Stepping around the tourists and shoppers who were standing on tippy toes trying to see over the shoulders of those who stood in front of them as they watched the ambulance attendants secure the wounded man to the stretcher. The sandy haired Five-O detective hurried across to the HPD sergeant was giving orders to a young officer to search for more witnesses amongst the curious onlookers. Stepping over the trail of blood that led back into the mall, Danny asked, "What have we got Duke?"
"A tourist was stabbed in the back as he and his wife were leaving the mall." Duke answered as he nodded towards sliding doors. "The attacker approached them from behind before grabbing the victim around the chest as before stabbing him in the back and then fleeing. The wife said that during the attack the attacker never said a word. The stab wound looked deep, but Doc thinks he'll make it. They are taking him and his wife to Queens Hospital now."
"Any other witnesses?" Danny asked as he glanced around at the sea of faces that were eagerly watching their every move.
"Plenty Bruddah," Duke answered as he began to lead the young detective back inside the mall, "And for once they can all agree on the description, trouble is the description isn't gunna be much help in catching this guy!" At Danny's confused glance, Duke hurried to continue, "All the witnesses described the attacker as a thin, medium built man dress in a red devils cape that covered his hair and complete with a set of devil's horns, but no one saw his face. I have the boys taking statements from all the witnesses now."
Danny paused at the spot the where the blood trail started and looked around, "Did anyone see which direction the attacker fled?"
"No, in all the confusion, no one thought to look. I think most people were shocked that the attack took place in such a public place." Duke answered before he grabbed the younger man's arm and glanced around, ensuring they could not be overheard from any members of the public before he spoke, "This is the second stabbing this morning, Danny, by who we believe is the same guy. That's why I thought Five O should be on the case."
"This is a second stabbing?" Danny asked shocked as he turned and stared at Duke.
"The first stabbing happened outside Higgins Gift Emporium- the small souvenir shop located in the Maritime Center," The young Second-In-Command of Hawaii Five – O nodded as he recognized the small shop Duke was talking about as Duke continued. "The victim was an elderly lady, Lani Polikia, who was doing some shopping with her great granddaughter when she was attacked about 9 am. Witnesses have told us that a man dressed in a devil suit ran up behind her and without saying a word, stabbed her in the back before he turned and fled. A witness chased him but lost him just around the corner from the scene. Luckily Mrs Polikia wasn't seriously injured, the knife sliced her side and didn't cause any damage to any organs. She was taken to Queens Hospital where the doctors stitched the cut and are keeping her for observation- more as a precaution because of her age than the actual wound itself."
"Sounds like some Halloween nut job could be on the loose. He's going to be hard to catch if he's running around in a costume especially a devil costume on Halloween. Nobody's going to take a second glance at him - it makes a perfect disguise." Danny muttered as he again scanned the faces of the watching crowd looking for anyone acting suspicious. Not seeing anyone who seemed more excited or jittery than anyone else, the detective returned his attention back to the silver haired HPD officer standing beside him, "I better let Steve know. Bruddah."
Duke nodded as he watched the young detective walk back towards his car. To catch this nutcase, they would need the best – and in his honest opinion there were no better detectives in Hawaii or possibly in the whole U.S.A. than the detectives in the elite State Police unit of Hawaii Five -O
Leaning back in his chair, the dark haired lead detective nodded at the HPD sergeant who sat on the tall white back chair opposite his desk, "Okay Duke, what have we got?" he asked, echoing the words of that his Second-in-Commend had uttered less than an hour earlier.
The HPD sergeant opened his notebook, more out of habit than necessity as he began his report, "So far Steve, we have two stabbings that have occurred this morning. Both carried out by whom we believe is the same suspect and both with the same M.O's.
The first attack took place at the Maritime Center at approximately 9am this morning. The attack involved an elderly lady, Lani Polikia, age 84."
"Awue." Kono muttered softly beside the Hawaiian HPD officer.
Duke nodded his own horrified agreement to his Hawaiian colleague as he continued, "She was shopping with her young 5-year-old great granddaughter when someone grabbed her arm from behind and she felt something sharp slash her side. She said that when she turned, she saw a man dressed in a red devil suit running away from her. It was only then that she realized that she had been stabbed."
"Any witnesses?" Steve asked.
