First and foremost, a HUGE thank you to all my readers and reviewers who continue to follow this story.
Secondly, I would like to thank the 'ladies and gent" (you all know who you are!) who lent a hand with the architectural descriptions of basements/cellars because where I'm from, we don't have these unless one lived in cyclone prone areas, then they may exist. As I like to pay particular attention to detail, this is greatly appreciated. Also I would like to thank "Book 'em Again" for her comprehensive description regarding different types of basements.
Chapter 35
*Edited by "Book 'em Again"
Steve took in the determination and worry in his detective's eyes as together they relayed the evidence at hand.
"Do ya think Frank Harper had something to do with dis boss?" Kono Kalakaua asked quietly, as they stood outside the Kellys' home.
"That is a strong possibility, Kono. I think Chin's family may have been the initial target. The intruders were already in the house when you all got back from the restaurant so they couldn't have been expecting you or Danny to be here tonight. What I don't understand is, why kidnap Danny? Any one of the younger children would have been easier prey. Instead they dragged Alia, who put up a brave struggle, out of the house, and waited for Danny to come after her. It doesn't make sense," Steve pondered aloud.
"Maybe dey were trying to scare Chin's family but things went sour when Danny and I turned up. I don't know boss. All I know is, we have to find dem and get Danny back!" Kono replied, his fists clenched tightly by his sides and his jaw set.
"I know, Kono. So far we don't have a lot to go on. Che's going through the entire house with a fine tooth comb. His boys have also found skid marks outside the back gate. And they're looking for the stray bullet."
"I should've tried harder to get da license plate!" Kono said, shaking his head dejectedly.
"Kono. You did everything you could to protect many innocent lives tonight. The van would've been long gone by the time you even got near the gate. You made the right decision by checking Alia. Had she been shot, she would have been in dire need of medical attention. Don't beat yourself up." Steve cut in before Kono could say anything else and rested his hand on the detective's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze of reassurance.
"What do we do next, boss?" Kono sighed heavily. His once jovial features were clouded with worry and a sense of hopelessness.
"I'm going to the holding cells at HPD. I'll find out if this is connected to the Harper case. Frank has some questions to answer." Steve replied resolutely. His brow was furrowed and his lips were pressed in a thin line. It took everything in him to keep the professional façade firmly in place. He knew it would take even more self-control once he reached that cell. "Tell Ben Kokua to escort Lin and the kids to her sister's tonight. I want this place sealed off. No one gets within 50 meters of the property, front and back. I want statements from every neighbor right up to the next cross streets on either side. Someone must've heard or seen something! Get HPD to canvas entire area." Steve outlined his instructions as his eyes briefly scanned the neighborhood.
"If it's Frank, he's lucky you'll be questioning him and not me, Steve!" Kono's last remark was filled both with anger and fear for his friend's safety.
"Kono." Steve grated between clenched teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead. "Don't let your personal feelings cloud your judgement. It won't help Danny. Go find Ben!" Steve's tone was low but deadly seriously. The last thing he needed was for Kono to forget he was a cop. Something he was trying very hard to remember himself.
Kono nodded curtly before heading in the direction of a group of HPD officers conversing animatedly on the lawn. Steve reached up and rubbed his stiff neck then suppressed a groan as his recuperating shoulder gave a painful twinge. A reminder of the bullet wound he received weeks ago. Sighing, the tall man headed towards his Mercury.
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The pain in his side and the hammering headache prevented Dan from drifting into merciful slumber. His body and mind were exhausted but the physical discomfort kept him wide awake; pins and needles snaked up and down his arms. He shifted on the floor to try and find a more comfortable position as he pulled at the bonds tying his wrists together. The movement only intensified the numbing sensation. Dan leaned his head back against the coolness of the wall, only to lift it off again and wince as he felt something jagged scrape the lump on the back of his head. An idea formed in his mind. A minute glimmer of hope filtered through him. His thoughts were that if he could get his hands free, he would be able to pull off the blind fold and take a good look at his surroundings. It may just yield some clues of his captors' identities and where he was being held as their prisoner. These details, he decided, could very well hold the key to his survival.
