A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger, I hope this is resolution enough for you. And please welcome Buddy to our story! Enjoy!
Chapter 12: Buddy
"Danny!" Steve yelled into the billowing smoke and flames.
"Steve, Stop!" Kono cried as she grabbed him by the arm. "You can't go back. Don't give them what they want." She yelled as she pointed at all of the other people who were trying to steady themselves.
"What the hell was that?" Danny yelled as he and Chin limped around the neighbours house and back to where their partners were standing.
"You made it out!" Kono cried as she rushed to her cousin who seemed the most injured of the two men - though Danny did look a mess.
"Are you all right?" Steve gasped as he grabbed his partner to support him.
"I can't hear you. We were just in another explosion! Are you all right?" Danny asked as he coughed and choked on the dust and smoke.
"Who called them?" Chin asked as he realised that the flashes of light around them weren't from the fire or the police cars, but rather from camera flashes as the reporters recovered from the blast as well.
"No one knew we were out here or why. Some one had to have tipped them off." Kono yelled.
"We've got to get outta here." Danny stated and grabbed his head. "It's too loud."
"I think we're finished for tonight." Steve said as the fire department and paramedics arrived on the scene.
"Well now that we've woken the whole neighbourhood." Kono joked and coughed at the same time.
"What have you done this time?" Paramedic Aaron Kirk asked as he and his partner, Rosie, rushed toward the blacked, bruised and bloody Five-Os.
"We got to get to the bottom of this." Steve protested.
"Like hell you do. The only place you are going is the hospital!" Aaron stated. "Now can you get to the ambulance yourself or do I have to drag you."
"We're fine." Steve grumbled.
"Speak for yourself!" Danny stated still holding his head and Chin's right leg was bloodied.
"Cuts, abrasions, possible smoke inhalation. Who knows what kind of damage you sustained internally because of the shock wave. No, you're going to the hospital. I'll sedate you right here and now if I have to." Rosie said with a shake of her head as she clasped a piece of gauze to the side of Chin's face before dealing with his leg.
"My head hurts." Danny whined.
"Not to mention possible head traumas. You're all going." Aaron stated and shined a really bright light in Danny's eyes.
"Fine," Steve gave in and help to support his partner as they moved toward the ambulance.
5-0
The next morning, after having spent the night in the hospital, only to be released in the morning, Danny, Kono, Steve and Chin split up long enough to wash up, change and eat, before they found themselves all heading back into the office. They'd been warned by the doctors to take it easy, Chin was given a pair of crutches but was refusing to use them, the case was still priority number one, and so the doctors orders went unheard.
When they arrived they found Toast and Eric camped out in the bullpen looking exhausted but still hard at work. Take-out containers littered any viable surface, only to be outnumbers by paper coffee cups.
"Holy crap, you lot look terrible!" Toast gasped at the sight of the four battered, but coherent, Five-Os.
"We feel like it too," Chin sigh and limped toward his office.
"Not so much fun, getting blown up." Kono added and leaned heavily on the Smart Table. "Danny and Chin got it much worse than Steve and I, but we took the path of least resistance it seems. Did you find anything?" she asked.
Steve moved away to his office and Danny also retreated to regroup while Kono produced the evidence bag full of thumb drives and dove into it with Toast.
"How's the head, Detective?" Eric asked as he jumped up from a place he'd been occupying in Danny's office.
"Ears are still ringing, but I could be much worse - or so I'm told." Danny answered after the initial shock of finding his office in a state of disorder. "What are you doing in here?"
"Oh, I came in to get a better idea of the island and the layout," Eric answered and pointed at Danny's map. "I was trying to see if there was a pattern to things, but the more I looked the more I got lost, and then I fell asleep."
"You didn't leave last night?"
"No, not after we heard about the explosion. Things kind of go topsy turvy when expositions start happening."
"Don't I know it." Danny said with a sigh. "Any word from crime lab on what kinds of explosives were used?"
"Not yet, the fire department hasn't released the scene. The house pretty much burnt to the ground. It will be a miracle if we find anything there. We did get word from Animal Services that the dog is doing well and that because it was chipped, they were able to find a family member of Bryan Packwell that is willing to take Giorgie." Eric explained.
"At least some good is going to come of this."
"We also managed to get a name and address on the former camera man."
"That's good news!" Danny said a he perked up slightly.
"Eric and Toast found Buddy, let's go." Steve stated as he popped into Danny's office and spoke louder than he'd intended.
"Yeah, that's what Eric was just saying." Danny answered with a nod.
"You should get some rest." Steve added as he spun on the visitor.
"Not while there is a bomber on the loose. Hetty would stand for that, even if I am tired and on vacation."
"All right, but don't over work. I don't need an angry Hetty on top of my headache. Come on Danno, we've got work to do." Steve finished and bolted for the door.
"You'd never know he was almost killed last night." Danny sighed and stood again. "If it's not too much trouble can you look into who tipped off the media last night. I don't think that bomb was meant for Five-O to find, but I do think there were supposed to be more media damage than there was." Danny explained as Toast came to his office door.
"It was likely, McKeller," Toast said, "the guy that tipped them off I mean. I think this is all about teaching them a lesson."
"I need you to prove it." Danny said.
"I plan to do one better and get you a lock on the guy." Toast stated boastfully.
"We're counting on it."
"Danno, come on. We're wasting valuable time." Steve called after his partner impatiently and his voice boomed in the bullpen.
"Calm down. We were blown up last night. Give me a break!" Danny scolded but followed all the same.
