Take Two: Chapter Four
A/n: Thank you to all who have reviewed so far! Keep it up! :)
Steve started Danny's car silently. In the passenger seat, Danny sat. His elbow leaned against the car window, and he rubbed his temple. Both were lost in thought.
Presently, Danny's phone chimed. A text from Grace. Apparently Eric had made it home, and after a few uncomfortable hours on the couch had dragged himself to bed. Danny smiled briefly at his daughter's obvious tone. He opened his mouth to recount the anecdote to Steve, but stopped, closing his mouth. What was there to say?
"This is getting eerie." Steve said the words for Danny as they got on the road.
Danny exhaled loudly. "It's too soon." He muttered. "It's too soon for this to be a coincidence. Right? I'm right, right?"
"You're right." Steve sighed. He was growing just as frustrated with Danny. As much as Steve enjoyed the mystery involved with his job, he hated not knowing what was happening next, and why. "Something is definitely wrong." As he braked for a red light, Steve looked over at his partner. "You okay?"
"No." Danny shook his head, scoffing slightly. "Steve," he swallowed, suddenly serious. "What if this has to do with Mattie?" It felt weird to say his brother's name. Clearing his throat, Danny attempted to also clear his mind of the slew of memories relating to his little brother, which were mostly overcome by the oil bin that still haunted Danny in his nightmares.
"I don't know." Steve answered, his voice sounding far away. He remembered the oil bin as well. "Hopefully we'll get some answers soon."
Danny had been so silent after he killed Marco Reyes. Usually he was so loud. Usually he could complain about anything in sight. But after Danny saw that oil bin, he had been silent. Silence as Danny allowed Steve to pull him away from the oil bin, the bar, and back to the helicopter Steve had rented. The only time Danny said anything was to protest. He and Steve had argued over leaving Mattie's body in Colombia. Steve knew they needed to leave quickly, before retaliation from the cartel. Danny didn't care. Steve could see in his eyes that he would not care if the cartel shot him at that very moment, as long as Danny could stay with his brother's body. Danny had screamed at Steve at one point, but Steve could see in his partner's eyes that he was already resigned. Not long after, Danny succumbed to Steve's persistence. The two left Colombia.
Sitting next to Danny now, Steve knew he was also thinking back to Colombia. He had his head in his hands, leaning forward in his seat.
"Steve," Danny said into his hands. "If there's something in the canal…"
He didn't finish his sentence. He didn't have to. Steve knew what he meant.
Chin was already in a wetsuit when Danny and Steve arrived at the canal. The two had taken longer than expected, which had given Chin a chance to think through the case. The postcard had definitely been a clear indicator of the similarities to Mattie Williams. Steve's clenched jaw and Danny's unnaturally quiet demeanor were also tell-tale signs. Typically to the partners, however, Danny and Steve weren't letting anyone else in on their secret language. But Chin had stock in the Mattie Williams case as well. He had been the one to give Danny the rest of the missing money. The money had been from Gabriel. So, the Mattie Williams murder had lasting effects on Chin as well.
Chin took Danny by the arm as soon as the partners neared him. Danny, after his conversation with Steve in his car, was somewhat of a mess. Chin checked his pulse as they walked, and noticed Danny's pulse was beating widely.
"Danny."
Danny could barely look Chin in the eyes, but forced himself to sigh deeply and listen to Chin's calming voice.
"Danny, I know what you're thinking."
"No-"
"Danny. C'mon."
Danny sighed again. "Okay. Yeah. I think the three of us are on the same page."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, okay?" Chin said, glancing at Steve, too. "From where I'm standing, this is all a strange coincidence. There's no cartel involvement, the postcard is different…what I see are similarities, not facts."
"Yeah." Danny sucked in his breath. "You're probably right. Thanks, Chin." He popped his knuckles to release the tension and forced a change of subject. "You getting in the water, babe?"
"Hell yeah." Steve accepted the spare wetsuit from Chin and adopted a joking demeanor as well. "Aren't you?"
"Uh, no. Thank you, no."
