Steve/Danny, slash/angst; Torn Away, part 1 of 4
Title: Torn Away, part 1 of 3
Pairings: Steve/Danny
Genre: Slash/angst
Rating: NC-17
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Summary: Danny, Steve and the team investigate the kidnapping of a small child
Word Count: 4,099 (part 1)
Author's note: I’ve always wanted to write a full mystery from beginning to end so here goes. I hope it’s not boring and I really hope you don’t figure out whodunit too early. I plan to post chapters regularly - hopefully every day until they’re done.
Please let me know what you think of it; if it’s dull or if it could be made better. I’ve written the bulk of the story but I could make changes if necessary. By the way my stories usually only feature the original fab 4.
Prologue
Nine-year-old Kani Nakao sat on a curb on the quiet suburban Honolulu street and sobbed piteously. Everything was so messed up and her mom was mean and she never got to do anything she wanted to do. Sometimes she just felt like running away - that would teach her mother to be such a jerk. Her mom would be so scared and worried and when Kani finally came back she’d be so grateful her daughter was OK that she’d let Kani do whatever she wanted and stop treating her like a baby.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
As a shadow loomed over her, Kani looked up into a familiar face.
“Mom won’t let me go to the Big Island with my Girl Guide group next week. She’s so mean. She says I’m too young but I’m not. I can look after myself.”
Her companion nodded and sat down beside her.
“That is mean. What are you going to do?”
Kani shrugged and sniffed wiping her wet face with the bottom of her tee-shrt.
“I’m going to stay away from home for a while. I’m going to really scare her so she’ll realize I can look after myself and stop treating me like a little kid.”
Her companion smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Want me to help you? I know a good place for you to hide.”
The little girl hesitated for a moment glancing around the tree shaded street of older post-war homes.
“Ummm, I don’t know…”
“Come on,” coaxed her companion standing up next to her. “Besides, I have something very cool to show you. It will only take a minute and if you change your mind and want to go home you can.”
Kani paused for a moment. She knew she should go right home but her mom was totally wrong and she deserved to worry for a little while. Kani smiled and climbed to her feet following the other person down the cracked sidewalk.
**********
Torn Away
Steve knocked on the window of Danny’s office and gestured for him to join him and the rest of the team in the 5-0 bullpen. The detective sighed and put down his pen pushing his chair out and getting to his feet. They had just finished an exhausting case requiring long nights and weekend work - which cut significantly into his time with Grace - and now it looked like another problem had come up for the team to solve.
He came to stand next to Steve at his usual spot at the computer table while Kono and Chin stood on the other side closer to the computer’s controls.
“We have a new case,” Steve murmured to his partner while Chin’s fingers danced across the keyboard. The Hawaiian man flicked his wrist and the team looked up at the overhead monitors where a picture of a small, bright-eyed, gap-toothed Hawaiian girl was displayed. Danny felt himself stiffen automatically.
“Kani Nakao, nine years old, reported missing from her home two days ago,” Chin began reciting the facts of their latest case in a flat, official voice. Anyone observing him for the first time would think that he was unaffected by the disappearance of the child but those who were close to him knew better.
“Apparently she and her mother, Marissa Saito had an argument Sunday afternoon and Kani ran out of the house saying she was going to visit her father who lives about four blocks away.”
Chin paused for a moment putting a picture of the little girl and her mother up on one of the screens.
“When Kani didn’t return home two hours later, Mrs. Saito phoned her ex-husband who said Kani wasn’t at his home and he hadn’t seen her all day.”
“Does the ex-husband have an alibi?” Kono asked dragging her eyes away from the image of the happy faced little girl.
“He claims to have been out for a walk when the little girl was supposed to have been visiting him. He was walking for several hours he says, but didn’t run into or speak to anyone he knew.”
Danny turned to face Steve.
“Not that I have a problem with this case but why has 5-0 been called in?”
“Kani’s step-father Adam Saito is a friend of the Governor. He pleaded with Denning to bring in 5-0 and Denning agreed.”
Normally Danny would bitch about the Governor’s friends using their influence but in this case he didn’t care. They had to get Kani back.
“What about the step-father?” Danny asked Chin.
The fingers of the older detective flew over the virtual keyboard for a moment until another wrist flick brought the picture of a handsome man of Japanese descent onto the screen.
“Adam and Marissa Saito were married about 10 months ago. According to the HPD reports they seemed to have a happy marriage and Kani likes her step-father. He’s the owner of a number of businesses throughout the islands and plays golf with the Governor once a month.”
“Alibi?” asked Steve examining the photo.
“He was on a business trip to Kauai all day checking on a couple of his stores. HPD checked the flight manifest for the chartered private jet and spoke to his employees and it checks out.”
“They might be willing to lie for him if they’re afraid to lose their jobs,” Kono observed.
Chin shook his head.
“Video cameras at the airport on Kauai show him arriving at about 7:40 a.m. and leaving at about 4:30. Apparently he was supposed to stay overnight but he hurried home when his wife called to tell him Kani was missing.”
“Do we have anything on the ex-husband, Kani’s father?” asked Danny.
