Boogeyman - Chapter 2

 

Chapter 2

The elevator was completely quiet as Chin rode to 5-0. His hands were dug deeply into his pockets, his stance somewhere between calm and tense. His mind was definitely not on work. Nothing could pull him away from the confusion he was feeling. After coffee, Chin had helped Cody get his bags and then watched him hail a taxi, not leaving until the vehicle was out of sight. He had then gotten into his truck and taken a shortcut to work. It was no use driving the long way as he knew he would end up late after his time talking with Cody.

The elevator doors opened silently to an empty room. The office was lit up with the lights on and the natural light coming in from the windows. He couldn't see but he knew that Steve was most likely in his office. The man was always the first of everyone to arrive and yet hardly anyone knew it coming from the elevator. His desk was hidden from view, almost intentionally to catch visitors off guard.

Chin stepped out and headed left to the right, the direction of his office. He unlocked the door and collapsed in his desk chair. Why wouldn't Cody accept his help? It was obvious the younger male was in confliction with his emotions. And yet he came across emotionally dead or numb. While Chin could understand why he wouldn't want anyone in his life, he still wished the boy had a crutch, someone to come to when things got to be too much.

He was pulled out of his thoughts at the knock on his door. He glanced up to see Steve leaning on the door frame.

"You look deep in thought. Penny for your thoughts?" the Navy SEAL asked, taking his usual stance of arms crossed over chest. Chin ran a hand over his head.

"Met up with an old friend at the airport. Ran into him actually. He's back in Hawaii for who knows what reason. I just have a bad feeling about Cody's psyche if he's here too long." Chin told him. He was hesitant to give too many facts out to Steve. Cody deserved his privacy. But Chin knew that it wasn't a good idea to go into something with no back up. Someone should know at least if something happens and things get out of hand.

"What's his deal?" Steve asked, walking into the office and lounging in one of the chairs in front of Chin's desk.

Chin chuckled at his boss' choice of words and leaned back in his chair.

"Eight years ago, Cody was just this fifteen year old boy. Hawaii isn't exactly a happy memory for him. He basically watched his parents get butchered in front of him. One of the worst cases me and your dad dealt with. It was one of the few cases your dad let me take co-lead of with him. I was so used to your dad just training me. Overall, it's the worst case I've ever had. The house looked like a slaughterhouse. There was blood in practically every room. Bloody handprints on the walls leading upstairs. When we got there, we found the two adults in their bedroom. The man's throat had been slit. His head was nearly severed. The woman was even worse. You couldn't even recognize her." Chin paused, picturing every single detail he could remember. He continued.

"We found out from the neighbors who the owners were and they were worried about the homeowners' son. We went through the house and found Cody hidden in the back of his mother's wardrobe. He had seen everything. Except the man who did its face. He was wearing a completely black mask. Cody wouldn't talk to anyone after telling what he had seen. He just seemed...dead. He'd listen to us and do as he was told but besides that, not one word."

"Is that why he left Hawaii?" Steve asked. He was listening intently.

"We hadn't caught the suspect just yet and he had tried to come after Cody once more so we thought it best that he left the island quietly with some security until we were able to catch him. I escorted him to the airport and we sent him to Los Angeles, accompanied by a few plain clothes officers until we were able to catch our suspect in Northern Oahu. We planned to have Cody come back afterwards but it was two years before we had caught the man and Cody was already in college by then. We thought it best not to bring him back from the 'safe' world he had made for himself. Now, I'm starting to think that was a bad idea."

Steve considered what Chin had told him. He had recognized the hesitancy in the fellow 5-0 member's voice whenever he started a sentence. He knew Chin didn't want to tell him what he had. And yet Steve was glad that Chin felt he could confide in him.

"So what brought him back to Hawaii? I wouldn't think that he would want to return to the same place that his parents were killed." Steve was so confused. From what he had learned, Cody had had the worst experience of his life in Oahu and had moved on with his life on the mainland. But he had brought his life back to paradise and hadn't even told Chin why he was back in Hawaii.

"He was talking about getting his Phd in criminal psychology. He has one more year of schooling but I don't know why he wouldn't finish it at his old college. I haven't even heard from him in the past 8 years." Chin told him, lost in his own thoughts. He wasn't exactly paying attention to Steve anymore. His brain was currently cutting through all his knowledge to find out all the answer possibilities on why Cody Lawson had returned.

"He said it was time to come back and face his demons. I don't even know where he went. He didn't give me that much information or time to gather more."

Steve shrugged. He could see the conflict.

"It seems that the only thing you can do is be there in case he needs you. I'm sure he knows who you are, being law enforcement, so he'll come find you if it comes to that. Besides that, there isn't much you can do." he was trying to give the best advice but the look on Chin's face made him feel as if the advice didn't do any good. He knew the other man would have the situation on his mind for the rest of the day or until something happened.

Their conversation was cut short by the sounds of one Danny Williams ranting and raving about one thing or another. The two men hadn't even heard the elevator.

"Morning ladies!" Danny hollered, setting a bag of malasadas on his desk before heading out to the large computer. Steve smirked slightly and let out an airy chuckle. Chin raised one eyebrow.

"I saw that." he said. Steve didn't respond. Instead he stood up from his seat and left the office, greeting Kono as she appeared around the corner from her own office.

