Chapter Two "Cold"

Thanks for all the great reviews! You guys are awesome!

I'm not sure how accurate my psychological information is, but even scientists don't know all about how the brain works, so I can make up whatever I want... within reason.

Danny swung back and forth in his chair, staring at the ceiling. It was some unholy hour of the night and he would rather have been anywhere but the office.

"What kind of guy kills four people in broad daylight?" Kono mused. "An why didn't anyone or any camera see him?"

"I think it's time we started looking at victimology," Danny said, with slight distaste.

"That's your kingdom," Chin said, staring at a computer screen.

"I know. But it sucks."

"Would you rather be babysitting?" Chin raised his eyebrows.

"Depends... No."

"I figured."

"Okay," Kono said, "so these guys were business partners right? Who would want to thwart them? Why would someone want to kill all four of them? And how would that person also have the means to go after the only witness?"

"Good questions," Danny said. "I have no idea."

"I think we need coffee," Kono said, getting up and grabbing her wallet. "What do you guys want?"

H-5-O

McKenzie got permission to go out on the patio for a while at sunset. It was her first real night in Hawaii. She wanted to enjoy it. However, that was not to be. Steve came out to join her after a few minutes. She didn't dislike Steve, but he was sort of... uptight. He also reminded her of why she was there.

"So, how are the Oregon sunsets?" he asked.

She gave him a curious look before answering. "More angry sometimes. It was overcast a lot more. Here it seems more... energetic than anything."

"It's Hawaii."

"So I'm told."

"You came here just to be close to your parents?"

"Just?"

"Well... I don't know. You're close apparently?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen them since I started college... except on Skype."

"Hm."

"What?"

"Nothing. I just don't get it."

"Why I love my parents?"

"No, just why you'd want to be so close to them. What was wrong with Oregon?"

"I loved Oregon. I love my mom and dad more. They're basically my only family. No siblings, cousins, nothing."

Steve shrugged. "I guess you just had a different experience than me."

"I guess so. You said your dad was murdered?"

"Yeah, about a year ago. I came back to find the man who killed him."

"Did you?"

"Yeah."

"You weren't very close?"

"Well, Dad had a strange way of showing affection... well, not at all, mostly."

"I'm sorry. My dad and I are like partners in crime. I bet he wishes he were here now."

"I don't think I could handle two of you."

McKenzie smirked. "No, not even you, G.I. Joe."

"It's McGarrett. Or Steve, Carpenter."

"Uh-huh, it's McKenzie. Like Em-see-capital-Kay-enzie."

"I'm so gonna call you that now."

"Yeah right."

"I'm serious. My partner, Danny? I call him Danno 'cause his little girl does. He hates it."

"And that's why you call him that?"

"No, it's just cute."

"You really don't seem like the sentimental type to me."

"Yeah, well, I'm deep like that... it's getting dark. We should go in."

McKenzie followed Steve back into the house. She figured her time with him wouldn't be too terrible.

H-5-O

Something loud, something sharp, something hot featured in McKenzie's dreams that night. There was some kind of urgency, but she didn't know why. There was someone dangerous and a soft orange light. There was Steve, looking dark and violent, and there was his partner, looking very dead.

McKenzie had never seen anything look more dead.

H-5-O

"What? What is it?" Steve shouted, rushing into the room.

McKenzie sat up and opened her eyes. "Huh?"

"You were screaming." Steve's voice was tense and he had his gun out.

"I was?"

Steve ceased scanning the room and lowered his gun to his side. "Were you dreaming?"

"I don't think so. I just woke up and you were there, freaking out."

"You were screaming bloody murder."

"Um, okay?" McKenzie shrugged.

Steve sighed. "Eisner's gonna want to hear about this."

H-5-O

Danny woke to find his face in his desk. The first thing he saw were six empty coffee cups. The first thing he heard was Kono's voice.

"Morning," she said.

"Please tell me you have another one of those," Danny said, eying the white paper cups.

"Better," Kono replied, setting a plate in front of Danny. "This place has a kitchen. Did you know that?"

On the plate were a pile of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. "I do now," Danny said, and began eating. "Thank you," he said with his mouth full.

"Don't mention it. Chin is interviewing some of our victims' associates."

"Already?" Danny balked. "Okay, now I feel like a total ass."

Kono smirked. "Don't worry about it. You stayed up later than we did."

"Not that it did much good." Danny looked over the papers and files scattered over his desk. "I can't figure out why anyone would want to kill these guys."