The older detective nodded and swept a photo of Tay Nakao up onto the screen. The man was in his late 30’s of Hawaiian descent, balding and about 30 pounds overweight.
“We have rap sheet,” responded Chin putting a copy of the criminal record up on the screen beside the photo of Kani’s father.
“He’s got a fairly long list of priors starting from his early teenage years: B&E, car theft, a couple of robberies for which he did three years from age 16 to age 19.”
“Anything violent in is history?” questioned Steve.
The older man nodded and highlighted a section of Nakao’s criminal record.
“When he was 23 he beat up a former girlfriend in an apparently drug-induced rage. He did two years for that. No arrests since then.
Steve and Danny looked at each other and nodded in unspoken communications. The Commander turned back to the other team members.
“Danny and I will go and question Nakao. You and Kono go talk to Mr. and Mrs. Saito; maybe she’ll remember something she forgot to tell the HPD.”
**********
Tay Nakao lived in a small, slightly dilapidated but tidy house in older section of Honolulu. Steve and Danny found the man pacing his living room restlessly while a young HPD officer kept him supplied with coffee. Steve had the officer wait outside while the two partners questioned the apparently distraught father.
“Mr. Nakao, when was the last time you saw your daughter?” asked Danny his eyes tracking the other man as he paced the room.
Nakao stopped and caressed an obviously home-made clay ashtray sitting on the windowsill.
“Saturday. I took Kani out for an ice cream. We usually get a couple of hours together on Saturday so I try to do something that she enjoys.”
Nakao swallowed convulsively and turned away from the two detectives to stare out the window.
“Do you normally see her on Sunday as well?” asked Steve.
The other man shook his head.
“No, just Saturday afternoon and Wednesday evening, that’s all the time the judge gave me.”
“Do you have any idea why Kani would come here on Sunday?” Danny questioned coming over to stand next to the father.
“Umm…Marissa said they had a fight, something about a Girl Guide trip. Kani told her she was coming here to see me.”
Steve began walking around the small front room making a visual search but not touching anything.
“But you weren’t here?”
Nakao shook his head and turned to face the two partners. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself.
“No…on Sunday’s I usually go for a long walk, just kind of, wherever. I’m always so damned bored on Sundays and I hate sitting around in front of the TV.”
Danny nodded slowly.
“And did anyone see you on this walk?”
The older man rolled his eyes and made an annoyed sound.
“I told the other cops this already. I go by myself and I didn’t see anyone. I just moved here a few months ago to be near my daughter. I don’t really know anyone around here. Why do you keep asking me the same questions over and over again? Why aren’t you out there looking for my daughter?”
Taking the other man’s arm gently, Danny guided him to a nearby easy chair. The detective sat down across from him on the couch.
“Mr. Nakao, hundreds of members of HPD are searching for Kani and now so is 5-0. Believe me when I tell you we’re doing everything we can but we need every scrap of information we can get if we’re going to find her.”
The other man licked his lips and nodded his head rapidly.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry but I’m so goddamned terrified. It’s been two days…”
“Does Kani have a special place she likes to go?” interjected Steve. “Somewhere she feels safe; maybe with a friend or relative?”
Tay shook his head decidedly.
“Neither Marissa or I have any relatives on this island. We searched everywhere we can think of and talked to all of her friends. She’s nowhere…she’s nowhere,” repeated the heart-broken man who slumped back in his chair and began to sob.
Steve and Danny glanced at each other and Steve inclined his head towards the door.
Danny stood up and bent over the grief-stricken man for a few moments patting him on the shoulder and murmuring a few encouraging words before following his partner out the door.
“What do you think?” asked Steve as he leaned back against the Camaro, his arms crossed on his chest.
“If he’s faking he’s the best actor I’ve ever seen,” replied Danny staring back at the house.
“He has a record for assault,” Steve reminded him.
“From 13 years ago. There’s been nothing since then and it looks like he’s worked pretty steadily since that time. According to the HPD interviews, the owner of the company he works for said he’s the best foreman they ever had.”
Steve sighed heavily.
“You know that when something happens to a child it’s usually a relative that’s responsible.”
Danny rolled his eyes in frustration.
“Yes I know that Steven, this is not my first missing child case I’m sorry to say. I just don’t think this guy is involved.”
Steve put up his hands, palms out.
“OK I’m just saying; keep an open mind.”
Danny turned to face his partner, his face flushed with anger.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Look Danny, it doesn’t take a genius to see the parallels between your situation and this one. Husband and wife divorce, wife remarries a richer man, father gets limited access to his daughter.”
Danny threw his arms out to his side.
“So what, you think that because our situations are similar I can’t be trusted to be objective?”
Steve stood up straight and rounded on his partner.
“Of course not; I’m just trying to warn you not to develop a blind spot about this guy.”
Danny flung his hands in the air in disgust.
“Why thank you for that vote of confidence. It’s nice to know that the man I love has so much faith in my abilities…”
“Danny I didn’t mean…”
The smaller man shouldered his way in behind Steve to open the passenger door of his own car.
“Just get in the goddamned car Steven,” he growled.
