A/N: Happy October Everyone! Thank you so much for the comments on this story so far! I'm working hard, I promise, though I've kinda written myself into a corner and I'm not sure how to get out of this. If anyone wants to be a sounding board, please PM me. Maybe talking through it would help... I'm not sure at this point. Anyway, I do have a couple of chapters backlogged so I will have updates sporadically this month as time presents itself. For now, a little more Danny and Steve whump coming your way and more development. Enjoy!
Chapter 15: Random Acts
The rain came down in waves, beating against the vehicles as they raced through the streets of Honolulu and out of the city - with their sirens blaring. They parted the traffic like Moses parted the seas, as if they were fleeing Pharaoh, but they knew their time was very limited and their friends were in very real danger.
Chin had jumped into his SUV, it having been cleared by the bomb squad, and dragged Lori and the male stranger with him. Kono oped for her Cruze with the female stranger and followed her cousin. Both strangers continued to carry with them all of their equipment from their hike, and though they hadn't had time to clear the sack, Kono made her passenger empty the contents to prove that there was nothing dangerous - the same thing happened in Chin's vehicle. Once the bags were cleared and the contents inventoried to the satisfaction of the Five-Os, the strangers took up their places in silence, white knuckling the ride, as their drivers drove unlike anything they'd ever experience - even in rush hour traffic.
"All of that may come in handy, we didn't really have time to grab any of our own equipment." Kono said to try and reassure her frightened passenger, when the bag was shaken out into the passenger side space and then the woman began packing it up again, all while trying not to fly out of her seat and into Kono - even with her seatbelt on.
"We're usually very prepared when we head out. We were not prepared for what we found today." The woman admitted and tried desperately to not slam into the door as Kono took a corner overly enthusiastically.
The rain made it difficult to remain in pursuit but the division of the strangers kept the Five-Os on track and flying through town.
Worry was with them as they drove. The distance seemed impossible in the pouring rain, and as they went on in silence most of the time, the anxiety of having strangers in the car harkened back to the severity of the case. Who were these people, and why were they trying to help?
"So, how did you come across this information?" Kono asked the woman who sat next to her and who was straining to see the brake lights of the car before her through the pouring rain and the speedy swish of the turbo windshield wipers.
"We were hiking this morning. It's a usual haunt of ours. One of those things you just do as a couple, I guess. We try to get out as often as possible. In this busy world, you really have to put in an effort to do things as a couple. We're just those kinds of people." The woman said conversationally - it was helping to calm her down a little bit. "It was perfect out this morning, but you know these islands, they're as unpredictable as the tide, and the storm appeared on the horizon. We were taking our hike back around to the trail head, with the hopes of avoiding getting caught out there when we saw the fire spewing from the ground.
"Fire?" Kono asked in shock.
"Weird, right?" The woman asked. "So we went down to check it out and heard voiced down below. It's a drainage line that helps to prevent flash flooding and keeps the trails more stable because the water has somewhere to go. They told us who they were and to come to you." She confessed.
"Could you see them?" Kono asked the question she'd heard in her ear from Catherine back in the office.
"No. It was dark. The fire came out of a vent and nothing could be seen from there, but there is a drain further down the valley that opens into a natural river, and then the river flows down to the ocean. It's the easy way to the trail head if you don't want to trek all the way back. It's a well know trail to us locals, but the tourist companies usually will lead the hikers all the way back around."
"If you're a local..." Kono said with a nod. "I know the trail. I've hiked it before too."
"Yeah, tourists on guided hikes would completely pass it by but it's well know by those of us who frequent the area." The woman stated. "I think Joel and I could hike that trail blindfolded in good conditions but when the rain comes, things get far more dangerous."
"It's near the burial site." Kono stated catching the woman off guard.
"Well, no there was a dig up there a couple of years ago but no burials." She stated.
"No, no." Kono said with a shake of her head. "It has to do with why Danny and Steve are up there now." She added and tapped her ear.
The woman nodded her understanding.
"But this could get really bad. All this rain and them trapped down there."
"Steve and Danny would find a way." Kono said more to convince everyone tuned into her frequency than the woman next to her in the car. "All I need to know is if you can get us through the trail in the rain and fast."
"We can. We know a short cut."
"We don't have any time to waste."
5-0
"This is it. This is how we are going to die. I always knew that the water would be the end of me!" Danny stated panic stricken as the water rose all around him and the suction of the pull around his legs and body made it hard to move. The more the water rose around the grate, the less mobility they seemed to have.