5-0
Bartolo 'Buddy' Pizzie was an older, kind looking sort of man. He answered the door promptly, let the two officers into his home and got right to business before Danny and Steve could open their mouths.
"I suppose this is about Johnny. I supposed, also, it has to do with our fight and why I retired. Seems only logical now that he's dead. You'd have looked into everyone - I would." Buddy rattled off words as he moved around his kitchen. "Would you like coffee?" he asked distractedly.
"Please." Danny said with a nod and a sigh that told the older gentleman he was more than just exhausted.
"I'll admit, I'm not surprised that I'm being questioned but after what you went through last night, I'll admit to being a little shocked to see you two in particular and not some random HPD officers. It's all over the news, you know. The explosion and your faces."
"We're dedicated to finding the man who did this." Steve said in response to the old man as Danny gratefully accepted the cup of coffee that was offered to him.
"Sure, sure, bombs will do that. I remember, in my day, we lived out of our truck. You needed to be ready at a moments notice. We were as quick to respond as first response, but we also knew how to stay away - or at least we did. There was once a time when we respected the jobs that you had to do." Buddy explained.
"Is that why you fought with Johnny?" Danny asked.
"Let me tell you, Johnny Tao was a young, driven, modern man, and one hell of a reporter. He was made for the media and he loved it, but he was also ruthless and when he started to get bolder, running in and interrupting, putting people, including me, in danger, I had to speak out. That wasn't how I did things, but I guess I was stuck in the past. I had my morals though and I got out when I could still be proud of the way I'd worked throughout my whole career."
"I respect that." Steve said with a nod.
"We've lost a sense of finesse and class to the way we report the news. Now it's obnoxious, in your face and all about the chasing of the story without regards for the people that we may hurt. Report first, be the first on the scene and the first to the story, and apologize later when your theory is proven wrong. Take last night, for example, they were out there like vultures to see if you made it out or not but would they dared to go in and try to help? Did anyone ask if you were all right? Did they ask each other, or were they too busy trying to regain their footing, or making sure that their equipment wasn't damaged, to see if people needed help? It was probably your back-up that called for help because the mob would have to disburse when they got there." Buddy explained bitterly. "You guys are the golden ticket, these days, and every one wants a piece of that chocolate bar. I'm glad I'm out of the business. I got my taste of Five-O right from the get go, and after what, six months, I'd had my fill of the action. It was time to hang up my skates and leave the ice."
"What do you remember from those early days - specifically the beach park bust and subsequent scuffle." Danny asked.
"Not what you want me to remember. That's the case that broke this camels back. There was too much loss of life and no one with the guts to take on any of the accountability for their actions. Like no one felt any guilt or remorse, but I did." Buddy answered with more distain this time. "I think about that day, everyday."
"What can you tell us about Alana McKeller?" Steve asked and watched as the shock came into the old man's face.
"Is this about Alana?" Buddy asked darkly. "Because it's about time that some one made it about her."
"We believe that her father is taking his revenge." Steve answered.
"It shouldn't have come to this," Buddy said with a shake of his head. "You came out here because you were worried that you'd find another victim, didn't you?"
Danny and Steve nodded.
"That little girl should have never died. That little girl should not have been swept under the rung and ignored, and that man should not have to take revenge because no one payed attention to his cries through the screaming of people pointing fingers at each other."
"You seem very passionate about this Mr. Pizzie." Danny observed.
"Someone had better be. I caught the whole thing on tape. I ran to the little girl when she went down and I got scolded by Johnny Tao for leaving my post. I got there when the father reached her and I fought with Johnny Tao because the story was not as important as that little girls life. Then, if that wasn't enough, Johnny Tao wanted to use the footage of the child getting shot to boost his image and ruin yours."
"What did you do?" Danny asked.
"I threw the tapes into the ocean, and Johnny had to borrow footage to make his report from one of his rivals. What I caught on tape will never see the light of day."
"Do you believe that Colin McKeller is capable of committing the crimes that have been all over the news?" Steve asked.
"You mean, of killing Johnny Tao and the others and blowing up a house?" Buddy asked. "Yes, he has nothing else to lose now. I've been in touch with that man. I've seen his descent into madness or whatever you want to call this. He's been despairing for a long time. His wife just died, he never got any closure for his daughters death. Hell, he was never given any information about that day from anyone what-so-ever. We don't even know if you know who shot her or if that person was ever held accountable. Knowing what I know, and seeing what I've seen, I don't blame him for taking matters into his own hands."
"Did you know of his plans?" Danny asked suspiciously.
"No," Buddy said with a shake of his head. "We talked often, but if he was plotting something he never said anything. He was bitter, to be sure, and there was a lot of anger all the time, but no."
"Do you think he blames you? Will he come for you?"
"No, I was the only one who listened. He doesn't blame me. He thanks me for caring. I don't think he harbours any ill will toward me." Buddy answered.
"Do you know where he'd be now?" Danny asked.
Buddy shook his head. "He's got a house in the valley but you probably already knew that."
"The house has been sold." Steve stated. "Is there anywhere else he'd go?"
"Not that I know of. He was a pretty simple man. I don't know where else he would go. If he comes here, I'll call you or you'll find me, but I don't think that will happen. I hope you catch him, really I do, those people he has killed were my peers, and I never wished them any ill will. I don't think they deserved to die, but neither did that little girl. For your sake, I hope you catch him soon. Once he's moved through all the people that he blames, he'll come after the justice that he never got."