Authors:
Danny never thought that it would be this easy to fall into the role of a small time punk and thief, but after a week of sneaking around Honolulu and helping his new found friends strip cars it was like he had been doing this years.

So when their van came to a stop in a secluded parking lot, Danny leapt out of van and starting moving toward the Ford Falcon that he knew was their target. But as he crept quietly towards the car, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up; something wasn’t right. Stopping, Danny looked around the parking lot quickly but with the critical eye of a cop; it was too quiet, too secluded for a place downtown. It was almost if the car was just waiting for someone to strip it.

It took Danny all of two seconds to realize to think of a reason why; it was inconceivable that the rest of HPD would just sit around and hope that he learned the information that they needed, especially when it wasn’t known around the force that he was undercover. Reaching over and grabbing Kaiko’s wrist, Danny hissed, “Kaiko. Something isn’t right. It’s way too quiet.”

“Ya seein’ things,” the Hawaiian shot back in disbelief.

“No,” Danny kept pressing. “The fuzz is getting desperate. Look, have you ever had a setup this good?”

Kaiko appeared to consider his words as he chewed his lower lip. “Fine. Ya worried, ya keep watch.”

Danny nodded his assent and walked quickly toward the street. He would have preferred to leave but he knew Kaiko wasn’t going to budge any more than he had. He just hoped that he was wrong and that he hadn’t just walked into an HPD trap because if they were caught the game would be over.

Danny found a position where he could hide in the shadows but still have perfect view of the parking lot and the street beside it. Apprehensive, Danny took up his silent watch. However, as the minutes passed by, Danny began to doubt his decision. If he had helped they would be almost finished by now. But as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Danny saw two uniformed HPD patrolmen walk around the corner and they were coming straight towards him!

Danny had zero time to think things over because he knew that in the time it would take him to quietly warn the others the officers would have a clear view of the gang and what they were doing. However, if he did nothing the result would be the same.

A wild idea crossed his mind and Danny immediately stumbled out of the shadows. He walked erratically up to the patrolmen, making it look like he was barely able to move without falling down.

“Officersss!” Danny cried out loudly as he approached them. “Officersss, you wouldn’t…you wouldn’t believe… A wino took my beer.” Danny blinked and stumbled back, he couldn’t let the patrolmen notice that he didn’t smell of alcohol. “No, winos drink wine. A bum stole my beer. You ssshould be assshamed. Bum stole my beer.”

The patrolmen gave each other an exasperated look. The one the left spoke to him, “Look kid, I don’t think you need another beer.”

“Sssome help you are,” Danny said as he turned around and staggered back toward the parking lot and kept going down the sidewalk. Danny heard the officers follow him and hoped they’d notice the stripped car or he’d have to take part in an embarrassing conversation that he’d rather avoid.

“Rick, the car!”

Danny heard Rick swear and two sets of feet jog off. Unable to contain his curiosity, Danny sneaked a glance at the parking lot. Immediately, he was impressed. Kaiko had heard him but the gang hadn’t tried to run. They just loaded all the parts into the van and shut the doors, making it look like the thieves had finished and left all while they sat safely in the dark van. Meanwhile, the officers just noticed the stripped car and forgot that there wasn’t a blue van there earlier.

One of cops started to put things together and called out, “Wait a minute. That kid.”

Not good, Danny thought to himself as he took off running. He turned at the first side street he came to, hoping to shake off pursuit but he wasn’t that lucky. Off to his left, Danny spotted an empty lot with a chain fence on the other side. He knew he could quickly climb the fence and he was willing to risk that the patrolmen wouldn’t be able to follow him or at least do so quickly.

As his feet pounded across the rocky ground, Danny saw a familiar van swerve around a street corner and come to a stop on the other side of the fence. Kaiko came after him! Danny couldn’t believe it but he wasn’t one to turn down an unexpected blessing.

“We got to get out of here!” Johnny hollered at him as he drew nearer.

Danny didn’t answer as he jumped up, grabbed the chain links of the fence and started to haul himself over the top.

“Stop, police!”

“Oh, no!” D.J. yelled.

“Danno, watch out!” Kaiko screamed.

Danny reached the top of the fence as he heard the shouted warnings. He managed to throw himself to the ground just as he heard a gun fire. They were shooting! They shouldn’t be shooting! He should freeze…

“Danno! In!”

