Chapter 12 "The Autopsy & Total Darkness"

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A/N: ( 21 August 2016) You are the best readers! I appreciate you and thank you that you take time from your day to read these chapters, and those who comment and review, I really do marvel at your kindness. You inspire me, and I definitely owe you a good story and all my gratitude.

I know there is some disbelief about the Steve/Danny "psychic partner" connection used at the end of Chapter 11. I wrote that with a bad head cold while in the "brainless" stage, and therefore didn't do it right. I should have focused on the images and feelings, not on the words. Those who have experienced this kind of connection know it is real. Those who haven't, well, it's foreign to you, so you might not believe it, but it's well documented. But I wrote it wrong, and will fix that in this chapter. I should not have quoted what Danny was saying, but instead focused on the images and feelings within the words.

Also, uhm, heh, well, I forgot that there were no paper towels left in with the supplies in Danny's box. What that means is that now he has paper towels, one skinny roll! I should probably not write when brainless. Thanks to everyone who noticed for not telling me what an idiot I am when brainless.

This chapter is not being written while brainless (even if the head cold persists), so hopefully we can avoid any, uh, moments of important-detail forgetfulness.

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Chapter 12 "The Autopsy & Total Darkness"

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December 21, noonish

Steve felt a deep sense of relief that Danny was alive. He had always felt he would know, but this time he had been worried that whoever had taken Danny would only keep him alive for a short while, long enough to torture or physically hurt his partner in terrible, vengeful ways before killing him and dumping his body where it would never be found. His biggest fear had been that they would never really know if Danny was alive, hurt and despairing, or dead after unspeakable things had been done to him.

They still had to find him. Either alive or dead, they needed to find him. The worst possible outcome as far as Steve was concerned was feeling that Danny was dead, and not being able to at least find his body, so his family and friends could pay their last respects.

The best he hoped for was to find him healthy, in time for dinner if possible. Steve thought that unlikely, given the little they had to go on. But with Danny still out there, thinking, determined to survive, with death not imminent, all they needed was one break, and they could bring him home to his family and friends. They just needed one clue, one lead, one very definite lead.

"You said he is in a box? I hope it isn't, uhm, small." asked Chin, glancing quickly towards Steve, before turning his eyes back on the road. Danny's claustrophobia was well known.

Steve could see something very dim in his mind. He closed his eyes and practiced some of the memory techniques taught in SEAL training. They were taught to notice small details quickly until it became second nature. Steve now went through life using these techniques every moment of every day. "Yeah. It's metal, but not like a shipping container. The walls are not corrugated. They are rusty, as if they have been exposed to the elements. It's not very big, either, maybe -and I'm just guessing- 8 wide by 10 long? That is a very iffy guess."

Chin turned in to the parking area of the Honolulu Medical Examiner Office, which was a white building with deep, covered porches on each of its two storeys. He parked in a space under one of the porches, because rain clouds were gathering overhead. It had been raining off and on since mid-morning, but this time the rain looked like it might last awhile.

"Let's make sure Kono and Abby hear this, before we go in to see Max," said Chin, and Steve agreed with a tight lipped nod.

Kono and Abby had pulled in behind Chin, and parked next to them. Soon the four were standing on the walkway, and Steve was repeating what he had told Chin.

Steve was asked a lot of questions, but there was behind all of them a sense of great relief, as well as a fierce determination to find their missing brother. Kono asked the question Steve had the most trouble with. "Boss, how did he … feel? His emotions … is he okay? If he's locked in a box … his claustrophobia …."

"He's fighting it, Kono. I can feel him struggling, but less than I would have expected. But I do know he is afraid of a darkness setting in, and it happens soon."

"Sunset isn't for six hours yet."

"I don't think it's sunset. It's sooner than that. I don't understand, but maybe the box has a light source or something." Steve shrugged. "The light was dim. If it is on some timer, maybe it only comes on part of the time."

"Darkness, locked in a box." Abby shuddered, and Chin put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm not claustrophobic, but I would be, locked in a dark box."

"He's afraid," said Steve, his face pained. "But he's fighting it."

Kono, then Chin, and then Abby all together put their hands on Steve's shoulders, as if they were physically using him to send Danny a message of encouragement and support. "We send you our strength and our love, Brother, and we will search until we find you." Kono said it the first time, and then they repeated it together, heads bowed and thinking of their missing friend. Steve thought of them hugging Danny, giving him their message, and his own.

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H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

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Danny was awkwardly cleaning Angel's litter pan after her first use of it, scooping out a clay clump of pee and the cutest little poo, which he dropped down his latrine hole before taking care of his own needs. After the litter pan was once again covering the mesh lid, he had torn a baby wipe in fourths, and used one of the sections to clean his hands. The other three pieces were carefully folded up and closed under the lid, so they would stay moist.

Every moment brought him closer to the coming darkness. He was growing more and more anxious. He had a nightlight in the bathroom at home, and one in the hall, so he was never in full darkness. He took for granted that light was always glowing faintly somewhere.

