CHAPTER 10
Danny, Chin and Kono followed Steve to the rear of the house where Duke was waiting patiently for them. The seasoned sergeant looked exhausted and perturbed. It wasn't a good combination on any veteran of the police force. That meant what they were about to walk into was unspeakably horrendous.
"Alright Duke. What was so important we had to drive all the way here to see?" Danny asked, not bothering to hide his agitation.
Duke raised his eyebrows at Danny's abruptness. Chin and Kono rolled their eyes at each other before looking at Duke apologetically.
"Sorry. Rough commute," Danny said by way of apology, looking at Duke then at Steve.
"Right," Duke replied, ignoring the looks the team were giving Danny. "Like I said on the phone, we got reports of shots fired from this residence. We arrived and cleared the scene. When one of the uniformed officers searched the basement, they found something quite disturbing."
"You said it could be related to the case we are working on," Steve said.
"That is correct," Duke said.
"Why do you think it's related?" Chin asked.
"Let me show you," Duke said.
Lukela gestured for them to follow him into the house. After exchanging confused expressions, they followed the sergeant into an open living room. Danny whistled lowly as he entered through the large glass doors. Just that room alone would cost him a whole year's salary to afford. There were multiple pieces of art by people he couldn't pronounce covering the walls. The extravagant chandelier looked as though it was made explicitly from diamonds.
"You were right, Duke," Danny said sarcastically. "This is pretty gruesome."
Duke smiled at the snarky detective. "Wait until you see the rest of the house, Detective."
The team continued through the room until they reached the kitchen. Just a glance into the room told Danny Duke was right. The spotless kitchen was bigger than his entire apartment. The bench top itself appeared to be made entirely of marble. The group turned right and descended a large staircase to a lower level. Although this level was underground, the lighting appeared to be almost natural. Turning left, they walked passed what Danny assumed to be multiple luxurious bedrooms, if the rest of the house was any indication, until they reached a metal door.
The door itself was out of place compared to the rest of the house. All other doors were carved from beautiful Koa wood, whereas this door was stainless steel. A feeling of dread suddenly descended upon the group as they approached the cold metal door.
"I should warn you, it's not pretty down there," Duke said, his face pale. "And the light doesn't work."
Steve nodded. "Noted."
"Before we go down there, is there anything in particular we should be looking for?" Chin asked.
Duke shook his head. "No. I think once you see it, you will understand why I called you."
Steve clapped Duke on the back with one hand. "Thanks Duke."
"Of course, McGarrett," Duke said as he left the group and proceeded back upstairs.
The group looked at each other before contemplating the door in front of them, wondering what they were going to find behind it.
"If Duke's this shaken up, it's got to be bad," Kono said, voicing everyone's thoughts.
"Yeah. But if this helps us find our killer, then we need to see it," Chin reasoned.
Taking a deep breath, Steve opened the door. He stepped back instantly, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. Soon, the rest of the team understood why he had acted that way. That was a smell any seasoned detective would recognise; rotting flesh.
Gathering himself after being exposed to the awful stench, Steve grabbed his flashlight from one of the many pockets of his cargo pants and entered, descending another set of stairs. As his boots hit the cold, hard floor, he swept the room with his flashlight. He could hear the team following behind him.
Steve continued to survey the dark room with the flashlight. Pretty soon, he discovered the source of the putrid smell. In the far corner of the room, hanging from the ceiling on a clothes line, was what looked like pieces of jerky. On closer inspection, Steve discovered that it was, in fact, human skin; the source of the putrid stench that enveloped the room.
"Oh my God," Kono's voice was muffled as she held her hand over her mouth and nose.
"Holy…" Chin said, suddenly speechless.
"I think Duke was right," Danny commented as he turned away from the disgusting sight.
Danny continued to look around the room when he spotted something that made his blood go cold.
"Um, guys?" he said.
"What did you find, Danny?" Chin asked.
"Evidence of a third victim," Danny announced.
The rest of the team came over to join Danny where he was standing, holding his flashlight up to the wall. Illuminated on the wall were photos of their victims; Ivan Monroe and Owen Perry. There was a photo of a third man, whom they had not identified.
