A Stranger Is Watching
Title: A Stranger Is Watching
Author: cancer22
Summary: Danny finds out he has a stalker. How far will they go to obtain the object of their affection?
Rating: R if only for language and dark themes
Pairings: Steve/Danny established relationship
Characters: The entire cast and a few OC's
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None that I know of
Author's Note: Just want to send a shout out to ellie_pierson who not only was an excellent beta but gave me the encouragement I needed to finish.
Part Six
Steve was violently pacing the office floor while Chin tapped away at the computer and Kono interviewed the employees from One Care veterinary office. After a thorough background check both the doctor and the assistant were cleared of having any involvement with Marvin but the team believed they could help the investigation.
“There’s nothing here,” stated Chin with a heavy sigh as he crossed his arms.
Steve growled angrily. “Check again,” he ordered without even looking up.
Chin sighed again. “I have, multiple times and I got the same answers every time. About ten months ago Murray withdrew four separate amounts that totaled eighty grand from his savings account in cash but other than that there is nothing there. No trail as to where that money went.”
“Fuck Chin,” hissed Steve as he finally stopped pacing and slammed his hands against the table. “We need to find something, anything that will help us find Danny.”
“I know Steve but I can only tell you what the computer pulls up. I’m not a magician nor do I have super powers.”
“I’m sorry Chin...I just want to find him so bad before-”
Walking over to Steve Chin gave Steve’s shoulder a soothing squeeze. “I know brah. Believe me I know and I want the same thing.”
Just then Kono walked out of her office with a frown on her face. “I just got finished interviewing the other veterinarian and the assistant that works at One Care and they basically said the same thing. That Dr. Murray was a good, polite doctor that mostly kept to himself. He loved his job and were saddened when he told him them he was leaving.” She had just spent the last hour taking statements from the two women and found they weren’t any closer to locating Danny.
A spark of hope flashed in Steve’s eyes. “Did he mention where he was going?”
“According to them Murray said he was going back to the mainland to take care of his sick mother.”
“Which we know is a lie because his mother died three years ago,” replied Chin, shaking his head.
“So he lied to his co-workers so they wouldn’t get suspicious about what he was really up too.”
“They also said that they never suspected him of being dangerous to anyone.”
“It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”
“Kono good job with the interviews but this still doesn’t help us find Danny. Dammit.”
“Brah you need to keep calm. You flying off the handle is not going to do us any good.”
“I know Chin it’s just,” but Steve didn’t get a chance to finish when his cell phone suddenly began ringing. “McGarrett,” he growled unpleasantly into the phone.
“Hey Steve. Got time for an old friend?”
His shoulders went lax at the sound of Danny’s voice on the line. It meant that his partner was still alive. “Oh my god---Danny,” he stuttered as he put the phone on speaker so Chin and Kono could hear as well. Chin immediately began a trace. “Just tell me that you’re okay.”
“Can’t complain, well except about the headache and large cut on the side of my face. How’s Kono?”
“I’m fine Danny,” replied Kono nervously. “I’m worried about you, we all are.”
“Apologies, I don’t want them. What happened wasn’t anyone’s fault.”
Steve stared into the phone confused as to what Danny was saying. His only theory was that Marvin was in the room with Danny preventing him from giving them any clues to his whereabouts. It made Steve extremely nervous. “Danny I promise we are going to find you and bring you home.”
“Better this way I suppose. At least if I’m here no else will be hurt.”
“No Danny that’s not about to happen. I will find you and I will bring you back home.”
“I don’t want to be found Steve. I’m going to stay here with Marvin. This is where I belong.”
“Danny you can’t be serious. If you think we’re going to leave you with that man you’re out of your mind.”
“No, don’t come for me. It’s the only way I can keep you and everyone else I love safe. Just know that I love you and I’m sorry things had to end this way, especially after all the patience you had with me. Taking care of me, looking after me and making sure I was okay. You coated me with your love and kindness. You were literally this man’s best friend and for that I could never thank you enough. Tell Grace that Danno will always love her.”
