Cujo III – Reloaded – This Time It's Personal
Chapter 9
Here's the next. A few more clues in this one. I hope you like it. I thank all of you who've been kind enough to comment and review and favorite. Please know that I very much appreciate your efforts and take inspiration from them. You may also notice some of your suggestions being incorporated into the story. Love hearing from you guys. You have such great ideas as to where you want the story to go. Errors all belong to Imaginary Beta, she's such a ditz sometimes but I don't have the heart to get rid of her.
Disclaimer: Ninja cats still waiting for the mouse ranch I promised to buy them from the proceeds of my writing. Since I make no money from this, they'll have a very long wait.
*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0* Hawaii 5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*
Something in the Air
On his tablet, Chin had pulled up all the info he could but when he presented it to Steve, the tall man frowned saying, "This is only current intel right?"
"Yeah, to go back farther we might have to access the records of the registrar's office. Last I heard they weren't totally online yet. Kinda weird but they're still in the process of entering all their records. Sorry but this is all that's available right now."
"Looks like we're going to have to make a trip to county offices." sighed Steve, not looking forward to dealing with local bureaucracy.
"You're still looking a little rugged brah." said Chin with a crease of worry in his forehead, "You want Kono and I to take care of it?"
"Thanks for volunteering but I'd rather have you stay and oversee what's going on here. Don't let Kilkenny run roughshod over anyone. I don't trust him."
"I hear ya."
Danny, having also noticed his partner's pallor and still feeling a bit guilty for so quickly handing off the phone call from Denning, not that he could have done anything about it, asked, "We done here Rambo? If we are, let's get back to the office and go over what we have."
"Have to make a stop at county offices first."
"What's at county offices? Which office?"
"Registrar's."
"What are we looking for there?"
"Not really sure yet."
"Oh, okay, whatever. As long as it doesn't involve dumpster diving. I think you owe me a new pair of slacks. I may even be glad I don't wear a tie anymore."
"Everyone's glad you don't wear ties anymore. That was just weird."
"Says the man who thinks it's okay to have a Tasmanian devil disguised as a cat for a pet."
"He's not my pet Danny!" exasperatedly said Steve for probably the hundredth time since Cujo had 'adopted' Five-0.
"Okay, Mr. not-my-pet, not-my-girlfriend, not-my-turn-to-buy-the-next-round . . . what else is obviously yours that you're not laying claim to; other than maybe my car?"
Steve only looked at him with an expression that lost some of its threat considering it came from a guy with a large patch of hair missing from the side of his head and a spectacularly colored bruise covering most of one side of his face.
"The 'look' isn't workin' for yah right now Babe. Save your energy." With a chuckle and a sprightly stride, the detective went to the Camaro and slid quickly into the driver's seat as Steve more slowly followed to tiredly plop into the passenger's seat, not even bothering to glower at the smiling man who steered them toward the county office complex.
…..
The visit to the ornate building that housed Honolulu County Administrative Offices was as expected. Danny had always been amazed at the predictability of dealing with local government. There seemed to be a special type of employee who worked within its bureaucracy no matter the office. It had to be one of those deep dark secrets like black helicopters or Area 51 but he just knew there was a farm where they were specially bred.
These employees were usually females, (large ones), who took no guff from anyone. They'd heard all the reasons why whoever was in front of them at the time had to get their information with the utmost expedience but no matter the story or motive – nothing made them move any faster. When each person finally arrived at the head of the queue, they were always met with a critical and disbelieving attitude, (the operative word here being 'attitude') and a glare as though you were trying to put something over on them as they peered through glasses perched on the ends of their noses.
This one, a woman named M. Waikai from the badge pinned to a triple D sized bosom fronting what looked to be a most solid and imposing two-hundred-fifty pounds looked across the counter at the compact blonde man before her. She wore a grey top with black horizontal stripes that banded her impressive chest as though to accentuate that area of her body which really didn't need more attention called to it.