But it would not be when the glow stick finally went dark. He did not wear a watch with a lighted dial -not that it would have mattered if he did, since everything had been taken from him but his boxers.

Angel had flopped onto the blanket, content, while Danny finally opened the first peanut butter jar and caught a small amount of the loathed stuff onto one of the wooden "spoons". It wasn't much of a dinner, but he had literally not eaten since lunch the day before. He took his time with the peanut butter, tempted to swallow it fast and not taste it much, but that would be like hurrying through filet mignon. Dinner was to be savored, even if it was a tiny bit of peanut butter.

The glow stick was now very dim, with possibly an hour left of light, so he stowed away his notebook, and gave his knee another round of palpating. It felt as it had before. So far, so good. Then he drank some more water before he joined Angel on the blanket, laid out flat, which his knee was not crazy about, so he turned onto his side and bent his legs a little while Angel curled herself against him, a tiny ball of fur snuggled right under his chin. He felt and heard her purring, and curled one hand around her, so she would feel secure.

That was when he felt the hug. He felt his Five-0 ohana sending him their encouragement and strength, their love, while Steve relayed the message to him.

They were looking for him. They would not stop until they found him.

He imagined hugging them all back, and resolved again to be brave during the darkness. He felt the love of his partner, his ohana, and his kitten. That would get him through the 'night', even if he was now shaking from the fright. He closed his eyes and snuggled Angel, and hoped the hours would pass quickly.

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H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

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Steve and all of Five-0 were greeted with gravity by Dr. Max Bergman, the quirky Medical Examiner with an eclectic multitude of interests, from Keanu Reeves movies to anything Star Trek, and many passions in between.

"Comm, that is, Steve, I am relieved to see you feeling so much better than earlier this morning when you were found. I was quite worried," Max greeted Steve McGarrett, while he nodded to everyone else.

"Thanks, Max. I do feel much better, but I don't think I'll feel good until we find Danny, alive and well."

"That is perfectly understandable. Perhaps the information I have gathered will provide some clue to bring about just such an outcome."

With that, all gathered around the autopsy table, and the sheet-covered body. The smell was intense, and Max handed everyone masks to wear over their nose and mouth.

What followed was a brief look at the body as the sheet was removed. That was all anyone could take, because it was as if they were looking at their friend's body, burned and facially battered beyond recognition. There were so many superficial similarities that all but Max felt the need to retreat from the room after a few short minutes.

Once in Max's office, the Medical Examiner handed around a box of Kleenex as tears were shed openly and everyone found something to sit on. Even Steve was wiping away tears. "I never thought," he began to say, then had to stop and take some deep breaths. "If we were not sure Danny is alive, that would have been too much for me, and I've seen everything horrible there is to see."

"I am glad you are heartened by my news that this body is not that of our friend," said Max. His face was unsmiling, however, for he become fully focused on disseminating the information gained during the autopsy.

There was much information to prove that it was not Danny's body. The surgical incision was missing from the living donor liver donation, not to mention the presence of a whole, intact liver complete with gall bladder. Bullet wounds and knife wound scars were not found, and the body had never had an operation on a perfectly healthy right ACL knee tendon. Rib fractures were found in the wrong places, and there were visible differences in the skull and spinal X-rays.

"We were able to gather two partial teeth, and these are not a match for Danny's, either. Also, there is no appendix, and Danny never had his removed, according to medical records obtained by Dr. Isaac Cornett."

"We can only say we are very relieved. But, Max," asked Steve, "were you able to positively identify this as Neil Lane, or are we still looking for him?"

Max pulled out another file, and began flipping through it. "The identification is indeed positive for Neil Lane. The teeth fragments are an exact match; the lack of appendix is as well. Mr. Lane had a distinguishing mark in that the top joint of his left pinky finger was nothing but a stub, a birth defect, well documented. His wife was very willing to provide his medical and dental records."

Chin discreetly cleared his throat, while standing with his arm around Abby, who had her arm around Kono. Only Steve stood alone, but he was near his ohana. Chin asked, "Did you establish a time of death, and cause? I suppose the last part is obvious."

Max consulted his file again, and shook his head. "The cause of death is not at all what it would appear to be, Chin. In fact, I was surprised to discover that Mr. Lane was asphyxiated, with something very dusty and covered in ordinary dust mites. His lungs, trachea, nose and mouth were filled with debris, dust, and mites, but no smoke."

"Debris?" repeated Kono.

"Particles of asphalt, clay, blasted stone, sand, sawdust, and some broken down vegetative matter consistent with what one might find on a tarp used by roofers to cover roofs during repair, or shrubbery or furniture that would otherwise be damaged by material coming off roofs in process of repair or building."

Steve pursed his lips. "Mr. Lane was smothered by a roofer's tarp? He didn't die in the car fire?"