Steve didn’t get a chance to respond when the line was suddenly disconnected and Danny was no longer on the other end. He didn’t realize his hand was shaking until he slid the phone back down in his pocket. With pleading eyes he looked over at Chin who was pressing buttons on the computer. “Please tell me you got something,” he replied hopefully at Chin.
When Chin shook his head disappointedly it took all of Steve’s strength not to slam his fist into the nearest wall. They were no closer to finding Danny and the conversation they just had implied that the blond didn’t want to be found.”
“So that’s it. We just give up. We don’t even try to find him.”
“No Kono we’re not giving up. I know Danny and he would never leave Grace like that. Murray must have been in the room with him, monitoring what he was saying.”
“I believe that too brah but that still doesn’t help us in our search.”
“Danny sent us a message, I know he did. We just have to find it.”
********
Marvin smiled as he tugged the phone out of Danny’s phone and slipped it back into his pocket. He wasn’t worried that the call would be traced; it was a burner that he brought for a few bucks at discount store. His location was completely safe. Reaching down, he cupped Danny’s chin forcefully with his hand and forced the man to look at him. “I hope that you’ve gotten it all out of your system because there will be no more calls.”
Danny swallowed thickly. “I’m done with my team.”
“Good,” hissed Marvin, letting go of Danny’s face. “Now that that’s done I think it’s time to tell you that we’ll be moving shortly after nightfall.”
“What. I thought this was the perfect place for us.”
He smirked. “I’ll agree that this is a nice place for a relaxing vacation but I like the city life and I have a feeling that you do as well. We would never be truly happy here.”
“I hate to be a Debby downer,” scoffed Danny, shaking his head. “But how exactly are you going to travel without fear of being caught. By now your face is all over the news as well as a list of your crimes, including my kidnapping. Every cop on the island will be looking for you.”
“Don’t worry, I have everything under control.” Then without warning his leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Danny’s forehead, grinning as he pulled away. “You have nothing to worry about.” He didn’t say anything else as he turned around and walked out of the room.
Angrily wiping any trace of the kiss off his forehead, Danny ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He was grateful for the phone call, happy at the chance to talk to Steve but with Marvin in the room he couldn’t say much. Still, it didn’t keep him from sending the team a message right under Marvin’s nose. Danny only hoped that his team figured it out before it was too late.
********
Five minutes later, after listening to Danny’s phone conversation countless times, the team was still unable to find the clues left by Danny. Steve was adamant that his partner gave the information they needed to find him, they just had to look deeper. Steve’s eyes ran over the transcript again and suddenly realized what Danny was telling him. Walking over to the computer, he bold and underlined the first letter at the beginning of each first sentence.
Can’t
Apologies
Better
I
No
C A B I N
“Cabin, that’s where Danny’s being held,” smiled Steve triumphantly as Chin patted him on the back and Kono punched his shoulder softly. “I knew he would find a way.”
“That’s our haole,” Kono smirked happily, clapping her hands together.
Chin nodded and look back at the computer. “So we figured that out but how does that help us find Danny if we don’t know exactly where the cabin is located?”
“There’s something else,” pointed out Kono nervously as her eyes skimmed over the rest of Danny’s conversation.
“What is it Kono.”
“Well Danny is thanking Steve for being patient with him but no offense boss you aren’t the patient one in the partnership.”
“I was thinking about that too. If anything Danny’s the patient one while you’re more of a shoot first ask questions later type of guy.”
“Gee thanks,” scoffed Steve, crossing his arms defensively.
“Hey, Danny’s words not mine.”
Steve sighed as he ran a hand over his face. It was a known fact that Danny was the more level headed one out of the two of them. “I know you’re both right. There’s no way I’m the more patient one out of the two of us but Danny said so it has to mean something.”
“So I was thinking-” she paused unsure of what she should say or if she should even say it.
Steve sensed her uneasiness and gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. “Anything Kono. It can’t be worse than the information we already have.”
“He’s right cuz.”
Kono exhaled before she continued speaking. “Okay then I was thinking that maybe Danny didn’t mean patient as in calm but patient as in doctor.”
“Where are you going with this?” asked Chin somewhat confused.