He's kinda cute, she thought but that still didn't earn him any points. When he'd shown her his badge and I.D. and smiled a friendly smile, it made not one fucking bit of difference.
"Fill out the form and go to window E." she intoned in a bored voice.
"No, I'm sorry, you don't understand." said Danny evenly.
"I don't understand what?" she demanded. This guy was already clicking into scenario number one – 'You don't understand'.
"I and my partner . . ." said Danny, waving toward Steve who stood impatiently a few feet away as a toddler raced by him then circled to hide behind his legs as its mother tiredly pursued her little darling around the large crowded office, nodded toward them, "are here to get information that will possibly be of great importance in solving the coffee shop murders. You've heard of them right?"
Though she had indeed heard the reports of the 'Machiatto Murders', the woman stared back at him seemingly not impressed. "Fill out the form and go to window E." she repeated
"I will repeat myself." said Danny, thinking, We're talking murder here and she wants us to fart around with stupid procedures; the woman can't possibly be this hidebound. "This is a very, very, important part of a murder investigation and I need to get this information as quickly as possible."
Okay, the cute guy has just clicked into the second scenario - 'It's very, very, important'. The woman only stared back at him, pinning the detective with dark eyes as friendly as those of a monitor lizard.
"I repeat myself, Detective . . . " she leaned ever so slightly forward, her breasts settling on the counter top like two fat tired raccoons deciding to take a breather.
"Detective Williams of the Governor's Special Task Force." bit out Danny, quickly losing his patience with the woman.
"As I said, the procedure for getting this information, Governor's Task Force or not, is to fill out the form and go to window E."
Steve had been watching the exchange and saw Danny run his hand through his hair which indicated his partner was coming to the end of his patience and was about to launch into something no one would want to listen to. Quickly stepping around the mother who was still trying to corral her kid, he took quick strides to stand beside is partner.
"Something wrong?" he asked Danny
"Yeah, the something wrong is this woman who refuses to cooperate."
Steve turned toward her with the expression that Danny had named the 'Don't fuck with me or I'll stuff you into a trashcan' face. The steadfast woman didn't seem in the least intimidated – after all, she used to work the customer service desk at Wal-Mart and then had a four year stint at the DMV. Nothing intimidated her.
Steve saw the lack of response to the look that usually made suspects more than willing to cooperate. He changed tactic. With his best Smooth Dog grin, he asked, "You know if you help us out, you'll be helping to find a murderer and keep the people of Hawaii safe don't you?"
"The safety of the people of Hawaii is not my job. My job is to keep order and make people follow the proper procedures for obtaining information from this office."
Ookay, that didn't work, thought the SEAL, Time to up the ante. Once more changing tactic, he read her name tag trying not to look as though he was staring at her more than ample chest as he did it. "Ms. Waikai, I know that you are only doing your job – and you're obviously very good at it but I personally would be grateful if you could just skip the formalities and help us out here. We really need this information as quickly as possible." With that, he looked out from under his lashes with the gaze that had women wondering if, when they'd gotten dressed this morning, they'd put on clothing that was easy to get out of.
Danny wanted to hurl. Even with Steve looking like he'd lost a fight with a backhoe, he could still manipulate the 'fairer' sex. Considering the way Rambo looks, maybe her interest is only motherly, thought/hoped the detective disgustedly.
After a long moment of staring back into the tall man's ocean colored gaze, the woman's stern expression faltered before she gave a small nod. Knowing he'd been successful, Steve leaned forward and the two went over the required information.
A short time later the men walked back across the parking lot, thick sheaf of paperwork in hand. Now, they needed to go back to the office where they could go over it in detail.
Feeling better, Steve held his hand out for the keys which Danny reluctantly tossed to him. Unlocking the doors, he slid into the driver's seat and handed the paperwork across to Danny, before starting the engine and putting the Camaro into gear to back out of the parking space. Danny leafed through the bundle for a moment as Steve pulled out of the parking lot onto the highway. Suddenly, the blonde doubled over in his seat with a loud guffaw.
