Chapter 25 "Working The Case"

.

A/N: (27 October 2016) Your reviews and reads are so kind, and so appreciated! Writers don't know if they are getting it right unless people tell them. Every review, favorite and follow blows my mind, and it's hard to believe this story means something good to a lot of people. I'm glad it does. Thank you with lots of happy purrs!

Warning: this is a Dannyless chapter, but he'll be back in the next one. I feel like he is in this one, but there are no Danny scenes, and I know that dulls things for some. That's why I made this one short.

When a story is set in motion, it has a certain life expectancy to it, and that means it has to go for as long as it takes to tell all of it. This story will not end by Christmas, but hang in there, it isn't going to go too much past it. It takes time for certain realizations to be made, and just as I don't take an almost-baked cake out of the oven, neither will an unfinished story be hurried. I'm not shortening this. I said in chapter 1 that it was going to go for awhile, and while it is true that the story has shortened itself some, it still needs longer to be ready to end. I try to make it worth the read, and if I'm failing to do that, I apologize. I watch the stats to see if I'm losing readers, so I do pay attention. Just hang in there awhile longer, and never be wary of telling me what you do and do not like. I listen. I can take criticism. I love hearing from you!

Disclaimer: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

.

Chapter 25 "Working The Case"

.

(Wednesday, 23 December 2016, 3:30 p.m.)

.

Steve McGarrett could delegate a large portion of duties and responsibilities to his Five-0 Task Force ohana. Right now, everyone was busy with a variety of things he had delegated, such as searching facial recognition, following up on leads, pressing new charges on Stan Edwards. But there were some things only he could do.

Two of those were calling Danny's parents and nephew in Newark, and tell them that their son and uncle was missing, that they had the people responsible in custody, but that they still did not know where Danny had been stashed. Steve talked with Mr. and Mrs. Williams for as long as they needed him to, answered questions, and told them the truth, and asked them for a favor: could they gather up copies of Grace's baby pictures, anything of that nature that documented Danny's life in photos that were ruined when his house was burned and destroyed by explosion. They readily agreed to send what they found.

Steve called Eric Russo as soon as he hung up, and told him everything, too. Eric wanted to hop the next flight back to Honolulu, but Steve asked him to wait until after Christmas, to help his grandparents cope with things. He mentioned the photos and things Danny had lost in the house arson, and Eric took that on as a personal mission, to gather things into albums, and he would bring them back to Honolulu as soon as Christmas had passed and if his grandparents were okay with him leaving.

The only thing Steve had not told either Danny's parents or Eric was that Stan Edwards had committed sexual assault on Danny. That was information that was not going to come out unless it had to, and Steve was going to make sure he did all he had to to keep that away from public knowledge.

Steve had asked Chin to stop at his house long enough to grab a jacket, as a cold front had moved in over Hawaii. He took the first long-sleeved Chamois shirt he touched, not wanting to waste time. Luck was with him, because it was medium navy blue, and therefore went with everything. Chin helped him in to it, and re-fastened his sling over it. They stopped next at Chin's house, and he grabbed a khaki jacket for himself, something in a feminine shade of khaki for Abby, and then got the jacket for Kono that she had requested Adam to pick out, after they called her and asked her which one she wanted. They had everyone covered, literally.

Dr. Cornett had called Steve while he was waiting for Adam to hand them the dark gray all-weather shirt Kono had requested. Chin spoke with Adam while Steve talked with Dr. Cornett. The tests had come back fine, so it was believed that Steve was indeed hungry because he was picking up on Danny's hunger. "You two really are like a married couple, where the husband gets cravings because his wife does, or tosses his cookies in sympathy when his pregnant wife does," sighed the doc. So Steve told him about the pains he had been getting in his thumb. They were easing, but still there, and cold helped.

There was a short silence from Dr. Cornett. "Nerves are funny things, and sometimes a broken arm can cause nerves elsewhere to hurt, and cool compresses would be what I would suggest. If it is your own pain, the compresses will help. If you are picking up on another injury of Danny's, well, if you say cool helps, who am I to argue? Go ahead with that. But keep your eating reasonable."

Steve hesitated so long that the doc asked what was on his mind. So Steve told him that Danny had been assaulted, and that they were going to need to know how to tell him when they found him. If he could suggest the right psychologist….

The doc let out the longest sigh Steve had ever heard, and replied sadly, "I will get right on that. I'm so sorry. Danny will have all the help he needs, and even more support. Should … should I tell Becca? She's in with Grace now. My wife brought her in for her appointment, and will be taking her home, er, back to our house afterwards."

Steve echoed the long sigh. "I think maybe so, but make sure Grace doesn't learn of it. I'll come by tonight to see the kids for a bit, and … I'll show you both the tape. It will help you to figure out who might be best to help Danny."

"Okay."

"How is Grace's arm?" Steve asked, caring deeply about the answer.

"I saw the X-rays. She's looking real good, and Becca has the cast scheduled to come off in another 3 weeks. Grace is in a nice new pink plastic cast, which is lighter and padded so it will be more comfortable."

"Some good news! I'm glad to hear it. Any word on Mo's condition? I think he is largely the one who kept Stan from doing worse to Danny. He's a good guy deep inside."

"No change yet. And that is not good news, but not unexpected," the doc answered, his mind clearly still reeling. "We're still listing him as critical. He has a long way still to go."

"You care a lot, don't you, doc."

Dr. Cornette's voice was rough with emotion. "Yeah. I get attached. I'll see you tonight, Steve, and will have some names of psychologists."

