So here we are-the 3rd Annual REAL World Holiday Marathon. I can't believe this is our third one. Time sure flies when you're having fun!
This year we're going to do something different. No visiting family for Christmas though they'll all be making their way to the island next year when the baby arrives so no worries. This year we're intertwining a bit of a mini-monster case fic (though it keeps growing as my monsters are wont to do so it may not stay mini for long LOL) with the holiday celebrations on the island.
We hope you enjoy it.
Thanks as always to Mari & Ilna for being the bestest, to Sandy who has been making fandom fun for over a decade, and to the REAL Worlders-you guys are awesome!
At Risk-part 1 of the 3rd Annual REAL World Holiday Marathon.
"Hi, guys. Thanks for coming in so early." Catherine smiled appreciatively as a chipper Chin and a bleary-eyed Kono entered the conference room at Five-0 headquarters. Steve and Danny were already seated, bickering quietly about whose turn it was to bring breakfast.
"I'm just saying … when we get called in before 6:00 A.M. it's traditional for donuts to be provided," Danny grumbled.
"I agree." Steve crossed his arms. "I'm just saying it was your turn to bring them."
"Funny how you always seem tothink it's my turn," Danny huffed.
Kono shook her head then spotted a cardboard drink carrier with two unclaimed cups of coffee sitting on the table. "Is one of these for me?"
"A little something to make up for getting you out of bed at 5:00 A.M. I would have grabbed some donuts too if I realized these two were gonna drop the ball," Catherine teased as she pointed at Steve and Danny.
"I didn't mind the early call." Chin waved her off. "I was up anyway."
"I wasn't." Kono yawned. "In fact, I can't remember the last time I voluntarily got up at 5:00 A.M. So, for future reference, feel free to bribe me with caffeine any time something like this happens."
"Next time I'll be sure to remind Danny it's his turn to bring donuts," Steve smirked before turning his full attention to Catherine. "What do you have for us?"
Catherine pulled a manila folder from her leather tote and opened it on the table in front of her. She handed each team member a sheet of paper that listed the few sparse details she had about the case.
"A new supervisor at Children's Welfare Services called the governor's office late last night looking for some guidance on how to handle what might turn out to be a very delicate situation. Her boss is out of the office for the holidays and she wanted a second opinion."
"Delicate how?" Danny asked.
"Yesterday afternoon there was an anonymous call placed to the CWS tip line claiming two minor children were being abused and neglected. She followed department procedure and performed a records check. As it turns out it wasn't the first report they'd gotten concerning the same two children."
Steve's jaw tightened. "So wait … if there were other reports how come nothing had been done?"
"All the previous instances were written off as unfounded by her boss. He even went as far as to put a note in the file claiming the family is the target of regular false reports. Thing is, she believed the caller's information sounded credible so she sent an investigative team to the home anyway. When they knocked on the door they were told the family was gone on vacation and wouldn't be back until the first of the year."
Kono took a long sip of coffee. "Something tells me if that was the end of it we wouldn't all be sitting here."
Catherine nodded. "A few hours later the caller reached out to the tip line again. She stands by her original accusations and disputes that the family was planning to leave town. This time she revealed more details about her own relationship to the situation. She's a twenty-two year old woman. Her name is Carmen Clifton. She was hired a little over a week ago as a housekeeper for a family in Black Point. Roger and Meg Vanover."
"Ah." Danny leaned back in his chair. "Now I see where 'delicate' comes in."
"As I'm sure you all know, Roger Vanover is CEO of Vanover Investments and sits on the board of at least a dozen other prominent companies. He's one of the wealthiest men on the island. Meg Vanover is a fixture in society circles and has been honored multiple times for her charity work. They're extremely well connected." Catherine exhaled deeply. "And aside from that they were the largest contributors to Governor Denning's opponent's campaign in the last election."
"So he's afraid if he gets involved it will look like political retribution?" Steve guessed.
Catherine tapped the end of her nose with her forefinger. "He only has ten days left in office and he doesn't want to muddle things up. Considering the circumstances, he decided it would be better if Lea handled this."
Kono rolled her eyes. "Better or easier?"
In her short time working in politics, Catherine had been forced to get used to the idea that nothing happens in a vacuum. Every action and every decision has political consequences. Step on toes while pursuing a solution to one issue and it could have repercussions down the line. Political capital can never be expended without considering the consequences. Even something as serious as the health and welfare of a child, which would seem to be a no-brainer, could cause intra-departmental squabbles that could bog things down. And getting on the wrong side of the island's rich and powerful held its own potential political dangers.