Kaiko’s shouted order shook Danny out of his indecision. Danny dove for the van’s open door and as soon as he hit the floor he felt the van swerve and speed off. He griped the floor with his fingers willing his heartbeat to slow down; that was way too close. Why had they started shooting? He could have been killed! Danny knew that was lucky that he had thrown himself to the ground when he heard Kaiko’s shout. And, speaking of that shout, did he really hear Kaiko call him Danno?

“That was crazy,” D.J. said slapping him on the shoulder.

“Easy, D.J.,” Kaiko ordered as he helped Danny sit up. “Danno, you really showed da fuzz.”

Danny hadn’t heard wrong. Did he dare bring it up? Did he have any choice? Sending Kaiko an inquiring look, he asked, “Danno?”

Kaiko shrugged. “It just came out, ya know Bruddah? It sounds bettah den Danny.”

Danny wasn’t so sure that it sounded better than his own name but he wasn’t going to protest. “Yeah, I do kind of like it,” he lied. Then noticing that the van wasn’t headed in the usual direction he asked, “Where are we going?”

“Pearl City. I know a place we can lay low for da night.”

*~*~*

Duke walked quickly toward Henry Kainoa’s office; Henry had left him a hurried message this morning to check up on Williams but he hadn’t been able to contact the rookie officer. Figuring Henry knew something he didn’t, Duke couldn’t help but worry. He walked straight into the office and when Henry looked up Duke said, “O’Donnell said Danny never came in last night and Williams hasn’t left any messages by other means.” The troubled look on his boss’s face confirmed Duke’s fears. “You’re concerned.”

Henry spoke softly, “Last night a couple of patrolmen run into a group of four kids with a van.”

“Sounds like Danny’s gang.”

“Shots were fired.”

Silence greeted that comment. They both didn’t have to state their worries.

Henry continued, “If you see Danny and he’s hurt. I don’t care what he says, bring him in.”

Duke nodded; some things weren’t worth the risk. “And if he’s unharmed?”

“We’ll play it by ear but if Williams is willing I don’t think we have a choice to keep pushing forward.”

*~*~*

The night in Pearl City had been a quiet one so they returned to Honolulu that afternoon. Danny was lying on the sandy beach, passing the time while Kaiko met with Haku. Johnny was snoring a few feet away while, all the driving must have taken it out of him. D.J. walked over from the shack and sat down beside him, beers in hand. “Have a beer, Danno.”

Danny opened his can as he replied, “You’re really going to keep calling me that?”

“Why not? It fits a man who can outsmart the fuzz. Besides Kaiko’s going to call you Danno whether you like or not.”

“Good thing I don’t mind it.” Too much.

D.J. laughed as he downed his beer. “This is the life. No school, no adults telling us what to, just good times and cold beer.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Danny said as he raised his beer in toast motion. After he took another drink, he saw the familiar battered van parking next to their little shack. “Kaiko’s back.”

“Johnny, wake up,” D.J. said as he threw sand at the other punk.

A few minutes later the four of them were around their table as the familiar ritual played itself out. After Danny received his share of the cash, he made a move to leave. “I got to go. I’m already in a lot of trouble.”

“Don’t go back,” Kaiko said.

Danny jerked back his hand from the doorknob and whirled around. “What?”

“Live here with us, Bruddah,” Kaiko continued. “We got da room and you no worry about da old man no more.”

Danny took a calming breathe, this was what he’s been waiting for but he needed to remain in character. Luckily, he figured that Danny Burken would jump at the offer. “You kidding?” he answered excitingly. “What made you wait so long?”

“So you’re moving in?” D.J. asked.

“Yeah.”

Kaiko’s smirk was back so Danny knew he was in a good mood. “Great,” the punk replied. “Go get ya stuff. If da old man tries to stop ya, I got ya back.”

With those words Danny and Kaiko took off together into Honolulu and within twenty minutes they reached Danny’s uncle’s apartment. When they walked in the front door, they ignored the man sitting on the couch and went straight to Danny’s room.

Grabbing a duffel bag, Danny started throwing a few essentials into it. Kaiko didn’t help; he just stood silently against the wall.

Steve O’Donnell heard them come in for with a minute he was standing in the bedroom doorway. “Where were you last night?”

Danny didn’t look at him as he replied, “Out.”

“Out.” The other Steve’s tone took on a note of annoyance and frustration. “You can’t be any more specific than that?”

“I could.”

“But you won’t. Danny, have you forgotten why you’ve moved here?”

“Nope. But to tell you the truth old man, I don’t care. I’m moving out.”

“Moving where?”

