Author's Notes:
Thanks to Mari & ilna for being their usual level of amazingly awesome and then some. Each and every day their emails make me laugh, make me think and make me proud to be part of The REAL World.
To Sandy who just gets it and has for well over a decade now.
To all of you who have reviewed my fics, sent PMs, dashed off emails and passed messages through Mari on Twitter I say THANK YOU! Please know your kind words and enthusiastic support are VERY MUCH appreciated. I continue to be blown away by your responses. And also a huge THANK YOU to all the Guest reviewers out there.
Intentions (1/1)
Iolani Palace
Monday
8:55 A.M.
Brandon Ward entered Iolani Palace first thing Monday morning with a broad smile and a confident stride. He nodded to the uniformed guards as he made his way across the spacious lobby to the elevators. While he waited for the next car to arrive he took in the grandeur of the fully-restored structure.
Growing up in and around Boston he'd certainly seen his share of historic buildings but none nearly as opulent or luxurious as this. Hawaii was proving to be the complete opposite in every way of Boston which was precisely what he hoped for when he decided to leave his east coast life behind.
He arrived on Oahu exactly a month ago, straight off a grueling six year stint in the Boston DA's office where he felt stifled professionally at every turn. Urged by his bosses to plea bargain and clear cases when what he really wanted was a chance to litigate. The sheer size of the big city DA's office meant it was nearly impossible for him to stand out and make a name for himself and after six years he felt as though his career hadn't advanced at all.
When the chance to move to Hawaii presented itself via an online job recruitment ad, an ad that promised the opportunity to work in a smaller office and to log actual courtroom time, he decided a change of scenery might be exactly what he needed. The thought of working hard all day trying cases and then settling into the laid back island lifestyle at night sounded perfect to him.
His muscular build, happy-go-lucky attitude and sandy blonde hair seemed built for a life on the beach. He used to joke to his friends that he'd been stolen by gypsies as a young boy and spirited away from the island life to be raised in the snow and ice of the east coast winters.
He'd spent all of his thirty-five years in and around Boston, Massachusetts. Like his father and grandfather before him he attended a prestigious New England prep school and spent summers on the beaches of Cape Cod.
Undergraduate at Boston College then Yale Law School.
He worked two years in the Public Defender's office before being driven out by the low-pay and relentless workload. Then it was on to the DA's office.
His large family, three brothers and two sisters along with their assorted spouses and children still lived within ninety minutes of Boston. As did the woman who until three months ago had been his fiancée.
When his parents retired and announced their intention to travel and his fiancée broke off their three-year engagement claiming he was never going to truly commit to her he decided it was the perfect time to make a big change.
He knew he'd have to sit for the Bar Exam again to get licensed to practice law in the 50th state before he could actually try any cases but he was more than willing to put in the work if it gave him a chance to make a name for himself professionally. He worried he'd have trouble leaving his friends and family, not to mention the only life he'd ever known, behind but at least so far he was pleasantly surprised by the relatively easy transition.
It was his third week of work with the Oahu branch of the Hawaii Prosecuting Attorney's Office. He spent the first two familiarizing himself with Hawaii laws, learning procedures and getting a feel for the courthouse and the people that worked there. Forging good relationships with clerks and staff was a must if he was going to rise through the ranks. He was hoping to pass the Bar and get a chance to litigate as soon as possible. In the meantime he'd been assigned to handle trial prep on the biggest money laundering case to hit Hawaii in a decade.
A case that could have a major impact on his new boss's public image.
In an election year.
'But no pressure,' he smiled to himself as he pushed open to the door to the Five-O suite of offices.
Five-O Headquarters
Monday
9:00 A.M.
Steve and Danny were sitting in Steve's office looking over notes on the Kemp murder investigation which they had closed more than two years before. The case was finally coming to trial after a series of delays including an unsuccessful attempt by the defendant's legal team to have him declared mentally incompetent, and both men were scheduled to be among the first witnesses for the prosecution. They had been warned the defense attorney on the case was tough as nails and would grill them relentlessly over every little detail, looking for any inconsistencies in their stories.
