Cujo IV The Fence Rabbit Rises
Chapter 2 – Wet
This one's a bit shorter than usual. Kind of rushed it to get something out there. May sneak back to refine it a bit. If you see something that doesn't make sense let me know.
Imaginary Beta is distracted by RL right now so I can't really kick her butt for being lax.
Disclaimer: Still not making any money from this and write for my own amusement and hopefully for yours as well.
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"Okay, what about 'wet paint' don't you get?" asked Danny as he surveyed his partner.
Steve, snapping cuffs around the wrist of his captive, looked down at himself and frowned.
"Shit!" he muttered as Officer Kiliona came forward to begin to read the perp his rights knowing that Five-0's leader could be kind of hit and miss on that sort of thing. It couldn't hurt to hear it twice.
"Dammit!" said Steve as he realized his formerly solid black cargos and T-shirt were now two-toned in a combination reminiscent of a fifties diner. Looking further downward, he saw his boots were also similarly transformed. "Shit!" he said even louder.
"I think you've already used up your uniform replacement allowance for this month babe." stated Danny who desperately wanted to laugh. "Lucky for you though, at least half of your uniform can be bought in bulk for eleven dollars a package.
"Come on. Just drive me back to the office." snapped Steve as though chasing a suspect through a paint store then tackling said suspect and crashing into an in-progress demonstration of how to decorate with the newest shades was all his partner's fault. It might not even have been that bad had they not also crashed into that wall of stacked paint cans as DIY customers ran screaming from the demo area.
"No, no. You are not getting into my car with all that on you! It's bad enough when you manage to cover yourself in mud and blood on a much too regular basis then try to get all comfy on my upholstery but uhh uhh; I have to draw the line somewhere. Though Grace loves that shade, having my seats covered in it isn't something to which I aspire."
"Danny!" practically whined the tall, tattooed, BAMF SEAL now covered in Martha Stewart designer interior semi-gloss shade number 354.
"Don't even try Rambo. You are not getting into my car while dripping a totally unmanly shade of Barbie pink. I'll NEVER get it out of my upholstery."
"But it's latex. It's water based!" tried Steve nonetheless
"You know, you're whinier than an entire car full of girls. And, because some of them can be covered in whatever has been foisted upon children too young to know better; I vacuumed up the last of the glitter just yesterday. It looked like a friggin' unicorn exploded on my back seat! At least that stuff can eventually be vacuumed up, but wet paint?"
McGarrett temporarily lost his distressed look to glance upward with a smirk. "I'd always thought maybe all that glitter was just evidence of some sort of secret life you didn't want anyone to know about."
"All right, that's it smartass." huffed Danny before he turned toward Officer Miko Kiliona to say, "Hey, Miko, when you transport our perp for booking, can you drop off Commander Barbie on your way? I trust you have a tarp for the seat of the squad? Actually you're gonna need several, they're both a mess."
Kiliona glanced doubtfully at the annoyed looking and paint-covered Five-0 leader before his gaze shifted to the similarly paint dripping man cuffed to a lighting stanchion on the walkway next to them. "Commander McGarrett? Would you like a ride to your headquarters?" he asked as the now chuckling detective, hopped over the wide, multi-colored, ribbon of paint that still streamed sluggishly out the door of the storefront.
Danny rummaged in the trunk of the Camaro then returned to toss a yellow plastic tarp at his partner – the kind usually used to cover cadavers at crime and accident scenes.
"Meet you there Princess." he smiled as McGarrett caught the covering and glared back at him.
Patrolman Miko Kiliona tried his best not to laugh. Really he did.
…
His human didn't want to play. No matter how much he purred and rubbed against him while the man stared at the flat lighted thing that would sometimes have tiny humans moving across it, he wouldn't pay any attention to him. Deciding to do something he knew would elicit a reaction, the little cat leapt onto the part of the flat thing his human's paws had been so fascinatingly tapping on and plopped down.
"Dammit cat!" he heard the tall man exclaim right before he was plucked up and unceremoniously set outside the door and then the door was closed so that he couldn't get back inside.
