The sound of a door opening wakened Danny from the light doze he had fallen into. He opened his eyes in time to be blinded as the light came on. Wincing, he watched warily as London came into the basement with his goons.

"You really should get up when I come in," London commented. "Weren't you ever taught manners?"

"I don't need a lesson in manners from you," Danny retorted. He knew he shouldn't rise to the bait but he couldn't help himself sometimes.

Looking amused, London nodded to the goons, who yanked Danny to his feet. They held on to his arms and Danny wryly reflected that he would soon have hand-shaped bruises there. His musings were rudely interrupted by a vicious backhand slap. "I would advise you to watch your mouth as well as mind your manners," London warned him, looking with satisfaction at the split lip he had just inflicted on his prisoner.

"You're going to be disappointed," Danny advised him. He thought he was more prepared for the blow this time, but he really wasn't.

His ears were still ringing when London grabbed his hair. "You're going to tell me all the security arrangements for the graduation parade," he told Danny. "The fake ones and the real ones."

"Since I don't know anything about them, you're going to be out of luck," Danny mumbled. "And I wouldn't tell you even if I could."

"Oh I think you will," London smiled. "I really think you will."

His feline smile and smug self-assuredness scared Danny far more than the beating the goons gave him, bad though it was. London stood back and watched, smiling throughout.

As he lay on the damp floor, his body aching, unable to move for the moment, Danny wondered dimly what London had in mind for him. He tried to see into the man's mind, but he was too hurt to fathom what might happen. He could only lie there and wait to see what happened next.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Any word on Detective Williams?" the governor asked. He had just been told about the security arrangements for the parade and approved them. Now, he looked at Steve with concern.

"No, Sir," Steve replied, feeling that first word sorely. Danny had been missing for 48 hours and the parade was only 12 hours away. Steve had barely slept and if it hadn't been for Jenny, Chin and Kono, he probably wouldn't have eaten, either.

Every lead they had found had petered out. There had been a number of high-end rental properties taken within the last couple of weeks, but each one had proven to be genuine. Kono had been no more successful with the coconut wireless. Everyone was afraid of London and were saying nothing. Steve now had his staff looking at recent property purchases, but it was slow going with no real hope of success.

"Did he know anything about the security arrangements?" Jameson asked.

"No, Sir, that was something we were both in agreement about," Steve reassured him. "If he genuinely didn't know, then he couldn't let anything slip if his cover was blown." He made a wry face. "But because it's a public parade, the route will be published in the morning papers."

"Of course and I know that you will have every inch of it covered," Jameson declared in a too-hearty voice. He didn't relish being a target and couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Indeed I have," Steve agreed. "If you will excuse me, Governor?" He rose and left. Danny's continued absence and London's ominous silence weighed heavily on his spirit. He had not wanted Danny to take on this assignment, but never had he dreamt that it would turn out so badly.

"Steve!" Kono all but jumped on the older man as he walked into the Palace. "We've found London's house!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was empty. Steve looked around the musty basement as Che Fong and the lab boys worked on the few things they had found. There were splashes of blood here and there, but not enough to indicate a life-threatening injury. The thing that kept Steve's attention and turned his stomach was the shackle chained to the wall. It bore traces of blood and Steve did not doubt that it was Danny's.

"We were so close!" Kono sounded despairing. By all accounts, they had missed London leaving less than an hour before. The homes in this development were far enough apart to guarantee privacy, but the security guard at the gate logged all traffic in and out. He knew the car belonging to London's property had gone out, but could not say how many people were inside the vehicle as all the windows were blacked out. Danny could have been in the backseat or the trunk, but either way, the guard had not seen him. The only plus was that they had the make, model and plate number of the car and Chin had already issued the APB.

"He won't get far with all HPD looking for him," Chin declared, although London had so far managed to elude them entirely.

"Let's hope so," Steve sighed. "Come on, there's nothing more we can do here."

