So, it's been a while. My excuses are as follows: I have A levels in a few months, and they are killing me. I'm currently writing my own original story, cause I want to get into publishing. My family are essentially re-designing our garden, and I've been helping out a lot with that.
There you go. Those are my excuses for being a lazy ass. Apologies.
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There was a slight moment where the two parties just stared at one another, trying to work out what happened now. Eastwood was staring at Steve like he was a ghost, and the ex SEAL just stared right back, trying to quell the rush of memories that leapt into his mind. He was trying to tell himself that he couldn't focus on his old friend; he needed to see a suspect. It wasn't working terribly well.
"Steve?" His voice was quiet, filled with the surprise written all over his face.
"Hey Dom," was the only reply, before the blonde haired man was out of his door and hugging the Commander. The business man was a good foot shorter than Steve, so the ex SEAL had to stoop slightly to hug him back.
Danny suddenly felt very out of place. This was a private moment for his best friend, and the Jersey native knew that Steve wouldn't want him to see this. Ducking his head, he pointedly looked at his shoes until they were done with their reunion. Danny found himself wondering just how long it had been since they had seen each other, and how close they had once been. Going by the hug: the answer was pretty darn close.
"This is about Benji isn't it?" The two men had pulled apart, and now Eastwood was glancing between the two, taking in the badges at their hips. Steve hesitated slightly, then nodded. "It's terrible, what happened to him. But please, come in." He ushered both of them through the door, into a small room that was in the same condition as the B&B it belonged to.
In one corner, a patch of damp was spreading across the wall, filling the air with a slightly rotten smell. There was a small bed, unmade, complete with a bedside table that was missing one of the legs. Next to the door there was a sofa, the cushions sunken and the pattern long since faded. Danny's eyes trailed around the room, trying to keep the confusion from his face; this guy was rich, wasn't he? The detective who was permanently strapped for cash* lived in a better place than this.
"It's a dump, you can say it. I would have found a better place, but I've haven't really had the time to plan anything." Eastwood gestured for them to sit on the sofa, and he perched himself on the edge of the bed, nervously folding and unfolding his hands.
"Why aren't you staying with your mom? She's still on the island isn't she?" Steve was watching his old friend like a hawk, trying to remain objective as he took in the nervous twitches, the way his eyes kept darting to the door and then to the suitcase beside the bed.
"Yeah, she still lives here. But things have been... hard for her. Even since Nick died... Well, she hasn't been the same." Dominic's voice was low with something akin to grief, and Danny puzzled over that fact. It was clear from what they had found that Eastwood had not mourned his brother's passing, but the love for his mother was obvious. "It's one of the reasons I came back to the islands: to be closer to her. One thing I didn't count on was her not wanting to see me."
"What do you mean?" Danny felt mean prying like this, but it had to be asked.
"I don't think she ever really forgave me for not returning for my brother's funeral. I assume you know that Nick and I were at odds?" Danny nodded, his eyes flicking involuntarily to Steve then back to Eastwood, who clearly understood the look. "It wasn't long after our father died that Nick began to see this girl. Caroline... something." He waved a hand dismissively. "I was 16 and angry at the world. It wasn't long before I met you," he nodded at Steve who smiled at an old memory.
"Dom and I met in much the same way we did," Steve told Danny with a small smile. "He punched me too." Dominic laughed out loud, and the detective couldn't help but grin at the recollection of his first day on the job with insane partner.
"Oh? Did you get him shot too?"
"Not quite. Though we did end up in a bar fight, didn't we?" Danny found himself warming to Eastwood. Though he couldn't quite dispel his doubts, the business man seemed personable, and the detective could see how he and Steve would click. The ex SEAL in question was laughing, looking more animated than he had since he had first seen his friend's body in the sand. With a sudden jolt, Danny realised how much he had missed this; the happiness in his best friend's face. A warmth flooded through him.