"Our perp definitely has a type," Danny commented.
It was true. The similarities between the three men were quite distinguishable. All three men were Caucasian, had dark hair, dark eyes and appeared to be well built.
"Can one of you shine a light on the third man? I'll take a photo and send it to Fong. Hopefully he will get a hit on facial recognition," Kono said.
Chin aimed his light at the photo of the third victim as Kono took the photo. Danny moved his light down and saw various objects in three separate piles on a table.
"Take a look at this," Danny said.
"Huh," Chin said. "Three piles of what I'm guessing are the victim's belongings."
"Yeah. We've got phones, rings, keys. Maybe our killer is taking trophies?" Kono suggested.
"Yeah…No wallets, though," Steve noted before turning to inspect the rest of the room.
"Hm, that's weird," Danny muttered.
"I hate to be the one to say it, but is it possible we have a serial killer?" Chin asked.
"It's starting to look that way," Danny concurred as Kono nodded.
"Well, this is definitely where someone was killed," Steve said from another corner of the room.
Steve shone the light over the area he was standing. There was a metal chair with canvas straps, probably used as restraints. The chair itself was covered in rusty red patches. The blood had obviously dried. The floor beneath the chair was also covered in the same substance. To the left of the chair was a tray table. There was an assortment of knifes and other cutting utensils scattered on it, also covered in blood.
"Oh, jeez," Danny said when he saw the 'torture chair'.
"What kind of person does this to another human being?" Kono asked, not expecting anyone to answer.
"A very sick individual," Chin replied.
"Let's get CSU to process all of this. Hopefully, we will be able to identify the third man before we find his body. In the meantime, let's split up. Chin, you and Danny take the victim's personal effects and see if you can find any way to connect these victims or identify our killer. Kono, you and I are going to find out who owns this house. We'll meet back at headquarters," Steve ordered.
Danny rolled his eyes at Chin. Luckily, Steve didn't see it thanks to the room being so dark. Chin went about collecting the valuables and putting them in three separate evidence bags. The team left the basement and made their way back outside and into the fresh air. Duke was waiting outside the back doors for them.
"What do you think?" Duke asked.
"I think you definitely found our killer's secret lair," Kono commented.
"Yeah. And possibly a third victim," Chin said,
Duke sighed tiredly. "I was afraid of that."
"Well, hopefully the evidence from that 'room' will lead us to our perp," Danny said.
"The crime lab is aware that all the evidence coming in is to be top priority. CSU will start processing right away," Duke said.
"Thanks, Duke," Steve said before turning to his team. "Alright, you know your tasks. Danny, Chin, see what you can find."
"We'll see you at headquarters," Chin said.
Danny opened his mouth to say something, but Steve had already turned his back to talk to Duke. Sighing, Danny followed Chin to the Camaro with his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Hey Duke, who owns this house?" Steve asked the sergeant.
"Currently, no one. The owner sold it three months ago. It's being turned into a rental property," Duke responded.
"Who was the owner?" Kono asked.
"A Malory Winters. She is currently in the hospital. Stage four breast cancer."
"I'd say it's unlikely that she is our suspect," Kono said.
Duke smiled. "That's a good guess."
"We should still talk to her," Steve said. "Duke, which hospital is she at?"
"Queens, in the oncology ward."
"Thanks. Come on, Kono," Steve said.
"Thanks Duke," Kono said to the sergeant before she followed Steve over to her Cruze.
Steve walked over to the driver's side before realising which car he was at. With a huff of frustration, he walked around to the passenger seat and waited for Kono to unlock the car. Kono smirked when she saw this, but her smile faded when she remembered why Steve had decided to split the team in the first place.
The drive to Queens Medical Center was quiet, even more so than usual. Kono looked over at Steve and saw he was slouching in the passenger seat, his arms crossed over his chest. That was unusual for Steve. Normally, he sat ramrod straight in any chair.
'Maybe he's grumpy because he's the passenger?' Kono wondered as she glanced at Steve.
