Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0 or any of its characters.
Feeling frustrated, Steve knew there was no more he could do for Danny standing here by the shrimp truck. So gathering Chin and Kono, they got ready to go back to HQ.
"Hey brah, sorry about all that," Steve said feeling bad for the way he had behaved.
"Ah bruddah, no probs, you just worried about Jersey. I'll text if they come back, yeah?"
Steve nodded and walked away.
Back at HQ, Steve headed straight towards his office, sparing a glance at Danny's.
"Hey boss, you ok?" Kono called after the retreating form of the Commander.
"Yeah, yeah fine. I'll be out in five," he replied waving a hand as he shut his door.
Chin and Kono watched for another minute before starting to work. They had formulated a plan on the car ride back. The cousins had done most of the talking with Steve only muttering "mmm hmm" every now and then.
They brought up a map of the area around Kamekona's truck and using traffic reports, figured out the possible area to search for their missing friend. They felt down hearted, however, when they saw the size of the search area. Even eliminating retail and commercial spaces that were very public, it would take days, if not weeks to search all the storage facilities and residents on the map. They really needed more information.
Kono again cast a concerned look at their leader as he sat in his office staring straight ahead.
Steve didn't know how long he had sat there. Why hadn't he made Danny stay at home? Why hadn't he got to the coffee shop sooner? Why did it have to be Danny that was taken? He should have made him stay home. Then again there was no way Danny would have listened to him.
Steve finally stood and walked out to join his remaining two team mates.
"Anything?" he enquired looking at the map of Honolulu that was lit up like a Christmas tree.
"No boss, we really need to narrow it down some more," Kono replied.
The three stood around the table looking at all the blinking lights at a loss for what to do. Steve's eyes were then drawn to another blinking light outside the marked search area.
"What's that dot?" he asked, leaning across trying to read the small writing beside it upside down.
"Oh my God, it's Danny's phone. His phone is switched back on," Kono almost shrieked.
"That's mostly a residential neighbourhood," Chin chimed in, "And it's moving."
"Kono, send the co-ordinates to my phone. Chin, come on let's go get Danny."
With that Chin and Steve ran out the doors, leaving Kono watching the little red dot moving along slowly. She kept sending updated information to Steve's phone. After watching it move along different roads, it eventually stopped at a house down a small lane and didn't move again. Sending the address and co-ordinates to Steve's phone she hoped that Danny was ok.
Pulling up outside the house, Chin and Steve were a little unsure about whether they had the right place. This house looked like a nice family home, with a swing at the side and toys lying all over the lawn. There didn't appear to be a basement or shed and the garage doors were wide up and anyone could clearly see straight inside.
Finally leaving the Silverado, Steve and Chin slowly walked up the path to the front door. They were greeted by a pleasant looking woman in her forties.
"Hello, can I help you?" she smiled at the two men.
"Hello, my name is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett and this is Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly and we are with 5-0."
"5-0? My goodness. My name is Rose-Marie, Rose-Marie O' Meara."
"Well Ms O' Meara, I was wondering have you seen any strangers around your home with in the last little while."
"Call me Rose-Marie. No I haven't seen anyone around. Just a second." Rose-Marie turned to the house and called, "Robert, come out here for a minute."
While waiting Steve took out his phone pulling up the picture of Danny and himself. "Have you seen this man around here recently, say the last six hours?"
Looking at the picture for a few seconds, she looked back at Steve and shook her head.
"No I'm sorry I haven't. We don't really have many people passing this far down the lane; it's pretty much a dead end a hundred yards further along."
With that a teenager, seventeen years old walked out the front door with a cell phone in his head. Mrs. O'Meara, clearly his mother looked at her son and then the phone in his hand.
"Robert, where did you get that?" she scolded, knowing full well he didn't have it earlier and certainty couldn't afford one as fancy as that.
Before he could answer his mother, he had two intimidating men standing either side asking the same question.
Chin calmly put out his hand. "May I?" cutting off whatever Steve was going to say.
Robert looked at his mother for a couple of seconds and then handed over the phone. He knew he was in for an earful later but he hadn't stolen the phone. He would never steal anything and his mother knew that, but he'd still hear about it.
Chin pressed a couple of buttons and then nodded at Steve.
The Commander didn't need to be told twice but caught the warning look on Chin's face and also heard Danny's voice in his head saying "Go easy, he's only a kid."
"Robert, where did you get this cell phone?" Steve enquired.
