I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: Yup. Off the grid - totally off the grid!
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CHAPTER ELEVEN
Steve watched as Al Tortorro slowly scooted across the ground to lean against a convenient rock. Seconds later, it appeared as if he'd fallen asleep with his head cocked uncomfortably and his injured arm nested in the crook of the other. Frankly, Steve couldn't blame the man as he repositioned himself slightly in case something changed without warning. Crouched between Kono and Danny, he also had an astute ear turned towards Chin. Continuing to speak softly, the timbre of the conversation had completely altered and he realized that the call was no longer with the Coast Guard.
For the umpteenth time, Steve checked his watch and mentally counted the minutes though it wasn't necessary as the gauge edged towards the red line. The small emergency cylinder of oxygen was nearing empty and Steve reluctantly had to remove the oxygen mask from Danny's face. He'd had the flow on full and it was simply inevitable. Another recheck of Danny's pulse rate found that to be continually rapid and Steve hissed out a worried breath. Adding in the cold and still very clammy texture of skin meant that he was still shocky.
To his left, Kono was pillowed on his backpack with one canteen held loosely in her left hand. Eyes closed, she was much calmer after being given a dose of morphine. But her cheek was beginning to purple under the dressing which Chin had applied. She had been badly banged around in the crash and would be sporting an even more impressive bruise by morning.
"How long?" Steve looked up as Chin finally joined him. Intentionally keeping their voices low, the two were nearly nose to nose.
"About forty minutes; probably a bit less now." Chin replied with an unhappy throaty sound for both Kono and Danny's combined sakes. He had intentionally positioned himself similarly to Steve so that Tortorro remained in their dual lines of sight. However, he also concluded that the criminal was no threat based on the lax face he could just see for the carefully placed lanterns. The three were beaten, bruised and exhausted; none of them would be moving an inch without assistance. "How are they doing?"
"Not too bad. Considering what they've been through." There was a fast dissatisfied quirk to Steve's lips before he responded. It was easy enough to see that Danny was and had been struggling. The severity of Kono's concussion was more than worrisome and all three risked infection from their various wounds. Forty minutes would feel like another eternity had passed and that was only until more hands arrived. More time would tick away to return to the beach for the flight back to the nearest hospital. Closing his eyes to communicate his disgust, Steve realized he needed to return the HPD chopper so hastily borrowed earlier in the day. What was convenient then, certainly was another cog in yet another wheel.
Without being asked, Chin softly shared the ample information he'd been given starting with the call to the Coast Guard. "Abrams stayed on the beach with his team. He's coming to us with the medic and two of his men."
"What's wrong then?" It was easy to see something more had happened though. Another call had been made and Steve was more than curious by Chin's dark expression. His friend was on edge and nearly antsy and at first, Steve was concerned that the Coasties were the issue. He was surprised though as Chin explained what had happened after his first call.
Chin's voice was inordinately low as he bent his head more closely in Steve's direction. "According to Abrams, Duke's been trying to reach us but didn't want to jeopardize our radio silence. So, I just contacted him directly ... and Steve, we have our leak."
His next pointed look was aimed directly at Al Tortorro and at a loss, Steve frowned in askance. Chin waited half a heart beat before whispering an most unexpected name. "Douglas Pratt."
"What?" The stunned whisper was almost too loud and Steve tucked his chin in disbelief. "The man's own lawyer? That makes no sense. He's been defending Al for months."
"They, as in Angel Tortorro, have his wife. " Grim-faced, Chin quickly divulged everything he'd been told by the HPD sergeant. "They took her almost three days ago and are threatening to kill her if Al survives this little escapade. They forced Pratt to divulge records, shred evidence and other files, and hand over case-related information such as the flight plans for Tortorro's transfer. It seems that the person pulling the strings locally is Andrea Winston, Pratt's personal legal assistant."
"Hold on. Pratt didn't know the connections of who he hired in his own office?" Steve asked in disbelief, though the Tortorro family was a renowned underground power. Pratt's law office could have diligently checked every official reference, earned degree and formal background to grade school and still could have been blind to the actual truth. Things could be hidden quite well while others purchased to mimic a fake reality.
"I don't believe that he didn't know something." Steve knew what the family was capable of, yet found the entire situation mind-boggling in its complexity. The one thing Steve had issue with was Al Tortorro, himself. He watched the sleeping criminal as he hissed out a rather key question. "Not a clue that Pratt was in danger or being forced to fabricate complete failure of his own defense?" But Chin was already shaking his head. Douglas Pratt had become a puppet and for the last few short days, had been living in fear. It had all happened much too fast with a professional's evil skill.
"As far as anyone knows, Al isn't aware of anything. Andrea Winston rarely leaves the office since she's not high enough in the legal food chain per se." Chin reconfirmed. As an assistant, Andrea would be important to the inner workings of the firm by doing case research or drafting briefs or maintaining documents. She'd have access to a great deal of information and confidential files, but have no real need to come face to face with clients or attend court hearings.