She never would have taken the job as chief of staff, in fact never even would have considered it, if she wasn't absolutely convinced Lea Kekoa is the antithesis of an old-school politician. 100% committed to putting people ahead of political expediency in all situations.
When Lea got the call late the previous night that the governor was handing the case off to her she didn't hesitate for a second to get involved.
"Lea isn't worried about political backlash?" Chin asked.
Catherine's back straightened. "No, she isn't." Her tone was clipped. "She's not naive. She understands politics is a game of compromises. But she'll never compromise when it comes to the health and welfare of Hawaiians, especially children. Political consequences be damned."
Chin held his hands up in front of him. "Whoa. I wasn't insinuating anything different. I'm actually pleasantly surprised to hear it. It's just … you have to admit that's not standard operating procedure for government officials."
Catherine smiled apologetically. She still found herself a bit sensitive to the idea that Lea, and by extension she, would operate out of political motivations. "It might not have been in the past," she acknowledged, "but it will be in Lea's administration."
Steve was pleased to see Catherine so staunch in her defense of her new boss. He knew from experience that a determined Catherine was a force to be reckoned with and now that she had the feel of her new position and was fully engaged in the battle he was confident the two women would be able to accomplish much of their ambitious agenda.
Kono finished her coffee and eyed Chin's untouched cup. "What was in the complaint?"
"According to Miss Clifton, the children have lavishly furnished bedrooms on the upper floor of the house but they don't sleep in them. Instead they're confined to a small room in the basement with no windows and just mattresses on the floor."
"Sounds Dickensian," Danny growled.
There were few things that got under his skin as quickly as someone mistreating a child.
Catherine's eyes flashed with anger. "She also claims the children are only being fed once a day and have very little human contact. They're supposedly being homeschooled but she claims that isn't happening. The teacher does show up every day but she never goes to the basement or sees the children at all. Instead she spends all day running errands for Mrs. Vanover."
Kono shook her head. "The no school thing may be every kid's dream but it's definitely against the law."
Steve glanced around the room at the rest of the team then looked at Catherine. "Listen, if even half of this is true I'll gladly string the parents up myself. But in fairness to them what do we know about this girl who made the report? She's only been working there a week. She doesn't live-in. Is it possible she's getting some of this wrong?"
"The family could legitimately be traveling for the holidays," Chin suggested.
"It's possible," Catherine replied doubtfully. "Except the Jingle Bell Ball, which is the single largest fundraising event on the island every year, organized and chaired by Meg Vanover, is Friday night. It's the social event of the season. She and her husband attend every year. It's almost inconceivable they decided to take a last minute trip and miss it."
"That does sound unlikely," Steve agreed.
"Plus, I already made a call to the airport. The Vanover's private jet has been on the mainland for the last week undergoing some mechanical work. And there's no record of them leaving on a commercial flight."
"You called the airlines? Are you trying to do our job for us?" Steve raised an eyebrow.
Catherine grinned sheepishly. "I had some time while I was waiting for you guys to get here."
"Ok ... so we're pretty sure they're still on the island. And that the kids are with them. What's our objective?" Danny asked.
"Right now, it's just to locate the children so CWS can do a welfare check," Catherine responded. "Carmen Clifton is at HPD as we speak ready to be of any help she can. You're gonna be fighting an uphill battle when it comes to search warrants or any kind of financial or phone records so you may need to get creative."
Steve rubbed his alms together. "Good thing creative is our specialty."
"Oh geez," Danny sighed.
Kono stood up and tossed her empty cup in the trash. "I'll talk to everyone associated with the Jingle Bell Ball and see if they've heard from Mrs. Vanover."
"I'll take Mr. Vanover's company." Chin followed suit. "Maybe his employees have some idea where he is."
"Danny and I will head over to HPD to talk to Carmen Clifton," Steve said.
"Thanks." Catherine stood to go. "Keep me informed and let me know if there's anything Lea or I can do to grease the wheels."
"Will do." Steve gave her a quick kiss before heading for the door.
Steve and Danny walked down the hall with Duke towards a small conference room at HPD.
"I thought it might be better to talk to her in here than one of the interrogation rooms," Duke explained then opened the door to reveal an extremely nervous looking young lady sitting at the room's small table.
She didn't look much older than a teenager. Her dark hair was cut in a shoulder length bob and her large brown eyes darted nervously around the room. On her wrist was a small tattoo of a rose. Her hands were in her lap and she picked nervously at her cuticles. She looked up when the door open with an expression that reflected half fear and half relief.