Putting the plan into action, Dan planted his feet firmly against the concrete floor and used the muscles in his legs to push his aching body off the ground. Perspiration ran freely down the sides of his face and he could feel the light weight fabric of his shirt clinging to his damp skin. Running his fingers up the wall, he searched for the protruding object his head had come into contact with earlier. He was rewarded shortly when his fore finger found the offending point. To Dan, it felt like a shard of metal, perhaps from a broken pipe. Carefully, he repositioned his hands so that the material of his bonds were snagged in the serrated piece of metal. He worked the fibers against the jagged edges. The sharp pain which had pulsated through his left side suddenly grew in intensity causing a disruption to his sawing rhythm. His hands slipped. The metal shard bit into his skin and tore through the tender flesh down the side of his hand close to the palm, cutting through his wrist. Dan gasped and drew himself erect, pushing away from the wall slightly. He stood panting, trying to relax his battered body and fight the dizziness that washed over him. When the pain in his torso subsided to a dull ache again, he sought the steel shard once more. After several sawing movements, the cotton tore and the young detective pulled his wrists apart, freed from their bonds.
Released to some extent from the physical torment, Dan rubbed at his wrists and his arms then reached up and pulled down the blind fold from his face. It was then, when all feeling returned to his limbs that a new fierce pain hit him. It came from his injured hand which felt warm and sticky as blood oozed out of the jagged wound and trickled down his fingers. Cradling his hand, Dan could not assess the extent of his injury.
Then the detective started exploring his surroundings, squinting in the darkness and trying to make out shapes, but it was impossible to even see his own two hands. He took a tentative step forward and slowly extended his arms ahead of him. He took another step followed by another than froze as the chain attached to the manacle around his ankle rattled noisily when the links collided with one another. Taking a breath then holding it, he strained his ears to hear for any signs of his captors approaching footsteps. When none could be heard, Dan continued to walk forward, counting the steps as he did, testing the length of the chain. Occasionally he would pause and feel his way around for any obstacles surrounding him. So far he found nothing but empty space all around. After eight steps the chain became taut and restricted any further movement.
The explorations ceased when a noise coming from his left hand side froze Dan in his place like a statue. Suddenly the room was illuminated dimly by light coming from the direction of the noise. Dan instinctively crouched and turned his head to his left. Through the soft glow he could see a staircase leading up to a door which now stood ajar. He could hear footsteps and voices as a shadow emerged at the top of the stairs. The door was wrenched fully open and Dan's heart skipped a beat. He crept backwards towards the wall as quickly and quietly as he could but the clinking sound of the chain links was a dead give-away of his movement as he had no choice but to drag the chain across the floor. Lights within the room were switched on and heavy boots bounced off the wooden steps hurriedly. Dan had just enough time to make it back to the shadows and sat by the wall. He pulled his blind fold back over his eyes and put his hands behind him. He drew his knees up close to his body almost involuntarily as pain radiated through his left side. The footsteps grew louder and nearer until he could hear someone breathing heavily over him.
"Alright. On your feet!" The voice commanded loudly and before Dan could move a muscle, two beefy hands grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him to his feet. More footsteps descended the stairs and walked towards them. "Turn around! Up against the wall!" The man holding Dan by his shirt growled before he slammed the detective face first into the wall. Dan winced and grunted as his cheek bone collided with the concrete hard.
"What's goin' on, man?" A second, younger voice piped in.
"I told ya I heard a noise!" The man pinning Dan to the wall yelled back before checking his prisoner's bonds and grew infuriated upon discovering they had disappeared. "Hey! Who cut him loose?"
"Don't look at me, man! I ain't been down here. He probably did it himself! The chain's still secured to the wall over here. Relax, he ain't goin' anywhere!" the younger man retorted, his voice also rising.
"Smart cop, aren't ya?" Dan's captor grated into his ear then drew back. "Hands up against the wall. Now!" He shouted. Slowly Dan took his hands away from behind him and placed them flat against the wall as instructed. The cut on his hand stung acutely causing his eyes to water. He blinked the moisture away as he felt himself being frisked. Biting back a gasp, Dan gritted his teeth together as rough hands worked their way up and down his sides. He wanted to take his hands off the wall and clutch his aching ribs but he dared not move a muscle. "He's clean!" The man called out to his companion.
"Come on, man. Let's go! I'm not gonna stay up all night babysitting! He ain't goin' anywhere!" the second man whined.