"Plenty and all gave the same description – thin, medium sized man wearing a red devil's outfit. No one saw his face or where he escaped to."
"Not much to go on, Bruddah." Chin commented.
"Even less forensic evidence, I'm afraid.' Che interrupted, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as all eyes turned towards him. "There are no fingerprints, no shoe prints, nothing that we could use. The attack happened on a tiled floor where hundreds of people walk every day." He shrugged, "Sorry."
"Not your fault, Che." Steve reassured the small oriental forensic specialist as he tried to hide his disappointment before he returned his attention back to Duke, "Go on, Duke."
"The second attack happened just an hour later at the Mall on Ala Moana Avenue," Duke continued, "The victim was Reginald Thomas, a tourist from Chicago. He was stabbed as he and his wife were leaving the mall. Witnesses said the saw a thin, medium sized man wearing a red devil's costume grabbed him from behind but this time one of the witnesses was able to give us his height. He thought the attacker was about 5'6, 5'7, Steve. Like the first victim, the attack appears to be random and totally unprovoked with the 'Devil" escaping in all the confusion."
"But this time we did get a shoe imprint that was left after someone stepped in the victim's blood, Steve," Che interrupted, "Size 7 sneaker, consistent with what we know of the attacker's height and build. It could be our perp…"
"Or it could be one of the bystanders," Steve added as Che nodded in agreement.
"Anything else?' Steve asked the HPD sergeant. Duke shook his head as Steve's attention turned to the three silent Five-O detectives listening to the report.
"I checked with the State Hospital about any one being released that might fit into our attacker's profile and general description, but they claim that none of their patients past or presented matched the profile or description or even posed this kind of risk." Danny added quietly, shaking his head in disgust at how hard it had been to even get that little bit of information.
"The Docs that treated the two victims believe that the attacker used a thin long serrated edged knife possibly a steak knife." Chin Ho told the small group. "I also spoke to Mrs. Polikia and Mr. Thomas's wife, but neither were able to add anything more than we already know. They are both pretty shook up, Bruddah. The doc said that Mr. Thomas wouldn't be well enough to interview for a few days. The knife tore a hole in his left lung- damaged it so bad that the doctors were forced to remove the bottom lobe to stop the bleeding."
"Oh God!" Steve murmured, his face mirroring the horror on all the faces that surrounded him.
"A steak knife would be easy to conceal, bruddah, no one would notice it if you held it in your hand and up against your arm." Kono said softly as he tried to demonstrate how the perp might have hidden the knife from view using the wooden ruler from the top of Steve's desk. Placing the ruler back in the desk, he added, "There's no word on da coconut wireless about this nutzo. If he's a strung-out druggie, then nobody knows him or admitting to knowing him, but everyone's scared. The word out is most people are talking of stayin' home tonight rather than risk runnin' into this weirdo."
"Not a bad idea.' Che muttered.
"So, Gentleman all we have so far is a devil dressed in red who likes to attack his victim from behind, possibly with a steak knife. We have plenty of witnesses but are no closer to identifying this Halloween nutcase." McGarrett hissed as he rose from his chair and began to pace the room, aware that the other men glanced uncomfortably at each other before mumbling their agreement. "Well that's not good enough!" McGarrett growled as he turned back and slammed his fist down on the desk, "I want this devil in red found and found fast before he claims another victim!" Glaring at the men seated around him he asked as he sat back down, "So what are you all doing still sitting here?"
"Will do, Boss.'
"On it, Steve."
"I'll recheck the victims' clothes, maybe I can find a hair or something belonging to the prep." Che murmured as he rose and followed Chin and Kono's quick egress from the room.
Danny slowly rose from the edge of Steve desk where he had sat during the meeting and turned, looking his boss directly in the eye as he spoke, "We are doing our best Steve but there's just not a lot to go on. We want to catch this nut just as much as you do."
McGarrett nodded and reached up, squeezing his young friend's arm, acknowledging the light chastisement. "I know, Danno," he answered softly, "I just don't want to see this Halloween Devil kill someone before we are able to catch him.'
"None of us do, Steve!" Danno answered as he turned and left the room.
Watching his door close shut behind his Second-In-Command, McGarrett pulled the file closer and opened it up, hoping to find anything that they might have missed the first time. Glancing at the closed door, he silently vowed to make it up to his small team of detectives for his gruffness after this case was solved.
