"Where are you taking me?" Danny asked. He was glad that his voice sounded steady.

"You'll find out," the man replied. He maintained a grip on Danny's right elbow, while keeping the gun drilling into his ribs with his left hand. The sling and the man's hand provided great cover for the gun, but nobody was looking at two casually dressed men; they were all concentrating on the possibility of a fire.

"Who are you?" Danny asked.

"That doesn't matter," the other answered. "You're not going to live long enough to worry about who I am." He laughed as though genuinely amused. "Keep walking and less chatter, detective."

So, his kidnapper had the right person. Danny had hoped that perhaps there was some kind of mistake, but that one word –'detective' – dashed those hopes. "Did you kill my guard?" he asked.

"Nope, although I would have," the kidnapper replied. "But he left. Guess his shift was over and nobody came to replace him."

The welter of emotions that hit Danny at that news was hard to decipher, but he realised that he was angry the man had just gone away without checking that there was someone else coming to relieve him, but also relieved that there wasn't a death on his conscience. He also rather pitied the hapless officer when Steve McGarrett found out what he had done.

They walked a short distance down the street, then turned off into a side street. The man stopped beside a large white car and opened the rear door. "Get in," he ordered and pushed the detective inside, sliding in after him, the gun unerringly pointed in Danny's direction the whole time.

There was a young woman sitting behind the wheel. She turned and looked over her shoulder and with a sinking heart, Danny recognised the young Mrs Shem. She gave him a look of deep hatred. "You killed my Bill," she accused him.

There was nothing he could say in his defence, Danny realised. He had killed 'her Bill', but she knew what her husband had been doing and it was obvious that she took his part.

"You got me now, darling," the man with Danny reminded her.

She gave him a smile that chilled Danny to the very marrow of his bones. "So I do," she cooed. "Here's the duct tape, darling." She handed over a roll of the silvery tape and then pointed a gun at Danny as the man took it. "Please move, Detective Williams," she begged. "I want to shoot you. I want you to suffer, the way I have suffered."

This was madness of a different kind to the senior Mrs Shem. Danny sat absolutely still as his mouth was sealed with the tape and a strip was placed over his eyes. The sling was pushed back up his arm and his hands were taped together across his chest. It hurt. It hurt really badly, but given the alternative, Danny could live with that.

He only hoped that he would get a chance to live with that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X

It was Duke Lukela who alerted Steve that the fire department had been called to Danny's building, which had been evacuated. Steve immediately left the office, gunning his Mercury towards Danny's home. It was also Duke who told Steve that there was no sign of the guard officer and that Danny himself was missing.

"How do you know he's missing?" Steve asked as he threw himself from the car.

"He was standing here with the rest of the residents," Duke explained, pointing to the knot of people nearby. "A couple of them saw him come out and then he just vanished."

"Where is his guard?" Steve growled and Duke was glad that the man was not anywhere nearby.

"His shift was over and the new guard hadn't arrived." Duke wanted to rip the guard's head off as well. "He didn't wait for the new man. There was a lapse between them of perhaps five minutes, but that was all it needed."

"Did anyone see anything?" Steve was frantic with worry.

"That lady over there saw Danny going off with another man," Duke replied, indicating the woman. "I have men questioning everyone on the street."

"Thanks, Duke." Steve drew in a calming breath. He didn't want to frighten the witness. This woman might hold Danny's life in her hands. "I'm Steve McGarrett," he introduced himself unnecessarily. "I understand you saw Dan Williams leaving with another man. Can you describe him?"

"Oh sure," the woman replied. She gave Steve a coquettish look. "He was tall, nearly your height, blond hair, well built. Muscles on his muscles, if you know what I mean."

"What was he wearing?" Steve asked. He was revolted by the woman's attempts to flirt with him at a time like this.

"Oh, shorts, flipflops, a sleeveless t-shirt that was sort of hanging off his shoulders." Again the flirty smile. "He looked real nice."

