Chapter 4- a winning hand or a very good bluff.
A stack of notes sat before Steve ready for the drop off.
He stared at them hoping they would serve their purpose well. "I will be dropping off the ransom myself', Steve said to Chin and Kono in a tone that clearly stated there would be no discussion.
"Right boss we have your back", Kono didn't even try to contest Steve's decision, ironically it probably would have been Danny who would have had something to say. He would have said it was gung ho, risky and needed to be conducted with back up. "Danny you'd hate me for this",'Steve whispered, "But I'm going to do it anyway".
He was about to leave his office when the woman Danny had accompanied to the party was escorted in by an HPD officer.
"Look I've come to say how sorry I am for what happened to Danny", Louisa stated her head down staring at the floor. It was a look of extreme guilt which prompted Steve even though he was preoccupied to reassure. "I'm sure it wasn't you're fault' .
Louisa looked up at him bitting her lip firmly,"well it probably was", she confessed. "My ex boyfriend Morris was at that party and I admit I only took Danny to make him jealous. I was dancing with Morris and didn't bother to go help Danny when that silly blonde spilt wine all over him".
Steve was about to rebuke Louisa for wasting his time when the comment about wine being spilt on Danny stuck in his mind. Danny had to have been by himself when the snatch happened and perhaps the wine spill was the cause. "What blonde', he asked
"That silly one with the skimpy red bikini, she was a little drunk and bashed straight into Danny spilling the wine down his shirt. He looked really fed up and left the room not long after", Louisa told him.
Steve felt a suspicion beginning to build but needed more to go on, "Did you see where she went after bumping into Danny, he asked". Lousia screwed up her face obviously thinking about that carefully. 'I don't recall seeing her immediately after the wine spill", she recalled.
"Then she could have followed Danny out", Steve pressed. Louisa frowned, then nodded vigously, "yes, I think she did", she stated.
"So how long passed before you saw the blonde again", Steve asked.
"Oh it wasn't until much later when she pulled off some Hollywood maneuvers to get out the way of that car. I was rather impressed she'd sobered up that quickly", Lousia remarked.
"What is this blondes name", Steve asked. "Penelope Lowe", Lousia replied. She the daughter of some rich millionaire who treats her like a little princess", her voice was now filled with scorn and dripped dislike. "
"Does she have a boyfriend", Chin was beginning to also see possibilities. "Well she came with some girlpals and talked to several different men at the party. No one definite springs to mind", Lousia admitted. Steve thanked Lousia and dismissed her with reasurrances that they would find Danny safe and well.
About to request more information from Chin Steve was interupted by a harried looking HPD officer. "I'm sorry to add to your troubles Mr Mc Garrett, but we had a bombing occur over night",he reported
Steve grimaced ,this was something very serious that should not be ignored. "Was anyone hurt", a concerned Kono asked.
"We have two dead at the scene. One was very badly burnt and will need DNA to verify identity , the other had burns to mainly the lower portions of his body. He was further away from the source of the explosion, not that it helped him any", the HPD officer reported.
"So you have an ID on the second victim", Kono asked. "Yes we do, he's just a local, no record, no ties to gangs or anything else illegal, there doesn't seem to be a reason why he'd be targeted and thats why we need some extra investigation by 5-0", the officer confirmed.
"Well we will give this case our attention but as you know we are also dealing with the kidnapping of a police officer and I have to go pay the ransom very soon", Steve nodded toward the brief case filled with money.
The HPD officer followed Steves gaze and his eyes widened, "thats what it was", he muttered. Chin looked at him strangely, "what are you talking about", he asked. "Well the fire extended out from a point of origin burning things in its path but leaving traces of where it started behind. We have been trying to identify this blackened thing found at the scene and now that I see that it's form and size match that of your case I know that must have been what it was", the officer looked relieved.
A bomb in a brief case", that was probably a nasty surprise for someone" , Chin reflected with a grimace
Steve was beginning to feel a horrible chill coming upon him. "It is common to put money in brief cases", he reflected.
Yes", Chin confirmed. "But to put a bomb in instead indicates prehaps something illegal like a drug deal gone bad", Kono remarked.
"A payoff sounds right but it might not necessarily have been drugs", Steve was feeling pieces coming togther but the picture they were making was very unpleasant. He did though have a place to start to look for answers.
A woman who was drunk enough to bang into Danny one moment and yet coordinated enough for a stunt man leap past a car seemed suspicious to Steve.
"Chin get me all the information you can on this Penelope Lowe" ,he shouted acrosss the room.
"Sure boss", Chin got busy with the computer and noticed some information beginning to fill his screen ,"forensics has a report on their analysis of the letter and sack," he told Steve as he studied the readout. The letter was written by a left handed male under 35 years and as for the sack it only contained part of a strand of a blonde hair", Chin stated
Steve closed his eyes, he was beginning to see the theory he'd been building slipping away. "Hold on Steve", Chin was frowning as he looked at the information, "does Danny share personal stuff with you", he asked
Steve stared uncertain why Chin was asking. "What has that got to do with anything", he demanded.