He had never allowed any of his subordinates in the navy to get close to him and he had brought that attitude with him when he had been accepted the top position of the new elite State Police unit of Hawaii Five- O over ten years earlier but he was finding that his attitude towards 'his' guys was slowly changing. A change that had begun to occur only after Danny Williams had joined the team. In the few short months he had known the young detective, Danny Williams had done something that no one else had ever done before- the personable young man had managed to find a chink in his armor and had become more than just one of his detective - instead Danno had moved from just a subordinate to his closest friend – McGarrett shook his head - no more than just his closest friend - Danno had his ohana- Danno had become the younger brother that he had never had.
The Hawaiian HPD police officer glanced up from the witness' statement he was taking as the dark sedan glided to a stop near the curb and the curly haired detective quickly stepped out of the car. "The body's over there, Danny," He told young Hawaii Five-O detective nodding towards a small group of fellow HPD officers and detectives barely visible through the throng of curious shoppers and morbid onlookers who encircled the crime scene, each eager to see the action for themselves.
"Thanks, Chinough!" Danny Williams nodded as he passed the HPD officer, trying to stifle a grin as he saw the carefully schooled patient look on the officer's face as the excited and 'eager to help' witness tugged on his arm to ensure she had his full attention as she continued with her own graphic view of the events of what had happened only minutes before, adding in her own theories of devil worshippers being involved in the early morning and very public Halloween murder.
Pushing his way through the densely packed crowd, Danny ducked under the crime scene tape and quickly crossed to where Duke, a police photographer and the coroner's assistant stood around a sheet covered body on the ground, nodding to each one before he asked, "What have we got?"
The Hawaiian HPD sergeant knelt as he carefully lifted the blood-soaked sheet, revealing the upper body of a young man lying face down on the pavement, the back of the victim's shirt was drenched in blood. Looking across at the detective as Danny knelt beside him, Duke said "This is Michael Duggan, age 25, a tourist from New York…on his honeymoon." The HPD officer momentarily paused and shook his head before he continued, "He was shopping with his wife when he was attacked and stabbed in the back by a man wearing a devil's costume, unfortunately no one got a good look our devil's face. Again, the attack seems random and unprovoked and was so sudden that the attacker was able to make his escape through the crowds before anyone really realized what had happened. Same MO as the others."
"Yeah but this time he killed the victim." Danny added grimly as he watched Duke slowly recover the body with the sheet before he stood up and slowly looked around, satisfying himself that everything that needed to be done was being done. He turned and hurried back to his car, "I better let Steve know our Devil has struck again."
Chin took another sip of his lukewarm coffee as he again studied the slim file, trying to find any little clue they might have missed the first dozen times they had reviewed it. The facts never changed, no matter how many times he reread what they had. All three victims had been approached from behind by a thin, medium built man dressed as the devil. The suspect never spoke during the attack and each time managed to escape using the fear and confusion he had caused to his advantage. Not much so far to identify the nutcase who was extremely likely to strike again. Sighing, chin sat straighter and rubbed his tired eyes. It had been just a little over two hours since the devil had made his last fatal attack and Chin couldn't help but think that they were no closer to identifying him then they had been during the early meeting.
He heard Kono shift uncomfortably in his seat as the large Hawaiian detective nervously cast covert glances at his pacing boss before trying to review the scant forensic reports about the three morning stabbings. The only evidence that Che could offer was the bloodied imprint of a size 7 sneaker that had been found at one of the scenes. No hairs or unknown fibers had been found on any of the victims' clothing. Unfortunately, the sneaker imprint could have been made by their attacker or by any of the numerous witnesses who rushed to help the dying victim. There was just no way of telling as many of the witnesses had left the scene without leaving their names or addresses.
The only tangible clue that they had found in this latest regroup and review of the evidence was the attacker stayed close to the waterfront, each attack was moving Diamond Head way and each attack happened on one or two streets from the sea.
McGarrett paced the office, his fists curling and uncurling as he again demanded Chin read his file aloud, but the request was interrupted by Danno's soft call of "Steve!"
