A Cold Day in Hell
The day had been wonderful and filled with everything the celebration of their country's birthday should be filled with. As the evening wound down and darkness surrounded them it was time to pull out the finishing touch. Steve and Danny had planned everything and had a collection of fireworks that would put on a spectacular display.
Grace sat with her mother, watching as her father and 'uncle Steve' played rock, paper, scissors to see who would set off the fireworks. She cheered when Danno won, but Steve didn't seem upset as he walked back to sit with Keanna. She liked the doctor and wondered if she and 'uncle Steve' would get married like her mom and dad. She'd liked Stan and he'd been nice to her, but she's secretly wished her parents would get back together so they could be a real family again. The smile on her mother's face told her she was happier than she'd ever been with Stan.
"Hey, Grace, are you ready for this?"
"I'm ready, Danno!" the child called.
Williams lit off the first of the fireworks and it exploded overhead in a dazzling display of colored lights. Again and again he repeated the process, smiling when his daughter cheered and clapped her hands. It took 30 minutes to set them all off and make sure there was no chance of a fire before clean up began.
Steve helped Keanna to her feet and helped clean everything up off the beach and placing them in a fire proof container his father had always used for just such an occasion.
"Steve, thanks for doing this," Rachel said as Danny picked Grace up and she sighed tiredly before placing her head on her father's shoulder.
"You're welcome, Rachel, I'm glad you guys could join us," McGarrett said with his right arm around Keanna.
"When Danny called Grace was so excited and I could not disappoint her," Rachel said and looked at her daughter. "I believe it is time to take her home and put her to bed."
"I'm not tired, Mommy," Grace said and yawned in spite of her claim
"Come on, Danny, it's late," Rachel said.
"We better be going too, Boss, I have to be in early tomorrow and my boss is a hard case..."
"Oh, really, Kono, maybe six would be a better time for you to be in than nine," Steve teased.
"You wouldn't do that to her," Keanna said and lightly punched his shoulder.
"Come on, Maria, why don't we go for a ride before I drop you home," Chin suggested.
"Sounds like fun," Maria said thanking steve for letting her join the group before she, Chin, Ruiz, and Kono followed Danny, Rachel, and Grace to the front of the house.
Steve and Keanna watched them leave, knowing that Rachel, Chin, and Kono hadn't been drinking and were therefore safe to drive. Once they were gone he turned to the beautiful woman and kissed her, long and deep.
"Steve..."
"I have another bottle of wine, Dr. Wahine, and I think we missed my last physical," McGarrett said.
"Yes," Keanna said. "I believe you're right."
Steve took her into his arms and carried her into the house, closing the door behind them as he headed for the bedroom.
5050505050
Danny spotted Steve when he pulled into a parking spot and waited for him at the entrance to HQ. There was something in the way his partner strode toward him that made Danny think of the cat that swallowed the canary.
"Morning, Danno, you're in early," McGarrett said.
"Somebody didn't get much sleep last night...or did he get any at all?"
"You'll never know," the head of Five-O told him.
"Oh, come on, Steve, you've got that shit-eater's grin...somebody got something last night," Williams said and followed his partner into the building.
"Danny...Danny Williams."
Steve turned to see a tall dark haired figure walking toward them and had no idea who the powerfully built man was, but Danny certainly did ffrom his reaction.
"Shark!"
"Fish bait," the big man said and lifted Williams off the ground.
"Shark? Fish bait," McGarrett repeated and wondered at the names.
"Hey, Steve, come here," Williams called. "I want you to meet an old friend of mine from Newark."
"Steve? As in Steve McGarrett...head of Five-O," the man said and reached out to shake McGarrett's hand.
"That's him," Williams said. "Steve, I'd like you to meet David O'Brien."
"Nice to meet you, Mr..."
"David," O'Brien said.
"Nice to meet you, David," McGarrett said.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Williams asked his friend.
"I got tired of rain and snow and figured I'd check out the fun in the sun. I put in for a transfer and it went through as of yesterday," O'Brien answered.
"That's great...you'll be working here?" the jersey native asked.
"Danny, I need to meet with the governor so I'll see you in about an hour," McGarrett said.
"Sure...what time do you have to meet with the chief?" Williams asked.
"At nine...feel like grabbing a coffee and catching up?" O'Brien asked.
"Sure, come on there's a great little coffee shop across the street. My treat," Danny offered.
"Hell, Hawaii must be good if it's loosened the lock you keep on your wallet."
"Actually it's not bad...Rachel and I are seeing each other."
"Really? I thought she'd remarried?" O'Brien asked.
"She did, but they're getting a divorce. Rachel said she realized it couldn't work because she still loves me," Williams said and led the way to the coffee shop. They sat outside and Danny ordered the house special for them both. "I can't believe you're here. What really happened, David?"
"I got tired of low pay and ingratitude and figured if I'm going to stay with it I might as well be in paradise. This place is amazing," O'Brien observed.
"Sure it is," Williams said sarcastically.
"Come on, Fish Bait, what the hell is wrong with you. You're in Hawaii...you have your family back, and you have..."
"Pizza with pineapple," Danny said and shuddered at the thought when the waitress returned with their coffees.
"Tell me you at least gave it a try," O'Brien asked.
"No way in hell," Williams said. "That's just so wrong on so many levels."
"You're just a wuss, Danny, I swear you need to grow a pair," O'Brien said.
"Mine are big enough when it counts," Williams said. "Listen, are you free tonight? I'm sure Rachel would love to see you again."
"She still a looker?"
"Yes, but if I catch you looking I'll bite your head off," Danny said.
"What time?"
"Around six...do you have a car or do you need me to pick you up?"
