A/N I know, I know, how can you stand it? Another update in like three days! You're welcome!

Chapter 11: Love is a Battlefield

You're beggin' me to go, you're makin' me stay. Why do you hurt me so bad? It would help me to know, do I stand in your way, or am I the best thing you've had? Believe me, believe me, I can't tell you why, but I'm trapped by your love, and I'm chained to your side… – Pat Benatar

Back at the office Danny and Kono watched the goings on in the mansion. They counted eight primary individuals in the planning group and had managed to feed those faces into their programs for further identification. Criminal records were already on there way in. They had also caught some of the nuances once the Governor had left. The women in charge hadn't been happy with the scolding they'd gotten - stating, in what they thought was private, that they would never accept a job with the Governor again because of all the hassle the parties and his insistence had been.

"I can't believe it worked," Kono laughed as the two ladies, the ones that Chin had met, stood very close to the flowers and discussed the arrangements and other things that Kono wasn't sure were appropriate for the work place or pertaining to their case in any ways - mostly personal stuff about their loves lives, or rather the lack there of because of this party they have been planning.

"Usually if you aren't expecting a cop you wouldn't even see one," Danny stated. "It was the hat – Chin putting on that hat changed his whole persona."

"What would happen if I made you wear a hat?" Kono asked cheekily.

"You'd ruin the look. I'd be lost without it."

"No one would recognize you at all." Steve said with a laugh as he walked in. "So anything interesting come up?" he asked as he joined Danny and Kono at the Smart table.

"We're getting a lot of hits on people in the office, everyone has a record these days, but nothing conclusive or that merits investigation - or further questioning and harassment on your behalf," Danny said with a sigh as he stretched.

"But I'm looking into associates of your current suspect and the party planning agency. They don't seem as legit as they may appear. I've been looking into their financials and they have deposits for parties that never happened - and we're talking huge parties that ended up canceled at the last minute. I've been doing follow-ups with all of the listed companies and most of them say that they had to sign wavers that details the cancelations and the consequences. Now, I understand having liability for the events, but what I don't understand is how these people are still in business. They seem to have events canceled at an alarming rate - like they are in the business of destroying an event at the eleventh hour." Kono explained.

"That is incredibly suspicious," Steve commented, "and what do these companies have to say about the business in general - what are their reviews liked?" he asked.

"It would seem that they are all quite impressed with the way things have happened, and say that Mr. Blanchard and his company did everything in their power, under terrible circumstances, to have the events, and only at the very last moment, when everything else seemed to be going wrong, did they finally succumb to the cancelation as a last resort."

"That seems normal, and legitimate enough, under the circumstances," Steve said with a sigh.

"Not if you are rigging the circumstances. I mean from the outside looking in, it seems like a very well run company, but once you see how many time they have had to cancel you would start to wonder. The things they don't tell you are the things that speak volumes." Kono stated passionately. "That being said, unless your suspect hands you everything on a silver platter, I'm going to need for you to get the Governor to force the parties to happen - no matter what. If he allows these people to cancel at the last minute, with their liability clause, we may have their leader but they're still going to make off with a bunch of money and we'll have failed this mission. We want to bring down this whole organization, not just Blanchard."

"You got it Kono," Steve stated.

"Good, because if the party happens, then the venders and the workers will get paid, and from what I have been able to uncover, I believe that most of the venders have to sign contracts with the company as well. Within those contracts, there is another clause that states that each organization takes a cut in their pay if the event doesn't happen. It seems fair enough, if you didn't do anything but it was out of your control then you would make your full salary but at least you'd get some compensation. The rest of the money, however, just disappeared into the party business and usually, within weeks or months of the failed endeavor, the company uproots itself and moves on to another location." Kono explained as she tossed around files and photographs from monitor to monitor on the smart system.

"That doesn't sound right at all," Steve said as he watched and read the financial reports and the contractual information.