**********
Chin and Kono got out of Kono’s car and stood in the driveway admiring the Saito’s beautiful home for a moment. There was quite a difference between the neighbourhood the Saito’s lived in and where Mrs. Saito’s ex-husband lived only a few blocks away.
Kono rang the bell and it was opened almost immediately by a uniformed cop she recognized from the academy.
“Hey Dylan, how are you? It’s good to see you again.”
The other cop gave Kono a curt nod of the head.
“Kono. I’m fine thanks.”
The Hawaiian woman sighed inwardly. She knew a number of her old classmates were jealous of her assignment to 5-0 but she had earned her place with the team and she wasn’t about to feel guilty about it.
“We’re here to see Mr. and Mrs. Saito,” said Chin, bristling at the young cop’s offhand treatment of his cousin.
The young man gestured to a doorway off to the left.
“They’re in the living room.”
The 5-0 officers entered the living room to find the Saito’s huddled on the couch. Marissa Saito was in her late 30’s. She had long, sleek black hair and somewhat wide-set brown eyes. She wasn’t beautiful but she was handsome and striking looking - or would have been if her eyes and face weren’t puffed and red from two days of crying. Kono felt her heart clench in sympathy for the woman.
Adam Saito was tall, thin and handsome, looking like he had just stepped out of the covers of a men’s fashion magazine despite the trauma of the last couple of days. He had his arm around his wife but seemed uncomfortable dealing with her emotions. He stood when the two 5-0 members entered the room.
“Mr. and Mrs. Saito?” Chin walked over to stand in front of them putting out his hand for Mr. Saito to shake. “I’m Detective Chin Ho Kelly and this is my partner Officer Kono Kalakaua. We’re from 5-0.”
Mr. Saito shook Chin’s hand and seemed to relax slightly, relief spreading across his face.
Oh thank God you’re here. I’m so grateful to the Governor for sending you. I know the HPD are working hard but I want the best police officers on the island searching for my step-daughter.”
Chin nodded and gestured for Mr. Saito to resume his seat next to his wife. He and Kono sat down side-by-side on the couch across from the couple. Kono set up her iPhone to record the conversation while Chin began the questioning.
“Mrs. Saito, I know you’ve answered hundreds of questions already but we need to take you through everything again just in case anything was missed. Is that ok?”
Mrs. Saito wiped her face with a tissue and sat up straighter, her eyes meeting Chin’s hopefully.
“Of course; anything to get my baby back.”
Chin nodded and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
“Can you take us through that day one more time starting from the time Kani woke up?”
The woman sniffed and scrunched the tissue tightly in her hands.
“She got up at about 8 a.m. Since it’s a school break I let her sleep in a bit later than normal. She went for a swim in the pool,” the woman gestured toward the back of the house. “I watched her swim while I read the morning paper. We had breakfast together on the patio.”
She paused and licked her lips and once again wiped her face with the tissue before clenching it again.
“After that she went upstairs to get dressed. I heard her talking to a friend on the phone for a while…”
“Do you know which friend?” interrupted Kono gently.
The older woman shook her head.
“No…I’m not sure. She has a lot of friends she is very…” her voice broke and she had to take several deep breaths before she could speak again. “She is very popular.”
Kono smiled reassuringly at her and nodded her head for the other woman go on.
“We were…we were making cookies and…she started to talk about the Girl Guide trip to the Big Island next month and I had to tell her that her that Adam and I…her step-father and I had discussed it and felt she was too young to go.”
Adam Saito nodded knowingly.
“I don’t know much about children but I just feel a nine-year-old shouldn’t be travelling “anywhere without her parents,” he interjected pompously.
Both Kono and Chin gave the man a non-committal nod then turned their attention back to Mrs. Saito.
“We…we had a terrible fight,” Mrs. Saito continued, her bottom lip quivering. “She told me she hated me and she hated Adam and that she was going to go live with her father. She ran out of the house and that’s…that’s the last I saw of her.”
Tears began streaming down Mrs. Saito’s face and she leaned her head against her husband’s shoulder.
“About what time did she leave the house?” Chin asked after giving the woman a moment to compose herself.
Mrs. Saito took a deep, shuddering breath.
“It was about 12:30 or 12:45.”
“Mrs. Saito what was Kani wearing when she left the house?” Kono inquired.
“Umm...” Mrs. Saito swallowed heavily and wiped her face with the tattered tissue again. “She was wearing dark blue shorts, flip flops and a white tee shirt. She was ahh…she carries this little red plastic purse too. She had that with her.”
“We’ve looked everywhere and called everyone we can think of,” Mr. Saito told the officers. “No one has seen or heard from her. When she didn’t return home in a couple of hours, my wife called her ex-husband and found out that Kani never arrived at his house - or if she did he didn’t know it because he was supposedly out for a walk. As soon as she heard that my wife called the police and then called me.”
Chin leaned forward on the couch.
“What do you mean by ‘supposedly out for a walk’ Mr. Saito?”
The older man swallowed and looked away.
