The Joker is Wild

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. It is a shame that I still have to say that but it is true.

Hello, I hope you remember me. My muse took a vacation and had to be dragged back to help with this story. I don't have this finished as yet but it is far enough along to begin posting. Having a deadline will keep the muse working. I hope you enjoy what I have for you.

Chapter 1

It was a lovely Friday morning when Danny Williams entered the 5-0 offices after an early morning court date. He carried a white envelope in one hand and waved it around.

"Okay…..which of you clowns thought this joke was funny?" he announced to the rest of the team.

"What are you babbling about now?" Lou asked as he stepped out of the break room with a cup of coffee.

Chin and Kono looked up from the computer table where they had been sifting through information relating to their current case. 5-0 had been directed by the new Governor to halt a series of cruise ship robberies. She was very worried about having the tourist trade frightened away from the islands.

"Whose idea was it to send me these cards? What kind of joke is this supposed to be?" Danny demanded as he dumped two playing cards onto the table.

"What cards?" Steve asked as he joined the group at the table. The sound of Danny's ranting had drawn him from his office.

"These cards," Danny stated as he flipped them face up to reveal a king of diamonds and a joker. "Don't try to pretend none of you know what this is about."

"I've never seen those cards before. Was there a note with them? Is there a post mark on the envelope?" Steve asked in confusion. The others all shook their heads.

"No….just my name printed in block letters on it," Danny replied setting the envelope beside the cards. "They gave me it at the desk downstairs when I came in just now. I figured one of you was playing a prank."

"Not me," Kono said shaking her head. "I can check the security cameras and maybe we can learn who delivered it." She changed the screen and began to access the lobby cameras.

"Wasn't me," Lou added. "It sure is a cryptic message. Does someone have a grudge against you?"

"Tons of people thanks to my partner," Danny grumbled.

"This is a strange card combination. A face card and a joker don't figure into too many card hands that I know of," Chin stated.

"Maybe I am the joker," Danny huffed. "You think more cards are coming?"

Steve had been watching the screen that Kono had transferred the camera view of the lobby. It had been a busy morning and there had been numerous delivery people bringing in packages and envelopes.

"There….," Kono pointed out a lone man wearing the shirt and hat of a local delivery service. His cap was pulled low on his forehead over dark hair, not giving them a good look at his face. He left quickly.

"Someone needs to talk to the guy at the desk," Steve suggested. "We can also check with the delivery service."

"We have no idea if this is even important. It could just be some dumb prank," Danny shrugged, his initial ire gone.

"We can investigate further," McGarrett offered.

"We have a bigger case on our plates," Danny said shaking his head as he picked up the cards and stuffed them into the envelope. "Governor Mahoe wants this cruise ship robberies stopped before the tourists panic. Let's play nice with our new boss lady.
"The Governor knows it takes time to catch these guys," Steve replied. "We know that there is a crew of three that travel on the cruise and are using disguises since the descriptions are different from ship to ship. Three passengers disembark at the first stop two days into the cruise before most of the robberies as discovered and disappear. Interviews have given us little to go on. There were no fingerprints in their cabins and the luggage left behind was empty."

"They have taken expensive jewelry from the room safes and small electronics and cash. They most likely spirited the stolen goods and their own clothes off the ship in large tote bags like most tourists carry. No one would notice," Chin added.

"We have a lot of names to sort through," Kono said bringing the screen back to the lists of names she and Chin had been going through before Danny walked in.

They went back to their case and Danny's mysterious delivery was moved to the back of their minds. Just after lunch the mail was delivered to the office and Chin distributed it to the necessary offices. He dropped a large manila envelope on Kono's desk. His cousin was on the phone and didn't look at it right away. Five minutes later she emerged from her office holding a white envelope in gloved hands. Her name was printed in block letters on the front.

"Guys…..I don't think we should ignore Danny's little joke anymore," she called out as she set it on the computer table. As the others gathered round, she opened the envelope and two playing cards fell out. One landed face up…..a joker and the second when turned over revealed a queen of hearts. "I don't find this funny," she added softly.

"Well whoever is behind this isn't working on a royal flush," Lou observed. "We have a king of diamonds and a queen of hearts. Different suits."

"We don't even know if they're trying to build a poker hand," Williams said eyeing the cards distastefully. "This may be some other game. And why Kono and me?"

"The day is not over," Chin reminded them quietly. "Whatever this is, it's beginning to look more and more like a warning."

"I agree," Steve nodded thoughtfully. "I don't think we can ignore this any longer. Time to talk to the desk downstairs, the delivery service and see if there are any prints on those cards. Did this envelope come in another envelope?"

"Yes, a large manila one. That was hand lettered also with a local postmark and no return address. I'll send that over to the lab also," Kono said. "I put on gloves the minute I saw the lettering."

"Good. You can take Danny's cards and envelope along but any prints on his are likely smudged," Steve instructed. He looked uncomfortably at the cards, feeling this was no innocent joke. "Danny, go down to the desk and talk to the guy at the desk. Learn all he remembers about the delivery guy. Chin, Lou and I will keep working our cruise ship case. We'll look at this closer when you two get back."