On the table in front of her was an unopened can of Pepsi and a small bag of Cheetos.
Steve and Danny took seats at the table while Duke excused himself to check on any progress finding the Vanovers.
"Miss Clifton." Steve smiled reassuringly. "My name is Steve McGarrett. This is my partner Danny Williams. We understand you lodged a child abuse complaint yesterday against Roger and Meg Vanover."
"They said I didn't have to leave my name so the first time I called I didn't." Carmen reached out and absent-mindedly wiped a few drips of condensation off the can in front of her. "But then last night the house manager called me and wanted to know if I called CWS. So I knew they must have been there." She began to tap her fingers on the table. "I lied and told him I didn't know anything about it. He said I should take a few days off because the Vanovers were out of town and that I should report back the day after Christmas. I knew something wasn't right so I called CWS back and left my name this time."
Carmen took a deep breath and her eyes flashed with feistiness. She knew the Vanovers were important people but she wasn't willing to back down.
Steve assumed a relaxed posture in an effort to put the young woman at ease. "Before we talk about what you saw, tell us how you came to work for the Vanovers."
"I came to Hawaii six months ago. A girl I know had a cousin in the Navy who was getting deployed and was willing to sublet us her apartment. We couldn't afford it on our own but we found two other girls who wanted to come along and we decided to go for it."
"And how's that working out?" Danny asked.
Carmen looked at the two men in front of her. Her experience with the police in the past had made her suspicious of their objectivity but this time she saw absolutely no judgement or suspicion. Just an interest in hearing what she had to say.
"Really good. I mean the apartment isn't that big and when all four of us are there it's a little tight but we all get along and we spend a lot of time at the beach when we're not at work so … it's really not bad at all."
Danny smiled encouragingly.
"So anyway, a few days after I got here I found a job as a housekeeper at Hilton Hawaiian Village. It wasn't great but it paid the bills and left me plenty of free time. I worked there until a couple of weeks ago. That's when I met Mrs. Vanover. She was at the hotel for some kind of fancy luncheon and she misplaced her phone. I had just clocked out and was walking down the hall on my way to the back door when I saw some of the people I knew from the wait staff running around with kinda panicked looks on their faces. They told me some very important lady had lost her phone and their boss ordered them to find it and … I don't know ... I decided to help them look. I found it under a pile of napkins ready to be sent to laundry. Mrs. Vanover was so grateful she told me I should come by her house and apply for a job. At first I wasn't gonna but then some of the other housekeepers said a job in a private home is much better pay-wise so I figured what the hell."
Carmen, suddenly thirsty, tried to work the pull tab on her can of Pepsi but her slightly shaking hands made it difficult. Danny reached out and opened the can for her with a soft smile.
"So, Mrs. Vanover hired you as a housekeeper," he prompted her to continue.
"Not exactly." Carmen took several large sips and the cool liquid seemed to relax her just a bit. "I showed up at the house and asked to talk to the person in charge of hiring staff just like she told me to. His name is Mike Keaweamahi but everyone calls him Mr. K. When I told him my story he said Mrs. Vanover hadn't mentioned anything to him about it. At first I thought he was gonna send me away but then he said Mrs. Vanover does stuff like that all the time … tells people to come to the house for jobs and then forgets to mention it. He offered me a position as a day maid and I took it. I gave my notice at the Hilton that same day."
Steve's initial impression of Carmen was that she seemed very credible. "So what happened once you started working there?"
"My first day I was assigned to clean the bathrooms. The house has ten of them and even though most never get used they still get cleaned regularly and all the towels get changed. That's how I found out about the downstairs room. I went to the basement to drop the towels off in the laundry room and noticed a padlocked door. I heard some muffled noise coming from the other side so when I went back upstairs I mentioned it to Mr. K. I thought there might be some kind of animal trapped in there or something. He told me that was the kids' playroom and I should stay away from it and ignore any noises I heard. I said ok but that night when I was at home I started thinking about it and those noises didn't sound like kids playing. I didn't know what to do about it though since it was just my first day and I wasn't sure exactly what was going on."
Danny snagged a Cheeto from her bag and popped it in his mouth making her smile and relax even further. "What happened next?"
"For the next couple days it was pretty much the same thing. Every time I took laundry downstairs I heard noises. I asked one of the other housekeepers about it but she just looked scared and walked away. Then yesterday right before lunch I was coming up from the basement and Mrs. Vanover was in the kitchen talking to Mr. K. and another man I've seen a few times since I started working there. I think his name is Alonzo but I'm not positive. Anyway, they were kind of arguing and I heard Mrs. Vanover say that she and her husband had been very clear about the feeding instructions."