“Murray’s a veterinarian so all his patients are owners of animals. Look at what he said. ‘Taking care of me’, ‘You coated me with your love and kindness, ‘This man’s best friend’. These are references to animals.”
“So you’re saying that Murray has Danny hidden in cabin owned by one of his patient’s owners.”
Kono gave them both a nod. “It’s a long shot but it’s the only one we’ve got.”
“Only one way to find out.” Steve marched to Kono’s office where Dr. Singer and Melinda were still waiting for the okay to leave. They both looked when they saw Steve standing in the doorway. “Do either you know a patient of Murray’s who owns a cabin?” he asked sternly.
It was Dr. Singer who spoke. “There’s Ms. Eaddy but I’m not sure if she still owns it,” she replied hesitantly.
“Care to explain.”
“Ms. Eaddy’s husband died about a year and a half ago and she mentioned once that she was thinking about selling his cabin. She’s in her seventies and she didn’t think she could handle the upkeep.”
“Do you know if she sold it to Murray?” asked Chin who was now standing next to Steve.
“I overheard Marvin saying he was interested in the property but neither him or Ms. Eaddy brought it up again so I didn’t think any more about it.”
“We’re going to need her full name,” replied Steve.
“Patricia Eaddy. I really hope that helps.”
Steve looked over his shoulder to see Kono already at the computer typing in the name that given to them. It didn’t take long for her to find the correct person they were looking for. “Patricia Fran Eaddy,” she began. “Seventy-three, lives in Honolulu, and according to her bank records ten months ago deposited four separate payments of eighty thousand dollars into her checking account. One guess as to who the money came from,” she finished with a smile.
Chin gave his cousin a nod of approval as both him and Steve walked over to the table. “We got the location on the cabin,” he asked hopefully.
After a few more taps the address of the cabin that was owned by Ms. Eaddy appeared on the screen. “We got it.”
Finally Steve let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding as wide grin spread across his face. “Then what are we waiting for. Let’s go bring Danny home.”
********
Danny was unaware of how long he had been in the cabin but he could tell it was nearing nightfall. He hadn’t moved much from the bed, the chain only letting him go so far in the room as he tried to find something that would release the cuff from his ankle but the search came up empty. So the only thing Danny could do was sit there and silently hope that Steve would find him.
“How do I look?”
Danny looked up to see Marvin leaning against the door frame wearing a smile on his face. He had changed his clothes, sporting a pair of blue jeans and a simple black polo shirt. The man’s hair was cut short and instead of dark brown hair it was now bleached blond and spiky. He was also wearing glasses and his eyes were no longer blue but were now a light brown. At a quick glance he looked like a completely different person.
“That’s your plan,” scoffed Danny, shaking his head. “You think that by changing your hair and eye color you’ll be able to fool the cops who are looking for you.”
Marvin shrugged with one arm as he walked over to the bed, his hands remaining behind his back. “I’ve seen people go undetected with much less. Not to mention that I have your gun and am so not afraid to use it if necessary.”
“You’re crazier than I thought if you think that’s going to work.”
“How about you let me worry about that? The only thing I want you to do is lie still.”
“Why?” asked Danny nervously. He quickly got the answer to his question when Marvin pulled needle out of his pocket. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Shh, it’s okay Daniel,” cooed Marvin as grabbed Danny’s hair and roughly pulled his head to the side, exposed his neck. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”
Danny thought about fighting him off. Maybe knocking him hard enough in the face to knock him unconscious but Danny had no clue where the key was. He seriously doubted he would be able to un-cuff himself without the proper key. And there was always the chance that he would fail and only make the psychotic man extremely angry. The threat of him harming Grace still weighed heavily in his heart and he knew he couldn’t risk it. He would never forgive himself if something happened to his daughter because of him.
Letting out a small hiss as the needle pricked his skin, Danny closed his eyes and let his mind fill with thoughts of his family, his team, Grace, and Steve. He needed Steve and soon, before it was too late. The world slowly began to fade away leaving Danny to wonder if he would ever see his family again.
********
I'm an evil evil bitch. Please don't hate me. Alright it's okay if you hate me for a little bit but part seven is the conclusion and it's up for reading. I'm just saying.
