Wrong Place, Very Wrong Time VIII
Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I wish I did…I wish I did.
Thanks for all the comments on my story. The muse is so happy that you are sticking with us on this journey.
Chapter 8
The sound of a padlock being opened made Danny increase his efforts to remove his blindfold. As the door screeched open the damp cloth slid off his eyes and onto his forehead, allowing him to blink up at the two figures in the dim light of the doorway.
"You said he was blindfolded," Trey complained.
"You can see he was," Kapono snapped back and pointed to the cloth on Williams' forehead. "It would seem that Det. Williams is cleverer than my nephews thought."
"It won't matter, he won't be giving our descriptions to anyone," Trey shrugged, deciding that the cop would not survive the exchange with 5-0.
"You two are making a big mistake," Danny sputtered angrily.
"I don't think so Det. Williams," Angelo laughed. He strode closer and stood over Danny. "I'm relocating you. You are going to be my ticket to a nice pay day once I'm done with 5-0."
"McGarrett doesn't knuckle under to criminals. You are taking on a world of hurt if you try to tell him what to do. He's an animal," Danny warned.
"Thank you for the warning Detective…..I am aware that you two are not just partners but best friends. McGarrett will deal rather than let you die," Angelo said smugly.
"You babe…..are a dead man," Danny said confidently.
In response, Trey kicked Danny in the stomach. With a cry of pain, the detective attempted to curl up to protect his mid-section from a second blow.
"You wish," Trey laughed cruelly. "I'll risk the Commander's wrath; after all…I have what he wants." He looked back at Kapono. "Help me haul Williams out of my truck. If you fight us Detective, I can knock you unconscious," he added to Danny.
Not wanting his head to take another blow and knowing it was better to stay awake, Danny nodded. It was vital to keep his wits about him and trust that Steve, Chin and Kono were looking for him. Given his present situation he wasn't likely to be able to free himself without more time to work on his bonds. Even that decision couldn't prevent him from squirming in the men's grip as they carried him outside.
"Don't push me cop, I will drop you on your head," Angelo warned and Danny stilled.
Staring at the black man, Danny tried to place the man's face but failed. While he couldn't remember if the man was on any of their watch lists, he was sure that this guy had a cruel streak that the older Kapono didn't. He was positive that Trey would follow through on any threats he made and Danny needed to stay alert for any opportunity to escape.
Lee and Angelo roughly tossed Danny into the back of the truck, driving the air out of the helpless man. Gasping for breath Williams lay still and watched them shut the tailgate and topper, giving him no choice but to wait and see where he was going to be taken. He could hear the two men loading boxes into the rear seat of Angelo's truck and then felt the vehicle's engine rumble to life. With a jolt that bumped his sore head, Danny felt the truck carry him away from Kapono's home.
*H 5-0*
James and Paul returned less than ten minutes after Angelo had driven away, not seeing the truck on their return. Parking their uncle's truck in the yard they went inside to discover Kapono at the dining room table, nursing a beer.
"Uncle…..we got rid of the car," Paul announced.
"Yea…..my car went up in flames. I hope you are happy now," James sulked as he headed for his room.
"Get back here boy," Kapono bellowed as he got to his feet, slamming the bottle on the table. The young man stopped dead in his tracks. "I put my business at risk for you. Trey took the cop and all the product I had packaged and didn't pay me a dime. He will expect free pot for some time; he'll bleed me dry since I owe him now."
"You have other buyers," James said grumpily, still feeling sorry for himself.
"You self-serving little punk," Kapono snarled as he advanced on the kid. "It's time you showed some gratitude to me and keep in mind that you are guilty of kidnapping a member of the Governor's task force. If Angelo does kill him it will add accessory to murder to the charges."
"We can't be held responsible for what that guy does," Paul protested.
Kapono shook his head wearily, amazed at how clueless these boys were. His sister had sheltered them for too long, catering to their every wish and not making them responsible for their actions.
"We certainly can be connected to what he does if Angelo gets caught. Don't think he won't name all of us to cut a deal. I suggest you pray he isn't caught," Kapono warned.
"That dude is smart, he won't get nailed," James replied confidently. "He'll make sure no one…" The boy stopped speaking as a blue Silverado pulled up to the house.