“Well...I wouldn’t want to accuse anyone but Tay is not exactly the most responsible person. I mean he’s worked on a loading dock for years - he’s never tried to better himself. He lives in that dumpy little house…”
Mrs. Saito sat up straight at that and looked at the two 5-0 officers with pleading eyes.
“Tay loves our daughter very much. He’s very devoted to her. I can’t believe he’d hurt Kani. When she was born he straightened out his life and got a job and he’s been working hard ever since.”
Mr. Saito made a dismissive clicking sound with his tongue and visibly shifted away from his wife. She glanced over at him with something approaching fear on her face and put a hand on his knee before turning back to Chin and Kono again.
“Of course Adam is a wonderful father too,” she said hurriedly. “We’re so lucky he came into our lives. He’s been so generous with Kani.”
It was all Kono could do to keep from rolling her eyes at the older woman’s attempts to pacify her arrogant husband’s ego and the way his chest puffed at her words.
“Mrs. Saito,” she asked carefully. “Is there any way that Kani would run away? Maybe after the argument with you…”
“No!” replied the other woman firmly. “Kani loves us and loves her home. She would never run away.”
She looked up at Kono with brimming eyes.
“Someone’s taken her. They’ve taken my baby. You have to find her.”
Kono swallowed hard and nodded.
“We’ll do our best.”
Chin shifted his attention back to the older man.
“Mr. Saito you’re a successful, well-to-do man. Do you have any enemies; anyone that might want to kidnap Kani to hurt you or for ransom?”
Saito shook his head slowly.
“I’ve been racking my brain but I can’t think of anyone. Yes I’m successful,” the man suppressed a small smile, “but not enough that anyone could expect a large ransom from me. Of course if ransom is demanded we’ll pay it but we haven’t heard a thing so far.”
“Why is that?” Marissa Saito asked the detectives. “Why haven’t they asked for ransom?”
Chin and Kono glanced at each other then back at the couple.
“There’s not always a set pattern to these things,” responded Chin trying to sound hopeful. “It may be that they’re going to wait for a while to ensure that we’re not on to them. Or maybe they just want to keep you dangling for a while. Maybe they think the longer they make you wait the more money you will pay.”
Chin wasn’t about to mention that Kani might have been taken by a stranger who didn’t intend to give her back - or that she might already be dead.
“We’ll pay anything,” blurted Mrs. Saito desperately. “We’ll sell the house if we have to. We’ll do anything to get Kani back.”
Mr. Saito shifted on the couch looking like he wanted to argue the point with his wife but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
The two officers asked a few more questions and, after giving reassurances that they would stay in close touch, excused themselves from the room and walked out of the house to their car.
“Well Officer Kalakaua?” Chin asked climbing into the passenger seat. “What does your gut tell you about the Saito’s?”
Kono paused for a moment then started the engine.
“She seems truly upset and frightened. I felt sorry for her. He, on the other hand, seems like an arrogant ass.”
Chin shifted in the seat to observe his cousin.
“Do you think he had something to do with Kani’s disappearance?”
Kono shook her head as she steered out of the driveway and onto the main road.
“No…I don’t think so. For one thing HPD confirmed his alibi and there doesn’t really seem to be a motive.”
“Maybe he hated the kid and wanted to get rid of her; could have paid someone to do it for him.”
Kono shoulder checked and switched lanes.
“Well, maybe but I don’t think so. He’s a prick but I can’t see him hurting anyone - especially a child. According to the HPD reports there’s nothing in his financial records that shows a possible payoff to anyone and, by all accounts, he loves Kani.”
Chin nodded and shifted in his seat to face the front again.
“I agree. I don’t think either of them is behind it. We’ll keep checking them out but I have a sick feeling that either the father did it or it maybe it’s a stranger abduction.”
Kono blew out a frustrated breath.
“God I hope not, we’ll have a hell of a time getting her back if it is.”
**********
A tired Steve and Danny returned to 5-0 headquarters late in the evening after a frustrating and fruitless day of questioning possible witnesses and not finding any useful leads to follow. Except for discussing the case when necessary, the partners barely spoke to each other; Danny still steaming from what Steve said earlier in the day and Steve unsure how to fix it. The Commander watched his boyfriend walk into his office and slump into his chair dropping his face in his hands.
He followed the smaller man into the glass-enclosed room and came around Danny’s desk and knelt in front of his love. Danny lifted his head and turned to face his boyfriend opening his knees so Steve could get closer.
“Danno,” Steve whispered softly. “You know I wasn’t saying anything about your abilities as a police officer. You know I think you’re a great cop.”
Danny swallowed and nodded putting a gentle hand on the side of Steve’s face.
“I know babe. I’m a bit touchy about this case I guess. I’ve noticed the similarities between my situation and Nakao’s too but I would never let my feelings get in the way of an investigation. If I thought they would I’d ask you to take me off the case.”
Steve smiled gently and stretched up to kiss Danny firmly on the lips before gathering him in his arms.
“I hope that doesn’t happen because I need you on this case. I fucking hate cases involving kids.”
Danny sighed and closed his eyes burying his face in Steve’s hair.
“I know me too. But we’re going to get Kani back. I know we are.”
Steve nodded and released his own tired sigh.