Author: cancer22
Summary: Danny finds out he has a stalker. How far will they go to obtain the object of their affection?
Rating: R if only for language and dark themes
Pairings: Steve/Danny established relationship
Characters: The entire cast and a few OC's
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None that I know of
Author's Note: Just want to send a shout out to ellie_pierson who not only was an excellent beta but gave me the encouragement I needed to finish.
Part Six
Steve was violently pacing the office floor while Chin tapped away at the computer and Kono interviewed the employees from One Care veterinary office. After a thorough background check both the doctor and the assistant were cleared of having any involvement with Marvin but the team believed they could help the investigation.
“There’s nothing here,” stated Chin with a heavy sigh as he crossed his arms.
Steve growled angrily. “Check again,” he ordered without even looking up.
Chin sighed again. “I have, multiple times and I got the same answers every time. About ten months ago Murray withdrew four separate amounts that totaled eighty grand from his savings account in cash but other than that there is nothing there. No trail as to where that money went.”
“Fuck Chin,” hissed Steve as he finally stopped pacing and slammed his hands against the table. “We need to find something, anything that will help us find Danny.”
“I know Steve but I can only tell you what the computer pulls up. I’m not a magician nor do I have super powers.”
“I’m sorry Chin...I just want to find him so bad before-”
Walking over to Steve Chin gave Steve’s shoulder a soothing squeeze. “I know brah. Believe me I know and I want the same thing.”
Just then Kono walked out of her office with a frown on her face. “I just got finished interviewing the other veterinarian and the assistant that works at One Care and they basically said the same thing. That Dr. Murray was a good, polite doctor that mostly kept to himself. He loved his job and were saddened when he told him them he was leaving.” She had just spent the last hour taking statements from the two women and found they weren’t any closer to locating Danny.
A spark of hope flashed in Steve’s eyes. “Did he mention where he was going?”
“According to them Murray said he was going back to the mainland to take care of his sick mother.”
“Which we know is a lie because his mother died three years ago,” replied Chin, shaking his head.
“So he lied to his co-workers so they wouldn’t get suspicious about what he was really up too.”
“They also said that they never suspected him of being dangerous to anyone.”
“It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”
“Kono good job with the interviews but this still doesn’t help us find Danny. Dammit.”
“Brah you need to keep calm. You flying off the handle is not going to do us any good.”
“I know Chin it’s just,” but Steve didn’t get a chance to finish when his cell phone suddenly began ringing. “McGarrett,” he growled unpleasantly into the phone.
“Hey Steve. Got time for an old friend?”
His shoulders went lax at the sound of Danny’s voice on the line. It meant that his partner was still alive. “Oh my god---Danny,” he stuttered as he put the phone on speaker so Chin and Kono could hear as well. Chin immediately began a trace. “Just tell me that you’re okay.”
“Can’t complain, well except about the headache and large cut on the side of my face. How’s Kono?”
“I’m fine Danny,” replied Kono nervously. “I’m worried about you, we all are.”
“Apologies, I don’t want them. What happened wasn’t anyone’s fault.”
Steve stared into the phone confused as to what Danny was saying. His only theory was that Marvin was in the room with Danny preventing him from giving them any clues to his whereabouts. It made Steve extremely nervous. “Danny I promise we are going to find you and bring you home.”
“Better this way I suppose. At least if I’m here no else will be hurt.”
“No Danny that’s not about to happen. I will find you and I will bring you back home.”
“I don’t want to be found Steve. I’m going to stay here with Marvin. This is where I belong.”
“Danny you can’t be serious. If you think we’re going to leave you with that man you’re out of your mind.”
“No, don’t come for me. It’s the only way I can keep you and everyone else I love safe. Just know that I love you and I’m sorry things had to end this way, especially after all the patience you had with me. Taking care of me, looking after me and making sure I was okay. You coated me with your love and kindness. You were literally this man’s best friend and for that I could never thank you enough. Tell Grace that Danno will always love her.”
