Pau
Chapter 2: Williams and McGarrett
At the sound of his partner's familiar voice, the tension flowed out of Danny's body. He relaxed with a catch in his breath that might have been a sob, but the driver resolutely didn't hear it. It didn't matter that Danny had let the victim make his own blank cartridge and load the murder weapon. It didn't matter that Danny had felt the Kevlar vest and the special effects blood bag when he pressed the gun to Steve's abdomen. It didn't matter that they both knew what they were doing. It was still dangerous to play with guns and, in the back of his mind, Danny had suffered the nagging worry that he'd really killed his best friend.
"You were supposed to be faster," Danny answered. "You're Aquaman, not me."
"Sorry about the cuffs," Steve apologized. "They're not standard. I'll have to cut them off in the cabin."
"The cuffs I can live with. I'm not sure about this cockamamie plan."
"It was your plan," Steve protested.
"So who should know better that it's cockamamie," Danny said logically. "Now I'm on the run, wanted for killing a cop, with every cop on the island looking for me and my daughter thinks I'm a murderer."
His voice cracked at that, because all the rest was nothing compared to Grace's loss of faith in her father.
"And even if the cockamamie plan works, and we catch the bad guys, Grace will still know that I lied to her." Danny bit his lip, trying to control himself.
Steve understood that Danny had suffered the most stress in the plan so far. While Steve had been playing around with peroxide and disguises, Danny had been in a cell wondering if he was really a murderer or not.
Steve tried to lighten the mood, "Hey, don't get all emotional now," he warned. "You can't blow your nose when your hands are cuffed."
Danny chuckled, sniffed and wiped his eyes on his shoulder.
"We can still turn around," Steve offered. "We can tell everyone this was a training exercise and they all failed."
"No, we can't," Danny said flatly. "Then the bad guys would know about the fake murder and they'd kill my daughter. I'd rather be shot by a SWAT sniper, than risk one hair on Grace's head. But what if…"
"They won't kill her," Steve said hastily, but with assurance. "They'll keep her alive to have leverage over you."
"Hence the cockamamie plan," Danny said wearily.
They drove for a while in silence. "When my mother comes to visit," Danny said, as if he was certain that things would return to normal some day, "You can be my witness when I tell her she was wrong."
"About what."
"She always said I couldn't talk without using my hands, yet here I am."
Steve chuckled. "But it's driving you crazy, isn't it?"
"It's — what does Toast say? — it's problematic."
"Almost there," Steve said encouragingly.
— H50 —
Governor Jameson watched Cage and his men leave, then asked her aides to give her a few minutes with the remaining members of Five-0.
When they shut the door behind them, Jameson said, "Well, they're on their own now. May God watch over them."
"Amen," the cousins agreed.
"Thanks for the alibi," Chin commented.
"It works both ways. Cage might remember that I arranged the psych eval and the transportation schedule," the governor said. "How do you do that?" she asked curiously, as Kono brushed tears from her reddened eyes.
"I stick my finger in my eye," the girl said. "The more you rub it, the redder it gets."
"We've sent Cage off looking for Williams' accomplice. I hope he never thinks that the one person Danny knew who could pull off such a rescue was Steve McGarrett," Jameson said.
"Why would he?" Kono asked. "He saw Steve's body on the autopsy table."
"And could hardly keep his lunch down, according to Max," Chin said with a mean sense of satisfaction. Cage had hounded Chin off the Honolulu Police force. Any discomfort the Internal Affairs officer endured was small payback for the suffering he'd caused Chin.
"How did Max manage that?" Jameson asked.
"He made a latex mask of Steve's face and used photos of Steve's tattoos to make temporary tattoo transfers," Chin said. "I think he enjoyed himself. He called it arts and crafts."
"He said the body was only superficially like Steve's — a young man with muscular arms; but he's surprised how few visitors really study the corpses," Kono said.
"'Surprised.' That sounds like Max," the governor acknowledged. "Brief me on the Blue Skies investigation. Commander McGarrett couldn't spare much time. He just asked me to trust him."
"The ironic thing is that it was already too late for Malcolm Heyes when Danny received the threat," Chin Ho began. "The case started with the murder of three officers of the Blue Skies Investment Fund and the disappearance of $100 million from that fund."
Jameson looked rueful. "A fund that's part of several state and city pension plans."
"Including HPD," Chin said.