Danny frowned as he studied the red pins that were stuck in the map, indicating the location of each of the stabbings, his finger pausing above each pin before moving onto the next. "We know that our Devil is moving along the malls near the waterfront heading east," he began softly as the theory began to solidify in his mind. "But …" He paused and shook his head, suddenly self-conscious of his developing theory as he glanced at McGarrett as McGarrett, Chin and Kono moved closer to the map that he was staring at.
Seeing the self-doubt in Danny's eyes, Steve quietly encouraged his youngest detective to continue. "But what Danno?"
"But each time he attacks he moves to a more public place, somewhere where there are more witnesses, almost as if he is increasing the thrill by increasing the risk of being caught." Danny answered, encouraged as the rest of the team nodded in agreement as his finger moved back to the first pin as he began to explain his theory, "See, the first place he struck was at the Maritime Center at nine am- a time and place where were only a few witnesses about…"
"Yeah!" Steve agreed as he began to understand where Danny was leading, "And the second time was at mall on Ala Moana Boulevard just after ten, a bigger mall with more shoppers."
"And that attack was more violent than the first." Chin reminded them.
"Da third attack happened here at new Ala Wai Mall." Kono pointed to the third red pin.
"He attacked at lunchtime when the mall was crowded with tourists and lunchtime customers and he killed!" Steve growled.
The two other detectives nodded in confirmation as Danny turned towards McGarrett and asked, "What if he is looking for somewhere even more crowded, somewhere where the risk is even higher… somewhere near the waterfront, somewhere where he can blend in cause he knows we are looking for him?"
"I like where you are going with this, Danno," Steve said, noticing the shy blush at the compliment as he gently squeezed the younger man's shoulder before moving closer to the map, his own finger tracing the waterfront and surrounding streets as he searched. "Somewhere … somewhere like the International Markets." He announced as his finger tapped confidently against the small dot on the map.
"Yeah!" Danny breathed as he stared at the place Steve's finger now rested,
"I think you could be right Boss," Chin agreed, "Lots of tourists and it's going to be crowded with people doing their last-minute shop for Halloween."
"And nobody is gunna be taking any notice of a devil dressed in red, Bruddah," Kono added, "'Cause everyone will be dressed up."
"Ok Gentleman, let's get going," McGarrett announced, "Chin, I want you to coordinate with HPD while we are on our way – I want patrols cars concentrated in the area and I want several plainclothes officers as well as myself positioned in high areas suitable for observing the crowds. Danno and Kono, I want you both patrolling the markets, we will get a few more plainclothes officers to assist – but no uniformed officers - we don't want to tip this nutcase off. Now let's get going before this devil claims another victim."
The three men nodded as they grabbed their coats and ran out of the office, following their boss down to the cars.
Staring down at the crowds mingling below him, McGarrett watched as a red dressed devil entered the main gates and paused, observing the crowd that mingled at the various stalls. A quick glance below, warned the lead detective that his Second –In-Command had not yet noticed the man's presence. He tensed as he returned his attention back to the suspect, his heart beating swiftly as he caught a flash of something shiny hidden in the Devils' fisted hand as the man made his way through the crowd. "Danno! In front of you!"
Danny turned glanced up at his boss standing on the small landing above him that overlooked the markets before turning his attention to figure that McGarrett was pointing towards. Only then did he see the Devil quickly pushed his way through the crowd, a knife glimmering in his hand as he approached a young woman who was facing the other way chatting with friends. Pulling his gun free from his holster, Danny began to move quickly towards their suspect as he yelled, "Hold it, Hawaii Five-O! Drop your weapon!"
Turning around in surprise, the Devil stared at the fast approaching detective as people around him began to scream at the sight of the detective's drawn weapon and attempted to scramble out of the way. Grabbing an elderly man, the Devil pushed him roughly towards Danny before he turned and ran, pushing and shoving terrified people out of his way as he raced towards the front gates of the markets.
Running towards the stairs, McGarrett kept a close eye on his detective as Danny began to chase to the fleeing suspect. Pulling the radio to his mouth the lead detective ordered more back up as he reached the lower level and ran after his detective and the fleeing suspect.
