PART III - CHAPTER Three

Title: "Salvation Series: It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"

Author: Michelle Heath

Rating: MA for adult situations and language

Summary: Story #10 in the Salvation Series.

Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-O; unfortunately! All original characters are the property of the author!

Date Written: March 13, 2017

(Acronyms in this chapter, folks. SAIC = Special Agent In Charge, ASAIC – Assistant Special Agent In Charge. BOLO = Be On The Lookout. Michelle.)

(Steve was very grateful for the time he spent at his in-laws and with his baby girl, but, as he drives home, the case comes back to the forefront of his thoughts. Although he talked to the guy in charge of the Honolulu office of the F.B.I. and was promised the information the Bureau has compiled on the trafficking ring, the information had not come in when he left for his in-laws. In fact, the only reason he did leave was because they had all four been working a lot of overtime on the case and he thought everyone needed to go home and spend time with their significant others, take a break, and do their best to put the case completely out of their minds for a little while. Now, however, he's all alone in his truck and will be all alone once he gets to the house, and the case is the only thing he can think of at the moment.

The murder victim, Zander Tan, was born in Honolulu but his family left Hawaii when he was four months old and moved to Singapore to be near his mother's family. Apparently, his father got involved with a group of small-time smugglers shortly after arriving in Singapore and worked his way up in the group until he was noticed by a rival gang. He was so good at smuggling that the leader of the rival group decided to, as they say, make the elder Tan an offer he couldn't refuse. The family benefitted greatly from the father's illegal activities and was living quite well in Singapore.

That's all the information Five-O has on Zander Tan at the moment and Steve is hoping the F.B.I.'s information, along with any that Homeland can come up with, will pick up where Five-O's left off. Gov. Jameson has been at a regional Governor's Conference in Denver but is due to be back the next morning. Steve called her as soon as they identified Tan and found evidence of his ties to the human trafficking ring. To say the Governor was shocked by what he told her was to put it mildly. Steve is personally struggling with the case himself. He well remembers the sheer terror he felt when Sam, very pregnant with Emily, was kidnapped by the Kasavich family with the intention of taking their baby away from her and selling her into the slave markets of the Orient. By the time he reaches the house, he is nearly sick to his stomach at the thought of anyone having to go through the mental torment he did. Locking the front door, he heads up to the master bedroom, finding a renewed determination to catch the traffickers as quickly as possible and make sure they never have the opportunity to hurt another person.

Stepping into the master bedroom, he heads to the desk in the sitting area and logs onto the desktop computer. Checking Five-O's secure server, he finds that the F.B.I. has not yet sent over the information he was promised. Pulling out his cellular phone, he hits a speed dial number and waits. Danny answers on the second ring.)

"Hey, what's up?"

"I just checked our server. The F.B.I. hasn't sent their files on the traffickers, yet."

"And this surprises you why?"

"To be honest with you, it doesn't, but . . . I started thinking about what I went through when Sam was kidnapped, and, damn it, Danny, I wouldn't wish that kind of torture on my worst enemy. I want these traffickers stopped before they can get started."

"Yeah, I know. We all went through Hell when Sam was missing, and I agree with you; no one should have to experience something like that. It's after ten o'clock so I'm pretty sure . . What's the ASAIC's name?"

"Ed Carstairs."

"I'm pretty sure Carstairs isn't in his office right now. Wanna' go look for him?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"I'll pick you up in ten."

"Tell Caroline I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about Caroline. She knows this is important."

(True to his word, Danny pulls into the McGarrett's driveway ten minutes later, gets out of the Camaro and walks around to get into the passenger side of the car. Grinning, Steve gets in and, for once, waits until Danny fastens his seat belt before driving off. While waiting for Danny, Steve got on the computer and got the home address for ASAIC Ed Carstairs as well as the make and model of his personal vehicle and the tag number. Carstairs also has a government vehicle assigned to him and Steve has the description and tag number of that car, as well. By the time they reach Carstairs' house, it is nearly eleven p.m. and most of the houses on the street are dark. Carstairs' government car is in the driveway but his personal vehicle is not. Both Steve and Danny are certain that they're not going to find the man at home but they park in the driveway and knock on the door just to be sure. Five minutes later, they are back in the Camaro headed toward one of the more popular and upscale entertainment areas of Honolulu, and Danny is putting a BOLO out for Carstairs' personal vehicle with the instructions to "locate but do not approach." Parking at the Halekulani Hotel, Steve turns to his brother-in-law with a somewhat bemused expression on his face.)

"Something's not right here, Danny. Why would the F.B.I. want to withhold information from us; especially on a murder investigation?"

"The F.B.I. wouldn't; Carstairs might."

"Bingo. I didn't see anything in the preliminary background check I ran on him while I was waiting on you but we need to take a look at his financials and dig deeper. I want to know why he doesn't want to play nice."

