A/N: Hey Everyone! I'm trying to get a big update posted before the long weekend. I plan to go offline for most of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I will be writing.

Currently, I'm working almost exclusively on this story because I have it almost completely planned out. I'd like to get the last five, or so, chapters written by Monday so that I can get started on finishing things up.

In this chapter we take a different turn. Enjoy!

Chapter 11: Gone

Waiting in the darkness for back-up, as the candles one by one went out, lasted an eternity. Even though the HPD officers had been on stand by - it still left Danny and Steve exposed. Finally, after several nerve-racking minutes, back-up arrived and Steve headed into the jungle to try and find the elusive professor. There was no doubt now that Goldstein was the man they were looking for but the tables had turned, and now with the numbers, Steve felt more in command of the situation.

Danny felt light headed in the thick, hot, stagnant air of the closed in underground. The door at the top of the stairs had been wedged open to let some air in, but as it happened, the candles went out more quickly and Danny and Lydia were left in near total darkness.

The young woman, though alive and breathing, had not been coherent. She could open her eyes, here head hung down, and her chin touched her collar, but she didn't speak and she hardly moved. Something, other than the air was affecting her.

When the paramedics arrived Danny was left to lead the investigation, and as soon as he was convinced that Lydia was in good hands and heavily guarded, he began the process of breaking down the crime scene and investigating the psychopath. He started with a few private phone calls.

5-0

"Kono don't get excited. I need you to do something for me. Don't let anyone know it's me. Go to your office." Danny instructed as Kono answered her cellular telephone after seeing that a blocked number had popped up - when the team needed privacy they had set up protocols for their phone calls. The blocked numbers meant - answer you phone as professionally as possible.

"Sure auntie," Kono stated merrily and Chin knew who it was but Violet was oblivious. "All right, should I bring Chin with me?"

"No."

"Oh, okay another time then," Kono said - Chin waved it off, "he says hi auntie!" she added with a giggle and moved toward her office. "All right, I'm alone Danny. What's with all the secrecy?"

"We found Lydia," Danny stated.

"Alive?" Kono asked and she held her breath.

"Yes, but Goldstein is gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Kono asked.

"We found Lydia in pretty bad shape, there is no way she would have been able to defend herself and I think that's part of his routine, but Goldstein disappeared - probably into the jungle - when he realized we were here, or he got spooked, but I don't know how he got away from us. Steve has gone searching, but I have a bad feeling about this. We may have found Lydia but we've interrupted something here."

"That's never a good sign," Kono stated and began pacing her office.

"No, I need you to keep an extra close eye on Violet. We've interrupted this psychopath and his routine by finding Lydia. I think he's using some kind of a paralytic on her. He'll be looking for someone new. He's already followed Violet and who knows if he's stalked her before. I think he's ear marked her for his collection and because it's us, and he's probably really angry, he may just come after her out of spite. He'll be desperate now and not thinking clearly. I think his desire to add to his collection and finish what he started will be greater than his flee instinct and this might be what we need to catch him. We need to catch him, and I'm not willing to risk anyone, so I need you to watch her like a hawk, but don't let her know that you're doing it. I hate to put you on babysitting detail, but I have a really strong feeling about this."

"Your feelings have been right this far. I'm not going to question you Danny." Kono stated.

"Good. I have some other calls to make to lock down this scene and then I'll call you back on the open line. Place your cell on the table and carry on with the investigation. I'll decode my number and call you back."

"Ten four - and don't let boss man go crazy out there in the jungle," Kono joked.

"Too late, he's already out there and playing Super SEAL again." Danny stated wearily. "Oh and Kono, call the governor – hush hush - and send him to the hospital. Lydia is leaving with paramedics now."

"I'm on it."

5-0

Steve and his band of HPD officers walked out of the jungle in frustration and empty handed. It was dark now and they'd been at it for several hours - while the crime lab had arrived and got to work. The road leading in and out of the area was shut down, and everyone was questioned about the neighbour no one seemed to know much about. Leads were scares, answers even rarer, and Steve was getting extremely frustrated because Goldstein had slipped through his fingers.

Steve came out of the jungle to find the large house that was on the property already over run with officers, and as they received the bad news, Steve started the trek back down the road to where he'd left Danny. He could have caught a ride with one of the patrol cruisers that had been working the area, but Steve felt like he deserved to walk and as he did he listened - unsuccessfully - for any sound coming from the jungle.

When he finally made it back to Danny, and passed the yellow police tape that had appeared around the chain link fence, he was down trod but determined.

"Have you given up on the wild goose chase?" Danny asked as Steve joined him again in the midst of all the investigation.

"I need search and rescue or the SEALs to get out there and continue, but by the time that can be arranged he'll be long gone."

"He was long gone before you left the building." Danny stated and there was something like annoyance in his voice. "I think he heard us. I think he drove out here, left the truck running, went down to check if the candles had gone out and left Lydia in darkness so that he could creep up on her, startle her, but be sure that she was suffering from exposure enough that she wouldn't be able to fight him. When he arrived and found that the candles were going out, he went out to the truck to shut it down and prepare himself and when he did, he probably heard the car on the road - it wouldn't have been quiet - and he bolted. Who knows where he went, but I'm betting he had an escape planned out in the event that he did get caught - and he knew that he eventually would."

"I had to do something."

"I am aware of that."

"So why are you so snippy?"

"Because the Governor is determined to talk to you but you weren't answering the phone so he's been on my case - every fifteen minutes - and I'm trying to work here. Also, I don't think you realize that we may have a situation on our hands regarding Violet."

"Why?"

"Well, because we have a serial killer on the loose, and he's been interrupted in his routine and didn't get to kill Lydia. I would imagine, because he's already followed Violet that she's his plan B to get his fix - carry out his obsessive compulsions - and then disappear from the island."

"Is that your professional opinion, Detective Williams, or is that a hunch?"

"Call it my opinion based on experience with psychopath and sociopaths."

"Do you think we could bait him with her?"

"I don't think we'll have to, because I think he's got her scent. She's already under surveillance so don't bring it up."

"You put Kono on babysitting duty?"

"Don't call it that. We already know that Violet doesn't do well when you tell her what to do and if she found I that I now have Kono tailing her for the purpose of keeping her safe, don't you think that will blow up in our faces?"

"You called it that to Kono, didn't you?" Steve asked with a twisted grin.

"I did, but only to Kono, so drop it!"

"So are you going to tell Violet about your new profile of this killer?" Steve asked.

"Not until I can sit her down and explain what I'm sure she already knows because she's the one that profiled this killer first."

"She's going to figure it out, you know that."

"I know, but we don't know this girl so we don't know how to deal with her. I need to sit her down to read her. Keep her calm until we get back to tell her that the psycho-killer is still on the loose."

"I'll hand her over to you then. Do what you must." Steve stated and walked back down the stairs into the room of candles.