Chin came back to the car when Steve signaled for him, and they headed to the Palace, where the rest of the Five-0 ohana needed to see the new evidence they had. A copy would be made of any part of the tape that would help in pinpointing the location of the shipping containers. Then, it would be time to talk to Lou when he was released from custody, and then would come the talk with Rachel.

Kono and Abby did not take the tape well at all. Both quietly had tears sliding down their cheeks. Kono, clutching her dark gray shirt, whispered, "All these years, I thought someday that would be me, I don't know why. But never Danny. Never Danny."

Steve hugged her, as did Chin and Abby, a four-way Five-0 embrace. "We'll all help him," they said together.

Then they got to work.

On the way to talk to Lou, Steve heard from the team still combing the Edwards's home for evidence. In the wine cellar, they had found a rack that swung out, and behind it a room that was clearly a small panic room. In it was another small safe, and in that they had found a Ziploc baggie holding quite a bit of blond hair. From the style of it, it was the remnants of someone getting a buzz cut. They were having the lab run it against Danny's hair, samples of which they already had. They also found Danny's clothes, which had been cut off him with scissors, and his shoes and socks. They had everything of Danny's that they had been missing.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Steve approached Lou Grover alone, and asked him if they could talk. Lou had just finished putting his belongings away, his wallet and other things. Renee, his wife, had come to pick him up, and was talking with Chin.

Lou gave Steve a long, appraising look. He seemed on the verge of saying something snarky, but whatever he saw in Steve's face quieted the snide comments. "Sure, Steve."

They found an empty visiting room, and Steve closed the door behind Lou. "Take a seat."

"Okay," muttered Lou, unsure what was coming, but knowing it could not be good.

Steve didn't sit for ten seconds before he was up again, pacing. "We found the arsonist, the perps who tried to kill me, who took Danny, and killed the roofer, and we suspect killed another man who is missing, and another guy who is in the hospital in critical."

Lou waited until finally he had to ask. "Who?"

Steve finally looked Lou full in the face. "Stan and Rachel Edwards."

Lou was shocked, and his face showed it. "His ex and her hubby? They did all that? That's low! That's flat-out betrayal! Danny never did anything to them to deserve that! Makes me think of how my partner from Chicago killed his wife and … man, I don't know what to say. You find Danny yet?"

"No. But we're working hard on it." Steve stopped pacing, and sat in the chair, barely. "We think he's alive. He was locked in a shipping crate with spoiled food, his leg chained to the wall, with a string of Christmas lights on one wall, and the word COFFIN painted in black, and if we don't find him, he's gonna die in there. And when it gets dark, he is terrified. I feel it, Lou. I feel his hunger, his pain, and his fear. And his determination to get out of that box."

"Claustrophobia. Man. Danny's a good guy, he doesn't deserve any of this. Stan and Rachel … I can't get my head around that."

Steve scowled. "So you think he's a good guy? Really? If you thought that, why did you treat him like ****? Why did you belittle him, try to turn us against him, make us have to choose between friendship with Danny, and friendship with you? Because, Lou, I would have remained your friend, we all would have, if you had treated Danny fairly. But you didn't."

Lou looked away, and his face was somber. "I know," he finally said.

"Because he's my partner, Lou," said Steve, his voice thick with loyalty. "MY partner, Lou. You kept disrespecting him, and after awhile, we all began to, even me, and then that plane thing happened, and the liver donation, and we all realized we'd been hurting him almost out of habit. Like he didn't matter. Because you kept telling us in big and small ways that he didn't. That YOU did. That you were better than Danny. And because it was hidden in your jokes and teases, which just kept getting meaner, we slowly fell into getting meaner too. Until the crash, him saving my life, and that hospital stay, when we realized what was going on, because Danny had had enough and finally we listened to him. All but you listened to him. You just kept jibing him, hitting him literally when he was down. You attacked him in his hospital bed, Lou. You attacked him at his house, at Thanksgiving, because he refused to help you get an in with me, to help your consulting firm. He did the right thing, and you hurt him, proving he did the right thing. And now, you say he's a good man and doesn't deserve Stan and Rachel's betrayal. What the hell did you do but betray him? Huh?"

Steve watched Lou rub his hands over his bald head, and waited for him to reply. Before he did, though, Steve blurted out that Stan had shaved Danny's head and saved his hair like a trophy.

"Oh, man!" Lou face wore genuine shock, and sadness. "He loved his hair! How will he cope with … losing so much? His house is gone. I'm sorry for what I said about that, not caring. I don't know … I been thinking a lot. I know I did wrong. Everything you said earlier, me becoming poison. I got jealous, and things would have been so different had I not done that. I should have seen Danny as a friend, not a rival. It's up to you, Steve, to pick your partner, and I knew that, but I didn't feel that. A lot of things my head knew, but my heart wasn't listening. Sometime while I was in that jail cell, wondering if I'd be charged, I started really thinking, because I said stuff I'd've smacked anyone else for saying."

Steve stated softly. "I want you to apologize to Danny when we find him. When he's ready, because he's gonna have a lot to deal with when we do find him. He's lost more than you know, and he's locked in a box, trying his best to get out. He's suffering, and when we find him, all that is gonna hit him like he dares not let it hit him now. Plus, he doesn't know it was Stan and Rachel. He doesn't know his car and house are gone, and other people died, one just because he looked too much like Danny for Stan to stomach."

"That's so sick," whispered Lou. "That's such betrayal. And I did betray him, too. I realize that now. I betrayed all of you. I'm sorry, Steve. I'll apologize to everyone, but mostly, to Danny. Despite everything, he always treated me with respect. I wish I could say the same. I'll apologize. I need to make things right with him, even if he doesn't accept it. I have to try."

"I'm holding you too that. And I accept your apology. Now go home with Renee, and have a good Christmas with your family."