SURF' S UP
/Chapter 10/
Previously on NCIS LA...
"March even suspects you're working with 5-0, he won't hesitate to put a bullet in you..." Steve said with a slight shake of his head as he ran a hand down his face.
With a shrug, Deeks replied, "Then I better be convincing..."
...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...
"Then you better be convincing! Really…is that all you got slick? " Danny questioned with a shake of his hands, "you'll need better than that, March is one cold blooded bastard..."
"Williams is right, Deeks. March has his own agenda; he's gonna be a harder sell then Mallory or Davenport..." Sam agreed.
"Are you saying I can't pull this off," Deeks ground out with growing impatience, adding with a wave of his hands, "you suggesting we just drop the case…" Deeks shook his head. "Not gonna happen. We're too invested to just back out now."
"We're not saying you can't do the job," Callen interjected, trying to placate his angry teammate, "but they're right. March's agenda is different than Mallory's, he's not going to risk twenty million in diamonds to just anyone. We have to have a fool proof plan going into this..." Callen's hard gaze came to rest on Deeks as he warned, "this guy gets even a little suspicious."
Not liking the turn the case was taking any more than the rest, but knowing Deeks wouldn't back down no matter the danger, Kensi felt the need to back up her partner. "So what's March like...what will it take to sell this?"
"March needs to feel confident that the payoff outweighs any, and all, risks," Chin stated.
"And he has to see you, detective, as an asset and not a liability," Steve added.
"And for March there is a paper thin line between asset and liability. He might put a bullet in you just on principal," Danny commented pointedly.
"Well it would definitely give us an ace in the hole if March thinks he's getting one over on 5-0," Kono stated thoughtfully, "he certainly likes to feel superior..."
"That...and, he really, really hates us..." Danny reminded unnecessarily.
"Would that be enough of a hook for March," Sam questioned.
The 5-0 team exchanged thoughtful looks as they considered March's MO and his extreme dislike for the team.
"I helped Mallory 'avoid' LAPD and get his shipments out safely in LA..." Deeks prodded, "so, I do the same here with Davenport and 'arrange' for his next shipment to leave the island right under 5-0's noses...a little misdirection..."
"If March see's Deeks successfully helping Davenport then he's gonna be more willing to use Davenport to smuggle the diamonds out..." Sam commented slowly.
"Unless he sees it as a set-up…" Danny threw in.
"But that's the beauty of it. What started all of this wasn't even an LAPD case, it was NCIS. No one knows about my ties to them, I was just another contestant in the competition when I came on Jensen's radar as a cop that could be bought. I think I'm being hired to work for a local, LA smuggler to help unload some merchandise out of the states…" Deeks stated, "why would he tie me to anything the HPD is working on or 5-0's investigation into the diamonds?"
"Because he's a stubborn, suspicious old bastard that would shoot his own mother if he thought it would help," Danny interjected.
"You always this 'optimistic' during an op?" Deeks asked sarcastically.
Steve shook his head, "Danny's little rant aside, he's right Deeks…we have to plan this out very carefully…"
"We got to do something and soon. If I don't meet up with them soon they're gonna get antsy." Deeks said.
"What exactly are you planning on telling them," Steve asked.
"Look all I have to do is keep the stories straight and the simpler the better."
"Yeah, well I'm not seeing anything simple about all this beach boy…we're puttin' too many pans in the fire…" Sam interjected.
Deeks shook his head, "Not really…to begin with, all Jensen and Mallory and now, by default, Davenport, know is that I was a cop on the edge; ready to be busted down to meter maid or worse. Knew I was desperate and needed an out, and not willing to play politics anymore with the Brass. They made me an offer, I accepted and the rest is history…"
"Yeah, and after what went down at the airport hangar…how did us bringing you in not just bust it wide open?" Danny countered. "You walk out of here, they're gonna know something's up."