"We were loose cannons back then," Dominic remarked with nostalgia.
"Some of us still are," Danny retorted, looking pointedly at his partner who feigned a hurt expression. Eastwood laughed again then sobered.
"Either way, it was my hot-headedness that set everything off back then. When I saw my brother with this girl, I was so mad at the idea he had already forgotten our father; I couldn't understand how he was ready to move on with his life. In a petty way, I suppose I was jealous of his happiness. I... I went off on one. Ranting and raving about how much of a disappointment he was to our family, and how Caroline would never be good enough for him. I hit him. Square in the face. Broke his nose." There was genuine remorse in his tone. "I've always regretted what I did, but I never found the courage to apologise. I meant to come home for the funeral, but it didn't feel right; he wouldn't have wanted me there."
"Benji told me that you talked to him about it at the time," Steve put in.
"He was always a good friend to me. To you as well from what I could gather?" The ex SEAL nodded, offering a sad smile.
"We need to ask you some questions, if you don't mind," Danny said gently. Eastwood nodded understandingly.
"I figured you might. I'll do my best to help you."
"You arrived on the island a few weeks ago, yes?"
"Yes, I flew in from LA..." he paused, thinking. "Ten days ago now."
"Los Angeles?" Danny's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, recalling the credit card record Chin had shown him that morning. "We had been led to believe that you were in Sacramento before you came to the islands." Eastwood's eyes darted between the partners for a moment, clearly trying to work out where that knowledge had come from. Eventually, he conceded, nodding at the detective.
"You would be right. Mostly I work out of LA, but every now and then I have to travel to various branches of ETC. The unit in Sacramento are looking to expand, and I was there to approve their plans and check over the financials." Danny desperately wanted to ask about the $500 withdrawal, but he decided that now wasn't the time. Steve, though silent, was stiff and was refusing to look at either of the men in the room.
"You said that one of the reasons you came back to the island was to be with your mom. What were the other reasons?"
"Again it was work, I'm afraid. The Honolulu branch had to close a few years ago thanks to a lack of funding, but now that the company is more stable we are looking to re-expand. More personally, I want to open up a branch here so that I can move back to the islands. I've missed it here, and besides, I think that my mom needs me around, even if she won't admit it."
"You're moving back?" Steve suddenly perked up, a confusion Danny didn't fully understand colouring his tone. Eastwood grinned at him.
"That was the plan. My wife has never much liked the city, and I've always wanted to bring up my children here."
"You have children?" Danny was surprised this hadn't come up before.
"A little girl, Charlotte. She's turning four in two months. Yvonne, my wife, is nineteen weeks pregnant with another daughter." His love for them shone in his face, and he lit up in much the same way Danny did when talking about his Gracie. "Charlotte love the sea side, and I think she'd love Hawaii. But I can't move here unless the company does." Danny nodded his understanding.
"When was the last time you saw, or heard from, Benji?" This was one of the harder questions and he felt the atmosphere in the room harden and tense. It took a minute for Eastwood to provide an answer.
"Well... up until I arrived here, I hadn't seen him in person for over four years. I mean, we talked. On the phone, with letters, however we could. The last letter I recieved from him was the day before I flew out here. I was already planning the trip, so no, it wasn't what made me decide to actually come. But, it did... encourage me." He hesitated. "Look, Benji was my friend, and if there was anything I could do to help him, I felt it was my duty to do so." Steve flinched, but Danny pretended not to notice. "His letter told me that he needed to see me, said it was important, but he hadn't said what exactly. When I landed, there he was at arrivals with no word of explanation."
"You saw him?" Steve's face had gone blank with shock. This meeting would not have been too long before the murder.
"Yeah. It was weird though. He didn't act like an old friend happy to see me again; he was all jumpy and kept saying that it wasn't safe to talk there. He dragged me into a cab before we'd really even said hello. It wasn't like him." Steve nodded, brow furrowed. The detective was content to sit there quietly for now, allowing the others to work through it on their own. "We ended up in the middle of nowhere; I couldn't even tell you what part of the island we were on. It was only then that he started to talk to me, telling me that he'd been working on something big, and that he'd stumbled on some stuff that he could hardly believe."