The Prosecuting Attorney asked them to review the information in their files and to come to the PA's office later in the week for a few sessions of trial prep. As much as they both usually hated that sort of thing they were willing to do whatever it took to keep Marcelino Kemp, who tortured and murdered six young women before being caught, off the street.
Steve looked up from the files spread in front of him on the desk and saw an unfamiliar face entering the office.
"Do you know who that is," he asked Danny, indicating the visitor with a nod of his head.
Danny looked up from his seat on the couch. "No idea."
Steve stood, crossed the office and made his way to the bullpen with Danny following close behind. "Hi, can I help you?" he asked.
"Hi, yes, I hope so," the man smiled amiably. "My name is Brandon Ward. I'm with the PA's office. I'm the new guy."
"Steve McGarrett," Steve said. "This is my partner Danny Williams."
"Nice to meet you," Brandon extended his arm and shook both men's hands. "I'm working trial prep on the Bozeman money laundering case and I was told that maybe you could spare someone from your team to help bring me up to speed since you guys were the lead investigators on the case."
"Right that goes to trial soon, doesn't it?" Steve asked.
The Prosecuting Attorney was very good about keeping Five-O apprised of which trials were coming up and who would be needed to testify but Steve was so busy concentrating on the Kemp case Bozeman completely slipped his mind.
Catherine and Chin were on the witness list for that one since they'd done most of the heavy lifting uncovering the proof through banking records that ultimately brought the whole organization down.
"A couple of weeks, yeah," Brandon said. "I need someone who can talk me through the whole investigation beginning to end. I've read the file of course, several times, but my boss thought it might be a good idea to have someone who knows the case work with me on some of the details."
"That makes sense," Steve nodded.
Chin was away with Leilani enjoying a long weekend in Los Angeles and barring an emergency wouldn't be back until the next evening. That left one option. "Catherine Rollins knows that case inside and out. I'm sure she'd be happy to help."
"I'd really appreciate it," Brandon said gratefully. "Is she here?"
"She's out interviewing a witness right now," Steve said, "but I'll have her call you as soon as she gets back."
"Thanks," Brandon smiled. "I don't have any business cards yet. I'm in the process of getting settled and that's still on my To Do. But if she calls the office and asks for Brandon they'll put her through to my assistant and we can set something up."
"I'll have her call as soon as she gets in," Steve promised.
"I'll look forward to hearing from her." Brandon relaxed noticeably now that his request had been granted. "Well, I guess I'll be going."
"Judging by your accent I'd say you're from Boston," Danny smiled. "I'm from Jersey. It's nice to have someone else from back east around the place. It'll give me someone to talk to when I get homesick."
"Can't say I'm gonna miss the snow and cold," Brandon admitted.
"We'll see. There is such a thing as too much sand." Danny shook his head.
"I find that hard to believe," Brandon chuckled.
"Ignore him," Steve said. "Welcome to the island."
"Thanks," Brandon said. "I love it so far."
Old Court House
Prosecuting Attorney's Office—Bullpen
Monday 11:00 A.M.
The bullpen at the PA's office in the Old Court House was a study in controlled chaos. The Prosecuting Attorney himself and several of his senior assistants had offices which could be accessed down a narrow hallway on the far end of the room but the rest of the team including junior assistants, paralegals, secretaries, receptionists and other assorted staff sat at desks in the large bullpen.
Every time Catherine came by she marveled at the ability of the people who worked there to maintain their concentration in the midst of all the noise and apparent confusion.
She stopped to say hello to several staff members she knew before reaching the desk of the man who had been pointed out to her by the receptionist just inside the office door.
"Hi, Brandon?" she asked as she approached a desk which was covered with assorted files and a large unpacked box marked 'desk stuff'.
"Yes, I'm Brandon Ward," he said with a smile firmly in place as he stood to greet her.
"Catherine Rollins. From Five-O. I was told you needed some help with the Bozeman trial prep. I called and your assistant said now would be a good time?"
"Oh yes, nice to meet you," he extended his hand.
"You too," Catherine smiled as she shook the man's hand. He seemed a bit nervous and a little over-eager but she was sure that was just the side effect of a new job.
"Thanks for coming. It's my first assignment with this office and I want to make a good impression," he said. "I appreciate any assistance you can give me."
"I'll be glad to help in any way I can," Catherine assured him.