As he deftly steered through midday traffic, with a puzzled frown, Steve looked over at his partner. "What's so funny?"
"You've done it again." snorted Danny trying to get his laughter under control.
"Done what again?" demanded his partner.
"Once again, you've so very much impressed someone with your charm that you've gathered another admirer."
"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, brows knitting into an even tighter knot.
"Ms. Waikai, her first name is Minnie by the way but just ignore the irony for the moment . . . anyway she was so impressed with you that she's written a note on the last page of this report. I'll read it to you: 'Even with the bandage, you are totally hot! I get off at five-o'clock. If you'd like to meet for a drink or whatever, my number is . . . '"
"What! I didn't even flirt with her!"
Snorting in disbelief, Danny said "I have to say, Rambo, your charm seems to know no bounds as far as those caught in its spell. Hmm, let's see, so far the count is one: Catherine, who unexplainably despite your obvious lack of socialization is still entranced by you, two: Dave Matsui, with whom you have a date and now three: Ms. Minnie Wakai, who is expecting you to give her a call for a drink or whatever." said Danny making air quotes around the last word.
"I did not encourage any of that . . . I mean with Dave or Ms. Waikai."
"So you say. And yet your dance card runneth over." smirked Danny. "Oh, and if you take Ms. Waikai up on her offer; I'd advise you to eat your Wheaties first. That's a lot of woman, even for you Romeo."
"My dance card runneth over? That statement doesn't even make sense."
"You know damn well what I mean 'Smooth Dog'. Do we have to put you on a leash to keep you from enchanting the entire island?"
"Told you Danny. Leashes aren't funny." growled the tall man.
"So you say."
With Steve grimly gripping the wheel and Danny with a self-satisfied smirk beside him, they made their way along Pali Highway to South King Street toward the palace.
….
Kilkenny put his phone back into his breast pocket. He smiled at the thought of spending another evening in the company of the luscious Kiki Kenworthy. First, unfortunately, he had to check in with Five-0 and see what those schmucks had come up with. They'd left in a hurry and Chin Ho Kelly wasn't sharing. The Hawaiian had told him he had to talk to McGarrett or Williams if he wanted any answers. He really wasn't looking forward to talking to Williams or his dickhead partner. Williams was a tough little ferret and the leader of the task force was an arrogant pseudo-cop asshole but he'd have to suck it up and learn what he could. To have the Governor's pets beat him to solving the Macchiato Murder case would seriously impede his progress toward the top of the food chain at HPD.
After finishing up his own investigation at the scene, Kilkenny gathered up Phil his long-suffering partner and the two climbed into their sedan to begin the short drive to the palace.
….
She set the phone down with a smile. Her story would be filed with detail of the latest murder scene. She'd have information those losers at the other local stations would kill for. Tonight on the Five O'clock show, her story would be the big teaser at the beginning and she'd get the spot right behind the report on surf conditions.
Sleeping with one's informants may be a little questionable but it served its purpose. Mickey Kilkenny wasn't the best in the sack but she'd do what she had to do to further her career. That anchor job would be coming up soon. That brittle blonde bitch who held it now was getting a little long in the tooth for the station to keep her on and they'd be looking for a replacement soon. Even if the woman was an actual Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, the lines and sags are starting to show a bit too much. Kiki Kenworthy could almost taste the impending anchor position and the power that went with it.
Drumming her lacquered nails lightly on her desk for another moment while she thought this one through, she picked up the phone once again to place a call.
…
Grace Williams is a cute kid. She knows it. Her father knows it. If she can't get her Danno to do what she wants, her next line of persuasion is to enlist the aid of her Uncle Steve. He's always such a pushover when she gives him 'the look'. Her Danno had named it puppy dog eyes and said that her uncle had stolen it from her when he also wants something he's not supposed to have. This always made her laugh that she, a little girl, could ever teach anything to SuperSEAL.