"Ah, Danny, c'mon now. Remember, this case is off-the-record. We need all the help we can get."
"Off-the-record, yet the three of us are out here in the middle of the day. Very sneaky, Steven."
"You going to help us or not, smartass?" Steve ribbed his partner.
"Hey!" Danny moved aside. "You're the one who has Kono back at HQ, okay?"
"True." Chin laughed. "Good call there, Steve."
"All right, all right. I get it." Steve held up his hands in surrender. "Chin and I are getting into the water, though. Can you call Kono and get her to take your place, or is that too strenuous, or-?"
"I can call Kono, you schmuck." Danny rolled his eyes. "Get in before I push you in."
"Just so you know, Danny, there's a spare wetsuit in my trunk."
"Thank you, Chin. I'll keep charge up here. I'll make sure to visit your street scuba shop another time, though."
With Kono joining Steve and Chin, the three spend much of the afternoon in the canal, searching underwater for some sort of clue as to the postcard's meaning. Mattie's postcard had led to briefcases full of money. If Michael Novak and Mattie Williams really were somehow related, then there should be something in the canal as well.
Danny stood on the sidewalk, one hand in his pocket and another holding the phone pressed to his ear. Lou was on the phone with him. Apparently, not long after they had left to go to the canal, Joel had become anxious. He asked to accompany Abby, Jerry, and Lou to Michael's apartment. They had wanted to check it out.
"Anyway, he's with us now. There was something in the dishwasher."
"Yeah," Danny nodded. "The flash drive. Taped to a spoon. It was all very artsy, you know. The rest of the machine was empty."
"That's where you found that thing? Jerry's looking at it now. But no, we found something else in the dishwasher." Lou clarified. "Believe it or not, a sealed envelope."
Danny frowned. No, that wasn't right. The place had been sacked. There was nothing of any importance in it. "I'm telling you, Lou," Danny shook his head again, "Steve and I checked the dishwasher. There was nothing else in it."
"And I'm telling you we found something." Lou's response was quick. "You better get that nephew of yours down here."
"Okay." Danny said after a pause. "I'll call him, Lou. Thanks." Danny hung up, perplexed and a little irritated with himself. Had he really not noticed something as unusual as an envelope in a dishwasher? He was certain he and Steve had thoroughly scanned the entire condo. They had spent all afternoon there. Perhaps, Danny thought sullenly, the connections between this case and Mattie's murder really were clouding his judgment, like Chin warned.
Danny looked out at the water once more. There was no sign of Steve, Chin, or Kono. Danny was growing a little restless. Putting his phone back in his pocket, Danny began to walk towards the canal, until his shoes at the edge of the grass. He peered into the water. He couldn't imagine why Michael Novak would pick a place like, this, if he had at all, to hide something. He would have to make sure whatever he had was sealed, or in some kind of case, or –
There. Danny saw it poking out of the water, by the edge of the canal. A small briefcase. How had he not noticed it before? Steve and Chin were on the complete other side of the canal.
Danny reached for the submerged briefcase just as a hand shot out to grab it. It was Kono. She poked her head out of the water, and took off her mask.
"They didn't notice this before?" She muttered, breathing heavily. She accepted Danny's help out of the canal, briefcase in hand. "You think this could be important?" she asked.
"I think that's a possibility, yes." Danny nodded. Kono nodded back in affirmative and touched her earpiece. "Found something," she said. Not long after, Steve and Chin's heads appeared above water. Their search had been futile, and they were glad Kono had found something.
"Good eye, cuz." Chin called as he and Steve swam back to the sidewalk.
"What is it?" Steve asked once he had removed his mask. Before he could answer, however, Lou's truck suddenly came barreling towards them. Lou parked his truck and he and Jerry stepped out. In Jerry's hand was an envelope.
"Hey, that briefcase need a key?" Lou asked.
Kono shrugged and tugged at the briefcase. It was definitely locked.
"That's what I thought." Lou nodded. "We may have what you're looking for."
"Check this out." Jerry said, opening the envelope. Danny knew this was the envelope they had found at Michael's place.
Inside the envelope was a key.