Carmen's gaze went to the table and her hands returned to her lap as her foot began to tap nervously.
"Look, I know this is difficult." Steve's voice was soft and reassuring. "Just take your time."
Carmen looked up and her eyes flashed with anger and regret.
"I thought they were talking about the horses. I mean … feeding instructions had to be about animals, right? Then I heard Alfonso say something like 'they keep asking for more' and I knew it couldn't be the horses and Mrs. Vanover said no because she's doing a magazine interview in January and they'll want pictures of the kids and she wants them to be extra thin in case the camera puts on weight."
Carmen's voice rose slightly.
"That's what she said. Can you believe it? I should have done something right then and there but … I didn't know what. Later that afternoon I asked Mr. K about it again and he told me if I knew what was good for me, and wanted to keep my job, I'd forget what I heard. That's probably why he called me at home last night. He must have figured I was the one who contacted CWS. Anyway … I was trying to figure out what to do next when I saw a woman I didn't recognize heading to the basement with some kids clothes on hangers. She said she needed the kids for a picture in the barn. Something for the company Facebook page I think she said."
"Did you get a chance to see them?" Danny asked as he took his phone from his pocket and pulled up the Vanover Investment Fund page. The first thing he saw was a picture of the children, mostly obscured behind a horse wearing a festive holiday lei, only their faces visible. Forced smiles firmly in place.
He showed the picture to Steve.
"By the time I finished for the day and made it back to the basement the kids were already outside. The padlock was back on the room but I just had to see for myself what was behind the door. So …" Carmen hesitated then took a deep breath and plowed on. "I picked the lock. Look … I'm no angel. I'll admit I had a few scrapes with the law back in California. But that's all behind me now. I just had to make sure those kids were ok. I so mad at myself for not calling that first day."
Danny nodded. "It's fine. Just tell us what was behind the door."
"I wish I'd had my phone so I could have taken pictures but they make us leave them in a basket every day when we clock in," Carmen spat out angrily. "The room was dark and damp. No windows. Just a couple of bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling. There were two mattresses on the floor. Neither one had a sheet. The smell was terrible. There was a bucket in the corner the kids must have been using as a bathroom. I heard someone upstairs so I got out, put the padlock back, then as soon as I clocked out I called CWS right away."
"You did the right thing," Steve assured her as Danny nodded in agreement. "We're gonna find the kids and make sure they're ok."
Carmen looked at both men with pleading eyes. "I sure hope so. No kid deserves to live like that."
After arranging for an officer to take Carmen back to her apartment and assuring her they'd keep her updated on the case Steve and Danny stepped into the hallway.
Danny was the first to speak. His voice held an angry edge. "I believe every word she said."
"I do, too," Steve agreed, his jaw tight. "We have to find these people as soon as possible."
As they headed down the hall Duke approached from the opposite direction. "Gwen Rinaldi is here," he reported. "She's Meg Vanover's sister. I put her in room one."
"Perfect. Hopefully she can shed some light on what's going on," Steve replied. "Meanwhile, Duke, could you get everything you have on a Mike Keaweamahi and get him in here for an interview, please?"
"Will do."
Ten feet down the hall they reached the door to Interrogation Room One and Steve and Danny entered. The woman they found sitting at the table waiting for them was not what either expected to see.
Gwen Rinaldi wore a t-shirt and jeans, her hair pulled back in a casual ponytail. She had a slight sunburn on her cheeks and was wearing well-worn boots. She bore a striking facial resemblance to the pictures of Meg Vanover they'd seen in the paper but that was where the similarities ended.
After they introduced themselves she apologized for her appearance.
"I work at a stable as a horse trainer," she explained. "As soon as I got the call I came right here. I didn't want to take time to go home and change. Have you found my niece and nephew?"
Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "Not yet. We're hoping you can help us with that."
"Anything at all I can do," Gwen replied earnestly.
"Do you have any idea where your sister and her husband might have taken the children?" Danny asked.
Gwen sighed. "I wish I did. As you can tell my sister and I live very different lives." She indicated her dirty boots with a smile. "We were very close growing up and when she met Roger Vanover and started dating him I was thrilled for her. He was quite the catch for someone who grew up solidly middle class like Meggie and me."
"How did they meet?" Danny asked.
