Chapter 4

Danny just barely could make out the sound of the apartment door closing behind him. On the floor of his apartment, Danny more fully awoke as his gun was being jerked out of its holster at his side. Recognizing the danger, he immediately tried to scramble to his feet. But the pain in his head was terrible, he was too dizzy to stand up, and he could only manage to get to a crouching position in time to see Walter Gregson aim the .38 police special at his face.

"Don't move another inch." Indicating the gun, Walter continued, "I do assume this is fully loaded."

Despite his disadvantage at being at point blank range of a gun held by a murderer with nothing to lose, Danny was determined not to give the gunman the satisfaction of acting surprised, frightened, or even injured. Therefore, his expression betrayed none of that and was sublimely neutral. "First you call me. Then you show up here at my apartment. Why?" he complained.

"I was hungry… I needed a place to stay… I was in the neighborhood… and I made sure you were at the office before I made myself at home here," he explained with a desperate smile. "I've already enjoyed the hospitality of your kitchen pantry…oh, and your liquor cabinet, too. It had been just too long since I had had a little Scotch—I couldn't resist. Too bad you won't get a chance to restock."

Dan looked sternly at Gregson and studied his captor. "You are one stupid haole! Of all the places in Honolulu you could go, you choose to come here? I just don't get you."

Gregson was quite pleased with himself. "Stupid? I'm out of prison, my belly is full, and I have your gun. I'm not doing too badly now, am I?"

The back of Danny's head was smarting, and he was still exhausted from his angry stunt in Steve's office earlier. So, his retort was subdued. "But where do you go from here? You can't hide forever. Everyone's looking for you. Your picture has been burned into the minds of every law enforcement person in the islands in the last 24 hours. Eventually, someone's going to come looking for me, and a lot of my friends happen to be cops."

Gregson gloated. "I'm not worried, and I'm just so happy to be out of that hell hole called prison. You see, I have just had a run of good fortune lately. My escape at the hospital wasn't planned, you know. No, it was just serendipitous luck that my friends, the guards, were being as inattentive as to allow me the perfect opportunity I needed to scurry away. And as I told you on the phone, I will not go back to prison."

"As if you have any control over that. You can't hide for long. There are just a few ways in and out of Oahu, and every route is being watched. Remember, we're on an island—you know, surrounded by water? A little like…," Dan smirked just a little, "Alcatraz."

The reminders made Gregson furious. "Don't try to intimidate me, Williams! I'm not your average criminal! I am educated and…brilliant, compared to those other cretins in prison!"

Act smart, Williams; act like a cop, Danny thought. Don't let him bait you. "Killing innocent women as a ruse to cover the murder of your own wife? For her money. What do you call that? Oh, yeah – did you say brilliant? You got caught, Gregson! How brilliant can you be?"

The culprit knew well that to reveal more of his thoughts was to twist the figurative dagger into Williams. "Of course, I admit, I have had some time to ponder what it was that sent me to prison. It was my miscalculation of you in Jane's life. She was not meant to be the next victim, you know."

Dan suddenly felt goose bumps all over. Every nerve in his body tensed as he heard the mention of Jane's name on the lips of her killer. And that, she could have—what?—lived to see their future realized? "What do you mean?"

"I would not have chosen to kill a cop's girlfriend. But when Jane overheard us arguing at the charity auction, my choice was made for me. You see, she could have testified that Sally and I were having problems. So, I had to get rid of her. But then there was you…and Five-O… so doggedly determined to solve the case. Maybe your office wouldn't have tried so hard if it hadn't been so personal."

It occurred to Danny that he should defend Five-O as being dogged about every investigation, but what was the point? He didn't really care what Gregson thought. He did care that Jane might not have had to die at all. But would he-or even Jane-have wanted that if it meant another of her circle of friends would have been murdered in her place?

Dan! Stop thinking about Jane! Stop being the victim and be the cop! Think of how to get the upper hand over the escaped prisoner in front of you!

Danny blinked hard and came out of his reverie. He pulled himself together, gathered his reserves, and started to stand, even while Gregson held the gun on him.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Gregson questioned in panic. "Stay where you are!"

Danny firmly refused. "No."

BRRRRRRRRRRRRINNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. With impeccable timing, Dan's apartment telephone rang and startled Gregson. He turned his head toward the source of the sound at the far side of the room.

Danny took the opportunity of the distraction to lunge at Gregson, ducking under the aim of the gun, taking hold of him around his waist, and pushing him into a table and onto the floor. Trying to wrestle his .38 from Gregson's hand, Danny saw the gun sway away from being aimed a few inches from his face, then back again. Gregson was strong!

As they struggled, Dan's eyes were constantly on the gun, until he felt Gregson's teeth clamp down hard through his shirt sleeve on his right arm. "Oooooooowwwwwwww!" Dan yelled out as he jerked his arm away, losing his light hold on the gun, and strategically rolling to the left, behind the sofa.

Gregson struggled to stand, aimed the gun wildly and then followed the direction that Williams had rolled. He didn't want to fire the gun yet, worrying the sound itself would bring the unwelcome company of Williams' cop friends.

Suddenly, Gregson felt his feet go out from under him as Danny appeared and tackled his legs and held on until he fell. He kicked at Williams, as he felt Williams let go of his legs. As Gregson reoriented himself, Danny scampered away.

Gregson sat up quickly with the gun aimed in Williams' direction, and his guess at his opponent's current position was very good. He clearly saw Williams crouching on the floor with his eyes staring up at Gregson and the barrel of the gun.

But what Walter Gregson also saw facing him was a second gun, a shiny silver .22 in Dan Williams' right hand.

Gregson heard Williams say with a challenge, "Two can play this game."