Steve didn’t get a chance to respond when the line was suddenly disconnected and Danny was no longer on the other end. He didn’t realize his hand was shaking until he slid the phone back down in his pocket. With pleading eyes he looked over at Chin who was pressing buttons on the computer. “Please tell me you got something,” he replied hopefully at Chin.
When Chin shook his head disappointedly it took all of Steve’s strength not to slam his fist into the nearest wall. They were no closer to finding Danny and the conversation they just had implied that the blond didn’t want to be found.”
“So that’s it. We just give up. We don’t even try to find him.”
“No Kono we’re not giving up. I know Danny and he would never leave Grace like that. Murray must have been in the room with him, monitoring what he was saying.”
“I believe that too brah but that still doesn’t help us in our search.”
“Danny sent us a message, I know he did. We just have to find it.”
********
Marvin smiled as he tugged the phone out of Danny’s phone and slipped it back into his pocket. He wasn’t worried that the call would be traced; it was a burner that he brought for a few bucks at discount store. His location was completely safe. Reaching down, he cupped Danny’s chin forcefully with his hand and forced the man to look at him. “I hope that you’ve gotten it all out of your system because there will be no more calls.”
Danny swallowed thickly. “I’m done with my team.”
“Good,” hissed Marvin, letting go of Danny’s face. “Now that that’s done I think it’s time to tell you that we’ll be moving shortly after nightfall.”
“What. I thought this was the perfect place for us.”
He smirked. “I’ll agree that this is a nice place for a relaxing vacation but I like the city life and I have a feeling that you do as well. We would never be truly happy here.”
“I hate to be a Debby downer,” scoffed Danny, shaking his head. “But how exactly are you going to travel without fear of being caught. By now your face is all over the news as well as a list of your crimes, including my kidnapping. Every cop on the island will be looking for you.”
“Don’t worry, I have everything under control.” Then without warning his leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Danny’s forehead, grinning as he pulled away. “You have nothing to worry about.” He didn’t say anything else as he turned around and walked out of the room.
Angrily wiping any trace of the kiss off his forehead, Danny ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He was grateful for the phone call, happy at the chance to talk to Steve but with Marvin in the room he couldn’t say much. Still, it didn’t keep him from sending the team a message right under Marvin’s nose. Danny only hoped that his team figured it out before it was too late.
********
Five minutes later, after listening to Danny’s phone conversation countless times, the team was still unable to find the clues left by Danny. Steve was adamant that his partner gave the information they needed to find him, they just had to look deeper. Steve’s eyes ran over the transcript again and suddenly realized what Danny was telling him. Walking over to the computer, he bold and underlined the first letter at the beginning of each first sentence.
Can’t
Apologies
Better
I
No
C A B I N
“Cabin, that’s where Danny’s being held,” smiled Steve triumphantly as Chin patted him on the back and Kono punched his shoulder softly. “I knew he would find a way.”
“That’s our haole,” Kono smirked happily, clapping her hands together.
Chin nodded and look back at the computer. “So we figured that out but how does that help us find Danny if we don’t know exactly where the cabin is located?”
“There’s something else,” pointed out Kono nervously as her eyes skimmed over the rest of Danny’s conversation.
“What is it Kono.”
“Well Danny is thanking Steve for being patient with him but no offense boss you aren’t the patient one in the partnership.”
“I was thinking about that too. If anything Danny’s the patient one while you’re more of a shoot first ask questions later type of guy.”
“Gee thanks,” scoffed Steve, crossing his arms defensively.
“Hey, Danny’s words not mine.”
Steve sighed as he ran a hand over his face. It was a known fact that Danny was the more level headed one out of the two of them. “I know you’re both right. There’s no way I’m the more patient one out of the two of us but Danny said so it has to mean something.”
“So I was thinking-” she paused unsure of what she should say or if she should even say it.
Steve sensed her uneasiness and gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. “Anything Kono. It can’t be worse than the information we already have.”
“He’s right cuz.”
Kono exhaled before she continued speaking. “Okay then I was thinking that maybe Danny didn’t mean patient as in calm but patient as in doctor.”
“Where are you going with this?” asked Chin somewhat confused.