"Meggie was a reporter assigned to do a piece on the rising star of the investment world. There was a spark right away and after a whirlwind three month courtship they ran off to the Bahamas one weekend and tied the knot. At first everything was great. Roger's company was growing and Meggie got a freelance gig with a national magazine. Then she got pregnant with Roger Jr., we call him RJ, and she had a really rough pregnancy. She was sick for pretty much nine months solid."
Steve silently winced at the thought.
"She had to quit her job. The doctors said it was too much stress. By the time the baby was born Roger had hit it big with some investment deal and Meggie just never went back to work. Two years later Gina was born."
Steve took note of Gwen's demeanor. There was no anger in her tone, just worry.
"Did you ever notice the kids being abused or neglected in any way?"
"Not at first," Gwen responded honestly. "They looked like a very happy family. Roger put in lots of long hours but that's not all that unusual for a guy as successful as him. They had a lot of social events to attend so the kids spent a lot of time with my husband and I and our brood." Gwen smiled. "We have four kids of our own."
Danny smiled. "Sounds like a handful."
"The more the merrier," Gwen chuckled. "We were always happy to have their kids come and stay but as Roger made more and more money they moved to that big house out on Black Point and hired all kinds of live in staff and we saw the kids less and less. We had to practically beg to see them once a month. Meggie kept claiming they were just too busy. Next thing we knew we were being completely shut out of their lives."
Steve's brow furrowed. "She didn't give you any explanation?"
"None. I even stopped by the kids' school to try to see them there but the secretary told me they were being homeschooled now. She said she wasn't allowed to give me any information but we'd met several times at events and she could see I was frantic so she told me the name of their tutor. Except that person isn't a teacher. She's Meggie's personal assistant. I tried everything I could think of and wasn't getting anywhere so about a year ago I stopped by the house unannounced and the kids happened to be on their way in from the car. They ran right to me and we hugged but before we got a chance to talk a woman who claimed to be their nanny pulled them away and said they had to get inside."
"What happened next?" Danny asked.
"I demanded to see my sister and they said Meggie wasn't there. She called me later that night and said she never wanted me to stop by unannounced again but there was no way I was giving up. I wanted to make sure RJ and Gina were ok. So I went there the next day and stood outside yelling until she finally came out. She said the kids were fine and didn't want to see me but I knew that was a lie. They ran right to me the day before. She got mad and told me to leave and said if I came back again she'd call the police. So I went straight home and called CWS."
"You made a report to Child Welfare?" Steve and Danny exchanged glances. "When was this?"
"Almost a year ago." Gwen reached into her purse and pulled out a small notebook. "January 23rd. They said they'd check into it but I never heard back. When I called to see if they'd talked to the children they told me the case had been closed. I called everyone I could think of but no one could help me. A few months later I got a call from someone who used to work at the house. She told me the kids were being kept in the basement. I called CWS again but got the same runaround. Then I got a letter from Roger and Meggie's lawyer threatening to sue me if I didn't leave them alone."
"And that was it?" Steve asked.
"No way," Gwen huffed. "I kept trying. I called CWS two more times. Finally, three weeks ago I found an attorney who agreed to help. We were gonna go to court and try to get visitation with the kids. Then this morning I got the call and … here I am."
Steve nodded. "Any little bit of information you can give us will be appreciated. You never know what might crack a case. I'm gonna get an officer to come in and I'd like you to tell him anything you can think of about who your sister and brother-in-law know and where they might have gone, who might be helping them, that kind of thing."
"Gladly." Gwen nodded determinedly. "I'll do anything to make sure RJ and Gina are ok."
Catherine smiled when she saw Steve's name on her caller ID. "Hey there," she said as she connected the call.
"Hey, yourself."
She could tell by the tone of his voice he'd learned some unpleasant details about the case. "How's it going?"
"We need to find these kids as soon as possible. We've got both the housekeeper Carmen and Meg Vanover's sister helping with potential leads. Duke is working on getting the house manager in for an interview."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"I was hoping maybe you could get your hands on some flight records and see if the Vanovers have flown out of Hawaii on any other private jets in the last year and if so, who do they belong to. I figured you might be able to get through the FAA regs faster on your end than we would."
"I'm on it."
"I'll probably be late tonight."
"I understand. I'll make something for dinner that can be warmed up."
"Thanks."
"I'll let you know as soon as I get the flight info. Call me if you need anything else."
"I will. I'll see you later. Love you."
"Love you." She smiled then disconnected the call and began scrolling through her contacts trying to decide who would get her the most direct access to the information she wanted.
TBC
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