"Did he mention a conspiracy?"
"Yeah, but none of what he said made sense. He kept going on about people I'd not ever heard of, and then some others that I'd rather not hear about. He said that the Yakuza were involved." The partners shared a long look, both asking the same thing: Wo Fat?
"Can you remember any of the names?"
"Hiro... somebody. A foreign name. Oriental."
"Noshimuri?"
"That's the one. You know him?" Eastwood frowned at the two of them.
"We're aware of his comings and goings," Steve supplied vaguely, trying not to think about the man who was responsible for his mother's death.
Then, for a moment, silence fell. Steve was trying to concentrate on the matters at hand, and not think about how deep there problems were becoming. Danny was trying to read his partner to see how he was coping. He might as well have been staring at a wall for all the good it did him. And Eastwood was desperately trying to decide whether or not to tell the two men in front of him the rest of the story.
"There's more," he said eventually. "He kept saying things about the governor... Telling me to watch my back. And then..." he hesitated before plunging ahead. "He gave me this." From the suitcase he pulled out a thick envelope, and passed it to the ex SEAL. On the front was Steve's name in a handwriting that had become familiar to the detective over the last few days: Benji's. "He asked me to give you this."
"Did he say anything about it?" Steve was holding the package as though it was going to blow up in his face.
"Nothing more than to give it to you if you came to find me. And here you are. He told me that you would need it for something, but wouldn't tell me what. He said that it was imperative that I gave it to you. Made me promise on something that matters Steve. Whatever is in there is important, I can tell you that." He looked away, and then back into Steve's eyes, burning with intensity. "Promise me, whatever happens, you won't let him down."
"I won't," replied the ex SEAL with a vehemence that made it hard to doubt him. "I gave him my word too." He paused then, looking at the parcel. "Any idea what he was working on?"
"Not a clue, beyond what I've already told you. He played things close to the chest did our Benji." Steve remembered the open, honest boy he had once known, and frowned.
"He must have changed."
"Doesn't everyone?" Eastwood retorted. Steve gave a half hearted smile.
"I guess. You just never think they will until suddenly you find you no longer recognise them." He stood, stretching from being cramped on the sofa. Danny followed suit, happy to be leaving the claustrophobic room. "We need to be gone. Thanks for all the help." Eastwood nodded, smiling in acknowledgement. Just before the ex SEAL left however, he looked over his shoulder. "Oh, and Dom? Take care."
"You too," the man replied, waving once as the door swung shut.
Nothing more was said between the two men until they reached the car again. Steve slid into the passenger seat once again without complaint. The Jersey native raised an eyebrow but left it alone.
"So, what's in the package?" Danny asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.
"I don't know. I'll open it back at the office." Steve sounded very much like he didn't want to talk about it at this moment in time, so the detective let it drop. The atmosphere in the car was tense as the ex SEAL worked to keep himself in check, whilst at the same time trying to control his trembling as the illness continued to work its way through his system.
Danny for his part was worrying over the stubborn man beside him. Steve wasn't up for this. But, in the interests of not dying in a car crash due to the driver being decked by a navy SEAL, he kept his mouth shut. And silently, he worried.
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*Do you guys have this saying in the USA?
Also, there is a poll on my page you might be interested in. This story doesn't have too long to go, but it is only part one of two. There will be another multi-chapter fic coming after this one, regardless of the poll result. However, I'm going to start up a brand new fic as well and I'd love opinions.
I don't like this chapter. I really, really don't. But I felt guilty for not posting. Any comments would be greatly appreciated to help me make it better.
This story is crap. I know. I'm going to spend some time going over it and fixing it up at some stage, but I really haven't the time right now.