"Shit, this is bad," Kapono said as he recognized the man that got out of the driver's seat. "It's 5-0, that's McGarrett. Get out the back quickly and hide in the fields. Move now!" he ordered tersely.
For once, neither boy argued with him and they quickly disappeared down the hall. Kapono ran a hand over his face and went to the glass doors to meet Commander McGarrett and the woman cop with him. He pulled back the partially closed blinds and drew the door open before Steve could knock. The serious look on the 5-0 leader's face made Kapono's insides clench.
"Can I help you two? Are you lost?" he asked trying to appear innocent.
"Are you Kapono Lee? I'm Commander Steve McGarrett of 5-0 and this is Officer Kono Kalakaua. We are looking for your nephew, James Wilson," Steve stated, moving his shirt away to reveal the badge he wore.
"Yes, I'm Kapono Lee, why are you looking for Jimmy? Is he in some trouble?"
"James drives an older blue Charger, doesn't he? We believe he was a witness to an incident earlier today on Highway 83 that involved my partner. We need to speak to him," Steve insisted.
"Jimmy's not here, he's visiting friends in Kahalu'u for the last few days. "I'm sure he wasn't on Highway 83 today," Kapono said quickly. "About that Charger, he sold that last month, he couldn't afford the gas."
"Who did he sell it to?" Kono asked.
"Some guy up on the North Shore, I never got the name. Jimmy is an adult, he could do with it as he pleased," Kapono responded.
Steve craned his neck, trying to see past Kapono, to see further into the house. Lee shifted slightly to block his view.
"Is James' brother Paul here? Perhaps he can answer some of our questions," McGarrett persisted and was rewarded by a flicker of fear in the old man's eyes.
"Uh…..Paul …Paul is with Jimmy," Lee stuttered.
"We would appreciate knowing the names of the friends in Kahalu'u. We can go ask the boys our questions in person," Kono offered.
"I…..I can't remember all of the boy's friends," Kapono said hastily as he retreated a few steps. "I'm their uncle not their keeper. They come and go as they wish."
"Mr. Lee, it would really help if we could check out the boy's rooms," Steve pressed on. "There may be some mention of who their friends are. This is important sir, my partner is missing and we believe he is in trouble." He stepped closer, moving into the doorway.
Kapono's eyes darted between the two 5-0 members, furiously trying to come up with a reason to deny them entrance. A logical reason to reject their request couldn't come to mind without appearing he was hiding something. As he stepped further away from the door, he prayed that the boys had followed his rule of "no pot use in the house".
"All right," he said reluctantly. He decided he could always deny any knowledge of what the boys did in their rooms.
Exchanging looks, Kono and Steve entered the house and followed Kapono's directions to the boy's rooms. Kono went into Paul's room while Steve searched James' bedroom across the hall.
He discovered that there was nothing unusual in James Wilson's room from any other boy his age. There were piles of girlie magazines mixed in with hot rod publications. Gaming posters were on the walls and video game discs were strewn over the furniture along with heaps of clothing. Steve found a laptop but there was nothing to indicate any friends' names or addresses.
Kono stuck her head in the room and let out a low whistle.
"I got the cleaner room Boss. I found nothing to indicate what friends these boys are visiting. Oh…and Paul hangs up his clothes," she announced with a grin.
"The boys aren't on the other side of the island," Steve answered quietly.
Kono glanced back towards the living room where Kapono had remained and then stepped inside the room.
"How do you know that?"
"There's a duffel bag and a small suitcase in there," Steve stated, indicating the messy closet. "Just how much luggage do you think this kid has? I doubt he shoved his clothes in a plastic bag when he has a duffel sitting right there."
"And there isn't an empty hanger in Paul's closet and a stack of neatly folded shirts and shorts on the foot of his bed."
"Kapono is hiding something. I bet he knows exactly where Danny is."
"Do we confront him?" Kono asked.
"No, we should leave and post a watch on the house. Those boys will be back sooner rather than later but it's getting too dark to search the property now," Steve replied.
"Can Danny afford the wait?" Kono questioned.
"I don't know," Steve acknowledged painfully. "I just feel that pushing Lee now won't get us those boys. We need them."
End chapter.
Personally I think Steve wants to shake the answer out of Kapono but the muse insisted that this way will work. Trust the muse. Thanks for reading.