"Steve and I investigated the murders while Chin and Danny followed the money," Kono put in. "For someone who says he can't balance his checkbook, Danny's really good at financials. He worked with the SEC on several cases back in New Jersey."
"We were surprised when the money linked to Heyes," Chin said. "He's got so much money, he hardly needs to steal."
"He's such a nice man," Jameson said regretfully. "He always seemed practically perfect. None of those irritating habits that most people have."
"Danny says that's one of the traits of a sociopath," Kono quoted her friend. "That's how he profiled Heyes. Heyes didn't need to steal the money, but he saw an opportunity and took it. Never mind three deaths and thousands of people losing their pensions. That's why Danny was so scared when he got the threat. Someone else might hesitate to kill an 8-year-old girl, but a sociopath has no empathy. Heyes would kill Grace just because he said he would."
Chin chuckled. "When Danny showed us the photo, I thought Steve was going to go ballistic."
"It was weird. Steve was ranting and Danny was quiet. Until Steve realized Danny was quiet," Kono said. "And Steve asked what Danny was thinking."
"And Danny said, 'I think I need to kill you.'"
"I would have liked to see that," Jameson said with a chuckle.
Chin shook his head, remembering Steve going speechless and then ferocious. "It was only funny for a second; then Danny gave us the outline of the plan he'd come up with that sleepless night after he got the photo."
"And he expects Heyes to get in touch with him?" the governor asked.
"Danny knows he will. I think he's got Heyes tabbed. Danny predicted Heyes would call him, and two days later a burn phone turned up on his doorstep," Chin said.
"Heyes manipulated Danny into killing Steve. Danny thinks Heyes won't be able to resist playing with his new toy," Kono said.
Jameson liked the confidence the cousins had in their New Jersey teammate. She didn't tell them that she'd been against the plan in the first place, but Steve's faith in Danny had sold her on it. "You called him one of your best men," Steve had reminded her. "You need to trust him."
And in the end she had trusted them.
She pushed herself off the edge of the desk. "I'd better go. Let me know if there's anything else I can do."
"Just keep Danny's money safe. It's his daughter's legacy if …" Real tears began to run down Kono's face. "Poor Danny. Everybody's hunting him now, Chin. He's all alone."
Chin pulled her face to his chest again and stroked her straight dark hair.
"He's not alone now," he reminded his cousin. "He's got Steve with him. Williams and McGarrett. They're unstoppable."
"My two best men," Jameson said heavily.
— H50 —
On a winding dirt road, Steve found the small cabin that belonged to a friend of one of Kono's many cousins. It was off the beaten path, yet not very far from Honolulu.
Steve parked behind the house, slung Danny over his shoulder and carried his partner into the house.
"Show off," upside down Danny complained.
Carefully protecting the back of Danny's head, Steve offloaded him into a wooden chair, then leaped back spreading his hands wide in a "Tada!" gesture. Danny got his first good look at his disguised partner — spiky blond hair and bleached goatee, tat-free bronzed shoulders, burn scar on his cheek, tank top and fluorescent board shorts — and began to laugh hysterically. Really. Hysterically. The release of tension slammed him down and rolled him over like a wipeout on the Pipeline, until the laughter became tears and Steve got seriously concerned. He gripped Danny's shoulder and held a bottle of water to his lips.
"Breathe, Danny, breathe. Here, have some water," he coaxed.
Danny struggled for control and swallowed obediently.
"Now blow," Steve commanded, holding a tissue to his friend's nose.
Memories of doing this for a two-year-old Grace threatened Danny's self-control again, but he disciplined himself with an effort.
"Thanks," he said when he could breathe through his nose again. "Sorry."
Steve clapped him on the shoulder. "I understand. You've been living under stress for more than two weeks. Just let me get the cuffs off before you blow up again. This is disgusting," he said as he tossed the tissue away.
"I couldn't shake the feeling I'd really killed you," Danny confessed. "All that blood."
"It's really mine, too, if anyone checks the DNA," Steve said with an odd sort of pride. "Riley drew a pint just an hour before we started our show."
He got the bolt cutters. From behind Danny he ventured, "So, you liked the disguise?"
"You do know you look ridiculous?"
"But nothing like Steve McGarrett."
Danny pictured his dark-haired, clean-shaven partner with his usual khaki cargo pants and the dark T-shirt that was no more "typically Hawaiian" than Danny's tie and button down shirt.