"Mr. Lane appears to have been indeed smothered by a roofer's tarp. He himself was a roofer, employed since the year 2010 by Ace Oahu Roofing Company. I asked Offi … Duke if he had Mr. Lane's employment history, to confirm my theory that something connected to roofing could be involved in his murder."

Steve held up his left hand. "Wa-wa-wait! Ace Oahu is one of the biggest roofing companies in the Islands! They did my roof after the storm just before Thanksgiving, which damaged roofs all over this island!"

Abby was already writing notes. "I'll check into them immediately after this. Client lists, workers, financials, everything I can dig up."

"If he was smothered, he died before the fire," stated Chin. "Any idea when he died?"

Max frowned. "The fire complicates answering that question, because it throws off all accurate internal organ temperatures. Right now, test seem to indicate sometime yesterday, between 4pm and 6pm. However, let me remind you of the watch which has the hands stopped at 5:33. That fits within the estimated TOD, although I cannot list that time as definite."

"Was his face bashed in at the time of death, or, uh, in the accident?" Steve asked, his brow deeply furrowed.

Max answered with certainty. "Evidence supports that his face was 'bashed in' as you accurately put it, after. My theory is that it was done when Mr. Lane was put in Danny's car. There was no bleeding from the facial wounds, judging by the amount drained from the actual autopsy. Had the blunt force trauma occurred while Mr. Lane was alive, there would have been copious bleeding, and the cause of death would have been head, specifically facial, trauma."

"Ew," whispered Kono.

Max continued, puzzled. "I found traces of fire accelerant on the back of the body, as well as his head, hands, and bare feet."

"His feet were bare? That's odd," stated Chin. "Could his shoes have just burned up in the fire?"

"They could have," answered Max, still wearing a puzzled look, mirrored by all members of Five-0. "But had his feet been in shoes, they would have been protected somewhat from the fire, and judging by their condition when he was found, they were unprotected when the fire began, and in a state that strongly indicates that accelerant had been poured on them. Forensics is checking to see if there is accelerant on the passenger seat, since the front of the body bears no sign of accelerant."

Steve was growing increasingly angry at their unknown killer by the moment. "This is one sick guy. Or gal. -Wait a sec. Was there evidence of accelerant on the driver's side of the car?"

Chin had been texting messages to Duke, and answered as soon as he finished their exchange. "Duke says Forensics has a preliminary report ready, as does accident recreation. We should go talk to them next."

Steve huffed out a frustrated breath. "Why kill Mr. Lane and kidnap Danny? Why try to kill me? None of this makes any sense."

"Yet," said Chin. "Things usually don't at first, but we will figure out this puzzle. We have a strong motive to solve this quickly."

"It couldn't be any stronger," said Steve, very clearly. "Max, anything else?"

"Yes, Steve. Rather, not yet. I have run toxicology tests on Mr. Lane to see if he had any drugs in his system. So far all the usual things are negative, except for a slight bit of caffeine, well within normal range for a coffee drinker. But any date rape drug residue will take a week to analyze, as I have to send all samples to be checked out to a lab on the Big Island. Because of the fire, any traces would take extremely sensitive tests to detect, and my lab does not have the ability to test for those under the circumstances."

"Let us know as soon as you know, Max. Thanks. I think everyone is going above and beyond on this case," said Steve, nodding to everyone, especially Max.

"I am praying you find him soon, and entirely healthy," said Max, his face very serious.

"Thanks, Max. He needs the prayers. We all are praying for him," replied Steve, reaching out with his left hand to pat the Medical Examiner on one shoulder.

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H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

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Danny kept his eyes tightly shut, so the darkness he saw was entirely his own doing. The light from the glow stick had finally dimmed to nothing, and he had kept his eyes open for a time, hoping that some small bit of light would pierce the interior from outside. A pinprick hole in the metal, an ill fit to the door, anything, even from the air tube or latrine hole.

Nothing. No light entered the confines of the box, and Danny began to fear he had lost his sight. He kept one hand on Angel, and the other he clamped over his eyes, to make it his darkness, not something made by someone else to frighten him.

It was terrifying him. Without Angel's warm, breathing, furry little body to keep him grounded, he thought he would have gone into full panic.

"Steve, I have never seen dark this dark. I feel blind. I am trying not to panic, trying so hard."

He forced his breathing to remain slow, and knew he would be more tired at the end of the darkness than he was now. He would not sleep at all, knowing the ability to see was entirely gone until those Christmas lights came on.

If they came on.

The air began to feel stale, and even though he knew it had to be a figment of panic, he picked up Angel, then felt for the notebook and pencil, his water bottle, and finally the blanket, and carefully moved to the part of the box he knew was under the air hole. He felt the stirring of air there, and curled on the blanket beneath it. His eyes remained shut tight, while his grip on the kitten was firm. She didn't seem to mind, and began to rub his face and remind him he was not alone. When he finally began to cry, she rubbed and licked away his tears, meowing softly in sympathy. And when Danny finally cried himself to sleep, she stayed with him, never leaving his side.