quick detour to the local hardware shop, stocking up on gloves, masks, black bags and tools. Steve made a suggestion that they picked up some grenades instead because they would work better. Danny completely ignored him and paid.
Danny had hired a skip for the following weekend and some helping hands. It was hard going and extremely dirty work but he was determined to discover the true structural state of the house.
Danny turned to take some more rumble to the skip when he stepped on something that shifted underneath him causing him stumble spraining his ankle. Steve managed to get him to his feet and working together they found something to sit on, Steve took a trip out the jeep and scooped ice from the cool box and wrapped it in a rag. Collecting the first aid kit from the truck he jogged back in the house, wrapping the ankle he lifted his leg up and gave Danny the cold ice to hold.
After resting for a while watching Steve and Chin finish clearing the reception room Danny pulled himself to his feet and limped into the kitchen. It was a mass of old food containers and pizza boxes. Cockroaches scuttled against the floor sending a shiver down Danny's spine. Dirt was ground in the counters, it was going to take a lot of bleach to get them shining again.
He didn't have a massive budget so he hoped that he could get away with just updating the cupboard fronts. Grabbing hold of a screwdriver he prised open one of the doors and screamed like a girl as a rat launched itself at him, yanking the thing of him watching that the gnashing teeth didn't connect with his skin, he carried it squirming into the garden.
Luckily for him Steve didn't come racing into the kitchen with a semi automatic, Danny was trying to watch his budget not add to it and he didn't think he would hear the end of the taunting that his girly scream would produce. Heading back too retrieve the screwdriver he worked more cautiously. One rat was more than enough for one day. By the time he had finished the kitchen, the light was beginning to fade. He was tired but it was a good tired. Meeting up with Steve and Chin he locked up his gem.
The next morning the weather had taken a dramatic change for the worst. Danny pulled himself out of bed he was definitely going to need to stop by the hardware store, from the looks of the inside of the property he would put bets down that it had its own shower system.
Danny wasn't far wrong, standing back he took in the scene in front of him. The living room was a multitude of coloured buckets, he could swear that if he recorded the dripping sounds he could make millions on youtube. Shaking his head he was glad that he had booked some holidays. The first thing that he needed to examine was the roof, unless he wanted to waste time emptying buckets. Danny had fixed up Rachel's and his first house in Jersey, it was the only thing his police budget could afford.
Pulling on his raincoat Danny explored the out building and found an old ladder. Examining the ladder for faults he pushed it up against the house. He knew it was pretty stupid to stand on a roof during a hawaiian rain storm but he wanted a house not a big fish tank.
Danny couldn't believe it, the roof was more like swiss cheese. Scratching his head he realised that the whole thing was going to need replacing. Patch work wasn't going to work another trip to the hardware store was in order. By the end of this project he would be taking out a partnership in the damn shop.
Danny was lucky to get tarpaulin half of Hawaii must be batting down the hatches apparently the storm was in for some time. Danny struggled to pull it up the ladder onto the roof it was like some giant kite pulling away at every given opportunity. By the time Danny had hammered in the last nail he felt like a drowned rat. He really wasn't in the mood for working in wet cold clothes, pneumonia wasn't going to get him anywhere. Standing he watched to make sure that the tarpaulin wasn't lifting or pulling.
Satisfied he turned stepping back onto the ladder. However as he put his foot down it was too late to stop the chain of events that resulted in Danny lying unconscious in his back garden. The ladder lying tangled and abused at his feet. Rain water turned red as it gathered around him.