"They assigned me a small conference room so we can spread out a little," Brandon said as he grabbed a few files off his desk and indicated the door with his hand, "Shall we?"
They crossed the busy bullpen and entered a small, windowless conference room that Catherine was convinced was actually a converted supply closet.
"You weren't kidding when you said small," she said as she looked around.
"I know. I'm sorry about that. It was the only room available."
The table in the middle of the space was covered with numbered evidence boxes and there were two large white boards at the far end of the room with notes made in different colors of marker denoting areas that needed clarified before trial.
"I tried to put everything in chronological order," Brandon said as he approached the table.
As he moved past Catherine his hand brushed her butt and she jumped.
"Oh, geez, I'm so sorry," he said apologetically. "I didn't mean to do that. I wasn't looking where I was going and this room is so small."
Catherine nodded uneasily. She had to admit that the room was almost cartoonishly small and there was barely enough room for two people to maneuver around comfortably. With all the evidence and files piled all around there was barely more than three feet of clearance between the table and the walls.
"Let's just get to work," she said as she moved to the other side of the table.
An hour later, as they made their way through the transaction histories from one of the seven accounts located at three different banks that had been used to launder money from various illegal activities, Catherine leaned across the table to grab a file and felt Brandon's hand brush her breast as he reached in the opposite direction.
It was at least the third time something similar had happened and it was starting to make Catherine edgey.
"Oh geez, I'm sorry. Again," he stammered as he backed up with his hands in front of him. "You must think I'm some kind of weirdo. "
Catherine exhaled deeply.
"I've never been coordinated," he said with an awkward smile. "I spent most of my childhood covered in Band-Aids and Neosporin. I tripped over the dog and knocked out my front teeth when I was ten. I got stuck in a tree and had to be rescued by the fire department when I was twelve. And once I tripped over my shoelace in the middle school cafeteria, hit my head on a table and had to get seven stitches." He pointed to an area near his hairline. "You can still the scar."
Catherine nodded sympathetically.
"It's one of the main reasons my mother didn't want me to move to Hawaii. She's afraid I'll knock myself out with a surfboard and drown."
Catherine couldn't help but smile. This handsome, well-built man standing in front of her seemed so slick and confident but he was still a gangly, awkward teenager at heart.
"I'm just so nervous about doing a good job and this room is so small and there's nowhere to move around. I'm really sorry if I offended you."
Catherine watched as he stammered and apologized and didn't seem able to look her directly in the eyes. "Just try to be more careful, okay."
"I will. I promise. I'm going to sit right over here with my hands on the table in front of me."
They spent another thirty minutes going over the details of the case, without further incident, before Brandon checked his watch. "I'm so sorry but I need to go. I have an appointment to look at a condo this afternoon. I finally found one that allows dogs and I don't want to let it slip away."
"You have a dog?" Catherine asked.
"Yes, a black Lab. His name is Brody." Brandon pulled out his phone and began showing Catherine pictures of the dog wearing a series of holiday hats.
"He's adorable," Catherine said sincerely.
"He's with my brother now but I'm gonna bring him here as soon as I find a permanent place. Do you have a dog?"
"We have a German Shepherd/Bernese mix. Her name is Cammie. She's a rescue." Catherine couldn't help but smile as she pulled out her phone. "I happen to have a few pictures as well."
"She's gorgeous. Maybe once Brody gets here our dogs can have a play date."
Catherine smiled. "Well I don't know about that, our schedule is pretty crazy, but I can certainly help you find the best dog parks on the island."
"Deal," Brandon smiled. "I want to thank you again for your time. Is it okay if I call if I have any more questions?" he asked as he opened the door to the small room and they stepped back out into the busy bullpen.
"Sure," Catherine said. "Just let me know."
Five-O Headquarters
Monday
1:05 P.M.
Catherine stood at the coffee machine with her back to the bullpen. She had a small tension headache after two hours of reviewing evidence with Brandon Ward and she was hoping a cup of tea would help take the edge off. As he she dipped the tea bag into the hot water she took a few deep breaths and tried to relax.
Her mind was a million miles away so she didn't hear Kono approach from behind. When her teammate reached over her shoulder for a napkin Catherine let out a startled squeal and splashed her tea over the sides of the cup.