"The story 5-0 will get will be that I'm a cop tracking down leads on murder in LA that might be linked to a smuggling operation in LA," Deeks started to explain.
"How's that gonna fly…you just said it wasn't an LAPD case…even they have the sources to check that out," Callen countered.
"And when they question you about being outside your jurisdiction without back up, and why 5-0 would just let you walk out of here?" Chin questioned. "Because, I guarantee, March will check out your story..."
"Simple... No can say I was or wasn't a surfing buddy of Patton's…got cock-blocked from the case when some federal agency took over the investigation…got pissed, took a leave of absence to investigate on my own," Deeks explained, "found out he might have stumbled upon a smuggling ring, tracked the suspects to the competition and now I'm working my own undercover to get face time with the boss. I am just as surprised as 5-0 that our cases might be linked."
"That would explain why 5-0 was at the airport..." Steve suggested. "What about the merchandise…?"
"That's where this could get a little dicey; I'm gonna have to produce the shipment," Deeks replied.
"Why…?" Kensi asked.
"Because, that would have been my way in to see the boss; prove I could deliver," Deeks said, "5-0 takes it into custody, my case would be over…"
"And you'd be dead…" Sam finished.
"Maybe…" Deeks said with a wince. "Serves everyone's interest if the delivery goes through. Keeps my 'cover' in-tact to help 5-0 and keeps my employers happy with my work…"
"So you want us to look like we're chasing our tails..." Danny grumbled.
Deeks just smirked, "Hey, you're the ones who said March would buy it if he had an opportunity to get one over on you guys..."
"Can't fault that it would go a long way to securing Deeks in his cover," Sam commented.
"And we got to look at the end game here, which is March and those diamonds," Steve reminded the group.
"5-0's willing to cut me in, let me work the case off the books hoping it will lead to an arrest in the HPD open smuggling cases…" Deeks said, adding, "bottom line: the bad guys think I'm a dirty cop feeding them information; good guys think I'm undercover trying to bring in a killer…"
"I don't like it...even if we know it's all a sham," Danny continued to grumble, "March thinking he has one over on us...makes my skin crawl..."
Sam and Steve exchanged amused glances, before Steve commented cheekily, "We'll get you some cream, Danno..."
Scowling at his partner and the discretely snickering agents, Danny ranted lightly, "Funny, Steven...real funny..."
...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...
Stepping outside the Palace, Deeks looked around the area before pulling his cell, "Yeah, they bought it...hook, line and sinker—who'd suspect a fellow officer, after all…" Deeks said cheekily, asking, "So, where can I meet you on this rock?"
Listening for a moment and giving a nod Deeks replied, "Yeah, I can do that...thirty minutes...got it..."
Kensi and Sam watched from the window of 5-0, while the rest of the teams stood at the board watching the outside cam footage, as Deeks pocketed his phone, looked up and down the street...and then with exaggerated gestures, straightened the collar of his shirt before turning and walking down the street.
"That's the signal...they bought it enough to meet up with him," Callen commented.
Moments later, Kensi, Sam and Steve exited the Palace and climbed into the NCIS team's rental car. Once settled, Steve patched in to the office, "You got him?"
"GPS is on line and we are tracking," Chin replied. "He's going northbound on Oahu Ave...Looks like they might be heading to Davenport's Export business."
"Kono, get a '20' on March and his surveillance team," Steve requested.
"On it," Kono replied, coming back a few moments later, "the team is still at March's place...says he hasn't moved all day, and no incoming or outgoing calls..."
"Good," Sam said, "gives Deeks a chance to secure his cover with Davenport before March gets involved..."
...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...
Twenty minutes later found Steve pulling into a spot down the street from Davenport's Export business as the cab dropped Deeks off.
Kensi and Sam exchanged tight looks, as Sam commented, "Show time."
They watched intently as Deeks climbed from the cab, looked with apparent casualness up and down the street, before entering the building.