Ignoring the angry blare of the horn, Danny slid across of the car that had almost hit him as he chased the suspect across the busy intersection. Landing on his feet he saw the Devil pause and glance back at him before disappearing around the corner. From somewhere behind, he heard Steve call out his name, urging him to be careful as he dodged another car and followed the suspect around the corner, noticing the devil discard his red cape and horns onto the ground before running into a demolition site. Following closely, Danny slowed and glanced over his shoulder, groaning aloud as he realized that Steve had not yet reached the corner and would be unable to back him up if needed but reassured at the sound of approaching sirens.
Cautiously entering the fenced site, Danny slowly moved across the open ground as he scanned the darkened recesses and shadows of the half-demolished building looking for any sign of the suspect. He knew Steve was going to be furious because he had not waited for back up, but he was also acutely aware that by the time back up arrived the suspect could be gone. The soft sound of shifting gravel from somewhere behind him caught his attention and he spun around with his gun held ready as a body suddenly tackled him and slammed him to the ground, jarring his gun from his hand.
"Suspect is headed east on Kalakaua Avenue, officers still in foot pursuit," McGarrett called over the radio as he ran across the busy intersection, dodging traffic as Danno had done only moments before.
Snatching up his radio, Chinough responded, "This is Bravo 12 heading south on Kaiulani St.'' He paused as something caught his eye behind the fence of the demolition site he was just passing. Squeezing the transmitting button on the mic as he swiftly twisted the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes, rocking the squad car to a stop as he breathlessly announced. "Officer needs help, Detective Williams is being attacked by a suspect armed with a knife in the grounds of the demolition site on Kaiulani St. Bravo 12 responding."
Dropping the mic onto the seat, the Hawaiian HPD officer quickly opened his car door and jumped out, moving swiftly around to the trunk and opening it to retrieve the sniper's rifle located there. After a swift check that it was fully loaded he hurried across to the chain-linked fence and lifted the rifle to his shoulder as he watched Danny desperately fight for possession of the knife that the other man wielded as the detective and the suspect traded punches and rolled across the hard bitumen surface.
* Hearing Officer Olena's heart stopping call, McGarrett ran through the open gates of the demolition site and around the side of the building to where Olena had reported seeing Danno and the suspect. Not close enough to help his detective, Steve could only watch horrified as the suspect picked up the rock and slammed it into the side of Danny's head, knocking the young detective unconscious before raising his knife in preparation to murder the his now defenseless victim.
Chinough lined up the suspect into his sight and waited with bated breath as the suspect dropped the rock and sat a little higher, raising his arm that held the knife as he prepared to plunge it into Danny's chest. Squeezing the trigger, the young HPD marksman watched as the suspect jerked, the knife falling harmlessly from his hand as he toppled silently backwards onto the hard gravel. Keeping the rifle sight to his eye, Chinough watched the suspect closely, watching until he was satisfied that the suspect was no longer a threat to the wounded Five-O detective.
"Danno!" McGarrett's desperate shout caught the HPD marksman's attention and he slowly lowered his gun and rose to his feet as he watched the lead detective run to Danny's side, pausing only long enough to kick away the knife and to check the suspect for any signs of life, shaking his head in regret when he could not detect any pulse. The loss of a life - any life - always filled him with a sense of regret but he refused to dwell over the unavoidable death aware that this time the loss of life had been the only option in saving Danno's.
Holding his breath, Chinough slowly lowered his gun as he rose to his feet and watched closely as McGarrett turned away from the suspect and quickly knelt beside Danny.
Dropping to his knees, Steve gently pressed his shaking fingers against Danny's neck and palpated for a pulse. It took him a second or two before he could discern the soft rapid throb from his own tremors. Murmuring a soft prayer of thanks, he looked across to the HPD officer who had just saved Danno's life and yelled, "We need an ambulance and the coroner."
Releasing his breath, Chinough nodded and turned, hurrying to his squad car to carry out McGarrett's shouted orders.
A soft groan from the man on the ground caught Steve's attention, "Easy Danno, easy! There's an ambulance on the way." He murmured as Danny's eyes slowly fluttered opened.
"The devil?" Danny whispered as he lifted his head and looked around in confusion, ignoring the dizziness and nausea caused by the small movement.
Gently pressing Danny back down onto the ground, Steve stole a quick glance at the body that was lying just feet away before he looked back at his closest friend and whispered, "We got him Aikane, but not before he almost got you!" McGarrett growled softly, still shaken by the how close he had come to losing his closest friend.