"You ok?" Kono asked. "I didn't mean to scare you. I thought you heard me coming."
"I'm fine," Catherine assured her. "It was just a weird morning."
"Everything ok? You were doing evidence review on the Bozeman case, right?"
"Yeah," Catherine sighed as she grabbed a napkin and wiped up the spilled tea.
"How's the new guy?" Kono asked interestedly.
"He's alright I guess," Catherine answered. "He's really nervous and kind of awkward."
"I'm gonna miss Patty," Kono offered.
Patty Palila was a fixture at the Prosecuting Attorney's office until she retired the previous month and made plans to move to the mainland to spend more time with her grandchildren.
"Me too," Catherine agreed. "But I guess we're gonna have to get used to Brandon Ward now."
"You say he's the nervous type?" Kono rolled her eyes.
"It's hard to tell. I don't want to give you the wrong impression. He's just really focused on doing a good job with his first assignment. Plus by his own admission he's a bit awkward."
Kono smiled at the way Catherine always tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
"On top of that he's still trying to get settled in on the island," Catherine added. "In fact he told me he's looking at a condo this afternoon. He's been living at the Best Western for a month."
"I'm sure that's getting old," Kono grimaced. "Maybe once he gets his own place he'll settle down some. Danny said he's from back east?"
"Boston."
"That's a big change for anyone," Kono chuckled. "You should have seen Danny his first few months here."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," Catherine sighed.
"Hey," Kono looked at her friend with concern. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
"No," Catherine smiled. "Everything's fine."
The last thing she wanted to do was create a pre-conceived notion in Kono's head about Brandon Ward. After all, there was certainly no law against being nervous and awkward. She'd give him a little more time and in a few months they'd probably look back on this morning and laugh.
Five-O Headquarters
Wednesday
10:00 A.M.
The entire team was gathered around the smart table reviewing evidence on a new case that had just come in when Brandon Ward entered carrying a thick manila folder in his left hand. After introducing him to Chin and Kono Steve asked if there was anything they could help him with.
"Actually," Brandon said somewhat apologetically. "I was hoping I could borrow Catherine for an hour or so. I have to re-interview Mr. Analu, the manager at First Hawaiian Bank, and it would sure help to have someone along who understands the case a little better than I do."
"Well, we just caught a new case of our own," Steve said.
"I'm really sorry to get in the way of that," Brandon hesitated. "I guess I could interview him myself." He opened the folder in his hand and looked at the papers helplessly. "Would there be any way you could help me prepare a list of questions to ask," he turned to Catherine. "Financial crimes are not my specialty and I'm trying to learn on the fly."
Steve looked at Catherine and tilted his head as they appeared to be having one of their usual non-verbal discussions. Finally Catherine nodded her agreement.
"I guess we can spare her for an hour," Steve said.
"Thanks." Brandon breathed a sigh of relief. "This case is really important to my boss."
"It's important to all of us," Catherine pointed out. "We worked too hard to let it all fall apart now."
Brandon nodded. "Of course. But now I have to impose even further and ask if we could possibly take your car. Someone backed into my rental at the gas station last night so it's in the shop."
Catherine smiled indulgently. "Let me grab my keys."
As she made her way back from her office she watched Brandon chatting amiably with the rest of the team. Maybe he just needed to make some new friends. That might make him feel more comfortable and allow him to settle down.
"Ready to go?" she asked as she approached the group.
"I am." Brandon turned to Steve. "No more than an hour. I promise."
Iolani Palace
Parking Lot
Wednesday 10:15 A.M.
"Wow, nice car," Brandon whistled appreciatively as they approached Catherine's Corvette parked in the lot.
"Thanks," she smiled.
"I would never have pegged you as a muscle car type of girl."
Catherine bristled slightly. "What exactly is a muscle car type of girl?"
Brandon just smiled at her over the roof of the as she unlocked her door then leaned across and unlocked his. After putting on his seat belt and settling in Brandon opened the file and began to spread the research out as much as possible. Every time he laid a paper on the center console his hand brushed Catherine's arm.
When she pulled onto the highway Brandon grabbed for some of the papers as they began to fall and his hand came to rest on Catherine's thigh.
