Thank you for following along so far! Just a reminder that usual disclaimers apply: I'm no sort of expert, don't own anything, this is all for fun, etc. I really hope you enjoy this chapter! -abby
"Have you heard from TM today?" TC didn't bother with a greeting as he walked up to the bar in La Mariana.
Rick looked up from where he was scrubbing the sink. "No. But I wasn't expecting to until later. He's supposed to stop by around dinnertime. Why?"
"I've been trying to call all morning and his phone just goes straight to voicemail. No answer to texts either."
The blond man frowned and set aside his sponge, wiping his hands on a nearby dishrag. "Did you ask Higgy?"
TC nodded. "She says she hasn't seen or heard from him. She noticed the Ferrari was gone this morning, but didn't talk to him before he left. No idea where he went."
"They working a case?"
"Nothing much," TC replied. "Some sort of inheritance thing. Higgy said they've almost got it wrapped up, so she doesn't think he was doing anything case-related. She tried pinging his phone and it must be turned off."
"That doesn't sound like our boy." Rick was officially worried.
"I'm gonna call Katsumoto." TC pulled out his phone.
"He'll tell us that officially he can't do anything for 24 hours," Rick predicted. "Then he'll say we're being paranoid, and that Thomas is an adult and can take care of himself."
"Yep. And then unofficially, he'll do what he can to help us find TM," the pilot said knowingly as he searched for the number in his contacts. He hit send, then frowned when the call went directly to the detective's voicemail. He tried again, to the same result. "Well, that can't be good."
"No answer?"
"Straight to voicemail, just like Thomas. You don't think…"
"That it's related?" Rick shook his head. "I don't know...I've got a bad feeling, man." He dug his own phone from his pocket. "I've got a buddy that used to work over in Missing Persons - maybe he can help."
"I swear, we need to outfit TM with a tracking chip," TC sighed.
"No kidding. I hate to say it, but I hope Gordie is actually caught up in whatever Thomas has gotten himself into now. At least they can watch each other's backs."
TC nodded in grim agreement.
The two men crept cautiously through the rainforest, trying to move quietly as they monitored their surroundings. Katsumoto also kept a watchful eye on Magnum, who kept claiming he was fine even though he was still alarmingly pale and visibly shaky. After the second time they'd stopped so the private investigator could vomit, Gordon insisted it was time for a break.
"Sit. Now." His tone brooked no argument, and Thomas obediently collapsed onto a fallen tree trunk. Katsumoto sat down next to him. "And don't even bother saying you're fine."
"I've felt better," Magnum admitted wearily, "but unless you've got a bottle of water and a nice comfy bed on you, there's not much to be done about it." He closed his eyes, panting softly as he tried to catch his breath.
"We do need to find some water. Maybe there's a stream or something around here. But in the meantime, just rest for a minute." Gordon paused thoughtfully. "I've been trying to figure out who might have brought us here and why. Any ideas? Maybe something case-related?"
"Higgy and I have been trying to track down a long-lost relative for inheritance purposes. Nothing too exciting, and we've almost got it finished anyway," Thomas replied, massaging his temples with trembling fingers.
"I just wrapped up a case myself. That's why I pulled a double shift last night actually. Wanted to get everything in order for the D.A."
"Think it could have something to do with this?"
"I doubt it. Pretty open and shut." Katsumoto sighed. "I don't know what this is but it seems unrelated." He stood. "We should keep moving."
Thomas reached up a hand and Gordon easily pulled the former SEAL to his feet, holding him steady as he swayed. "You okay?"
"About as good as it's gonna get," Thomas said. He managed exactly one step away from Katsumoto before gagging yet again. Gordon caught the private investigator just as his knees buckled, barely keeping him from pitching forward into the mess as he retched.
The detective couldn't help but notice that it was mostly bile, and frowned inwardly. "We need to find some water before you die of dehydration." He almost kept the worry from his tone.
"Mmmhmm," Magnum agreed. He let Katsumoto shove a shoulder under his own and together they headed out in search of water.
"Ketamine sensitivity," Gordon grunted, shaking his head as they stumbled along. "Really, Magnum?"
"'S not usually a probl'm in m' daily life," Thomas mumbled.
Gordon chuckled dryly. "Fair enough."
Fortunately there was indeed a stream nearby, and Katsumoto lowered Magnum down to the rocky creek bed. They drank handfuls of the cool water, then splashed it on their faces and necks.
"You gonna keep that down?"
"I hope so." To Gordon's relief, Thomas already sounded much stronger. His color had improved a little, though his hands still trembled slightly.
