I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: thank you all SO MUCH for the continued wonderful comments on this story!
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CHAPTER TWENTY
"You shouldn't push so soon. You're on sick leave for a reason." He might as well been talking to himself for the lack of reaction. Steve was standing over Danny in his office, disgusted that his partner refused to look up from reams of old files, yet fully understanding his overwhelming drive. However, Danny's discharge from the hospital had been just two days earlier and Ramirez had ordered ten full days of uninterrupted rest.
"Ten. Ponch said ten full days," Steve's helpfully supplied reminder was again ignored even when he bent low enough to try to catch Danny's eye. Boldly, he waved two fingers directly under Danny's nose with nary a reaction. He would need to speak to Kono later too for being the mode of his partner's rather illicit transportation. "This is only two, Danny. Two days."
Based solely on his expression, Danny was thoroughly disgusted as well, but only because from the time of Kono's urgent request on his behalf, it had taken the Jersey archivist almost a day to respond. Then, another full day had elapsed while the remaining tangible documents remained in a proverbial limbo between mainland and island. If not for the saving grace of time zones, which inhibited the box from arriving sooner, Danny would have been in the offices even faster.
"I want the damned picture. It should have been right on top with the first folder." Predominantly relying on his left hand, his desk was an organized time-stamped visual calendar of a bitingly raw cold case.
"Don't touch that!" Steve's hands flew skyward as Danny hastily intercepted a sheaf of papers which he'd helpfully begun to remove from the box. "I know exactly where everything is."
"Except for the picture," Steve drawled without thinking, for that sarcastic comment absolutely drew his partner's attention.
"You're not helping," Holding his still bruised right hand to his chest, Danny scowled in annoyance.
"Is that so?" Pushing his hands belligerently into his pockets, Steve was smiling now. "Only because you won't let me."
After he had learned of Danny's request to Kono, Steve had confronted his partner about the likelihood of a connection between one cold case and the oddity of Franklin Ray. He was worried at first and then quickly sold on the concept. The bare facts were sound and Steve had agreed to move forward because like Danny had so stressed, something good needed to come out of the terrible set of circumstances even if it only helped one family move forward. It was a better step for Danny too since researching the cold case files replaced the issue of Franklin Ray's untoward disappearance.
Now, Danny had nothing to say to his blithe retort because it was entirely true. On the day of its anticipated arrival, he had barely allowed Chin to sign for the important box in his absence. He had refused to let anyone open it on his behalf. The plan was for Steve to cart the old treasure to Danny's house later that same evening; yet despite being on sick leave, Danny had appeared at the Five-0 headquarters. In fact, he only sliced through the shipping tape on the box after he'd virtually hermetically sealed his office space.
"How did you get her to do it?" Eyebrows raised comically, Steve gestured with his chin to where Kono stood at the smart table. "The office is strictly verboden for ten whole days."
Without looking up, Danny snorted comically at the last word. The office might have technically been off limits, but Danny wasn't actually forbidden to drive or leave the sanctity of his home. The issue was that he wasn't quite able to use the manual gears in the Camaro with any semblance of comfort. The concept was upsetting until the team believed the hindrance a valid reason for their friend to actually get some well-deserved rest.
"I asked like a human, Steven." That was the truth too. Once Chin had confirmed the box's safe arrival that morning, Danny was desperate to get his hands on it. Or at least, his one good hand and he'd pleaded with Kono for the favor of a ride after promising he'd stay only an hour. That part, Danny kept to himself because that hour had gone by long ago and only whatever Kono was focused on had kept her from arriving on his office doorstep. "I simply asked very nicely and my good friend Kono obliged ... nicely ... and yes, I did say thank you."
"Uh huh." Unconvinced, Steve pulled his hands from his pockets to fold his arms across his chest. "Find the photo then and call it a day. I want you back in one perfectly healthy piece."
Essentially, Danny was fine except for the slow healing of the wound on his hand. The oral medications he was taking were known to toy badly with the body's ability to heal and Ramirez didn't want to risk any form of infection. He was being extremely particular about keeping the wound clean, dry and pristinely dressed with antibiotic silver salve.
"There's still no sign of him by the way," Steve remarked, not needing to tell Danny that he was referring to Doctor Franklin Ray. He'd spent the last few days chasing down every minor lead and Ray was simply gone. He'd just gone to visit Duke for the better part of the morning and the trail was undeniably stale.
"We aren't sure how he got off the island, but we're pretty sure he's long gone. Bhandari knows nothing of value. The only thing that has checked out completely was Bhandari's plans to return to India. He did book tickets to leave Ray before all this went down with Ponch ... he'd had enough and seems actually afraid of the man now."
"He's afraid? He's had enough?" Danny was quietly furious at the statements. "He's just as bad as Franklin Ray and completely responsible. He has no right to any of those feelings and he gets only one more chance to be of value."