She sighed heavily and slapped it away.
"Sorry," he said with a hint of disdain in his voice. "I was just trying to keep the papers from going everywhere."
"There's always an excuse with you," Catherine ground out as she tried to keep her temper at bay. "But the touching is inappropriate and you have to be more careful."
"It must be a real burden to be so beautiful," Brandon spit out sarcastically.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Catherine asked indignantly as she turned to face him.
"I'm just saying," Brandon gathered up all the papers and returned them to the folder on his lap. "Someone that looks like you must get hit on all the time. And I'm sure that gets tiring. But I think it also makes you start to believe that every man is looking to score with you. Even when that isn't the case."
Catherine was taken aback by his words.
To be honest they stung a bit.
"That's not it at all," she said defensively. " I don't think every man is hitting on me."
"My ex-fiancée was the exact same way," Brandon continued. "All a guy had to do was look at her for a few seconds and she would point him out to me and tell me how much he wanted her. Then she'd start asking him what he was looking at and the poor guy would just be sitting there wondering what was wrong with the crazy girl and I'd have to step in and try to smooth things over."
Catherine took a deep breath.
'This poor guy really does have a lot of baggage,' she thought to herself.
"I'm sorry about your fiancée, Brandon … " Catherine started.
"Ex-fiancée," he huffed.
"OK, ex-fiancée. I just don't appreciate being touched … "
"I know that," Brandon cut her off. "And I apologize. I'm very sorry. Clearly I'm just really bad in small spaces."
He crossed his arms and stared out the windshield.
Catherine looked at him and saw what appeared to be genuine regret and hurt on his face.
"No, Brandon, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. And I understand things happen but please, just try to be a more little more respectful of personal space."
"I will be," Brandon turned to her with an apologetic smile. "I promise. I really appreciate you helping me and I'd never want to do anything to upset you."
"Let's just get this interview taken care of," Catherine sighed as they approached the bank. "Then we can both get back to work.
Five-O Headquarters
Wednesday
1:00 P.M.
The interview took twice as long as expected and by the time Catherine returned to headquarters her tension headache was back with a vengeance. She popped her head into Danny's office. "Hey, do you know where Steve is?"
"He's over at HPD. The FBI picked up Kawika Hookano on the big island and they're bringing him over for questioning. They wanted Steve there because he's dealt with Hookano's associates in the past and knows the organization better than anyone. It might take a while. He said he was gonna leave you a message.""
Catherine looked at her phone and saw three missed calls from Steve. "He did. I just didn't check my messages. Thanks, Danny."
Danny took note of the unsettled look on Catherine's face.
"Is it anything I can help you with?" he asked with genuine concern.
Catherine thought for a minute then entered his office and sat down in one of the visitors' chairs in front of his desk. He closed the file he was reading and waited for her to speak. He could tell she wanted to get something off her chest.
"Do you think I'm overly sensitive?" she asked finally. "When it comes to men I mean."
"What?" Danny laughed incredulously.
"I'm serious," Catherine said.
"No, I most definitely don't think … I mean what … where is this even coming from?"
Danny looked at her downcast eyes, and her hands wringing in her lap, and saw she was serious.
"What's this about, Cath?"
He moved around and leaned on the desk directly in front of her.
"I'm just asking. Do you think I assume men are coming on to me when they're really just being nice?"
"That's never been my experience with you. No," Danny said sincerely. "Where is this coming from?"
"Just something someone said this afternoon," Catherine sighed.
"Who?" Danny asked.
"It doesn't matter," Catherine smiled, finally meeting his eyes. "It just … well it caught me off guard. I just wondered if that's what people think."
"Absolutely no one who knows you thinks that, Cath. I promise." Danny reached out and squeezed her shoulder.
"Thanks," she smiled softly.
"Is everything ok?" he asked.
"It's fine," Catherine assured him.
"You'll let me know if it's not, right?"
"Absolutely," Catherine smiled.
"And whatever it is talk to Steve about it tonight, ok?"
"I will," Catherine said as she stood and headed for the door. "Thanks, Danny."
"Anytime."
He watched her go and made a mental note to check with Steve tomorrow and make sure everything was ok.