Kono returned her eyes to the road, but side-eyed her boss again a few seconds later.
"Eyes on the road, Kono," Steve said without even turning to look at her.
"Yes, boss," Kono said, startled that she had been caught. She kept her eyes on the road for the rest of the trip.
The pair arrived at the hospital ten minutes later. They walked through the entrance and over to reception, where a friendly nurse was stationed. She had long, blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail and huge glasses that made her eyes look larger than they actually were.
"Hi, we are looking for Malory Winters. Could you tell us what room she is in, please?" Steve said with a smile.
The nurse at the desk smiled back. "Of course. Just a moment," she said as she searched the computer database. "She's in room 413. Take that elevator up to the fourth floor and her room will be on the left."
"Thank you very much," Steve said.
"No problem," the nurse said.
Steve and Kono walked over to the elevator the nurse had pointed out to them. Luckily for them, they didn't have to wait long for it to arrive. As soon as they entered the cart, Steve pressed the button for the fourth floor. Just like in the car, the ride in the elevator was done in silence.
The elevator chimed, announcing they had reached their destination. Steve and Kono exited the elevator and proceeded down the hallway, their eyes scanning the numbers above the doors for 413.
Finding the correct room, Steve took a breath before knocking on the door. A few moments later, a raspy voice told them to enter. Entering the room, Steve and Kono found a frail-looking older woman half-laying on a hospital bed, trying to knit with shaky hands.
"Hello, ma'am," Steve said.
"Hello?" the woman said, clearly confused as to why two strangers were visiting her.
She looked at Steve and looked him up and down before smiling slyly. Kono tried to keep her grin in as Steve blushed bright red. The old woman had definitely made her intentions clear with one look.
"My apologies, Mrs Winters. My name is Steve McGarrett and this is my colleague, Kono Kalakaua. We're with Five-0. We have some questions we would like to ask you, if you're up to it?" Steve said politely, ignoring the fact the old woman was clearly checking him out.
"Of course. Please, have a seat," the woman said, motioning to two chairs next to the bed. "You can have this one," she said to Steve, indicating the chair closest to the bed.
With an awkward smile, Steve sat in the chair next to the bed while Kono snagged the one at the end of the bed.
"Now, what could you possibly need to ask me?" the woman said, her eyelashes fluttering as she looked at Steve intently..
"Well, early this morning, your house became a crime scene," Kono began.
Malory Winters took her attention off of Steve and looked at Kono. "What do you mean, my house? I don't own a house."
"Sorry, the house that you used to own. The one at 3 Kalaka Place in Kailua?" Kono reiterated.
"Ah yes. I remember. I sold that house…three months ago."
"May I ask who you sold it to?" Steve asked.
"I can't remember the name, but it was a nice young man. He had light brown hair and grey eyes. He was quite short, now I think about it. He really wanted the house, said it was his dream home. The young man said he would make sure the paperwork was completed for me. Given my condition, I took him up on the generous offer. I haven't been able to check my mail yet to see if it has gone through."
"Did the man ever mention turning it into a rental property?" Steve asked.
Malory's eyes widened. "No, he didn't. I don't understand why he would do that. Why are you asking about my old house?"
"We are just trying to determine who last stayed in the house," Kono said in an even tone.
"You said the house was a crime scene? What happened?"
"We believe that whoever last occupied the house is a suspect in a current homicide investigation. We found evidence in the basement that can be linked to two, possibly three, murders," Steve explained.
"Oh my goodness," the woman said, clapping a hand over her mouth.
"We would like you to sit down with a sketch artist, if possible. We can use the image you provide to help us find the culprit," Kono said.
"Of course. Anything I can do to help," Malory Winters said. "This is horrible."
"It is, but hopefully the information you provide will help us to catch the perpetrator," Kono said.
At that moment, a young male nurse walked in. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise Ms Winters had visitors. It's time for your medication."
The nurse had a sunny disposition and his blue eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. He must have been new to the job.
"We've taken enough of your time, Ms Winters. We will be in contact to arrange the sketch artist. Have a lovely day, ma'am," Steve said as he and Kono stood up and made their way to the door.