"Nothing like Super SEAL," Danny agreed. "But bleached chin whiskers won't fool facial recognition software."
"True, but no one's looking for me. Steve McGarrett's dead," the commander said. "Hold still, I don't want to cut you."
He snipped the cuffs from both Danny's wrists. The detective sighed with relief and rubbed his wrists.
"But everyone's looking for me," Danny reminded his friend. "I don't think a little hair dye is going to help."
"Chin said he tweaked the computer's reference sample. It will be looking for someone with eyes wider apart and a face that's not so long, something like that. Anyway, Chin said the computer won't see you as a match to Danny Williams and when it comes to computers, I trust Chin."
"I trust him for more than computers," Danny retorted. "But I still stand out in a crowd."
The detective had no illusions. Once he'd gotten known in a community, he hadn't been much use for undercover work. Below average height with a distinctive long face, he just didn't blend in.
"Well, we'll do what we can and if you're right about Heyes, you won't need to wander around the city ducking traffic cams," Steve said with a shrug.
"He's a sociopath," Danny said flatly. "He won't be able to resist keeping me under control. He'll call."
"First, you need to get some food and some rest."
Danny was starving and didn't protest. While Steve prepared sandwiches from supplies in a cooler, Danny cleaned up; then changed out of the prison jumpsuit and into jeans and a Superman T-shirt.
"Superman? You gave me Superman?"
"People will look at the logo, not at your face," Steve said with a grin. "Here, eat," he commanded, setting down a substantial sandwich, the bottle of water and an apple in front of his partner and taking the same for himself.
Danny caught his wrist and studied it. "You even bleached the hair on your arms and legs?"
"Peroxide," McGarrett said. "The little details make a difference, according to the disguise expert who taught me. Itches like crazy, though," he added, scratching his shin.
"How'd you get rid of the tats?"
"Theatrical makeup. I've got some black dye for your hair and shoes with lifts to make you seem taller," Steve said. "And that Don Johnson beard has got to go."
Danny snorted. "It's not a fashion statement. When I shave it, I get a lot of in-grown hairs. It gives me pimples. I look like I'm 17," Danny said in disgust.
Steve chewed thoughtfully. "As good a disguise as any," he said finally.
Danny grimaced, but broke off eating to shave — to give the pimple effect more time to develop; then he went back to his sandwich. Steve knew how seriously Danny took the threat to his daughter by the fact that he'd hardly ranted about anything since he'd received the fateful photo.
They ate the rest of their meal in companionable silence. When Danny was almost done, Steve took out a pill bottle and shook out a capsule.
"What's that?"
"Sleeping pill. Riley gave me a couple."
"Why?"
"Because he's getting to know us too well," Steve answered. "Danny, you need to rest or you're not going to be able to handle this."
"Where'd Riley get pills? He's no pharmacist." Danny hoped their paramedic friend hadn't stolen the pills. He'd risked enough for their plan.
"They're his own prescription, for the bad nights after he loses a patient."
Danny's eyes strayed to the burn phone on the table — the phone that had appeared in his mailbox two days after the fearful photo.
"He can wait," Steve said firmly, holding out the pill.
Danny knew he was right. He took the pill with his last bite of food and last swallow of water; then lay down on the narrow bunk.
"I'll be right here," Steve told him. He began cleaning a pistol — not his usual weapon; that was in evidence at HPD.
There was something very reassuring about Super SEAL with a gun in his hand, even if he did look more like Guy Fieri than Steve McGarrett right now. Danny closed his eyes and was gone.
Danny slept through the night and late into the morning. Steve stayed on guard until it got dark; then went to sleep, relying on the alarms he'd set up around the building while Danny was in jail.
In the morning (OK, it was close to noon), after they had breakfast, Danny washed and then sat on the wooden chair while Steve played hair salon.
"You can't tell me you learned this in the SEALs or the Boy Scouts," Danny said while Steve dyed his partner's hair dark brown.
"I took lessons from the CIA," Steve answered, as he toweled off the excess moisture. He studied the effect and nodded. Much darker than normal, but not so dark it looked unnatural.
"The CIA, so this is part of your super secret, 'if I told you I'd have to kill you,' military past."
"Pretty much," Steve agreed.
While Danny's hair dried, Steve began applying makeup. He'd intended to make Danny look older, but the pimples that were beginning to irritate Danny's chin changed his plan. Younger was tougher, but he thought he could manage.