“Damn right we are. ”>
Part 2
Pairings: Steve/Danny
Genre: Slash/angst
Rating: NC-17
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Summary: Danny, Steve and the team investigate the kidnapping of a small child
Word Count: 4,099 (part 1)
Author's note: I’ve always wanted to write a full mystery from beginning to end so here goes. I hope it’s not boring and I really hope you don’t figure out whodunit too early. I plan to post chapters regularly - hopefully every day until they’re done.
Please let me know what you think of it; if it’s dull or if it could be made better. I’ve written the bulk of the story but I could make changes if necessary. By the way my stories usually only feature the original fab 4.
Prologue
Nine-year-old Kani Nakao sat on a curb on the quiet suburban Honolulu street and sobbed piteously. Everything was so messed up and her mom was mean and she never got to do anything she wanted to do. Sometimes she just felt like running away - that would teach her mother to be such a jerk. Her mom would be so scared and worried and when Kani finally came back she’d be so grateful her daughter was OK that she’d let Kani do whatever she wanted and stop treating her like a baby.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
As a shadow loomed over her, Kani looked up into a familiar face.
“Mom won’t let me go to the Big Island with my Girl Guide group next week. She’s so mean. She says I’m too young but I’m not. I can look after myself.”
Her companion nodded and sat down beside her.
“That is mean. What are you going to do?”
Kani shrugged and sniffed wiping her wet face with the bottom of her tee-shrt.
“I’m going to stay away from home for a while. I’m going to really scare her so she’ll realize I can look after myself and stop treating me like a little kid.”
Her companion smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Want me to help you? I know a good place for you to hide.”
The little girl hesitated for a moment glancing around the tree shaded street of older post-war homes.
“Ummm, I don’t know…”
“Come on,” coaxed her companion standing up next to her. “Besides, I have something very cool to show you. It will only take a minute and if you change your mind and want to go home you can.”
Kani paused for a moment. She knew she should go right home but her mom was totally wrong and she deserved to worry for a little while. Kani smiled and climbed to her feet following the other person down the cracked sidewalk.
**********
Torn Away
Steve knocked on the window of Danny’s office and gestured for him to join him and the rest of the team in the 5-0 bullpen. The detective sighed and put down his pen pushing his chair out and getting to his feet. They had just finished an exhausting case requiring long nights and weekend work - which cut significantly into his time with Grace - and now it looked like another problem had come up for the team to solve.
He came to stand next to Steve at his usual spot at the computer table while Kono and Chin stood on the other side closer to the computer’s controls.
“We have a new case,” Steve murmured to his partner while Chin’s fingers danced across the keyboard. The Hawaiian man flicked his wrist and the team looked up at the overhead monitors where a picture of a small, bright-eyed, gap-toothed Hawaiian girl was displayed. Danny felt himself stiffen automatically.
“Kani Nakao, nine years old, reported missing from her home two days ago,” Chin began reciting the facts of their latest case in a flat, official voice. Anyone observing him for the first time would think that he was unaffected by the disappearance of the child but those who were close to him knew better.
“Apparently she and her mother, Marissa Saito had an argument Sunday afternoon and Kani ran out of the house saying she was going to visit her father who lives about four blocks away.”
Chin paused for a moment putting a picture of the little girl and her mother up on one of the screens.
“When Kani didn’t return home two hours later, Mrs. Saito phoned her ex-husband who said Kani wasn’t at his home and he hadn’t seen her all day.”
“Does the ex-husband have an alibi?” Kono asked dragging her eyes away from the image of the happy faced little girl.
“He claims to have been out for a walk when the little girl was supposed to have been visiting him. He was walking for several hours he says, but didn’t run into or speak to anyone he knew.”
Danny turned to face Steve.
“Not that I have a problem with this case but why has 5-0 been called in?”
“Kani’s step-father Adam Saito is a friend of the Governor. He pleaded with Denning to bring in 5-0 and Denning agreed.”
Normally Danny would bitch about the Governor’s friends using their influence but in this case he didn’t care. They had to get Kani back.
“What about the step-father?” Danny asked Chin.
The fingers of the older detective flew over the virtual keyboard for a moment until another wrist flick brought the picture of a handsome man of Japanese descent onto the screen.
“Adam and Marissa Saito were married about 10 months ago. According to the HPD reports they seemed to have a happy marriage and Kani likes her step-father. He’s the owner of a number of businesses throughout the islands and plays golf with the Governor once a month.”
“Alibi?” asked Steve examining the photo.
“He was on a business trip to Kauai all day checking on a couple of his stores. HPD checked the flight manifest for the chartered private jet and spoke to his employees and it checks out.”
“They might be willing to lie for him if they’re afraid to lose their jobs,” Kono observed.
Chin shook his head.
“Video cameras at the airport on Kauai show him arriving at about 7:40 a.m. and leaving at about 4:30. Apparently he was supposed to stay overnight but he hurried home when his wife called to tell him Kani was missing.”
“Do we have anything on the ex-husband, Kani’s father?” asked Danny.