Based on Chin's expression though there was a great deal more and Steve made a face. "What? What else is there?" The news was bad and Steve wasn't sure how it could possibly get much worse.
"The kicker is that Andrea Winston is Angel Tortorro's eldest daughter and therefore, Al's niece. She was intentionally planted in the firm a few months ago. It seems like daddy's little girl is taking orders from her old man or from someone in the family to manipulate this debacle into a mis-trial so that his case over-turned. She's forced Pratt to lose and shred evidence on purpose. She orchestrated his wife's disappearance and is continuing to black-mail him to get her father released."
"So if Al comes out of here alive tonight, Mrs. Pratt is going to disappear. Permanently." Steve was stunned by the odd state of affairs. He also knew that there was no guarantee for the woman's survival even if Al had been killed as planned. They had no idea who else had infiltrated the high profile trial's rather close ranks and another threat could come from any direction.
"Where are they now?"
Oddly, Chin smiled at that question with a bit of professional pride. "Duke rounded them all up like we asked. He has them all downtown at a hotel in private rooms. The Big Island contingent is being maintained in exactly the same manner. No phones or communication of any kind as demanded until the leak was confirmed. That move allowed Pratt the privacy to speak to Duke."
"And it gives us at least some of the control we needed; but we have this new wrinkle with Pratt's wife." Steve noted wryly. He couldn't stop himself from looking where Al Tortorro sat slumped over with his eyes closed.
"This is bad, bad news." Steve muttered under his breath. The war between the two brothers had killed three innocent people in the last few hours alone. Two following orders had nearly followed the same route, and now another was still in grave danger.
Chin couldn't help but agree as he studied his cousin's slightly more peaceful face. "Duke's started on a plan of action. He wants to announce Al's demise to everyone. Tonight. Now in fact." Approving wholeheartedly, Steve pursed his lips as he listened.
"He's already tagged Winston's call and data records, plus has CSU reviewing her wireless device's SIM Card. They've identified one number in particular which is a favorite." Speaking quickly, Chin shared the more than sufficient information garnered by a very industrious Duke Lukela.
"Duke's hoping to get a location nailed down so that he can at least find Pratt's wife." It was indeed a long shot and Steve chuffed thoughtfully about the privilege of having such luck. A long shot that could happen if Duke gained some control and played the data he could uncover. Salvaging the larger trial would be more of a concern for the Legal experts, but law enforcement could and would do their job to keep people alive and breathing.
"It takes a load off of everyone if he can coordinate rescue before it's too late." Steve was duly impressed.
"He wants Pratt to believe it, too, and for his emotions to continue to be genuine. The lawyer is not in on the know right now. Just us … no one else." Chin added. That same level of information would be held from Al Tortorro, too.
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It took almost forty-five diligent minutes for Duke to set his plans into motion. But he was far from the only one plotting and planning within the hotel's walls. In fact, after giving half the money on the bed to Manny for indefinite use of his cell phone, Andrea was now tucked tightly under the fabric skirt of the food cart as he wheeled it back to the kitchen. Pausing by an employee exit, he waited for them to be alone before helping Andrea one last time.
"You can get out through this door. Follow the alley and you'll wind up on the opposite side of the hotel. You can get a taxi there." Manny staggered backwards as the once distraught woman flung her arms warmly around his neck. Keeping one hundred dollars for herself, Andrea tucked the remaining money into his hands.
From the moment her dinner had arrived and she had tearfully acted her way into Manny's sympathy, they had coordinated a thirty minute gap of time before the food trays would be retrieved. During that time, Andrea had made two phone calls. The first was to the lone man she had guarding Douglas Pratt's wife in a hotel property owned by a holding company which could be traced messily back to the Tortorro family if someone tried hard enough.
"Leave her there." Andrea had growled into the phone. "Just leave her and get moving. This is going to be the last chance we have if my dear uncle is still alive."
Trish Pratt's future was no longer something she could use to her benefit. The woman's life was no longer an important factor to any equation. Andrea's objective was to ensure that her uncle no longer survived, followed by her own provident disappearance off the island. Her best guess was that any survivors would be flown directly by the Coast Guard to one of two hospitals with adequate heliports. With the FBI and other high-profile law enforcement involved, her first guess was Tripler Army Medical Center and she demanded that he go there and gain intelligence. If warranted, he was also tasked with finishing Al Tortorro off regardless of who might accidentally get in the way. Afterwards, his departure off the islands was his own problem.
Her second call then was entirely about that most important act of self-preservation. One of her father's private jets had been left sitting idle in a hangar just for this special occasion. As she patronized Manny with a final hug, she knew that her clandestine flight from Oahu was being readied.
Andrea disappeared then out the hotel's rear employee doorway. It was an easy task to follow Manny's directions down the dark alley and towards a brightly lit street. She slowed her pace purposefully as she emerged between two closed boutiques to study the few nighttime pedestrians and the light traffic. By the time Sergeant Duke Lukela finished his call with Chin Ho Kelly, Andrea Winston was happily easing into the back seat of an Oahu taxi cab.
~ to be continued ~