"I agree with all of that," Steve sighed. Riku Bhandari would be going to jail for a very long time once his case went to trial. Nearly as guilty as his ex-employer, he had firsthand knowledge and was directly implicated based upon his own confessions. Despite years of gross misguidance though, Bhandari was genuinely afraid and had stressed Franklin Ray's slow metamorphosis towards evil.
Sighing even more deeply out of frustration, Steve scowled at Danny's injured hand. There was no use in saying another word though as Danny plunged deeper into the archives. The last file was the thickest and Danny finally smiled in relief.
"Got it." The sadness in Danny's eyes was obvious as he studied the old photograph bringing back a myriad of old ghosts. Regretfully and almost reverently, Danny handed the picture to Steve. "Meet eighteen year old Hannah Murphy."
Steve stared at the smiling young teenager. He could see the happy, vivaciousness in her smile and he wound up with a lopsided grin, himself. "She's a pretty girl."
"Was," Danny whispered. "I want Bhandari to see this; I want to see if he can remember her."
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After locating the picture, there was no way for him to stop. Completely disapproving now, Steve lost the argument entirely as he and Danny drove to the hospital to question Riku Bhandari. To stack the deck, Danny had Kono purposefully give him two additional photos of blonde teenage females who had no relation at all to any case whatsoever.
Once in the Indian's room, Steve stood quietly next to Danny. He was surprised when Danny provided Bhandari with very little preamble and almost no descriptive background. The only request was for the man to tell him if he recognized any of the three women.
Barely breathing, Danny stood over Riku's hospital bed not seeing anything except an accomplice to a dangerous murderer. His stomach churned relentlessly as he watched Riku examine each photograph. If he had one pleasant thing to say about the man, it was only that the Indian genuinely took his time and tried to offer a truthful reply.
All three pictures were laid out on his lap. Riku knew almost instantly what was happening when he saw Hannah Murphy's photograph, but still he gave due attention to the other two.
"I do not know these two." He remembered the third girl vividly though, along with his responsibility in the crime. She and the others now weighed heavily on his conscience with a deep regret. But it was too late for him now. Carefully, Riku picked up Hannah's photograph and nodded. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was the first victim.
"This one ... this is the waitress. Her name was Hannah. I remember that and I do not have any doubts at all."
Heaving in an enormous lungful of air, Danny held his breath for a long time before expelling it slowly. Only Steve saw the shudder run though his partner's body as he strove to control himself from wanting to pummel the bedridden Bhandari.
"Why do you remember her?" The question was blunt and Riku could only stare at the Detective. He read the exact anger in the man which his partner also saw and he realized the question and the girl were very personal. "After all this time, why do you remember her?"
Riku dropped his eyes to the messed sheet and then glanced to the handcuff anchoring him to the bed. The only answer was the truthful one, so he simply said it. "I was very young and only with Doctor Ray for less than one month. Hannah and I were the same age. I knew very little English and she was nice to me."
"That's it?" Based on the too even tone of voice, the Detective didn't believe him. "She was nice to you?"
"She wanted to know about India and what it was like to travel there ... to live there. She even asked about the kinds of people who might visit." Riku dug deeper into the pleasant memory of speaking to Hannah outside the executive meeting room in the enormous hotel in a once overwhelmingly confusing city. It had been just before dinner and Hannah was getting ready to continue the elaborate service.
"She was one of many hired for the event, but only she was so very nice. I didn't understand all her words at the time and she laughed. But she didn't laugh at me ... she was kind."
He had never seen so much food in one place except for his cousin's wedding. He smiled at the memory but it faded quickly when the Detective scowled in anger. There was one other thing his younger self didn't understand at the time, but the two officers were likely not going to care. Yet Riku said it anyway and as genuinely as he could. "I didn't know Doctor Ray had taken her against her will. When I went to do my duties in the morning, he said she had died from drugs. He said all American teenagers partied too hard and made tragic mistakes. I believed him and then did as I was told."
It was an ignorant truth and Riku could only state what he remembered. Looking back just a year after, he had eventually known better but it was too late. Still in a foreign land though, he had been intimidated into trying to leave. And then there was the issue of the money; Riku had always been paid well and he'd sent nearly every dollar to his parents. He had dug himself a terrible hole even when he matured and eventually did know better. He had allowed it all to happen and he had stayed for too long. Worst of all, he had willingly helped to cover Franklin Ray's tracks.
Wordlessly and exercising a great deal of self-control, Danny accepted the photographs to carefully return them to the folder he'd brought along.
"Danno? Hey." Before Steve could say more, Danny was briskly brushing past him. He hadn't even asked exactly where Bhandari had disposed of the body; but Steve knew Danny simply couldn't go there yet because it was too painful. He had what he wanted and needed but only for the moment. But this time, Steve would insist that he and the rest of the team would follow through to completely fill in any remaining gaps.
Steve's curt nod towards Bhandari was equally abrupt before he turned to chase his partner down on a jog.
~ to be continued ~