"Sorry…" Danny breathed as his head rolled gently to the side as he lost his fight to stay awake.
McGarrett stared down at his unconscious friend ignoring the sirens and sound of running feet that were coming closer as he gently squeezed Danny's arm and murmured, "I know you are, but this is something that we will be discussing later!"
"The only place you are going to tonight is to a room upstairs where the nursing staff can observe you closely tonight. A moderate concussion and the five stitches it took to close that gash on your head is not something to be taken lightly." Doc lectured as he crossed his arms and glared at the detective lying on the examination bed.
"But Doc…"
"No but Docs, Danno, you're staying for as long as Doc feels you need to." Steve interrupted firmly as he stepped closer to the bed. "You took a pretty hard knock to your head!"
"But Steve…" Danny began, shocked by McGarrett's unusual support of Bergman's medical orders. Usually McGarrett was his strongest ally in any escape attempt from unnecessary hospital stays but by the no nonsense look on McGarrett face, Danny knew there was no further point in arguing. He sighed and settled back against the pillows, extremely disappointed that he would be spending Halloween in a hospital bed.
Seeing the disappointment in his young friend's face, McGarrett smiled and squeezed Danno's arm. "I know it's Halloween Danno and that you had plans, but your health is more important, Aikane. You took quite a knock to your head and we just want to make sure that you are okay."
Taking a deep breath, Danny forced a small smile, aware that he wasn't going to win any arguments about leaving the hospital tonight and nodded in surrender, "Okay Steve, I'll stay but just until tomorrow."
McGarrett nodded his agreement as he stared challengingly towards the Coroner/ official Hawaii Five - 0 physician, "Tomorrow Danno, I promise."
"Tomorrow only if there are not any complications!" Doc interrupted as he glared at both detectives. "And definitely not until tomorrow afternoon!" He huffed as he turned and watched the nurse and the orderly enter in preparation to take the injured Five-O detective up to his hospital room. "Now can I trust you two to behave and not give the staff a hard time?" He asked, looking up over his glasses at the two detectives as he grabbed Danny's chart and jotted down some last-minute orders before handing it to the nurse.
Glancing across at Danny, Steve returned his attention to Doc as he answered innocently, "Us? Of course, Doc, always!"
"Humph…" Doc muttered as he turned and headed towards the door, waving his hand in as he called back over his shoulder, "And Steve, you have five minutes with Danny once he gets settled into his room. He needs to rest, and he can't do that if you are in his room. You can come back later this evening to visit if you want to."
McGarrett stared at the retreating back of the doctor but any protest was silenced as he heard Bergman mutter about how he was eager to get back to his patients who never argued with him who were waiting patiently for his return to the morgue.
Danny sighed as he stared up at the white tile ceiling and began to count the small holes that decorated each tile. This was not how he had planned to spend his Halloween. He had planned to spend the haunted night enjoying a beach party on the North Shore, not lying in a hospital bed with a monster size headache and five stitches in his head. Steve had left hours ago, claiming to agree with Doc about him getting some and using the excuse that he needed to catch up with some things at the office. Danny sighed again as the self-pity swelled suspecting Steve had his own plans of how he was going to spend Halloween.
"Hey Danno!" Steve's amused voice pulled him from his depressing train of thought, and he stared in disbelief as McGarrett entered his room, dressed as a circus ring man, complete with whip and top hat.
"Steve!" Danny stuttered in complete surprise as he struggled to sit higher in the bed. "What?"
"I thought you could use some Halloween company." McGarrett grinned as he stepped further into the room, enjoying the shocked expression on his friend's face as he held the door wider, allowing the other members of the Five O ohana to enter. Each was dressed in a Halloween costume and carried a piece of decoration that was quickly placed around, transforming the stark white hospital room in minutes into a party atmosphere as a carved jack-o-lantern was placed on the small bedside table and cardboard skeletons and spiders were hung on the wall "Kono told us about the Halloween party that you were missing out on tonight so we decided to bring the party to you, Aikane, Happy Halloween!"
"And we even brought you a loot bag, Danny, cause we knew you couldn't go Trick or Treatin'" Tilda added excitedly as she ran to the edge of the bed and climbed up beside the young detective before solemnly handing him the large pillowcase filled with treats and candy. Casting a quick glance towards her father, she leaned closer to Danny and whispered softly, "We could share it if you want to, but daddy said I wasn't to ask cause we are goin' Trick or Treatin' later."