"I have a car...just need your address," O'Brien answered and took the paper when Williams wrote the address down for him.
"Did Johanna come with you?"
"No, we're separated, Danny."
"Damn, sorry, David, is there anything I can do?"
"No, it's good. She just couldn't handle the late nights anymore," O'Brien said with a half smile. "See you tonight, Fish Bait."
"Looking forward to it," Danny said and took his coffee. He headed toward the office with a smile on his face at the though of Rachel's surprise when she saw who their dinner guest was. Rachel had liked Johanna and David, and would be disappointed that the other woman would not be there.
"Danny, where's Steve?" Chin asked when he entered the office.
"He had a meeting with the governor," Williams answered. "Where's Kono?"
"She's on her way...alarm clock didn't go off this morning," Chin said with a grin.
"She really likes Ruiz doesn't she?"
"They do seem to be spending a lot of time together," Chin answered as McGarrett came into the office and joined them.
"How's the meeting with Jameson go?" Williams asked.
"Nothing new. She just wants to updated on each case," McGarrett answered, eyebrows raised as Kono walked into the room. "Well, good morning."
"Morning...sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything?" Kono asked.
"Not really," McGarrett answered. "Just that Danny has a friend who's a shark and Danny's Fish bait."
"Fish bait?" Chin and Kono asked incredulously.
"That's what he called Danny," McGarrett told them.
"This I gotta hear," Kono said.
"Later..."
"Come on, Danny, how did you get the name Fish bait?" McGarrett asked.
"I'll give you the Reader's Digest condensed version," Williams said. "David was my first partner and we'd been together a couple of weeks when a couple of FBI agents asked our boss if we could do a job for him. They needed someone new...or unknown because the case was already high profile. David was supposed to go in and see this loans shark..."
"That's where he got the name Shark?" McGarrett asked.
"In a way...I wound up being the bait and when the time came the FBI got the bad guys hook, line, and sinker," Williams observed.
"How did you become the bait?" Kono asked
"If I told you that I'd have to shoot you," Danny said with a hint of a smile before continuing. "Honestly I don't know why the nicknames were put on us, but they sort of stuck. David was always the Shark and I was always the Fish bait. I think the FBI agents had a sense of humor because the guy they were after...his name was Mano Sturgeon..."
"Mano means shark in Hawaiian," Chin said.
"You're kidding right?" Williams asked.
"No, he's not," McGarrett said with a grin. "I think we know where the nicknames came from. Mano means shark and sturgeon is the name of a fish. I guess you really were the bait in the case."
"Oh, Man, no wonder David chuckled when they called him Shark," Williams said.
"Okay, let's see if there's anything new on the McMillan case," McGarrett suggested and waited as Kono worked her magic and brought up the pertinent information. A picture of the missing couple was at the top with a list of names underneath. So far they'd spoken with over half the names on the list, but no one had seen the newlyweds since the day after their arrival two days ago.
Kevin McMillan and his wife Sandra were from Amity, New York and although not what you'd call beautiful, the woman did resemble the description of five other women who'd disappeared in the last six weeks. Up until Sandra McMillan all victims had been single, so right now it was still unclear whether she was the newest victim in the case or if the couple's disappearance was a random occurrence.
"Okay, what do we have?" McGarrett asked.
"The first five victims were single, Vietnamese, dark hair, Dark brown eyes," Chin said.
"Actually, the eye color was bordering on black," Kono told them. "That's why Sandra McMillan could be our latest victim. She's Vietnamese and fits the profile of the previous victims, except that she was newly married. She was called after her grandmother who was white."
"So we have six women of Vietnamese decent with basically the same coloring and while not beautiful they would be considered pretty," Williams said.
"Is there anything else that connects them?" McGarrett asked and sat on the edge of the desk.
"The first five were on vacation, while the last one was on her honeymoon," Kono observed.
"Well, the honeymoon could be considered a vacation," Williams offered.
"What about hotels? Did they stay at the same hotel?" McGarrett asked.
"Not all of them, although two did, the first victim Lien Phung and the third victim Minh Tran stayed at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel on Kalakaua Avenue," Chin told them and made the changes to the screen.
"Two weeks apart," the head of Five-O observed.
"Yes, The second victim Cam Ngo and the fourth victim Tao Pham both stayed at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel again two weeks apart," Chin said.
"The Royal Hawaiian is also on Kalakaua," McGarrett offered, using his hands to maneuver the pictures so the women were paired with their hotels. "What about McMillan and Vinh Nguyen? Were they at the same hotel and if so was it on Kalakaua Avenue?"
"Says here they were both staying at the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach," Williams said.
"Again on Kalakaua," McGarrett said. "Okay, so we have a connection, but we need more information. Chin, you and Kono check out the Outrigger. Danny and I will take The Royal Hawaiian and we'll meet you at the Waikiki Beach Hotel."
"If this is about the women why don't we check the hospitals and morgues to see if they have any John Does fitting Kevin McMillan description?" Chin asked.
"You and Kono take a picture and check into it after you finish at The Outrigger. Danny and I can check both the Royal and The Waikiki Beach hotels and meet you back here when we're finished," McGarrett suggested as Kono printed out the information they had and shut the system down.
Author's Note - I am hoping to post a new part every couple of days, but that could change because of RL. I am attending a karate Seminar over the next 5 days and doing some intensive training because the head of our style is here in Ontario. Then next weekend is the Polaris Convention and I am going to meet Ben Browder...doing the happy Dance. I do intend to update at least every second day if at all possible, so please bare with me. Can you believe two parts and nobody is injured. Anyway, hope you're enjoying this one.