(An hour later, Steve and Danny are checking the parking lots of every hotel, restaurant, and club in the area they are in but still haven't found Ed Carstairs' car. H.P.D. has not had any luck in locating the man, either, so Steve decides to call it a night after driving back by Carstairs' house and finding that the man still hasn't come home. Telling Danny goodnight, Steve walks into the house, locks the door, and goes upstairs to his and Sam's bedroom. Upon entering the house, he experiences a vague sense of unease but nothing is out of place and he chalks his anxiety up to being tired and missing his wife.

Both Steve and Danny are at work early the next morning and Kono and Chin find them at the smart table looking over some information when they arrive around eight o'clock. Both young men have grim expressions on their faces and Steve is actually frowning. Exchanging curious looks, Kono and Chin step up to the opposite side of the table from Steve and Danny.)

"Is that the information from the F.B.I. on the trafficking ring?"

"No, Kono, its financial information on Ed Carstairs, the Assistant Special Agent In Charge of the F.B.I.'s Honolulu office."

"And you're looking at this man's financial records because?"

"Because, Chin, Steve and I think there's something strange about the fact that he won't send us the information the F.B.I. has compiled on the trafficking ring, even after he was ordered to do so by his boss. So, we're running a thorough background check and financial records check on him."

"Did I hear you right? Are you telling us that we still don't have the information from the Bureau?"

"Yeah, you heard right, Kono."

"Are you freaking kidding me?"

"Ease up, Kono, we're going to get the information."

"When, Steve? After one or more women mysteriously disappear from Hawaii never to be heard from again?"

"Kono, Steve and I went looking for Carstairs last night but couldn't find him. We've both had very little sleep, we're both frustrated, we haven't been able to reach him this morning, and now is so not the time a good time to poke the bears with a stick!"

"Fine. Send some of these files to my desktop and I'll start going through them. In fact, Steve, Chin, Danny, and I will continue looking through the information on Carstairs while you get on the phone and call someone that can get us the information we need. Don't forget Gov. Jameson is going to be back today and I'm certain she's going to want some answers."

(And having been given their marching orders by Kono, the three young men head to their respective offices to do exactly what Kono told them to do. Kono is right and they all know it. A little before noon, Steve slams down the receiver on his desk phone and starts pacing in front of his desk. His first call was to Ed Carstairs' cellular number and he had to leave a message on voice mail. He then called the F.B.I.'s Honolulu office and spoke with a secretary who told him Agent Carstairs was "out in the field". He then tried calling the SAIC of the Honolulu office only to find that the man's voice mail is full so he can't leave a message. His next call was to the F.B.I. in Washington in an attempt to speak with an Assistant Director of the Bureau to ask for assistance and he had to leave a message. His fifth call was to Homeland Security and he had to leave a message there, as well. His angry pacing halts when his cellular phone rings and his wife's name and number pop up on caller I.D.)

"Hey, Beautiful, I can't tell you how happy I am to hear your voice."

"What's wrong, Steve? Is Emily all right?"

"Emily's just fine, Sam, I'm just really frustrated with this case."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"No, I absolutely do not want to add to your stress level while you're in Washington. You have enough to worry about without me piling more on you."

"As a matter of fact, Steve, I was calling to let you know that I'm coming home tomorrow. Apparently, I answered all the Senators' questions correctly because they're going to vote to approve our budget this afternoon. I have to go over to the hearing room this morning in case they have some last minute questions, but there shouldn't be a problem."

"Outstanding, Sweetheart! Emily and I will be very happy to have you back home. We've both missed you."

"I've missed you and Emily, too, Sailor. Now, tell me about this case that has you so frustrated."

"Guy's name is Zander Tan. He was born in Hawaii but his family moved to Singapore when he was a baby. His father got involved with a smuggling ring and, when he was old enough, Tan got involved with them, too. The day after you left for Washington, H.P.D. found Tan's body in a sleazebag hotel. He had been shot execution style, no prints, no hairs or fibers, nothing. It was definitely a professional hit. We got involved because Tan had left an envelope with the hotel's manager with instructions to turn it over to the police should anything happen to him. The envelope contained information connecting him to a human trafficking ring. Once H.P.D. realized what they had, they called us. We have evidence that this trafficking ring is going to set-up shop in Hawaii but we don't have the complete picture. We've been trying to get any information the F.B.I. has on this guy but we still don't have it. That's why I wanted to talk to Adm. Compton. Since he's the Navy's liaison with Homeland Security, I thought he should know what we have and could give us a hand with getting the information we need from the F.B.I. In fact, whoever he talked to found the SAIC of the F.B.I.'s Honolulu office, who was on vacation, and had him call me personally. . . . Sam, are you there?"

"Yeah, Steve, I'm here. . . I thought I had put the kidnapping thing behind me but I guess I haven't."