Five-O Headquarters
Thursday
4:20 P.M.
The day had been ridiculously busy and Catherine still hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Steve about Brandon Ward. By the time he got home from HPD it was almost 2:00 A.M. and he was exhausted. Then they were back up at 6:00 A.M. so he could make a breakfast meeting with the Governor. They'd seen each other a few times during the day but it was usually when one was on their way in and the other on their way out. Now Steve and Danny were interviewing a witness in their latest case and then had an appointment for trial prep with the Prosecuting Attorney Frank Kaewa.
Catherine was sitting at her desk researching suspects on her computer when her phone buzzed. She sighed when she saw Brandon Ward's name on the caller ID. She was still stinging slightly from his insinuation that she saw come-ons where there were none. She had never been that kind of girl and it bothered her that he saw her that way.
"Hi, Brandon," she answered. "What can I do for you?"
"I have one last set of questions," he said, no trace in his voice of the previous days awkwardness. "It shouldn't take long. I was hoping you could stop over at the courthouse."
Catherine hesitated. "I'm a little swamped here, Brandon. We have a new case and I have a lot to do. But I'll be in the office late tonight so if you want to stop over here and I'll be glad to help."
"Sounds good," Brandon said happily. "I'll be over as soon as I can."
Old Court House
Prosecuting Attorney's Office—Bullpen
Thursday 5:00 P.M.
Danny and Steve waited patiently in the PA's outer office. Frank Kaewa wasn't normally the kind of guy who kept them waiting. He appreciated how busy their schedule was, and always tried to be as accommodating as possible, so both men knew whatever came up must have been unanticipated and unavoidable.
After ten minutes Frank's office door opened and an upset looking paralegal named Gloria Kai who Steve and Danny both recognized from having worked with her on previous occasions emerged. Her hands were trembling and her red eyes made it clear she'd been crying very recently.
"Are you ok getting home," Frank asked her in a kind, fatherly voice. "Do you want me to have one of the court officers escort you?"
"No, I'll be okay," she said appreciatively.
"You take tomorrow off, with pay of course, and I'll see you on Monday once I've had a chance to get a handle on things," Frank said.
"Thank you, Sir." She managed a small smile. "I'll see you on Monday."
She gave Steve and Danny a shaky smile as she brushed past them and headed straight for the ladies room.
"Steve, Danny, thanks for coming by," Frank said, turning his attention to the Five-O team members. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
He waved them into the office.
"No problem" Danny said as stepped in, "Everything ok?"
"Just an internal matter," Frank said, then suddenly remembered something.
"Wait. Brandon Ward has been working with Catherine on case prep for the Bozeman case, hasn't he?"
"Yeah," Steve said. "Why?"
"You both know Gloria right," Frank pointed toward the door indicating the young paralegal who just left.
Danny and Steve nodded.
"She says Ward made an unwelcome pass at her the other day. She told him no and he backed off. She was willing to let it go because he was very apologetic and said he hadn't really meant anything by it. He claimed he was just trying to be nice to her because he heard she'd lost her boyfriend recently and that she must have misinterpreted his intentions. But then it happened again this morning."
"That's odd," Danny said, thinking back to his conversation with Catherine the previous day.
"What?" Steve asked.
"Catherine asked me yesterday if I thought she was the kind of girl who imagined men were coming on to her when they were really just trying to be nice."
"What?" Steve asked. "Where would she get that idea?"
"I thought it was odd too," Danny said. "I asked her and she kind of waved me off. But now that I think about it she'd just come back from interviewing that bank manager with Ward."
"Are you telling me he's the one that told her that?" Steve asked angrily.
"I don't know," Danny shook his head. "She told me she was ok and she was gonna talk to you about it last night."
"The Hookano interrogation went late. By the time I got home is was 2:00 A.M. and I was exhausted," Steve said. "Catherine was already in bed. Then we were up and out at 6:00."
"If she had any issues at all with Ward I'd like to know." Frank Kaewa pressed the intercom button on his desk and spoke to his assistant. "Candy, find out where Brandon Ward is right now and tell him I'd like to talk to him."
A few seconds later the intercom buzzed again. "According to his online schedule notes he's over at Five-O working on case prep."