There was silence as they drove back to the Palace. Steve was glad enough to let Chin drive; he was too exhausted and his work wasn't finished for the night. In a couple of hours, he was going to check the placement and security of the temporary stage that had been set up in the academy grounds. There were guards on duty, but it never hurt to check their attentiveness with a surprise visit.

"I'll come with you, boss," Kono offered. "I don't have any plans for the evening."

"Thanks, Kono." For a moment, McGarrett was tempted to tell the Hawaiian to just go home, but he was honest enough with himself to admit he didn't want to be alone. "I appreciate your company."

While Chin left to go home to his family, Kono organised some take-out for himself and McGarrett and they ate quickly before leaving. It was late in the evening and the sun had long set. The air was fragrant with the scent of flowers as they arrived at the academy grounds and parked the car.

"That was too easy," McGarrett commented. "Why isn't there someone on duty on the gate?"

"Hold it!" ordered a hard voice from behind them and they turned slowly to find an armed HPD officer covering them with his weapon. Upon seeing Steve's face, he relaxed his stance. "Mr McGarrett. Sorry, sir."

"That's all right," Steve allowed. "Why weren't you at the gate?"

"My partner went to take a break. There was no one to relieve him immediately, so I thought it would be better if I placed myself somewhere that I could see the gate, but nobody could see me. That way, I would be able to surprise anyone who came in, like I just did with you."

It was probably the lamest excuse McGarrett had ever heard, but the man had certainly got the drop on them. Reading between the lines, Steve guessed that the partner had gone for a leak or something to eat and this man had panicked when he saw the boss's big Mercury coming his way. Still, there was something here that didn't quite fit, although Steve was not sure what it was. He knew most of the cops by sight, but not this man. "I'd rather you just stayed on the gate," Steve told him curtly. With a jerk of his head to Kono, the two men walked away.

"He was lying," Kono ventured in a low voice.

"He was indeed," McGarrett agreed. "But why? Do you know him?" The cop was a haole, but Kono knew most of the HPD guys.

"Never seen him before," Kono confirmed. "Want me to check him out, boss?"

"Yes, after. Let's check the platform first."

They walked across the wide grassy area, already marked up with tape showing where the seating would be placed the following morning. A lone portable spotlight was trained on the platform but there was no sign of the cops who should be guarding it. His instincts thoroughly aroused, Steve paused. "This is not right." He cautiously pulled his weapon, glad to see that Kono was also reacting to the situation.

The two guards were lying dead in the bushes about 10 feet from the platform. "Get the ME and some back up," Steve ordered. "I'm going to take a closer look at that platform. I want the man from the gate, too. Don't let him get away."

The platform was about eight feet high. The front and two sides were hung with fabric to hide the supporting structures and wheels underneath. Steps went up at either end of the front of the platform and there would be seats for the dignitaries placed there in the morning, along with a table bearing the certificates the graduates would receive from the governor. There was a tarpaulin haphazardly slung across the back to hide the underside, since it was less than scenic.

It was pitch dark and there was no moon. Steve realised the futility and danger of trying to check under the platform when he couldn't see under it. The spotlight was facing the wrong way to be helpful. Warily, Steve went back to the car to retrieve a flashlight, keeping a sharp eye on his surroundings the whole time. There was no sign of Kono and no sign of the guard from the gate, so Steve snatched a moment to confirm that back-up was on the way before he headed back to the platform. He had to hope Kono was all right, because his instincts were telling him that he needed to see under the platform as soon as possible. He was certain London had done something to it, even if whatever it was, was just a diversion.

He hadn't expected to see what he found. The flashlight poorly illuminated the underneath area, but it showed Steve what he needed to know. He gasped and had to force himself not to rush forward as heedlessly as his emotions demanded, for there, tightly bound to the main support and shaking his head, was Danny. The thing that made McGarrett heed his second's warning was the large bomb that seemed inextricably linked to his friend!