Hmmf.
"Hey popoki, the boss throw you out?" asked the female who smelled like sand and water. She bent down to pick him up and scratch behind his ears. He purred in appreciation. At least someone was paying attention to him. "Poor baby." he heard then Water Woman set him down and walked off.
Oh well, he'd continue his stake-out in the hallway. There were no mouses or lizards to chase right now. Maybe he'd eaten them all. For the meantime he'd sit here. His human had to open the door sometime. If he was lucky, he would dash past him before he was caught. It was easy to get by the others but his human was fast.
Eventually, the man covered in flower cloth came up to him. "So, you've gotten yourself eighty-sixed again huh?" he asked, "You pee on Danny's desk or did you chew up someone's laptop charger wires . . . again? It's a wonder you haven't electrocuted yourself doing that kinda stuff." Then Flower Cloth Man bent down to briefly scratch him behind the ears before walking away.
There were familiar footsteps approaching. The one who made them was no threat so he didn't take his gaze away from the door. "So," said the Loud Man, "He finally threw your mangy little ass out huh?"
After looking around to see if anyone was watching him he bent down and the little cat felt a gentle hand run from the top of his head to the end of his tail. "Don't worry, you'll worm your way back in. The man's a sucker." With that, the Loud Man straightened up to his very tall human height and walked off.
Cujo continued to keep his hopeful vigil outside his chosen human's doorway.
…
"Joe, give me a call when you get this." he said when voice mail picked up. It was the fourth call without any response. Joe was being elusive . . . unfortunately not all that uncommon. He swore as he set his phone back onto his desk noting he hadn't gotten out all that pink from around his cuticles. It had taken what seemed hours of scrubbing to get the supposedly 'simple water clean-up' latex paint off of him. To say it had put him in a bad mood was an understatement . . . and he was pretty sure that Danny had taken pictures of it.
Those unanswered phone calls to Joe White weren't helping either but McGarrett didn't really think he'd get any information from his mentor. Joe had been protecting Doris for years. It had always been in Steve's mind that his former C.O. was possibly more than just a 'protector' to John McGarrett's wife but they were adults who made their own wise or unwise decisions. If his mother had been unfaithful to her husband, of course he'd be disappointed and feel bad for his father but he was certainly no expert on the subject of marriages good or bad; having never been married.
Actually, he'd only just admitted to himself that Cath meant more to him than just 'friends with benefits' as Danny had long called them – mostly just to be annoying. He had yet to tell Cath he loved her though he hoped through his actions she'd already figured it out.
He knew very well he had issues. Never wanting to become so involved in a relationship that he'd put himself in danger of once again experiencing the pain of abandonment he'd kept his heart to himself . . . or thought he had. Putting himself out there in the turkey-shoot of emotional entanglement had long terrified him but, slowly, it had happened. Cath had long ago gotten around his barriers and since he'd come back to the islands he'd become far too enmeshed with his Five-0 family. Any one of them could potentially cause him great distress if they took a notion to do so. He was confident they'd never intentionally hurt him but, at the same time, he knew it hadn't been wise to become so attached. He was totally annoyed with himself for letting it happen.
He sighed as he stared out at the ominous sky waiting outside his window. There was a storm coming and it would probably interfere with his travel plans.
Going back to the pile of paperwork on his desk, he sorted through the various bits of info they'd gathered on Denning's case. It seems an old friend of the Governor's had become victim of blackmail . . . something about a past indiscretion. He hated crap like this. People did all sorts of stupid things to get themselves into these situations then expected someone else to come in and make it all go away. This especially seemed true of people with money and influence though certainly it made no sense to blackmail a person who had neither funds nor power.
He tried but couldn't keep his mind on the task at hand. It kept straying back to his own investigation and the disappointment in himself for not keeping his distance from his team. Still, it was more than could be said of his attitude toward the woman who called herself his mother. She was a piece of work.
There was a quick knock on his door and he looked up to see Danny entering as Cujo dashed in under his feet.
"Steve, we've got a lead on Denning's case. Chin and Kono turned up a name. I think we need to get a move on."
