Fireworks
A high-pitched whine quickly grew in volume, immediately followed by several ear-splitting pops and bangs. Even Dan Williams, who was well accustomed to the sound of gunfire, flinched at the aural assault as he walked up the ordinarily peaceful street. It was the Fourth of July, evening was approaching and there were always kids who managed to get their hands on fireworks this time of year.
No matter though, Dan had a rare holiday off from work and he was taking full advantage of it with the romantic evening he had planned – a picnic supper and band concert, followed by the fireworks display on Waikiki Beach, followed by...well, he was hopeful.
That is, if I indeed still have a date, he thought, the cynical part of him percolating to the surface, attempting to spoil his mood. Dating was tough for a cop, especially for a Five-O detective, and he had a long history to prove it. But Helen is different; she just has to be, Dan thought, trying his best to be positive. They had been seeing each other for a month now and had already discussed his career. He thought that she had understood and accepted the way their relationship would be. Another loud explosion distracted him from his musings and he relaxed and smiled when he noticed that the porch light was on at Helen's modest home.
Dan stood on the porch and knocked on the front door several times. No answer. No barking either. Keoki always barks whenever someone is at the door. Dan knew this from personal experience. The two-year-old shepherd mix rescue was protective of his new home and mistress.
Before Dan could raise his fist to knock again, he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Helen coming up the porch steps at a run. Something was very wrong.
"Oh Danny, I'm so glad that you're here," the petite woman sobbed as she was enveloped into the detective's open arms. Helen took several deeps breaths and willed herself to calm down.
Dan relished the feel of his date in his arms and the scent of her hair so close to his face, but he could also feel that she was trembling. "Helen, what's wrong?" he asked.
"It's Keoki, I can't find him. He must have been frightened by the fireworks the neighbor kids set off. I've looked everywhere, Danny; I've been up and down the street here and all over the neighborhood at least three times. I've called and called him and nothing. I don't know what to do."
And just like that, his plans for the evening evaporated. Dan was usually the one who broke a date, often because of a police emergency, and now he sort of knew what that felt like. But he had to do all he could to find Keoki. Still holding onto Helen, he broke their embrace and looked into her eyes. "We'll find him together," he declared confidently. "May I use your phone?"
Dan followed Helen into her kitchen, picked up the receiver from the kitchen wall phone and dialed. After a few seconds, he spoke, "Central, this is Dan Williams. Patch me through to Duke Lukela." After a moment, the connection was made. "Duke, it's Danny. Who's patrolling the Manoa neighborhood tonight?"
"That would be me," the Hawaiian officer answered. "What's up?"
"Duke, I need to call in a favor. I…uh…need to put out an APB on a dog."
"A dog?"
"Yes, a dog."
"Can you give me a description?" Duke Lukela wanted to laugh, but he controlled himself. Dan's tone sounded very serious.
"A black and tan shepherd mix, male, two years old, approximately thirty-five pounds…" Dan turned to Helen to confirm his estimate of Keoki's weight. She nodded her agreement. "…answers to the name 'Keoki.' Duke, this is Helen's dog and she's worried sick. He must have been frightened off by some fireworks in the neighborhood."
"I'm on it, Danny. Where can I reach you?"
Dan gave Duke Helen's address and phone number then ended the call, "Mahalo, Duke. I really appreciate it!" After he had hung up the phone, he took Helen's hand in his. "Now let's go look again together."
o-o-o
They were just beginning their fourth trip around the block. Dan was getting hoarse from calling out Keoki's name. They had passed Duke in his blue and white cruiser twice, but he hadn't seen any sign of the dog either. Dan was doing his best to bolster Helen's mood and keep her from losing it, but it wasn't easy. "Keoki! Here, Keoki! Come!"
Their calls were interrupted by the sound of another explosion, though it wasn't as loud as the others, indicating that it had probably come from another street farther away. For an instant, Dan detected movement in his peripheral vision. He turned quickly enough to see what he thought was tan fur disappearing behind the lattice work beneath the front porch of a house across the street. He grabbed Helen's arm to stop her in her tracks and pointed. "Look!"
"What?" Helen asked. "I don't see anything."
Dan was insistent. "I saw something. Let's go."