The older detective nodded and swept a photo of Tay Nakao up onto the screen. The man was in his late 30’s of Hawaiian descent, balding and about 30 pounds overweight.
“We have rap sheet,” responded Chin putting a copy of the criminal record up on the screen beside the photo of Kani’s father.
“He’s got a fairly long list of priors starting from his early teenage years: B&E, car theft, a couple of robberies for which he did three years from age 16 to age 19.”
“Anything violent in is history?” questioned Steve.
The older man nodded and highlighted a section of Nakao’s criminal record.
“When he was 23 he beat up a former girlfriend in an apparently drug-induced rage. He did two years for that. No arrests since then.
Steve and Danny looked at each other and nodded in unspoken communications. The Commander turned back to the other team members.
“Danny and I will go and question Nakao. You and Kono go talk to Mr. and Mrs. Saito; maybe she’ll remember something she forgot to tell the HPD.”
**********
Tay Nakao lived in a small, slightly dilapidated but tidy house in older section of Honolulu. Steve and Danny found the man pacing his living room restlessly while a young HPD officer kept him supplied with coffee. Steve had the officer wait outside while the two partners questioned the apparently distraught father.
“Mr. Nakao, when was the last time you saw your daughter?” asked Danny his eyes tracking the other man as he paced the room.
Nakao stopped and caressed an obviously home-made clay ashtray sitting on the windowsill.
“Saturday. I took Kani out for an ice cream. We usually get a couple of hours together on Saturday so I try to do something that she enjoys.”
Nakao swallowed convulsively and turned away from the two detectives to stare out the window.
“Do you normally see her on Sunday as well?” asked Steve.
The other man shook his head.
“No, just Saturday afternoon and Wednesday evening, that’s all the time the judge gave me.”
“Do you have any idea why Kani would come here on Sunday?” Danny questioned coming over to stand next to the father.
“Umm…Marissa said they had a fight, something about a Girl Guide trip. Kani told her she was coming here to see me.”
Steve began walking around the small front room making a visual search but not touching anything.
“But you weren’t here?”
Nakao shook his head and turned to face the two partners. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself.
“No…on Sunday’s I usually go for a long walk, just kind of, wherever. I’m always so damned bored on Sundays and I hate sitting around in front of the TV.”
Danny nodded slowly.
“And did anyone see you on this walk?”
The older man rolled his eyes and made an annoyed sound.
“I told the other cops this already. I go by myself and I didn’t see anyone. I just moved here a few months ago to be near my daughter. I don’t really know anyone around here. Why do you keep asking me the same questions over and over again? Why aren’t you out there looking for my daughter?”
Taking the other man’s arm gently, Danny guided him to a nearby easy chair. The detective sat down across from him on the couch.
“Mr. Nakao, hundreds of members of HPD are searching for Kani and now so is 5-0. Believe me when I tell you we’re doing everything we can but we need every scrap of information we can get if we’re going to find her.”
The other man licked his lips and nodded his head rapidly.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry but I’m so goddamned terrified. It’s been two days…”
“Does Kani have a special place she likes to go?” interjected Steve. “Somewhere she feels safe; maybe with a friend or relative?”
Tay shook his head decidedly.
“Neither Marissa or I have any relatives on this island. We searched everywhere we can think of and talked to all of her friends. She’s nowhere…she’s nowhere,” repeated the heart-broken man who slumped back in his chair and began to sob.
Steve and Danny glanced at each other and Steve inclined his head towards the door.
Danny stood up and bent over the grief-stricken man for a few moments patting him on the shoulder and murmuring a few encouraging words before following his partner out the door.
“What do you think?” asked Steve as he leaned back against the Camaro, his arms crossed on his chest.
“If he’s faking he’s the best actor I’ve ever seen,” replied Danny staring back at the house.
“He has a record for assault,” Steve reminded him.
“From 13 years ago. There’s been nothing since then and it looks like he’s worked pretty steadily since that time. According to the HPD interviews, the owner of the company he works for said he’s the best foreman they ever had.”
Steve sighed heavily.
“You know that when something happens to a child it’s usually a relative that’s responsible.”
Danny rolled his eyes in frustration.
“Yes I know that Steven, this is not my first missing child case I’m sorry to say. I just don’t think this guy is involved.”
Steve put up his hands, palms out.
“OK I’m just saying; keep an open mind.”
Danny turned to face his partner, his face flushed with anger.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Look Danny, it doesn’t take a genius to see the parallels between your situation and this one. Husband and wife divorce, wife remarries a richer man, father gets limited access to his daughter.”
Danny threw his arms out to his side.
“So what, you think that because our situations are similar I can’t be trusted to be objective?”
Steve stood up straight and rounded on his partner.
“Of course not; I’m just trying to warn you not to develop a blind spot about this guy.”
Danny flung his hands in the air in disgust.
“Why thank you for that vote of confidence. It’s nice to know that the man I love has so much faith in my abilities…”
“Danny I didn’t mean…”
The smaller man shouldered his way in behind Steve to open the passenger door of his own car.
“Just get in the goddamned car Steven,” he growled.