"How long was his hair?" Steve enquired, because this man was beginning to sound rather familiar.

"Oh, collar length. Not too long, but I guess touching his shoulders at the back. He looked like he came from California, if you know what I mean."

"Thank you. This officer here will take your name. We might need to contact you later regarding this." Steve gestured to the patrolman Duke had sent over and the man moved in efficiently to take the woman's particulars.

"I need Chin and Kono here," Steve growled at Duke.

"They're on the way," Duke replied.

"Sergeant Lukela!" A patrolman was waving at him from further down the block. Steve and Duke exchanged a glance and hurried to his position. A scruffy man was leaning against the wall looking around him anxiously. "This man saw Detective Williams getting into a car along this road."

"What kind of car was it?" Steve asked and saw at once from the man's face that no answer would be forthcoming without some kind of money being involved. His mouth tightened in disgust, but he took out his wallet, seeing the man's eyes light up. Steve withdrew a bill.

"Big, white," the man replied. "Four doors. Some chick was driving it." He reached for the money.

Pulling his hand back, Steve took another bill from his wallet. "Registration?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," the man hesitated. "1 B 11…" He paused. "I can't remember the rest." He looked longingly at the money in Steve's hand.

That partial plate rang bells in Steve's mind. He had heard it recently… He glanced at Duke, who also looked thoughtful. "That plate…"

"Shem's car!" Duke exclaimed. "1 Baker 1113?" He looked at their informant, who thought for a moment and nodded.

"Could be," he agreed.

"What happened to the car?" Steve asked. It was a minor detail, but he had assumed it was still at HPD lockup being examined.

"I'll check." Duke took a couple of steps away and spoke into the radio on his shoulder.

Disdainfully, Steve handed the money over to the witness. "You give this officer your real name and address," he informed the man, not quite letting go of the notes. "If I have to come looking for you, you won't like that."

Cowed, the witness nodded agreement. Steve stepped away and looked around.

"Steve." Duke came across. "The car was released yesterday to Mrs Shem junior. As her late husband's property, it was released to her as the next of kin."

"Put out an APB," Steve ordered. "We have to find her!"

"Already done," Duke confirmed.

This was the part of an investigation that Steve found the most frustrating. He had to wait for information to reach him before he could act and waiting was not his long suit. He crossed back to his car so he could hear all the broadcasts on the radio and absently watched as the fire department allowed people back into Danny's building. It had been a false alarm.

A few moments later, Chin and Kono arrived. "Danny?" Kono asked anxiously.

"Gone," Steve replied. "Report."

"Mrs Shem was at work, just like they said," Kono offered, "but she was on her break at the time the call was made to Danny's hospital room. I've ordered the restaurant's phone records for that day and put a rush on it. I expect to hear any time. This morning, she was on her break again when the flowers were ordered."

"The florist gave me a good description of the man and the woman from this morning. He confirmed the woman as Mrs Shem junior from a photo," Chin added.

"Remind me of the description of the man," Steve requested.

"The man is tall, blond, with longish hair. He looks like a Californian surfer and was wearing a sloppy t-shirt and shorts."

"Same description as the man who took Danny away," Steve commented tightly.

"Not only that, bruddah," Kono interjected excitedly, "but he fits the description of a busboy at the restaurant where Mrs Shem works. She's very friendly with him. His name is…" Kono flipped his notebook to find the right page. "Scott Donaldson."

"Add his description and Mrs Shem's to the APB," Steve ordered. "Find out an address for him and for her."

"Hers is still on file with HPD," Chin commented. "I'll get Duke to run it down." He hurried across to the sergeant. He came back a few minutes later with an address in a poorer part of town.

"All right, let's start there," Steve decreed. "I don't think she'd be dumb enough to take him there, but let's go and see." He glanced at Duke. "And when I have Danno back safe and sound, I want to see that cop who was guarding him. I want his badge!"

"Right, Steve," Duke agreed. He had a few choice words to say to the man as well – if there was anything left of him by the time Steve was through.