“Murray’s a veterinarian so all his patients are owners of animals. Look at what he said. ‘Taking care of me’, ‘You coated me with your love and kindness, ‘This man’s best friend’. These are references to animals.”
“So you’re saying that Murray has Danny hidden in cabin owned by one of his patient’s owners.”
Kono gave them both a nod. “It’s a long shot but it’s the only one we’ve got.”
“Only one way to find out.” Steve marched to Kono’s office where Dr. Singer and Melinda were still waiting for the okay to leave. They both looked when they saw Steve standing in the doorway. “Do either you know a patient of Murray’s who owns a cabin?” he asked sternly.
It was Dr. Singer who spoke. “There’s Ms. Eaddy but I’m not sure if she still owns it,” she replied hesitantly.
“Care to explain.”
“Ms. Eaddy’s husband died about a year and a half ago and she mentioned once that she was thinking about selling his cabin. She’s in her seventies and she didn’t think she could handle the upkeep.”
“Do you know if she sold it to Murray?” asked Chin who was now standing next to Steve.
“I overheard Marvin saying he was interested in the property but neither him or Ms. Eaddy brought it up again so I didn’t think any more about it.”
“We’re going to need her full name,” replied Steve.
“Patricia Eaddy. I really hope that helps.”
Steve looked over his shoulder to see Kono already at the computer typing in the name that given to them. It didn’t take long for her to find the correct person they were looking for. “Patricia Fran Eaddy,” she began. “Seventy-three, lives in Honolulu, and according to her bank records ten months ago deposited four separate payments of eighty thousand dollars into her checking account. One guess as to who the money came from,” she finished with a smile.
Chin gave his cousin a nod of approval as both him and Steve walked over to the table. “We got the location on the cabin,” he asked hopefully.
After a few more taps the address of the cabin that was owned by Ms. Eaddy appeared on the screen. “We got it.”
Finally Steve let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding as wide grin spread across his face. “Then what are we waiting for. Let’s go bring Danny home.”
********
Danny was unaware of how long he had been in the cabin but he could tell it was nearing nightfall. He hadn’t moved much from the bed, the chain only letting him go so far in the room as he tried to find something that would release the cuff from his ankle but the search came up empty. So the only thing Danny could do was sit there and silently hope that Steve would find him.
“How do I look?”
Danny looked up to see Marvin leaning against the door frame wearing a smile on his face. He had changed his clothes, sporting a pair of blue jeans and a simple black polo shirt. The man’s hair was cut short and instead of dark brown hair it was now bleached blond and spiky. He was also wearing glasses and his eyes were no longer blue but were now a light brown. At a quick glance he looked like a completely different person.
“That’s your plan,” scoffed Danny, shaking his head. “You think that by changing your hair and eye color you’ll be able to fool the cops who are looking for you.”
Marvin shrugged with one arm as he walked over to the bed, his hands remaining behind his back. “I’ve seen people go undetected with much less. Not to mention that I have your gun and am so not afraid to use it if necessary.”
“You’re crazier than I thought if you think that’s going to work.”
“How about you let me worry about that? The only thing I want you to do is lie still.”
“Why?” asked Danny nervously. He quickly got the answer to his question when Marvin pulled needle out of his pocket. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Shh, it’s okay Daniel,” cooed Marvin as grabbed Danny’s hair and roughly pulled his head to the side, exposed his neck. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”
Danny thought about fighting him off. Maybe knocking him hard enough in the face to knock him unconscious but Danny had no clue where the key was. He seriously doubted he would be able to un-cuff himself without the proper key. And there was always the chance that he would fail and only make the psychotic man extremely angry. The threat of him harming Grace still weighed heavily in his heart and he knew he couldn’t risk it. He would never forgive himself if something happened to his daughter because of him.
Letting out a small hiss as the needle pricked his skin, Danny closed his eyes and let his mind fill with thoughts of his family, his team, Grace, and Steve. He needed Steve and soon, before it was too late. The world slowly began to fade away leaving Danny to wonder if he would ever see his family again.
********
I'm an evil evil bitch. Please don't hate me. Alright it's okay if you hate me for a little bit but part seven is the conclusion and it's up for reading. I'm just saying.