"No, not while knowing what we know, but from what I have gathered, and the reviews from the customers, most of the time the parties go off without a hitch. The company is well established on the island, its employees make good money and they are well reviewed for the work that they do. They have been here for a long time, several years at least, and I'm guessing, if we look into it, they will have put in bids for the Governor's Ball in other years but were beat out by other companies, or resorts that host the events."

"It sounds like a very elaborate sweet heart scam, don't you think?" Danny asked as he turned to his partner.

"I do, that's exactly what it sounds like." Steve said with a nod. "So, their M.O is to come to the island - or any other city - with good reviews and set up shop. For several years they are actually a legit business, but on the side they sabotage some of the parties to make a little more money, all the while they are looking for that one big party that is going to give them the pay-off they have been searching for. When they finally get that pay-off, they send the local authorities on a wild goose chase, have their heists, and then after having failed so badly with the big party the company pulls out of a city and moves on to greener pastures, but they are still highly reviewed and they have no troubles setting up shop all over again."

"Exactly," Kono stated, "and its all here in black and white." she said as she motioned to the monitors. "Now all we need is the hard evidence of catching them red handed."

"Or a major confession from Blanchard," Danny stated.

"Or that, but you know as well as I do, that we are never that lucky," Steve stated.

"I don't want us to be lucky. I want to go undercover so that I can beat them at their own game." Kono stated.

Steve and Danny nodded their agreement.

"See Steve, she's quick as a whip. I don't have to teach her anything. I just feed the ideas into her head and Kono goes," Danny teased. "You should be worried."

"Kono came up with the ideas all on her own. It had nothing to do with you!" Steve retorted. "I'm not afraid of anything that you think you might be teaching her because I'm pretty sure I already know all of your tricks - and they aren't that impressive. The only person I'm worried about is Kono because she's smart enough to kick my ass."

"Damn right I am," Kono said with a smirk, "but actually, Danny did plant the idea," she confessed, "but I don't think he knew he was doing it at the time. Danny just doesn't trust anyone so his skills are finely tuned in to the nuances of cases and business – apparently. He's the one that called the bluff in the first place."

"Oh I knew it," Danny stated with a nod as he mocked shining his nails on his shirt. "I'm just that good. I'm going to make a stellar detective out of you, young Padawan."

"Again with the Star Wars metaphors?" Kono asked as she and Steve nodded skeptically at Danny.

"Shouldn't you be interrogating someone, or something along those lines?" Danny asked changing the subject.

"I just came by to get you. Wouldn't you like to participate?" Steve asked and there was glee in his eyes as a smile spread across his face and he bounced on the balls of his feet like a school boy itching to get outside and run around.

"Ask Kono. I'm her partner for this - she's the boss of me on this case. All I know is I'm not allowed to give away her cover - or mine."

"Can Danny come out to play?" Steve asked childishly.

"You can go play with Steve," Kono teased.

"Yes!" Danny cheered, "I'm getting some major cabin fever being cooped up here in this place!"

"Wait!" Kono called just before Steve and Danny could leave the office.

The two men turned around dejected and came back to the smart system.

"I have a plan," Kono smirked and headed off with her phone to her ear.

5-0

Richard Blanchard sat smugly in the interrogation room as Chin stood at the door - just waiting for Steve to return.

"Can you tell me why I'm here?" Richard asked with a yawn as he fidgeted with his tie - with his one free hand.

"You're a murder suspect," Chin stated.

Blanchard snorted.

"We have you on camera."

"Oh I'm sure you do," Blanchard chuckled.

Chin raised an eyebrow to the suspect before him as there came knock at the door and Danny and Steve walked in.

Danny wore latex gloves and a white lab coat - with him he carried a clipboard and a field kit.

Chin raised an eyebrow to Steve, "busy day at the lab?" he asked.

"Everyone's on deck with another, bigger, case. So the Doc is getting his own samples," Steve stated and motioned to Danny.