Danny smiled as he glanced at Chin and saw his Chinese colleague stifle a chuckle and nod before he leaned closer to the small girl dressed as a fairy settled against the pillows next to him and whispered "I would be honored to share my candy with you. In fact, I would be honored to share it with all my ohana," he announced a little louder.
Steve stood quietly near the door enjoying the closeness of his ohana as they all chatted and laughed. His chest tightened momentarily in fear as he remembered just how close they had come today to losing one of their own. It had been close, too close, if Officer Olean hadn't arrived as back up… he pushed the horrifying thought to the back of his mind as he turned his attention back to the exhausted but smiling man sitting in the bed who was watching him closely.
Sensing Danny's exhaustion, Jenny, Kono, Chin, his wife Mai and their eight eager children decided to it was time to go Trick or Treating, aware that Steve would want some time alone with his protégé after such a stressful day. Steve watched as Danno was hugged or had his hair ruffled as each of his visitors wished him a Happy Halloween and warned against eating all the candies at once before they finally left the room.
Settling back against the pillows, Danny watched a little warily as Steve approached the bed. He was aware that his friend was not pleased that he had not waited for back up and had been surprised when Steve hadn't mentioned it before he had left the hospital earlier in the afternoon. Unwilling to wait until Steve broached the matter, he nervously cleared his throat before he spoke, "Umm Steve, about today…I'm sorry…I know I should have waited until you backed me up…"
"You're right, you should have waited Danno!" Steve answered quietly, a tremor of anger evident in his voice as he tried to control the fear and emotions that were still too close to the surface with the memory of Danny fighting for his life. "You almost got yourself killed today, Danno, because you didn't wait. If it hadn't have been for the quick thinking of Officer Olena, it would have been you lying in Doc's morgue tonight and not our Halloween Devil's apprentice, Terry Morgan, and that's a scenario I never want to have happen to one of my men- No- you are more than just one of my men Danno – I consider you my kaikaina - is that the right word for little brother?" Steve asked as he squeezed Danny's arms, grateful that he was able to admit how he felt about his youngest detective and closest friend at last. "That's a scenario I never want to have happen with my kaikaina!"
Danny nodded tearfully, only now fully realizing how much his impulsive actions to catch the devil had scared his closest friend.
"It was close, Danno, too close and if you ever decide not to wait for back up again, I will consider transferring you out of Five O!" Steve warned as his anger returned.
"I know Steve and I'm sorry," Danny whispered, "I just wanted to catch him before he murdered again.'
"I know you did, but no arrest is worth your life, Aikane." Steve said quietly, "Understand?"
"Understood," Danny nodded before he frowned and looked up at his boss. "So, you identified the Devil?"
"Devil's apprentice." Steve corrected before he continued, "Yeah, through his fingerprints, Morgan had several prior arrests for supplying and using drugs and assault."
"I wonder why he did it?" Danny murmured as he began to struggle to stay awake.
"Chin searched his apartment after we identified him." Steve began, aware that Danny would not rest until he had an answer to his question, "While he was there, he found a handwritten note written by Morgan and addressed to his parents in which he claimed that he had become the Devil's apprentice. In the letter he tried to explain that to join Satan he needed to prove to the Devil he was worthy by killing as many people as he could today – Halloween - and he needed the murders to drive fear in everyone's' hearts."
"Bruddah, he certainly succeeded in doing that." Danny breathed as his eyes drifted closed and his head rolled slowly to the side.
"He certainly did, Aikane." McGarrett whispered as he stood with his hand resting on his closest friend's arm, needing the reassurance that his biggest fear had not been realized because of an insane Devil's apprentice's plan. "But he came close Danno, much closer than I ever want to happen again. This is one Halloween that I am glad is over, my friend," he whispered as he turned and pulled a chair closer, settling down on it as he watched over his kaikaina, grateful that the Devil had not won today.
PAU
* Based from a scene in the episode Pig in A Blanket
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AN- I would like to Thank everyone who has been reading, following, favoriting ,reviewing or PMing me about my Hawaii Five-O stories. You guys are awesome and always make writing so much fun.
Traw :)