….
Stake-outs were always boring but this one would make watching televised golf seem exciting by comparison. The small office building that was home to Hono Electronics is as nondescript as they come. Even the people who'd entered and exited the two-story structure throughout the long day had been bland and unmemorable. Tommy Ikura had yet to make his re-appearance since entering his workplace at a little before eight A.M. It was nearing time for the workday to end and traffic had already begun ramping up for rush-hour. The sound of cars rolling across the wet asphalt was becoming a steady swish. Rain had been falling on and off all day and, right now, it was on again.
They'd taken over their shift from Chin and Kono who'd gotten the seven A.M. to noon gig. Now, after nearly three and a half hours trapped in a car, even if it a very nice one, it was wearing on its two occupants.
The call of nature was beginning to make itself known and Danny cursed his consumption of that venti sized cappuccino he'd given in to at the start of their shift. Ever since the Macchiato Murder case last year he'd been hooked on the damned things.
"Sunny Paradise, huh?' muttered Danny as he squirmed and dismally surveyed the wet landscape.
"What?" asked Steve only marginally distracted from his thoughts.
"If I wanted to spend this much time in the rain, I could'a just stayed in Jersey."
"Oh, come on. If the sun was shining you'd be bitching just as much."
"Look, Rambo, I know you are not only a sun worshiper but also seem to welcome any opportunity to go splash around in big puddles like a six-year-old. I, on the other hand, think that blistering heat followed by monsoons are not what God intended for this Jersey native who is only reluctantly living on this pile of cooled lava."
"Yeah, but you had a lot more than just sun and rain to contend with there. You forget about having to get up an hour early to dig your car outta the snow so you can get to work? I remember you bitching about that too. Besides, you have me to keep you company here which makes it so much more entertaining." smiled Steve as his eyes remained fastened on the doorway half a block down.
"Yeah, explosions, car chases and fire fights can be distracting but not if I'm in the middle of them with a crazed moron who thinks they're more fun than the teacup ride at Disneyland."
"Seriously? The teacup ride?"
Danny didn't have time to reply as, suddenly, the man they'd long awaited appeared through the doorway. As rain dashed against the windshield, the water-blurred image of their suspect was almost hard to make out but there was no mistaking who'd emerged onto the sidewalk.
"Finally!" said Danny as they watched the wiry local walk quickly away from them toward where he'd parked his car. If coyotes took human form, this guy was definitely part of the pack. Even his stride had that wary tail-tucked slink to it. But like the aforementioned animal, Ikura also possessed the wiliest of survival instincts. Just as he was about to enter his old rattletrap, hand on open door while the other shielded his eyes from the downpour, he looked up and directly at them. Something clicked in his canid brain as his expression became one of cartoonlike surprise right before he whirled and ran.
"Shit!" said Steve already a step onto the sidewalk after launching himself out of the car.
"Of course the jerk would make us chase him in the middle of a friggin' monsoon!" muttered Danny, disgust in his voice as he threw open the passenger door to also give chase.
Danny knew he couldn't keep Steve from coursing after the bad guys like a greyhound after a rabbit. It was instinct with his partner: people ran - he chased them. The trouble was that Steve was fast. Far faster than anyone else on his team; and if the bad guy was also fleet of foot then SEAL and prey would be out of sight in a matter of moments.
Still swearing, the detective sprinted after the disappearing form of his partner and their suspect. Splashing noisily through pools on the concrete as more water assailed him with the force of a garden hose, he tried hopelessly to blink it from his eyes. He caught a glimpse of Steve's dark cargoes disappearing around a corner and the detective ran with all his might to catch up.
Even through the sound of pelting rain he heard the squeal of tires and the sound of an impact . . . then a scream.
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I know, another evil cliffie. Would love to hear what you think of this so far.
PS – Not to be a downer but must sadly tell you guys that one of the ninja cats has gone to the big catnip patch in the sky. She was always so deviously clever at escaping but could not escape old age. Her name was Lizzy and she will be missed by husband and me and her companion.