"Hey, Deeks, you really did it, man...you made it out..." Pratt said coming up to grab Deeks hand and clap a hand to his shoulder, "I heard 5-0 is known for playing hardball...how the hell you pull it off, man...?"
"Cops are suckers for a sob story..." Deeks replied irreverently, "just lay on a story about a dead friend, and a case going nowhere, and I had them eating out of my hands. Man, you should have seen it, all I did was mention my poor dead, GI, buddy and McGarrett was eating out of my hand making sure I could have the space I needed to find his killer."
.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,
In the van the three agents exchanged wry looks, Steve commented, "he's laying it on a little thick there..."
Kensi just shook her head, a wry grin on her face, "that's just Deeks...baffle em' with bullshit..."
Sam just chuckled and shook his head, "...much as I hate to admit it—the guy's good at this. He slides in and out of his covers like they're a second skin. He'll use anything to sell it."
.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,
Deeks and Pratt were pulled from their "male bonding" by a new voice.
"Really..." a new voice commented dryly, "trust isn't exactly a McGarrett strong suit...I'm surprised he didn't try to wrest you investigation away from you."
"Oh, hey...uh, Deeks...Marty—this is Mr. Davenport," Pratt stuttered out, suddenly nervous.
"Oh, hey man, good to meet ya' finally," Deeks said jauntily as he stepped around Pratt to hold out a hand to Davenport.
Davenport merely looked at Deeks outstretched.
"And, I'm just that good," Deeks boasted, with a shrug "...they fell all over themselves to tell me about how they were investigating their own 'smuggling' case, which was why they were at the airport. They know you have a few fences in LA, so I dropped a few names from some open LA cases and now our 5-0 boys are looping me in their investigation...think I can help them find a connection."
"Dropped a few names...and what names would those be, detective..." Davenport asked archly, the threat clear in his voice.
"Hey, not so much a detective anymore, man...but what they don't know, right." Deeks said jokingly, elbowing Pratt.
"You're treading on thin ice Mr. Deeks..." Davenport hissed angrily.
"Really, there's ice In Hawaii, man...gotta see that..." Deeks shot back.
"If you bring 5-0 to my door...you are a dead man," Davenport said evenly.
...
In the van the agents exchanged tight looks, preparing to intervene should Deeks cover become compromised.
"Sam," Kensi questioned.
"Give him a minute, Kens," Sam replied, "he can salvage this..."
"We'll go on your signal," Steve said.
...
Holding up his hands in a placating manner and backing up a few steps, Deeks said defensively, "Hey...hey...hey, hold up man...just take it easy; maybe this will soften the blow..." slowly reaching into his inner jacket pocket he produced a flash drive and handed it to Davenport.
"What's this...," Davenport asked suspiciously, taking the drive warily.
With a smug grin, Deeks replied off-handedly, "Why, nothing but everything the HPD has on you and your operation...Mr. Davenport."
Davenport eyed Deeks with continued suspicion before going to his computer and pulling up the information on the drive; after quickly scanning through the first few pages he asked suspiciously, "...and they just handed over months of case notes because you're such close pals?"
"5-0 thinks our cases might be connected, so like I said, they're looping me in. Told 'em I'd give 'em what I had, so they gave me the case file to study to see if any of our leads match up...and now, I'm giving it to you..." Deeks said with a flourish, giving a side-ways look to Pratt, "...it's why I get paid the big bucks, after all..."
Pratt just snorted.
.,.,.,.,.,.,..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,
Outside in the surveillance van, Sam, Kensi, and Steve breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ice to Eskimo's man...ice to Eskimo's," Sam said with a relieved chuckle.
.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,..
Eying Deeks a moment more, he then returned to flip through a few more pages of the file, before commenting, "Glad to see they have more wrong than right."
"And, I can see to it they continue to get more wrong than right…" Deeks said knowingly.
Moving to stand in front of the detective, reaching out a hand towards the detective, "Welcome to Hawaii, Mr. Deeks...let's talk business..."