**********
Chin and Kono got out of Kono’s car and stood in the driveway admiring the Saito’s beautiful home for a moment. There was quite a difference between the neighbourhood the Saito’s lived in and where Mrs. Saito’s ex-husband lived only a few blocks away.
Kono rang the bell and it was opened almost immediately by a uniformed cop she recognized from the academy.
“Hey Dylan, how are you? It’s good to see you again.”
The other cop gave Kono a curt nod of the head.
“Kono. I’m fine thanks.”
The Hawaiian woman sighed inwardly. She knew a number of her old classmates were jealous of her assignment to 5-0 but she had earned her place with the team and she wasn’t about to feel guilty about it.
“We’re here to see Mr. and Mrs. Saito,” said Chin, bristling at the young cop’s offhand treatment of his cousin.
The young man gestured to a doorway off to the left.
“They’re in the living room.”
The 5-0 officers entered the living room to find the Saito’s huddled on the couch. Marissa Saito was in her late 30’s. She had long, sleek black hair and somewhat wide-set brown eyes. She wasn’t beautiful but she was handsome and striking looking - or would have been if her eyes and face weren’t puffed and red from two days of crying. Kono felt her heart clench in sympathy for the woman.
Adam Saito was tall, thin and handsome, looking like he had just stepped out of the covers of a men’s fashion magazine despite the trauma of the last couple of days. He had his arm around his wife but seemed uncomfortable dealing with her emotions. He stood when the two 5-0 members entered the room.
“Mr. and Mrs. Saito?” Chin walked over to stand in front of them putting out his hand for Mr. Saito to shake. “I’m Detective Chin Ho Kelly and this is my partner Officer Kono Kalakaua. We’re from 5-0.”
Mr. Saito shook Chin’s hand and seemed to relax slightly, relief spreading across his face.
Oh thank God you’re here. I’m so grateful to the Governor for sending you. I know the HPD are working hard but I want the best police officers on the island searching for my step-daughter.”
Chin nodded and gestured for Mr. Saito to resume his seat next to his wife. He and Kono sat down side-by-side on the couch across from the couple. Kono set up her iPhone to record the conversation while Chin began the questioning.
“Mrs. Saito, I know you’ve answered hundreds of questions already but we need to take you through everything again just in case anything was missed. Is that ok?”
Mrs. Saito wiped her face with a tissue and sat up straighter, her eyes meeting Chin’s hopefully.
“Of course; anything to get my baby back.”
Chin nodded and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
“Can you take us through that day one more time starting from the time Kani woke up?”
The woman sniffed and scrunched the tissue tightly in her hands.
“She got up at about 8 a.m. Since it’s a school break I let her sleep in a bit later than normal. She went for a swim in the pool,” the woman gestured toward the back of the house. “I watched her swim while I read the morning paper. We had breakfast together on the patio.”
She paused and licked her lips and once again wiped her face with the tissue before clenching it again.
“After that she went upstairs to get dressed. I heard her talking to a friend on the phone for a while…”
“Do you know which friend?” interrupted Kono gently.
The older woman shook her head.
“No…I’m not sure. She has a lot of friends she is very…” her voice broke and she had to take several deep breaths before she could speak again. “She is very popular.”
Kono smiled reassuringly at her and nodded her head for the other woman go on.
“We were…we were making cookies and…she started to talk about the Girl Guide trip to the Big Island next month and I had to tell her that her that Adam and I…her step-father and I had discussed it and felt she was too young to go.”
Adam Saito nodded knowingly.
“I don’t know much about children but I just feel a nine-year-old shouldn’t be travelling “anywhere without her parents,” he interjected pompously.
Both Kono and Chin gave the man a non-committal nod then turned their attention back to Mrs. Saito.
“We…we had a terrible fight,” Mrs. Saito continued, her bottom lip quivering. “She told me she hated me and she hated Adam and that she was going to go live with her father. She ran out of the house and that’s…that’s the last I saw of her.”
Tears began streaming down Mrs. Saito’s face and she leaned her head against her husband’s shoulder.
“About what time did she leave the house?” Chin asked after giving the woman a moment to compose herself.
Mrs. Saito took a deep, shuddering breath.
“It was about 12:30 or 12:45.”
“Mrs. Saito what was Kani wearing when she left the house?” Kono inquired.
“Umm...” Mrs. Saito swallowed heavily and wiped her face with the tattered tissue again. “She was wearing dark blue shorts, flip flops and a white tee shirt. She was ahh…she carries this little red plastic purse too. She had that with her.”
“We’ve looked everywhere and called everyone we can think of,” Mr. Saito told the officers. “No one has seen or heard from her. When she didn’t return home in a couple of hours, my wife called her ex-husband and found out that Kani never arrived at his house - or if she did he didn’t know it because he was supposedly out for a walk. As soon as she heard that my wife called the police and then called me.”
Chin leaned forward on the couch.
“What do you mean by ‘supposedly out for a walk’ Mr. Saito?”
The older man swallowed and looked away.
“Well...I wouldn’t want to accuse anyone but Tay is not exactly the most responsible person. I mean he’s worked on a loading dock for years - he’s never tried to better himself. He lives in that dumpy little house…”
Mrs. Saito sat up straight at that and looked at the two 5-0 officers with pleading eyes.