"I found it. I didn't steal it. Mom, you know I didn't steal it," the youngster almost wailed.
"Robert, answer the man. Nobody said you stole it. Where did you find it?" his mother encouraged.
"I found it at work. It was in pieces and when I moved one of the crates of pineapples I found the front and battery, so I looked around and found the rest at the back of the chill."
"Robert works for his Uncle during the Summer months. He calls when he needs Robbie's help moving crates, cleaning out stores, general odd jobs," his mother told the two 5-0 men.
Taking out his phone, Steve showed Robert the photo he had shown this mother a few minutes earlier.
"Have you seen this man anywhere recently?"
Looking at the picture for a couple of seconds he shook his head.
"What about these two?" showing the boy the pictures of the two criminals.
"No…wait, show me the Asian guy again…yeah he was at the warehouse talking to Frankie Jones. I just thought he was someone looking for a bit of work."
"Excuse me Commander, but do you mind me asking what is all this about and who is in the picture with you?" Mrs. O'Meara asked.
"My partner and he's missing," replied Steve as he turned back to Robert.
"Oh I'm sorry, but don't you worry, I've read all the good things you have done here on Oahu. You'll find him and you'll be back together in no time," Rose-Marie said patting Steve on the arm.
Turning to her son she said, "Tell the Commander which warehouse you were at today and then get inside and tidy your room."
Robert gave Chin the address and then apologised for taking the phone.
"Hey brah, it's ok. If it wasn't for you putting it back together we'd still be no closer to finding Danny. You did good kid." Chin said as Robert prepared to go inside.
Rose-Marie turned to follow her son inside, but stopped and said over her shoulder, "I hope you find your partner, you make a great looking couple."
Steve nodded his head in thanks as Rose-Marie closed the door, until her words sunk in, "Wait…what? Chin?"
Lieutenant Kelly just shrugged and started walking back to the truck.
"Come on, we have an address. Let's go shake some trees, hopefully more than pineapples will fall."
Steve walked along behind him shaking his head. He was really worried about Danny but that last encounter had him puzzled, what did she mean about them making a great couple? Chin could see the confusion on his bosses face. For someone so worldly wise, Steven J McGarrett could be pretty clueless sometimes.
"Maybe you should use a different picture of Danny. You both look very…eh…comfortable and friendly in that one."
"But we are. We're friends, best friends," Steve retorted.
Chine shook his head, "You know you can be really thick sometimes."
"Hey brah, be nice. Anyway, what's wrong with this picture?" Steve still wasn't getting what was going on.
"Here, give me your cell…just for a minute." Still walking towards the truck, he started scrolling through Steve's other pictures until he found the one he was looking for.
Turning the screen around to show Steve a photo of himself with his arm draped loosely around Catherine's shoulder, "What do you see?"
"Eh, Catherine and me!?"
"Ok. Pretend you don't know the two people in the picture. Now what do you see?" Chin said with a slight grin.
"Mmm? Eh? A couple?" Steve stammered, still not getting it, hoping Chin would get to the point quickly.
"Remembering that picture and again pretending not to know the two people. Now what do you see?" holding up the phone again with Steve and Danny smiling back.
As if a light bulb finally went on, Steve's face went from utter confusion to panic and then amusement.
"Oh God, you don't think that lady thinks we're a couple do you?" Steve said, starting to think back to all the other times he had shown people that photo over the last few months. He remembered earlier in the day the strange look he got from the waitress when he showed her0 the picture.
Danny would get a kick out of that, he thought, which sobered him up quickly.
"Come on Chin, we need to go find Danny."
They were just at HQ, ready to pick up Kono, when a beep from Steve's phone signalled a text.
"They be here in 5", was all the message from Kamekona said.
"Ok change of plan. You and Kono go pick up those two scumbags and I'll go see if I can find Danny. If not, we'll have to grill them but I hope to find him before that."
So Steve headed towards the factory in the hopes of finding his partner and Kono and Chin headed towards Kamekona's shrimp truck to apprehend the two who had abducted Danny and generally pissed off Steve.
Meanwhile Kamekona stood watching the parking lot, seeing the same rental car that Benton had been driving, he breathed a sigh of relief, glad that this would all soon be over.
But the relief was short lived when he realised Tommy Benton was alone.
"Hey where's your friend?"
"I left him back at our…eh… work place. Right let's get down to some business."
A/N: Yes I know technically pineapples don't grow on trees…Chin Ho Kelly knows that too.