"Well, maybe their friends will know something more. They were wealthy, successful. They must have stepped on some toes somewhere."

"Yeah, hopefully only ten."

"It's never the most obvious suspect."

"Yeah." Danny finished his breakfast and stood up. "I must look like hell." He ran a hand through his hair and over his bristly face.

"I'll give you five minutes," Kono said. "The place has showers too."

H-5-O

Dr. Eisner arrived right on time. He carried a leather messenger bag and wore casual clothes. He was a large man with a dark red beard and a deep, resonating voice. McKenzie liked him. Steve had little opinion.

"How was your night?" he asked, after being offered and accepting a cup of tea. McKenzie offered the tea. Steve stood off to the side of the room with his back to the wall and arms crossed.

"Fine," McKenzie said. "Except I think this one's a little paranoid." She inclined her head toward Steve.

"What do you mean?" Eisner asked.

"He came into my room in the middle of the night, guns blazing, like I was being attacked."

"You were screaming," Steve said calmly.

"I wasn't." McKenzie almost stomped.

Dr. Eisner rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Miss Carpenter, did you have any dreams last night."

"None that I remember. And you can call me McKenzie."

"Well, let's start into the recall exercises. Detective, I will need to consult with you later."

Steve nodded once and removed himself a little further, though still in earshot of McKenzie and the doctor.

They spent a couple of hours practicing recall until McKenzie was tired. Eisner sent her to her room and called Steve over to the table.

"What exactly happened last night?" Eisner asked as Steve sat down.

"I was half asleep," Steve began, "when I heard her—I know it was her because I watched the hospital security videos—screaming. I was in the room withing three seconds and she was still lying down. Like she was still asleep. She acted like I woke her up and had no idea she'd been screaming. She still denies it."

"Hmm... night terrors."

"What?"

"Not to be confused with nightmares. A person remembers a nightmare, but not a night terror. Most likely she was reliving the event, or part of it. Perhaps even projecting her own fears onto it."

"What can you do about that?"

"Very little under these circumstances. She won't remember her dreams or the murders until her brain allows it, which it may not. Hopefully, my visits will help her. It won't be easy."

"I never backed down from a challenge."

"Detective McGarrett this girl is a person. And not just some criminal into who's head you can pry. Post-traumatic stress is a very delicate matter. We must be careful not to damage her mind further."

"Okay, so what do I do?"

"Answer her screams. Tell her what she does, even if she doesn't remember." Eisner stood up. "I have to go now. I'll be back at the same time tomorrow."

Steve nodded and the doctor left.

H-5-O

McKenzie came out of her room later, draped in a large black sweatshirt and wearing fuzzy slippers.

From the couch, Steve eyed her with curiosity. "You're not gonna get much use out of those," he said.

McKenzie seemed to retreat further into the blackness. "I like being warm," she said.

"Where is that?" Steve asked as she sat down.

McKenzie saw that he was looking at the white letters on her shirt. "Wallowa Lake? Um, it's near Joseph... Enterprise? Um... it's in Eastern Oregon."

Steve nodded. He still had little idea where that was.

"I have pictures on my computer," McKenzie said. "We used to go there on vacation a lot. They call it Little Switzerland."

"Well, I've never been there either," Steve said.

"But I would assume you've heard of it."

"Touche."

"Had I just jabbed you with a foil, I would be more amused."

"What, you fence too?"

"No, I just know a lot of words."

"So this lake?"

"Yeah. It's about five miles long. There used to be a family of eagles in the dead trees on the north end. One time we went canoeing. There's this mountain called Howard that has a gondola. We went up once and the air was so thin, I got tired after just walking for a few minutes. It was really cold too. Sometimes, we would go backpacking in the Eagle Caps."

"Sounds like you loved it there."

"Yeah. It felt like going into another world, but another world that was your home all along. Like Narnia or something."

"I never read that."

"Ack! You have to!" McKenzie jumped up and ran to her room. She came back with a big black book and handed it to Steve.

"I'm not really into reading," Steve began.

"Well, you'll have lots of time," McKenzie interrupted. "Unless you'd rather I read it to you."

Steve held onto the book. "I know how to read."

"That's not what I said."

"Okay, I'll read your silly book. Happy?"

"Yes."

"Can I ask why?"

"It's essential."

Steve leaned his head back on the couch and rolled his eyes, deciding that McKenzie was officially weird. He opened the book to the first page: "The Magician's Nephew."

Great, he though, a fairy tale.

Well, he promised. And Steve McGarrett was a man of his word. Which is why he didn't usually make promises.