"Sounds good Boss," Kono replied and gathered her cards back into the envelope and went with Danny to get his and also the large manila one from her office. The two of them left to take care of business while the other three went back to the case that was the new Governor's main concern.

Danny returned first with very little to add to what they already knew. The man at the desk hadn't been paying much attention and had accepted the envelope without much attention to the delivery guy. He could only say he wasn't a native Hawaiian and was wearing some lightweight driving gloves. Seeing the frustration on his partner's face, Steve had Danny tackle the passenger lists for the cruise line that would be sailing in two days' time. He wanted Danny to have something to occupy his attention until Kono returned. Lou and Chin had drawn the conclusion that this was a six person crew made up of four men and two women from the various body types described by the witnesses. The perps worked in teams of three, one couple and a single male on each cruise. Their staterooms were always on opposite sides of the ship. Danny would now sort through the passenger list to see if anything jumped out with the cabin assignments for the upcoming cruise. Williams was surprisingly happy with the busy work.

When Kono returned, she looked as frustrated as Danny.

"Eric said he'll get on the prints as fast as he can and check if there is DNA on the envelopes seals," she told the team as everyone gathered around her. "The delivery service went through their records and none of their outlets had a delivery here this morning. It appears we are chasing a ghost or an imposter."

"Okay…..I don't like the feeling I'm getting about this whole deal," Steve muttered. "This is too elaborate to be a prank. These cards are some sort of message or warning to you two. We should take it seriously."

"It could be someone looking to mess with us…..you know….distract us from something else," Danny suggested.

"That's possible but I doubt this cruise ship crew is aware we're investigating. It is all too vague right now," Steve pointed out.

"We don't have enough information at this moment, it kind of ties our hands," Chin pointed out. "We have to hope that Eric can pull something off those cards and envelopes."

"So until we have something more concrete, you two have to be careful. We could put you into protective custody but we may be over-reacting," Steve declared.

"Forget that. I'm leaving early today to deliver Grace to a weekend cheer camp. Rachel is busy and Stan said he can't so she needs me," Danny said firmly. "I won't let Gracie down'."

"Where is the camp?" Steve enquired.

"In Kailua. I'll drive back after dropping her off," Danny informed him.

"Okay but keep your eyes open. Stay alert," McGarrett advised.

"Yes Mother."

Shaking his head Steve turned to Kono.

"I'm stopping to pick a few things at the market and then I'm settling in to watch a Bruce Lee marathon. I'll stay put and check in tomorrow," she said quickly.

"Bruce Lee…..why am I not surprised?" Lou chuckled.

"I'm not into chick flicks," Kono said defensively.

"No one said you should be," Lou stated holding up his hands. "I'm just not surprised by your choice of films."

"Don't worry about me guys, I can take care of myself," Kono assured her teammates. "As you said….we don't even know if this is a threat."

"We get that Cuz but it doesn't hurt to be careful," Chin said quietly. "I know they are just playing cards but until we know more it pays to be vigilant."

"Message received, I will be cautious," Kono told all of them. "I am not going to freak out over some playing cards."

"Okay…..Kono can take care of herself, Danny is warned, I guess we can only wait and see what happens next," Lou said not looking happy about the situation.

"So you go home and enjoy your movies," Steve told Kono. "I do think that checking in is a good idea." He then looked at Danny. "Give me a call when you get back from dropping Grace off."

"What are you, still trying to be my mother? I have one you know," Danny protested.

"I'm just trying to express my concern for your wellbeing. The same way you try to control my life because of the transplant. Not so fun to be on the receiving end, is it?" Steve said with a smug smile. Danny glared at him.

"You….Steven do not play fair," he growled.

"Tell Gracie hi from me," Steve replied mildly and headed for his office.

Danny left the office around four after assuring Steve he would call and grumbling that Steve would impose a curfew next. The others left an hour and a half later. Kono headed for the grocery store to gather her supplies for her date with Bruce Lee. She missed Adam so much but she knew these lonely nights would soon be a thing of the past.

Keeping an eye out for anyone who might be tailing her, Kono relaxed when she saw nothing and parking in the store's lot she hurried inside. She quickly accomplished her shopping and headed out to her car with a bag in each hand. Just before reaching her car, her phone rang and she twisted as she transferred the bag in her right hand to the left so she could pull her phone out of her back pocket.

That move saved her life. The bullet that was meant to bury itself in her heart from behind ended up drilling into her left shoulder. The impact dropped her to the ground and a second shot hit the pavement where she had landed. Kono however was not there, having instantly rolled into the safe shadow of a large truck parked two stalls over from her car.

With people yelling and rushing to her aid, Kono tried to pull out her phone to call for help. Pain washed over her and she blacked out before she could accomplish her goal.

End chapter.

So there you have it, our bad guy strikes. I hope you enjoyed the beginning. Reviews are always appreciated.