"God, I'm an idiot. I'm sorry, Sweetheart, I wouldn't have reminded you of that for anything in the world."

"It's okay, Sailor, it happened. . . Steve, those days I spent on that island were terrifying. I was so scared that you wouldn't be able to find me; that our baby would be taken away from me and I would end up in a living Hell. You absolutely cannot let these people get away with this."

"I don't intend to, Sam. Right now, I've got calls in to a couple of different people but no one's called me back yet."

"Say no more. I'm going to call Uncle Will and give him your cellular and office numbers. I don't think he's going to be too happy to learn that you still don't have what you need to stop these people."

"Yeah, I don't think so, either. Admirals do not like it when their orders aren't followed."

"Okay, I'm having dinner with Uncle Will tonight and I'll be on a flight out of Andrews at 0700 tomorrow. We have one stop to make in Coronado but I should be back at Pearl no later than 1400 hours. Give Em a kiss for me and tell her that Mommy loves her very much. I love you very much, too, Steve."

"I know you do, Beautiful. Right back at you."

(Twenty minutes later, Steve's cellular phone rings and caller I.D. indicates it's a Washington, D.C. number. Grinning at his wife's efficiency, Steve hits the answer button and finds Adm. William Compton on the other end.)

"McGarrett."

"I understand you're still having a problem with the F.B.I., Commander."

"Yes, Sir. I got a call from the SAIC of the Honolulu office yesterday afternoon telling me we would have the information within the hour. We still don't have it, Admiral."

"You will have what you need ASAP because I'm about to pay a personal visit to the Hoover Building. I'm going to make it very clear to those people that, when I give an order, I expect it to be obeyed immediately."

"Thank you, Sir."

"You're quite welcome. Please keep me in the loop on this. Now, I'm coming out to Pearl in a few weeks, and I'm very much looking forward to meeting you, Commander. Mike Thrasher thinks very highly of you, and so does Libby. Your service record is exemplary and you've made quite a name for yourself as head of the Governor's task force. I am going to reserve judgement until I meet you personally, but I believe we're going to become good friends."

"I certainly hope so, Sir. I know that you were one the people who were there for Sam when Anne and Jonathan Murdock were killed. Knowing my wife has people who care about her means a lot to me. Thank you."

"Jonathan, Mike, and I were assigned to the same S.E.A.L. team shortly after graduating from BUD/S. We're brothers and that will never change. When Anne and Jonathan were killed, the rest of us did our best to take care of Sam; that will never change, either. I know you understand exactly what I'm saying to you, Commander, because you're also a S.E.A.L., but make no mistake, if you ever hurt Sam, you'll answer to all of us who care about her."

"I do understand, Admiral, and I swear to you that I will never deliberately hurt Sam. She's the reason for every breath I take. She's my life and I love her more than I ever thought I could possibly love anyone. I would die for her."

"Let's hope it never comes to that, Son. Now, if you don't have what you need from the F.B.I. by 1500 hours, call me back."

"Yes, Sir, and, again, thank you."

(Ending the call, Steve tries Carstairs' cellular number again and then walks out to the smart table where Danny, Kono, and Chin are discussing their progress and fills them in on his. When he finishes his update, Kono jumps right on a question they all want answered.)

"Don't you think it's a little strange that Carstairs isn't in his office, his secretary knows only that he's 'out in the field', and he's not answering his cellular phone? I mean, with the SAIC on the mainland right now, Carstairs is in charge of the Honolulu office. How is his office supposed to get in touch with him if they need him?"

"He's avoiding us, Cuz. He probably has another number the Bureau can use to reach him."

"And he's out in the field because he doesn't want to see or talk to any of us."

"That's basically what I just said, Danny! What I want to know is why he's avoiding us! What could possibly be his motivation for keeping the information on the trafficking ring from us? Is he involved with these slime balls? Are they paying him to 'look the other way' when they start grabbing women? Why won't he talk to us?"

"Can we all just take a deep breath and take it down a notch, please? . . . Those are all good questions, Kono, and we'd all like to have the answers to them. One way or another, we're going to get the information the F.B.I. has this afternoon."

(None of them has seen Gov. Jameson walking into their office and are unaware of her presence until she speaks.)

"Yes, you are, Commander, because Adm. Compton isn't the only one paying a visit to the F.B.I. this afternoon. The Secretary of Homeland Security is also dropping in on them at my request. You may rest assured that you will not only be getting the information you've requested from the F.B.I., but any information Homeland may have, as well. The Honolulu offices of both of those agencies will also be standing by to assist you in any way you deem necessary. Use their help or don't, but make sure you take care of this disgusting situation as soon as possible. I do not want the citizens of Hawaii living in fear. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am, crystal."

"Good. Keep me in the loop on this situation, Cmdr. McGarrett. These nasty people are not going to terrorize the people of Hawaii on my watch."