"Get's me out of the lab," Danny said with a sigh as he opened the field kit he'd brought with him. "Not that I care to leave the lab. I'm a scientist. I don't need to be in the field to see all that nastiness, no. I solve the crimes with my mind and computers, and science."

Chin chuckled, "you out of the lab is just a strange occurrence all together."

"Tell me about it," Danny stated sarcastically. "All right, let's get this show on the road. I can't leave my staff unsupervised for long - you know kids these days, with their technology and they holier then thou attitudes - I'm afraid to see what they have gotten up to while I'm not there to supervise. A room full of young-ins who thinks this is MI6, and the crime lab is Q branch," Danny ranted with a shake of his head as he moved toward the suspect who watched him suspiciously. "Please open wide," he asked as he held out a swab to Mr. Blanchard.

"Oh I don't think so," Blanchard stated with a shake of his head. "Not before I see my lawyer, and that will take several days as he has to get here from New York. You all may as well let me get back to work." he added with a sigh as he checked the gold watch that was still glimmering on his free wrist.

"Didn't you tell him this is a murder investigation and that we already have a warrant for a DNA sample?" Steve asked as he turned to Chin.

"I did," Chin stated, "he didn't believe me."

"Truly, you are here on a murder charge, which gives me every right to get that sample any way I want."

"Warrant," Danny stated as he turned the clipboard toward the suspect and then back again.

"No, not without my lawyer."

"I haven't got all day," Danny stated as he started to tap his foot impatiently.

"Sorry Doc," Steve stated and then grabbed the suspect by the hair and the jaw and forced his mouth open. "Is this better?" Steve asked as the suspect struggled against his restraints.

"Much," Danny stated with a smile and moved in. "You're an animal," he mouthed as he swabbed the man's mouth, so that only his partner could see him.

"Would you like a hair sample too?" Steve asked with a smile as he released the suspect with a violent shove and held out his hands to Danny.

"Well done," Danny said with a smile as he pulled a pair of tweezers out of his case and plucked the hairs out of Steve's hand's gently and placed them into a plastic evidence bag. "Perhaps this is like Q branch," he added mockingly as he turned back to the field kit. "I think I have everything I need - your fingerprints have already been taken - any other forensic evidence that is to be found, my guys will find it. Unless, I think I might like to take a closer look at that watch."

"What for?" Blanchard asked.

"Well because you seem rather attached to it, so it would be safe to assume that you wear it all the time."

"I hardly ever take it off, it's too valuable."

"So, in that case, it probably had trace evidence on it. I'll need to take it." Danny stated.

"Like hell you will," Blanchard yelled.

"Commander McGarrett, please restrain your suspect. He's withholding evidence." Danny said with a sigh.

Blanchard struggled only briefly as Steve grabbed the man by the wrist, wrapped his arm through his leg and tip the suspect right out of his chair and onto the ground. It was a tangle of two humans, a pair of hand cuffs and a chair that was bolted to the floor, but eventually Steve managed to slip the Gold Rolex off Blanchard's wrist and presented it to Danny with a smile.

"Thank you very much, Commander," Danny said with a nod and bagged the new evidence.

"I had better get that back!" Blanchard yelled.

"Oh, if you are proven innocent, you will, but if we prove that you did in fact kill those people, well you won't be needing it where you are going." Danny explained as he shut the kit again. "Well this has been entertaining, but I really must run. Good day gentlemen."

"Aw, leaving so soon?" Steve asked with a smile. "Don't you want to stay and see how we do things here in the dark recesses of the police precinct?"

"No, I've seen quite enough - thank you very much." Danny stated, picked up the field kit and headed for the door. "Good day gentlemen," he stated again and was let out.

"Now it's time for the fun to start," Steve stated once the door was closed again.

"I'm not afraid of you," Blanchard growled.

"You should be!" Chin stated and leaned against the back wall.