"Danny tried to force some malasadas on me when we met up outside." she accused, taking a sip of her coffee. Chin laughed. She had been to Ilana's as well that morning apparently. He still sat in his office, staring at the empty chair that once housed the Commander of 5-0. Kono, noticing the look on her cousin's face, left the two partners arguing about how bad malasadas were for health and went to Chin's abode, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"What's wrong cuz?" she asked.

"What makes you think there is anything wrong?" he asked, giving her the raised eyebrow. It didn't work on her. She would still keep prying.

"Trust me cuz. I know you better than anyone else. Something is raging in that brain of yours and I'm not leaving until you dish." she said with a finality that confirmed Chin's prying suspicions.

"Cody Lawson."

Kono paused in her attempt to take a drink. She had a frown on her face.

"Cody Lawson? I haven't heard that name in almost eight years. Why are you suddenly bringing him up?" she asked.

"He's back on the island. I ran into him when I was dropping cousin Haleh off at the airport. He's changed a lot cuz. Not for the better either." Chin said. He leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his desk, his head resting in his hands.

"Why would he come back? I understand that the airport is on the other side of the island than, THAT house, but why?" she asked. Just thinking about the case that her cousin had told her all about when she was younger gave her chills. She didn't know how the once fifteen year old hadn't gone insane after all he had been through. It was amazing.

"I didn't have a chance to ask. He bolted before I could get any location out of him of where he was headed. He wants to be left alone but I'm not so sure that is a good thing." Chin's words were getting quieter, being drawn back into his brain again. He had too many bad scenarios about what Cody was doing back and why. He shuddered to think of a few of them.

There was a knock on the glass door.

"We've got a case!" Steve yelled to them before heading to his office for his gun and badge. Kono reached forward and rested a hand on Chin's arm.

"We'll talk later." she said with a promising tone.

H50

The cab had a distinctly harsh flower smell, the smell of an air freshener trying too hard to do its job. Cody didn't complain though. He had too much on his mind to think about what material things around him were wrong. The sights outside his window were familiar, all too familiar. Nothing seemed to have changed since he had left. This part of the island didn't have as much development as others.

Cody guessed that was why his parents had loved it. It was quiet with a lot of hiking trails and various other places that were serene and beautiful. He could remember running through the woods and making himself little hiding spots to have adventures in.

Sighing deeply, he rested his elbow on the window sill and then rested his chin on his open palm. The sky above had gotten slightly darker, rumbles of thunder threatening to break through. Cody had missed the Hawaiian rain. Whether it was a light rain or a heavy thunderstorm, it was comforting.

He sat up straighter in his seat as the scenery became more and more familiar, the sides of the street opening up to familiar trees and yard ornaments. He recognized them as his mother's. She always liked to have different things in the yard coming up to the house. Made the yard unique, she always said.

"Kid, are you sure you want to do this? Ain't exactly the house with the best history" the cab driver said, his accent hailing all the way from Texas. Cody looked in the rear view mirror at the driver and nodded.

"I'm sure. You can just drop me off up here. I can walk the rest of the way." he said. The driver shrugged and pulled to the side of the drive.

"Suit yourself. I wouldn't want to go any closer to that house." he said, staring up at the house and giving it an unearthly glare.

Cody hopped out of the car and went to the trunk, pulling his bags out. He handed the cabbie some money and watched as he sped off in the opposite direction of the gloomy residence. Once the cab was out of sight, Cody took a deep breath, let it out slowly and closed his eyes. He turned, eyes still closed, and faced the bad memory.

Opening his eyes, his stomach sank as he got his first real view of the nightmare. It was exactly the same as he remembered. He could remember how many steps there were; how many flower pots were left outside the front door; how many tree stumps there were near the back side of the house.

He refused to let the memories jump to the front of his mind. He was here for one reason only and he was determined to keep that as top priority. He swung his backpack over his shoulder and looped both his arms in the straps and grabbed the bag at his feet.

The stairs creaked under his shoes as he cautiously stepped up to the front door. He shakily pulled out his keys and unlocked the front door. There was an eerie groan as he pushed it open.

Sunlight shone through the haze of dust that was left over from years of unuse. A layer of dust covered the floorboards and it billowed about as he dropped his bag. He did his best to keep his eyes off of the staircase, dreading going up there. Instead, he kept his attention on the family room to the left. Furniture was covered with sheets that were slightly grey with age. There were a few couches and chairs, a coffee table, and a few bookshelves. The dust on the ground was undisturbed without even a stray animal's steps. This surprised Cody as he knew there were probably a few holes in the walls that animals could get in through.

But the animals could probably sense the doom of the house too.

Cody placed his bag on a sheet covered end table and pulled one of the sheets off of a couch. Dust flew all around him, giving cause to cough and gag. He unconsciously waved his hand in front of his face to disperse the dust that swarmed him.

The couch was familiar. He could remember doing homework on this couch and watching TV late at night when he couldn't sleep. He let the sheet fall in a pile on the floor and began pulling sheets off of the other furniture. Everything became more and more familiar as material items resurfaced. Magazines that were left open on the table, blankets still unfolded as if having just been thrown off someone's shoulders and were ready to be used again.

His breath hitched in his throat and his whole body paused. On one of the end tables by the cordless phone was a writing tablet. In her neat handwriting was his mother's words 'call Brenda back about school book fair' .

Cody's shoulders slumped and he trudged back to uncovered couch, slumping into it.

"Home sweet home." he muttered.

TBC