"Try anything funny and you're one dead pig! Ya hear me, kid?" The older man's threatening voice was so close to Dan's ear that he flinched. He could feel the hot breath blowing on the side of his face as flecks of spittle flew onto his exposed neck. The smell of whiskey combined with cheap tobacco crept up Dan's nose and he swallowed down the bile that had risen up his esophagus. The detective's heart pounded in his chest as he nodded and waited for the man to let go of the back of his shirt. A few seconds went by and the grip was released. Dan allowed himself to relax his taut muscles which were cramping in various parts of his body. Had it not been for the blind fold, Dan would have seen the sneer forming on the large man's face as he drew back his fist and delivered a powerful and malicious blow into Dan's lower back. "Just in case you get too cocky, kid." Laughter rang out as both men heard the cry of pain wrenched from the young man's throat and watched as he crumpled to the floor.
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"Look, I swear I had nothing to do with it! I don't even know where that cop lives, alright!" Frank's voice grew steadily higher in pitch as he pleaded his innocence to the tall, unwavering detective in front of him.
"Why should I believe you? You're a liar and a con artist. Tell me, why should I believe you?" The icy tone of Steve McGarrett echoed off the walls of the holding cell.
"I'm telling you the truth! Believe what you like, McGarrett, but I didn't set up Williams! I don't give a damn about him and I couldn't care less about the Kellys either. If you ask me, they deserved what was coming to them but I didn't…." Whatever Frank Harper was about to say was cut off when Steve grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer so that the man's face was merely inches from his own.
"Now, you listen to me. In all my years as a cop, I have dealt with my share of low-lives but you're as low as they come!" Steve's steel blue eyes pierced Frank's as they locked squarely.
"I-did-n't-do-it." Frank enunciated every syllable as he grew edgier by the minute.
Steve held on to his gaze, searching for the truth in Frank's eyes. Something in them told him Frank was telling the truth but his mind desperately wanted Frank to be guilty. He was the only suspect they had. Steve knew time for Dan's survival was ticking away like a bomb. His second-in-command had only just been released from hospital. He knew Danny was taken violently and at gun point. Doc's warnings rang like alarm bells in his mind. "Danny won't be fit for duty until the swelling goes down which could take at least a week, maybe two. If he receives a blow to the abdomen, takes a fall, or is involved in another accident, he is at a very high risk of rupturing his spleen". Steve came out of his reverie and finally released his grip on Frank's shirt. He stepped back and turned away towards the steel bars. "Officer!" He called out, more tersely than he intended.
"McGarrett!" Frank voice sounded all of a sudden.
Steve held up his hand to the young HPD officer waiting outside the cell then turned to face Frank Harper once more.
"How's my w…wife?" the unsteady decibels of Frank's voice did not bring forth any sympathy from the lead detective, whose face remained a stony mask.
"How do you think she is?"
"I love my wife and whatever you think of me, I also loved our daughter. I never wanted to hurt her. You've got to believe me, McGarrett, I swear I had nothing to do with the attack on your detective and the Kelly family. What could I possibly have to gain from it? I've already lost the most precious thing in my life. Nothing I do will bring her back!" Frank's voice faltered and he swallowed before continuing. "You know, if I could change what I did, I would!"
"It's a little for what-if's don't you think, Frank?" Steve's barbed remark had hit a nerve as Frank stood rooted to the spot unblinkingly.
"Yeah, McGarrett, it's too late. And did your detective ever stop to think that my daughter's life was at stake when he pulled that stunt and tried to be a hero? My lawyer told me that Chin Ho Kelly did not follow the correct procedures!" Frank's return volley caught Steve off-guard but the head of Five-O quickly regained his composure.
"You still can't accept the blame, can you, Frank? You have to drag everyone around you into your selfish fantasies. You make me sick. It's men like you who give the human race a bad reputation. I pity you. I really do. Let me tell you something about Danny Williams and Chin Ho Kelly. These men that you are condemning risk their lives day in and day out, saving Hawaii's future and even saving men like you. If Danny is not located alive and you are found to have been involved in any way, new charges will be laid out against you. Furthermore, I will personally give my recommendations to the judge to give you the maximum penalty for your crimes." The clarity and impact in Steve's words stayed in the cell even long after the detective left.