"Take it easy anyway. Let's rest for a few minutes," Gordon suggested. The men settled in against a large tree at the stream's edge, making sure they still had a good vantage point to keep watch. "I wish I knew what this was about," the detective mused. "It just doesn't make any sense."
"Gordie, have you had any unsolved homicides lately?" Thomas asked suddenly.
"No, but Detective Lee caught one last week that is still open," Katsumoto said slowly as he thought. "And Detective Kahala has one too...both John Does, discovered out in the middle of heavily forested areas. They appeared to be homeless, judging from the condition of their teeth and overall health, so not much luck in trying to ID them."
"How did they die?"
Gordon pursed his lips, trying to recall. "One was a gunshot, and last I heard Dr. Cunha was still trying to determine exact C.O.D. for the other. Definitely murdered though. Why? Do you think there's a connection?"
"I don't know," Thomas replied. "I was talking to Kawika the other day and he was telling me some rumor he heard about a hunting range. I wrote it off at the time because it sounded crazy, but now..."
"What kind of hunting range? There's nothing to hunt this time of year but feral pigs. Not exactly prized game."
Magnum shook his head. "No. Not animals. Humans."
Katsumoto gaped at him. "What?"
"Yeah. According to Kawika, there's an underground operation that brings bored rich guys from the mainland out here to hunt people for sport."
"That's completely ludicrous. No. There's no possible way something like that is going on without HPD knowing about it." Gordon was adamant.
"Well I doubt they advertise. With our current situation, does it really seem that far fetched?" Magnum gestured vaguely at their surroundings. "We were kidnapped without explanation and brought into the forest, then left in a building that was way too easy to escape. Doesn't it sort of fit?"
"Targeting vagrants is one thing," Katsumoto said with a frown. "They might have gotten away with that for quite a while, until we could establish a pattern. But grabbing a private investigator and a cop...that's something else entirely."
"Guess they decided to level up," Thomas shrugged.
A branch snapped in the distance and both men immediately turned, surveying the dense foliage for any signs of a threat. "We should go," Thomas said quietly.
They stood, still watching their surroundings carefully. Suddenly something flew out of the forest and lodged itself in the tree, mere inches from Katsumoto's head. "What the hell was that?!"
"An arrow! Get down!" Magnum dove to the ground, bringing Katsumoto along with an impressive tackle. "We need to get out of here," he said unnecessarily, desperately searching the treeline for their pursuers while still keeping his head protected.
Lying on the ground halfway under the private investigator, Katsumoto spotted a shallow embankment which would hopefully suffice as a shield. "There!"
The two men got to their hands and knees and crawled as quickly as they could, keeping low in an attempt to avoid the barrage of arrows. "Who the hell uses arrows?!" Gordon asked in disbelief.
"Hunters," Thomas yelled back, ducking as another projectile whizzed past.
They scrambled to their feet and ran along the edge of the embankment, trying to keep from leaving obvious tracks.
"Do you think we lost them?" Katsumoto panted after a while.
Thomas was on high alert and kept scanning the area as they ran, never dropping his guard for an instant. "I don't know. We need to keep moving," he said in an uncharacteristically commanding voice.
Gordon raised an eyebrow at the tone, and realized that Thomas was likely functioning entirely on autopilot. The former SEAL's military training had apparently kicked in and he seemed oblivious to any lingering aftereffects of the ketamine. Katsumoto had never seen the other man so serious and intense, and it was such a departure from his usual affable disposition that the detective found it somewhat unnerving.
He let Magnum lead the way as they kept going. They ran into the trees, zigzagging and changing their path frequently to try and lose whoever was following them. Eventually the private investigator slowed, dropping back to walk alongside Katsumoto, though he remained vigilant. For several long minutes all was quiet, and the detective was just beginning to relax and let himself believe that it was over, that they'd lost the deranged hunters that pursued them.
But then a faint, high pitched whistle split the air and Katsumoto found himself shoved aside. An instant later, he realized with horror that Magnum had gone down.
Gordon knew more arrows would follow, so he barely paused as he dragged the stunned private investigator to his feet and threw one of Magnum's arms around his own shoulders. Thomas flailed a little, clearly disoriented and already well on the way to shock.
"Let's move, sailor!" Katsumoto put a measure of authority into the order, hoping to get it just right and crack into those seemingly endless SEAL energy reserves.
It worked. Despite the arrow embedded in his right thigh Magnum obeyed without objection, and he doggedly kept pace with Katsumoto as they hiked deeper into the rainforest.