Steve and Danny looked at each other.
"Can we postpone this?" Steve asked Frank.
"No problem," Frank nodded. "If we can't find time tomorrow we'll meet early Monday morning before court."
"Sounds good," Steve and Danny said as they headed for the office door.
The Prosecuting Attorney followed them to the doorway.
"Please send Ward back over here," he called to their retreating forms. "Preferably in one piece."
Five-O Headquarters
Thursday
5:00 P.M.
"I thought maybe you forgot I was coming," Brandon said as he pushed open Catherine's office door. "The place looked deserted when I came in."
Catherine looked up. "We're working a new case plus Danny and Steve are getting ready to testify so everyone is in and out."
"Well I appreciate you taking the time to help me clear up these last few details," Brandon said.
He took a seat in the visitors' chair across the desk from Catherine and she breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled a folder out of his briefcase and handed it to her. "I just need you to take a look at these figures because they just don't look like they add up to me."
Catherine scanned the numbers in the folder. It was the same information they'd reviewed with the bank manager the day before.
"As I said yesterday when we met with Mr. Analu, this set of numbers represents the money that was deposited as clean into the legitimate accounts after the processors took their cut. Do you have the information on the processor's accounts? They were the ones at American Savings Bank."
"Yeah, right here," Brandon pulled another file from his briefcase and handed it to Catherine.
"If you match up these deposits you'll see that together they equal the exact amount of the disputed transactions."
"Maybe my math is off," Brandon said as he pulled out a piece of paper with notes scribbled on it, "but when I compared the numbers they didn't add up."
Catherine stood and moved around the desk. She spread the folder out in front Brandon and began pointing out the figures.
As she did Brandon stood up, moved behind her, grabbed her hips and pressed against her intimately.
"What are you doing?" Catherine yelled as she pulled away and turned to face him.
He was looking at her with a knowing smile.
"Oh come on, Catherine. You can stop being coy with me."
"I am not being coy," she said angrily. "And if you ever touch me like that again you'll regret it."
"You're spunky. I like that." Brandon advanced on her.
"You need to leave right now." Catherine held her hands up in front of her.
"Oh, come on. I've been picking up your signals."
"There were no signals." Catherine said adamantly. "In fact I've been very clear with you right from the start that all your touching was inappropriate."
"And yet you invited me here," Brandon said in a sing-song voice.
"Because you said you had trial questions," Catherine replied sternly.
"That was just an excuse and you know it. We're ready for trial."
"You need to leave," Catherine insisted.
"I get it. You like to play hard to get. I know all about your boyfriend. I got warned right away by all the guys in the office to be careful. So you have to put up a little fight to make it look good?"
Brandon reached out and grabbed Catherine's arm roughly.
"Let go of my arm right now." Catherine's voice was dead calm.
"Or what?" Brandon took a step towards her.
In only took a second for Catherine free arm to move forward and for her palm to connect with Brandon's nose.
His hands flew to his face and he reeled backwards as blood spurted everywhere.
"You bitch!"
He lunged forward, caught Catherine around the waist and pushed her roughly up against the shelves in her office, grabbing her left arm and trapping it behind her. When she started to scream he placed his hand over her mouth and pressed until Catherine could taste blood on her lip.
Her mind went into protection mode and her training took over.
She kneed Brandon in the groin, stomped hard on his instep and directed a hard blow at his throat. When he didn't retreat she landed another swift blow to his right collarbone to get him to release her arm.
He took two steps backward and looked at her with fury in his eyes. Catherine prepared for him to make another run but suddenly he turned and bolted from the office.
Old Court House-Iolani Palace
Thursday
5:15 P.M.
Danny and Steve exited the front door of the Old Court House and headed the short distance across the street to Iolani Palace at a jog. When they were about fifty yards from the front door of the palace they saw Brandon Ward emerge.
The front of his shirt was covered with blood.
"Hey," Steve yelled to him.
Brandon looked up and saw them then darted off across the parking lot.
Steve and Danny headed for the front door of the palace on a dead run. They crossed the lobby and took the steps three at a time.
"Catherine," Steve screamed as they entered the Five-O offices. "Catherine."
"I'm here," she said as she came down the hall from her office.