They crossed the street and quietly approached the house then crouched down in front of the lattice. "Keoki?" Helen called out, her voice gentle and sweet. "Here, boy, it's okay." She was delighted when a small black nose poked out of a hole in the lattice. As Helen continued to coax the dog forward, she passed the leash to Dan. When Keoki was close enough, Dan quickly clipped the leash onto the ring on Keoki's collar and breathed a long sigh of relief.
With the prodigal safely secured on his leash, Dan and Helen walked back up the street to Helen's home. On the way, they saw Duke driving toward them. When the Hawaiian officer saw Keoki walking happily on the end of his leash, he broke into a wide grin. He slowed his cruiser and rolled down the driver's side window. "Danny, Helen," he called out. "I see that the crisis is over."
"Yeah," Dan replied. "Thanks for your help, Duke."
"My pleasure, but you ended up finding him yourselves." Suddenly, Duke had an idea. "You know, Danny, it might be a good idea to get in touch with…"
"Charlie." Dan and Duke said the name in unison. "Great idea," Dan agreed, "I'll get in touch with him and try to set up a session with Helen and Keoki. Mahalo!"
"Enjoy the rest of your holiday!" Duke waved before he drove off to continue his shift.
o-o-o
The holiday date wasn't what Williams had originally planned, but he and Helen managed to salvage the evening. Dan knew that there was no way that Helen was going to leave Keoki alone that night, so instead of a picnic, they ordered a pizza and listened to the Royal Hawaiian Band concert on the radio. They were even able to see some of the fireworks display from Helen's front porch. Keoki was safely inside the house for good measure, even though the Waikiki show was far enough away that the noise was sufficiently muffled.
As they sipped their wine, enjoying the colorful sparkling explosions that lit up the nighttime sky, Helen couldn't help express her gratitude for the umpteenth time. "Danny, thank you so much for finding Keoki. I just don't know what I would have done if he had been lost for good or worse, hit by a car." Her words came tumbling out quickly with her emotions.
"You know I was glad to help," Dan reassured her once more, holding her close as they sat side by side on Helen's porch swing. He thought for a few minutes, then added, "Helen, there's a guy at HPD I'd like you to meet. His name is Charlie Hong. He's the trainer for the K-9 unit." Dan turned toward his girlfriend and took her hand as he spoke. "Part of what Charlie does is work with dogs new to the program to desensitize them to the sound of gunfire. A dog that can't tolerate the noise of a shootout is useless as a police dog. Maybe he could help Keoki overcome his fear of fireworks."
Helen considered the suggestion. "Sure Danny, that sounds like a good idea. I certainly don't want to go through another night like tonight, ever." She shuddered again; she couldn't help it.
o-o-o
A week had passed. Dan Williams was back at work, on the telephone and running late for the morning staff meeting. He looked up from his desk and saw Jenny giving him 'the look' and tilting her head toward Steve's private office. Message received, he returned to his phone call, trying to cut it short.
"Helen, really, it's okay. I'm happy for both of you. I'll be fine, so don't worry," Dan said. "You, too. Bye."
He hung up the phone then made his way into his boss's private office. As he entered, he could feel all the eyes in the room following his every move.
"Something wrong, Danno?" Steve asked, hoping to get any distractions out of the way before beginning the morning staff meeting.
"Uh…no, Steve…" Dan hedged, not really wanting to discuss his private life. But he didn't have to continue because Kono blurted out the truth.
"Helen broke up with him last night," the large Hawaiian explained, which earned him an annoyed look from the curly haired detective.
"Sorry to hear that, Danno," Steve said, trying to be sympathetic.
"Yeah, thanks, but I'm okay," Dan replied. "I introduced her to Charlie Hong and they really hit it off."
"Charlie Hong from HPD?" Chin asked. "He's a good man."
"I'll say they hit it off," Kono chimed in. "I was at HPD when they met and man, talk about fireworks! I ain't never seen anything like that before. It's got me believing in love at first sight." When Kono looked over at his younger colleague and realized that he was rubbing it in, he added, "Sorry, bruddah."
Dan smiled at his friend. "It's okay, Kono. Charlie is a good man. In fact, he was so grateful that he's going to set me up with his cousin, Leilani, this Saturday night!"
Kono was amused. "Maybe you get some fireworks of your own, Danny!"
"Gentlemen," Steve interrupted, "We have work to do if you're both finished."
"Yes, Boss," Kono replied, his expression now serious. But as the detectives took their seats in the white leather chairs, Kono gave Dan an impish wink.
Pau