Her Uncle Steve always seemed to know what to do when anyone needed help. Well, that is, the kind of help that required physical stuff like opening jars or making gigantic sand castles complete with moats and little flame throwers, (Danno made him take them out), or stuff like chasing and tackling bad guys. With the other stuff, her Danno was better. He knows things like what to say when someone was sad or needed cuddling or how to make really good spaghetti. Uncle Steve wasn't as good at that stuff as her Danno but he did try. And not that Danno wasn't tough 'cause he was really, really, tough, (Uncle Steve's spaghetti was pretty awful).
She needed to borrow Cujo for show and tell. When she'd asked her father about it, between yelling and waving his arms around, she'd heard the words "Why is a ten year old girl suddenly suicidal?" She didn't know why there was a problem. She and Cujo had always gotten along. He'd even let her dress him up in doll clothes that time when her mom had to drop her off at Danno's work because Step-Stan had hurt his back when he was playing golf and had to go to the doctor. Of course he didn't look very happy about it, (Cujo, not Stan), but he didn't even squawk when she'd put the hat on his head and put him in the doll stroller. When Danno had seen them though, he'd had a giant hissy-fit and told Uncle Steve to stop laughing and get the friggin' cat out of the friggin' stroller and take those friggin' clothes off him while he gave her a lecture about not playing with dangerous friggin' animals. Danno had to put a lot of money in the swear-jar that day.
Right now, she stood in front of her father using her best version of puppy dog eyes ever, "But Danno, Cujo has a badge and a special carrier and everything!"
"No, you are not taking that evil little monster where he can get loose and eat a couple dozen kids! You don't dislike your classmates that much do you? I mean except for that little putz err punk that tripped you on the playground. Right?"
"What if I take Uncle Steve with me?" she asked looking toward her uncle who seemed to be looking elsewhere at the moment.
Steve seemed suddenly very busy with something on his desk. Once he saw those big brown eyes he knew he'd be a gonner. Come on Danno, keep the kid in line. No way am I going to show-and-tell at an elementary school.
Danny had obviously spotted his discomfort because, suddenly, a slow smile crept across his face.
"You know, maybe you're right Monkey. If we keep Cujo in the carrier and give him one of the magic pills that makes him really really sleepy, and Uncle Steve is there to stand guard . . . maybe it's doable."
Shit! Okay, it was his turn, Stay strong McGarrett!
Despite his inner pep talk, within minutes, he'd agreed to accompany Grace Williams and Detective Cujo D. McGarrett of Hawaii Five-0 to Punahou Elementary School on the Wednesday of the following week. What the hell? It's only a cat in a very strong airline approved carrier which will be locked and guarded. What could go wrong?
"Yay! Let me go tell Cujo that he's going on a field trip!" With that, the excited child skipped off to find the little grey cat.
"Why did you agree to that?" hissed Steve as soon as she was out of sight. "I thought you didn't want to endanger anyone else with the furry piranha as you like to call him?"
"Why didn't you say no?" asked Danny with a grin, "You had opportunity."
"It's not my job to say no to your daughter, that's your job."
"Oh, so I get to be the bad guy while her Uncle Steve gets to play the hero?"
"That's not the way . . . " at that moment he was interrupted when Grace came back into the room carrying a puzzled looking cat. He'd been snatched up in the middle of a dream. He was just about to pounce on one of the sparkly things and make off with it when he felt himself being lifted by the small female's hands. She's lucky that he likes her.
"Uncle Steve?"
"Yes, Gracie?"
"Why does Cujo smell like perfume?"
"Huh?"
"He smells really good. What did you put on him?"
As she held the cat up, he bent down to take a sniff. Cujo looked highly insulted that he should be subjected to this kind of scrutiny. After all, he's not a dog!"
"Uh huh." He said to himself as he nodded his head. The scent that wafted from the silky fur was familiar. It was the Chanel No. 5 his mother was so fond of. "So that's how she did it."
*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0* Hawaii 5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*
That sign that reads 'Will work for reviews' still sits on the wall over my desk and I'm still a cheap date. Would love to hear from you.