"You can come back anytime. Ever since I lost my husband, I have been very lonely, you know," Malory said, her eyes burning with lust as she stared at Steve.
Steve swallowed nervously. "I am sorry for your loss, ma'am. We will be in touch. Have a nice day."
Just as Steve passed by the nurse in the doorway, he felt a shiver run down his spine. With one last glance back into the room, he shook it off and turned to follow Kono back down the hallway. He groaned inwardly. He had to get a grip. Not everyone was a threat. Especially not an old lady with a very keen interest in him. Steve increased his pace as they exited the hospital.
Steve jumped into the passenger seat of Kono's Cruze as she started the engine. Kono turned to Steve before bursting out laughing.
"Shut it, Kono," Steve said in mock anger.
"Man, if she wasn't so sick, she would have jumped you right then and there," Kono said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Not a word to anyone, Kono. I mean it," Steve said, gritting his teeth.
"Oh, come on. You know Danny and Chin would love to tease you about it."
"And that is exactly why you will not say anything to either of them," Steve said in a low voice.
"Your secret is safe with me, boss," Kono said, smiling as she pulled out of the hospital car park.
The drive to Five-0 headquarters went by quickly. Kono was happily indulging in her boss' humiliation while he stewed in the passenger seat. As much as she wanted the good mood to last, she knew as soon as they reached headquarters, Steve would be his usual stoic, robotic self until whatever had happened between him and Danny was resolved.
"You know," Kono broke the silence. "Danny didn't mean it."
That stopped Steve from sulking. "What?"
"Danny. He didn't mean what he said. He feels terrible," Kono continued.
Steve frowned at Kono's admission. "How? When?"
"At the crime scene."
"Danny and his big, fat mouth," Steve muttered.
"Even if he didn't say anything, we would have figured it out anyway. You two are always together. Any time you are not, we know there is something wrong. We are detectives, after all. Some even say we are quite good at our jobs, you know."
Steve remained silent. He looked out the window, pointedly ignoring Kono.
"So," Kono said, hoping Steve would open up.
"So nothing, Kono." Steve said petulantly, still looking out the window.
With a sigh, Kono pulled the car over to the side of the road, ignoring the horns from disgruntled motorists as they passed them by.
"What are you doing, Kono? We are almost at the Palace. Why have we stopped?" Steve said, looking around as he spoke.
"Steve, look at me," Kono said.
Steve reluctantly looked at Kono. Steve was surprised by the intensity of her stare and found it hard to keep his eyes on her.
"You can't keep ignoring your problems and hiding behind your walls. You think we haven't noticed how tired you are? How withdrawn you've been? If Danny hadn't said something, it would have been Chin, it would have been me. Admittedly, Danny didn't exactly go about it the right way. You know how he is. Sometimes his mouth gets away from him. I know that you know, deep down, he didn't mean what he said. Of course we trust you. But we are Ohana. We love you and we hate seeing you suffering like this. If you won't talk to a professional, talk to us. You have to let it out, otherwise it will eat you up inside. Then, who knows what the consequences will be. But, just know, whatever happens, we will always be by your side, no matter what."
Steve was surprised. Normally it was Danny with the long-winded speeches. He knew he hadn't exactly been at the top of his game lately. Between not sleeping, constantly feeling paranoid and the stresses of the case, he had admittedly not been his usual self. But he had honestly thought he was doing okay. He just hadn't realised how much he had been worrying his team with his behaviour.
"Since when did you turn into Danny Williams?" Steve asked with a small smile.
Kono smiled back. "Since you stopped talking to him."
Steve looked at Kono sheepishly. "Yeah, not my best move. I just needed some time to process it all."
"That's fine, but don't take too long. I hate seeing a miserable Danny Williams."
"Kono, it's been barely three hours. How miserable can he be?" Steve asked incredulously.
"I guess you will find out. Let's get back to headquarters and see what the others have found," Kono said as she started the car again.
"Hey Kono," Steve said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Kono smiled. She knew they would be okay.
They always were.