"They had to have gotten us down here somehow, Danny, so I think this man whole is going to be our saving grace. But we have to hurry, I'm having trouble in this current, so I know you are as well." The water wasn't as high up Steve's torso as it was Danny's but the feelings of despair were growing for bother of them.
"Okay, this is it. We don't have any time to lose. What do you want me to do?" Danny asked forcing himself up the grate. His feet no longer touched the ground but the water was below his arms now and the force of the water kept him in place.
"Can you feel the lip in the ceiling?" Steve asked.
"No," Danny answered as he felt around for the break in the concrete."
"Okay, I'm going to have to push you into it. Are you ready? You're just going to have to trust me that it's there!"
"Right, it's there. It has to be there." Danny said trying to be optimistic as he felt his partner move and wrap his arms around Danny's waist.
"I'm going to swing you out before me. Brace your feet against the grate and at my count, you're going to push off when I push you. Jump for the ceiling. I'll catch you again if you miss." Steve state.
"Piece of cake." Danny swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
"All right, on my count."
5-0
"They check out," Catherine stated as she came to meet Charlie and Toast at the smart table. She swiped the information from her tablet to the smart table and Toast made room for it amongst all of the things he was working on. "Joel and Noella Kuluski - married in July of 2009 and they have made their mark on the island. Joel is a business executive and his family has lived here for generations, and Noella is a hotel manager for the Hilton Company. She moved here in the late nineties. They have no children but they have brothers and sisters enough to carry on both of their family names. They seem to check out. Not even a speeding ticket. No records to speak of except for charitable works and donations to children's foundations on the island."
"And possible angels. They might be our one lucky break in this case." Charlie stated.
"That never happens in our line of work. That's why we're so suspicious." Catherine countered.
"But it seems like it has happened for once and we are so untrusting that we have to break down their lives and scrutinize everything about them. Why can't we get a lucky break or have someone looking out for us? One single random act of kindness and we are sure it's evil." Toast said with a sigh.
Catherine nodded her head in agreement, as Charlie flushed red but carried on with his work. Catherine understood where Toast was going with this, but in this line of work, how could you trust anyone but yourself?
5-0
"Joel, this is going to seem rude. It's going to be awkward, but you have to understand that we need to be sure." Chin stated as he drove and the man in the back seat started at being addressed by his common name.
Lori spun around in her seat to look at the man behind her. She'd heard everything that Catherine, Toast and Charlie had said and got the tension in their voices. She'd reached for her side arm and levelled it against the seat.
"Sorry, we need to know that we can trust you." Lori said as the man slowly raised his hands in shock.
"Have you ever known or hand dealings with Daniel McMahon, Gladys McMahon, or Gloria Kalani?" Chin asked and Lori caught the look of shock as the man recognized the last name. Lori stiffened and locker her eyes once more on the man in the back seat.
"Gloria Kalani and her husband Professor Kole Kalani had a cabin in the valley. It's quite near to where we are heading now. The Professor died in an accident that happened on a day much like this. We were hiking the area when the rain hit and knowing where not to be in the event of a flash flood, we moved to higher, more stable, ground but we heard the screams down below in the valley and when we found them it was too late. Gloria was injured and Kole was gone." Joel explained.
"You knew them well?" Lori asked and relaxed only slightly.
Joel shook his head. "No, we knew them as locals, as people to frequent the area. After the accident and Kole's funeral, we never saw Gloria again. It's like she disappeared just as her husband did. They eventually found Kole's body, but I don't know what ever happened to Gloria."
Lori flicked a glance at Chin as he drove and his responding glance caused her to lower the weapon that had remained on the man in the back seat.
"Could you find the cabin again?" Chin asked.
"Oh yes, if it's still there." Joel answered.
"Could we be this lucky?" Lori asked in a hushed voice but the man in the back could still hear her.
"Maybe we're all walking into a trap and Joel and Noella are just the collateral damage." Chin answered.
"What do you mean?" Joel asked nervously.
"How often do you hike that area?" Chin asked.
"Twice, maybe three time a week." Joel answered.
"You're as common a fixture in that valley as the wind and the rain and the trees. And I think that was all part of Gladys's plan."
"Who is Gladys?" Joel asked.
"Gloria Kalani, wasn't always Gloria Kalani, and she didn't disappear. She just went back to being her brother's crazy, vengeful, twin sister." Lori answered.