"What the hell happened," Steve said, his jaw tight, as he moved immediately to her side.
Catherine looked down at her shirt. "It's not my blood."
"We saw Ward run out of here," Danny said as he watched Steve check Catherine for injuries. "I assume it's his?"
"Yeah," Catherine said as Steve finished his assessment and, satisfied she had no serious injuries, pulled her into a tight hug. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah," she said into his chest.
"Are you sure, Hon?" Danny asked.
"Yeah. I'm just … angry."
"I'm gonna call Frank Kaewa and let him know what's happening." Danny pulled out his phone and took a few steps away.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Steve asked, his head buried in her hair.
"I'm sure," she said.
He pulled back. "Let me take a look at your hand." As he lifted her arm he noticed a perfect set of finger sized bruises starting to rise on her skin and his blood boiled.
Catherine met his eyes. "It's fine. I took care of it."
"Catherine … " Steve said.
"I took care of it, Steve." She placed her hand on his forearm to calm him down.
"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about last night?" he asked softly.
She nodded.
"I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance," he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.
"It wasn't your fault," she said softly.
"They have the sheriff's deputies out looking for him," Danny said as he disconnected the call. "And they're putting a guard on Gloria Kai just in case."
"What happened to Gloria," Catherine asked with alarm.
"The reason we headed back over here looking for Ward was because Gloria went to Frank and told him she's been getting harassed by the guy."
"Gloria's boyfriend was killed in action three months ago," Catherine said angrily. "And that jerk was hitting on her?"
"Apparently," Danny said.
"Then I'm glad I broke his nose," Catherine said heatedly.
Steve smiled.
"And probably his collar bone," Catherine added.
Danny shook his head.
"Come on," Steve said as he dropped an arm around her shoulders. "Let's get you some ice."
McGarrett/Rollins Household
Thursday
11:30 P.M.
Catherine emerged from the bathroom just as Steve was finishing up a phone call. He was already in bed and he smiled at her as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and crawled in beside him.
"Yeah, thanks. I'll tell her." Steve disconnected the call and placed his phone on the table on his side of the bed.
"That was Frank Kaewa. He wanted you to know he's suspended Brandon Ward pending an investigation."
"That's good," Catherine said.
"He has to do everything by the book in terms of terminating the guy but he doesn't expect him to ever work another day in his office."
"I hope not," Catherine yawned. "Did he say how Gloria is?"
"He said she was a lot better once she saw a picture of Ward covered in blood."
Catherine smiled and snuggled up to Steve's side.
"Are you sure you don't want to pursue assault charges?" He'd already asked her the question several times but he felt like he had to ask once more just to be sure.
"It's my word against his. And I hit him first," Catherine explained again. "At best it was mutual combat. The charges would never stick. You know that."
"Yeah probably," Steve agreed. As much as he hated it he knew she was right. Especially considering Ward's injuries were the more serious of the two of them.
"I will, however, be calling the Bar Association first thing in the morning and filing a complaint. Not only here in Hawaii but back in Massachusetts as well. And in every other state for that matter. He should never practice law again."
"That's my girl," Steve said. He kissed her on the temple then continued. "Danny thinks he and I should go have a little talk with Ward."
"Steve," Cath said warningly. "That's not necessary. I handled it."
"I know you did," he said.
"But I appreciate the sentiment," Catherine dropped a line of kisses along his jaw.
"I'm sorry I wasn't around for you to talk to about this." He leaned his head back to give her better access.
"That's ok," she purred. "You're here now."
"Always," he said as he eased them both down and rolled on top of her. "Always."
THE END
This story was inspired by a study I read recently detailing why many smart, strong, successful women don't report sexual harassment that comes from men of equal or lesser professional standing than themselves because they are made to feel as though, since there is no power imbalance at play, they may simply be over-reacting to normal flirting or, worse yet, misinterpreting words or actions as flirting for reasons of their own inflated ego. Otherwise known as the 'Wow You Have A High Opinion of Yourself' ruse.
Never let anyone decide for you whether or not your feelings are valid. Don't give away that power. If you feel that you are being sexually harassed—contact the Human Resources Department at your company or, if you're in the US the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. If you're outside the US please seek advice from a legal authority in your area.