“Tay loves our daughter very much. He’s very devoted to her. I can’t believe he’d hurt Kani. When she was born he straightened out his life and got a job and he’s been working hard ever since.”
Mr. Saito made a dismissive clicking sound with his tongue and visibly shifted away from his wife. She glanced over at him with something approaching fear on her face and put a hand on his knee before turning back to Chin and Kono again.
“Of course Adam is a wonderful father too,” she said hurriedly. “We’re so lucky he came into our lives. He’s been so generous with Kani.”
It was all Kono could do to keep from rolling her eyes at the older woman’s attempts to pacify her arrogant husband’s ego and the way his chest puffed at her words.
“Mrs. Saito,” she asked carefully. “Is there any way that Kani would run away? Maybe after the argument with you…”
“No!” replied the other woman firmly. “Kani loves us and loves her home. She would never run away.”
She looked up at Kono with brimming eyes.
“Someone’s taken her. They’ve taken my baby. You have to find her.”
Kono swallowed hard and nodded.
“We’ll do our best.”
Chin shifted his attention back to the older man.
“Mr. Saito you’re a successful, well-to-do man. Do you have any enemies; anyone that might want to kidnap Kani to hurt you or for ransom?”
Saito shook his head slowly.
“I’ve been racking my brain but I can’t think of anyone. Yes I’m successful,” the man suppressed a small smile, “but not enough that anyone could expect a large ransom from me. Of course if ransom is demanded we’ll pay it but we haven’t heard a thing so far.”
“Why is that?” Marissa Saito asked the detectives. “Why haven’t they asked for ransom?”
Chin and Kono glanced at each other then back at the couple.
“There’s not always a set pattern to these things,” responded Chin trying to sound hopeful. “It may be that they’re going to wait for a while to ensure that we’re not on to them. Or maybe they just want to keep you dangling for a while. Maybe they think the longer they make you wait the more money you will pay.”
Chin wasn’t about to mention that Kani might have been taken by a stranger who didn’t intend to give her back - or that she might already be dead.
“We’ll pay anything,” blurted Mrs. Saito desperately. “We’ll sell the house if we have to. We’ll do anything to get Kani back.”
Mr. Saito shifted on the couch looking like he wanted to argue the point with his wife but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
The two officers asked a few more questions and, after giving reassurances that they would stay in close touch, excused themselves from the room and walked out of the house to their car.
“Well Officer Kalakaua?” Chin asked climbing into the passenger seat. “What does your gut tell you about the Saito’s?”
Kono paused for a moment then started the engine.
“She seems truly upset and frightened. I felt sorry for her. He, on the other hand, seems like an arrogant ass.”
Chin shifted in the seat to observe his cousin.
“Do you think he had something to do with Kani’s disappearance?”
Kono shook her head as she steered out of the driveway and onto the main road.
“No…I don’t think so. For one thing HPD confirmed his alibi and there doesn’t really seem to be a motive.”
“Maybe he hated the kid and wanted to get rid of her; could have paid someone to do it for him.”
Kono shoulder checked and switched lanes.
“Well, maybe but I don’t think so. He’s a prick but I can’t see him hurting anyone - especially a child. According to the HPD reports there’s nothing in his financial records that shows a possible payoff to anyone and, by all accounts, he loves Kani.”
Chin nodded and shifted in his seat to face the front again.
“I agree. I don’t think either of them is behind it. We’ll keep checking them out but I have a sick feeling that either the father did it or it maybe it’s a stranger abduction.”
Kono blew out a frustrated breath.
“God I hope not, we’ll have a hell of a time getting her back if it is.”
**********
A tired Steve and Danny returned to 5-0 headquarters late in the evening after a frustrating and fruitless day of questioning possible witnesses and not finding any useful leads to follow. Except for discussing the case when necessary, the partners barely spoke to each other; Danny still steaming from what Steve said earlier in the day and Steve unsure how to fix it. The Commander watched his boyfriend walk into his office and slump into his chair dropping his face in his hands.
He followed the smaller man into the glass-enclosed room and came around Danny’s desk and knelt in front of his love. Danny lifted his head and turned to face his boyfriend opening his knees so Steve could get closer.
“Danno,” Steve whispered softly. “You know I wasn’t saying anything about your abilities as a police officer. You know I think you’re a great cop.”
Danny swallowed and nodded putting a gentle hand on the side of Steve’s face.
“I know babe. I’m a bit touchy about this case I guess. I’ve noticed the similarities between my situation and Nakao’s too but I would never let my feelings get in the way of an investigation. If I thought they would I’d ask you to take me off the case.”
Steve smiled gently and stretched up to kiss Danny firmly on the lips before gathering him in his arms.
“I hope that doesn’t happen because I need you on this case. I fucking hate cases involving kids.”
Danny sighed and closed his eyes burying his face in Steve’s hair.
“I know me too. But we’re going to get Kani back. I know we are.”
Steve nodded and released his own tired sigh.
“Damn right we are. ”>
Part 2