“Nowhere, anywhere. Why do you care?”

“Your father would be rolling in grave if he saw you today.”

Danny closed the zipper on his bag and turned to face his uncle. “You done?”

“Fine, break your grandmother’s heart. Break mine, but don’t come back here until you plan on shaping up.”

Danny shrugged and Kaiko, ignoring Steve, called out, “Ready, Danno?”

“I was born ready.” With those words, Danny walked out of what had been his home and didn’t look back, trying to ignore the fact that his Uncle Steve looked authentically hurt by his words. Danny felt a pang of guilt and pushed it away. Having lost his own his own parents he couldn’t understand the reasons why someone would do what he had just done but he was all too aware that he had just played a scene that was all too common in this world.

Back at their shack, the gang was all cheers at their new roommate. Kaiko told them to take a night off to celebrate. “I got ta meet someone. Hang loose till I get back in da morning.”

Danny thought it was weird that, the first night they weren’t bound by sneaking around his uncle’s schedule, Kaiko decided to give them a night off. Not that they needed to work, they’d made more than enough money this past week to support their lifestyle. No, it was just that his gut was just whispering to him that something else was going on. The question was whether or not he needed to figure out what it was.

Staying in character, Danny kept his thoughts to himself and called out jokingly, “Don’t have too much fun without us.”

“I hear ya, Danno.” The young Hawaiian punk replied as he made the shaka signal and walked off into the night.

Danno. Could have Kaiko picked a more ridiculous nickname? Danny mentally shrugged, he would put up with it because it meant he was accepted as part of Kaiko’s gang. He was just thankful that he would only have to hear it for a few more weeks.

*~*~*

It was déjà vu; third store, third scene, each exactly like the one before it. And there Kono was standing next to a slightly irate Steve McGarrett and a much calmer Chin Ho Kelly. They had already interviewed the “witnesses” and were exchanging facts.

Steve glanced down at his watch. “I have a meeting with the governor that I can’t miss. You two stay here and see if you find anything. Chin, I want this place gone over with a fine tooth comb. This is the last store our thieves are going to hit.”

Steve said those words with enough conviction that Kono believed him as he watched his boss leave the scene. Kono looked over at Chin. “Let’s get to work, Bruddah.”

Chin laughed and gave him a look that said after you.

Knowing that the lab boys would be hard at work inside the store, Kono felt drawn to the side of the store where he again found a smaller second-story bathroom window that he suspected would show that someone had forced an entry. Studying the wall their thief must have climbed up, Kono’s eyes were drawn to a small black shape above his head. Kono looked closer and recognized it as a piece of black fabric that had got caught on a piece of metal jutting out of the wall.

Kono saw Chin, standing by the street and called out, “Chin! Over here.”

The Chinese detective walked over and asked, “What is it?”

Kono pointed. “Looks like a piece of a glove.”

“Let me get Che.”

A few moments, Chin was back with Che Fong. Che studied the fabric and starting giving a running commentary of his observations. “Definitely a glove. Once I get it to the lab, I should be able to tell you the type. It looks it’s off of a fingertip and there’s a drop of blood here which suggests he caught his finger. Yes,” Che said pointing out another drop of blood further blood the wall. “If this ripped right we might be lucky and find a fingerprint.”

“A fingerprint,” Kono repeated.

“One would be enough,” Che stated.

“Kelly.”

Che pulled out his tools as Kono turned toward the voice and saw a HPD man. Chin replied, “Yes, Officer Olena.”

“Got a call from your wife. She says to meet you at the hospital.”

Kono smiled as he watched Chin’s face turn from stoic to a combination of worry and delight. Pushing the older detective on the shoulder, he said, “Go! I can finish up here.”

Chin didn’t need any more incentive to hurry off and Kono chuckled softly to himself as he watched his fellow detective leave. It may be kid number six for Chin but he still ran toward his car with the excitement and worry of a first time father.

As Chin pulled away, Kono realized that he had just placed himself in charge of a crime scene for the first time. And with Steve at his meeting, Chin at the hospital, and Ralph still on Hilo, it was going to be Kono’s job to make sure all the proper procedures were followed. Kono inwardly groaned. There’s nothing like learning as you go.

Turning back to the Che, Kono caught a grin on the forensic examiners face as he looked up from his work. “Jackpot.”

“Fingerprint?” Kono asked.

Che nodded. “We’ve got a fingerprint.”

Kono smiled; maybe this won’t be so difficult after all.