"Well usually there is not much information that can be gathered from one hair but in this case there was something significant. But it depends on the answer to one question", Chin told Steve
"What question", Steve demanded crossing his arms to indicate his growing impatience about this whole questioning process. "Is Danny a natural blonde", Chin asked.
"Yes", Steve stated firmly, then he back tracked, 'well I assume so". "He is a natural blonde", Kono supported Steves first assumption." But why is that so important", she wanted to know.
"Because the hair in the sack was from someone who dyes their hair"Chin remarked.
Steves eyes widened and he began to pace. "What does that mean, Kono was confused.
" It could mean that someone else handled the sack before using it on Danny ,but the fact the hair was trapped in the weave seems to suggest a very close contact like having the sack over your head",Chin stated
"But if that hair was from someone who dyes their hair and Dannys a natural blonde then that means…" Kono broke off stll trying to figure it all out.
"That someone else had the sack on their head and it wasn't Danny', Steve finished for her.
"Two people are missing", Kono looked shocked at the prospect.
Steve was standing with a look on his face. Chin could almost hear the echo of Danys voice making a comment about that face. "Look over there", Steve suddenly announced and pointed across the room. Chin and Kono looked but saw nothing. They turned back to their boss in confusion. Steve held up the pen he'd swiped from the table while their backs are turned. "You were to busy to notice what was going on behind you. What would be more in your face than driving a car through a bunch of party goers with a person with a sack over their head in the back".
"Everyone of course noticed which led to us chasing after the car. But what if it's all just a great big bluff, while they were looking one way something was happening to Danny somewhere else",Steve suggested.
"But why Steve", Kono asked.
"Why indeed, I think we are dealing with a player here, someone conducting an elaborate game" Steve told them.
He began to pace as he thought about the information he'd recieved. "This person plays for high stakes getting some people to act out a kidnapping and then if I'm right disposing of them so they can't identify him. I'm betting those men believed they were getting part of the robbery payment for their part in the ruse. Unfortunately they got something else.'
"Speaking of money boss, it's time to go and drop the money", Chin reminded.
Steve knew the next words out of his mouth were going to be hard on this team but he was doing some serious thinking about getting back in control . "I am not going to go", he stated.
"What, you're risking Danny's life", Kono seemed to stand taller.
Steve noted she was beginning to challenge his thinking more as she tried to find out the motives for his actions. He took that as a good thing in this case Kono as was just worried about her team mate.
"If this is just some game then our kidnapper is not even going to be there", he told Kono. "If it truly is about money then they won't balk at us not turning up and will get back in contact."
"You are going to have to trust me on this", Steve told her.
Kono nodded slowly.
Now Chin make that information on this Penelope Fuller a priority . I believe her actions the night of the party are suspicious and she could be the one to crack this thing open, I want her now", Steve insisted.
Chin got busy on the computer requesting information.
Kono looked worried, "If this man has killed two people already then...," she stopped her mouth going dry and tears beginning to form.
Steve had to say what was on her mind, "Danny could be dead", he stated. "But the fact that we have not found a body gives us some hope that he's not".
"Then where is he", Chin asked. Steve unfortunately did not know the answer to that question.
Danny didn't know that either. He was too busy trying to swim to the shore. But the current Thomas had bragged about was pushing against him full force. He recalled his words to Steve when asked whether he could swim, "I swim for survival not pleasure", this was definitely survival.
However Danny knew deep down in his heart that he was simply not a good enough swimmer to be able to beat this current. He was sure Steve would have done it easily or maybe hitched a ride on some helpful dolphin.
He was not Steve and had to admit defeat stopping fighting the current and letting it carry him, which was unfortuntely away from the coast line.
As the coast disappeared all that kept Danny going was the burning desire to see Thomas again and to punch him firmly in the mouth or preferably find some excuse to just shoot him.
The cause of his distress was miles away pulling the boat into the shore. He smiled as he saw a familiar woman approaching. "Hey babe, the woman greated. Thomas leapt out the boat and gathered the woman into his arms and kissed her soundly. "It so good to see you ", he whispered in her ear in a soft throaty voice as he ran his fingers through her beautiful red hair.
Not one thought of Penny Lowe passed through his mind as he caressed his love. She was just like the others a pawn to be used and then disgarded. Thomas was smart enought to realise that eventually the police would connect Penny to what had happened at the party.
Then she'd be questioned and probably asked to give information on his identity.
Of course Penny would resist but eventually they'd break her and she'd tell them all about him. Well all about Thomas Grey. But that's not who he was and even a perfect picture would not uncover his identity. He defintely had the winning hand and he was going to play it to the end .