While Danny sat patiently, and mostly silently, Steve used brushes and makeup as if he was an artist painting a portrait. The most important part was filling in and smoothing out the lines around Danny's eyes and across his forehead without the makeup being too obviously makeup.
When he thought he had the face right, Steve went back to the hair that was now dry. He put in the same gel he used on his own spiky hair and then combed Danny's hair forward instead of smoothing it back. Steve flipped the gelled hair up over his eyes like a cockscomb, appropriate for his gamecock partner. He twiddled with it a long time, unable to get the look he envisioned; then he noticed a tear trickle down his partner's otherwise impassive face.
"Hey, did I get this stuff in your eye? Sorry, it's been awhile since I did this."
He got a tissue and began to dab at the corner of Danny's eye. Danny batted his hand away and forcibly removed the tissue. He blotted his own eyes, careful of the makeup.
"You didn't get it in my eye," he said in a rough voice.
"Then what …?"
"Can't you leave it alone? Can't you ever allow me a modicum of privacy?" Steve just looked at him. Danny threw up his hands. "Fine! The only one who ever plays with my hair is Grace. Happy?" He folded his arms and looked away.
"Hey, you'll see her again," Steve said quietly. "She'll know you aren't a murderer."
"And then she'll know I'm a liar. She'll never trust me again," Danny said morosely.
Steve had to pull Danny out of his funk. "I think you worry too much," he said. "I mean, hell, Sundance, the fall will probably kill us!"
The corner of Danny's mouth twitched in a tiny smile. "You mean you're letting me be Robert Redford?"
Steve shrugged. "I was feeling generous. Besides, Paul Newman isn't half bad." He gave a last flick to Danny's hair and handed him a hoodie. Danny stood up to look in the full-length mirror.
"Geez," Steve said. "You look about 12."
Not 12, not really, but with the lines of experience smoothed out by makeup and the red spots growing on his chin, he could easily pass for early 20s at a quick glance. Danny slouched, hands in his pockets, and suddenly looked even younger. He's done this before, Steve realized.
"Forget the lifts," Steve said. "It works better if you slouch like that and look smaller. But it needs something."
"A skateboard and an iPod with ear buds," Danny suggested drily. He shook his head at his reflection. "Bobby Jenks, I didn't expect to see you again."
"Bobby Jenks?"
"Kono isn't the first cop to be recruited for undercover work straight out of the academy. Those young, fresh faces make great bait for narco operations — and vice."
Vice. Undercover vice work could be nasty. "How long?" Steve asked.
"Two years and then we hit a high profile case and my face became too well known. I was happy to retire Bobby and move to a patrol car. Didn't you ever read my personnel file?"
"Most of it," Steve defended himself. "But it's soooo long and it gets monotonous — award here, commendation there."
"Flattery does not excuse you." But Danny sounded more relaxed. He'd been deep under before and survived, he reminded himself. And last time he hadn't had Super SEAL watching his back.
"Time to turn the phone on," he said.
Steve agreed.
— H50 —
The burn phone rang about half an hour after Danny turned it on.
"Show time," Steve said tightly.
"I knew you'd call," Danny said into the receiver.
"Why didn't you answer sooner?" Heyes said peevishly.
"I was busy," Danny answered. "I did what you wanted. Why can't you leave me alone?"
"I think you'd be useful. Very useful."
"With every cop on the island looking for me? I doubt it," Danny said scornfully.
"How'd you break out of jail?" Heyes asked with real curiosity.
"I paid someone, someone I met on the job. I did him a favor, but he didn't like McGarrett at all. He was happy to give a black eye to the cops by helping me get away. Is there a point to this conversation?"
"I want your help," Heyes said eagerly. "I want you to teach me things. In return, I'll help you get to the mainland with enough cash to start a new life."
"Well …"
"To sweeten the deal, I have a little gift for you."
Danny heard noises away from the phone; then his heart clenched as a familiar English accent demanded to know what was going on.
Steve couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but he saw the color drain from his partner's face.
"Here, honey," Heyes said in a voice oozing sweetness. "Say hello to your father."
"Daddy?" the girl's voice said hesitantly.
"Grace," Danny said hoarsely, and then Steve went white, too.
— H50 —
A/N: Did you think you'd get a whole story without an evil cliffie?