A/N: I feel like I am starting all over again with this story… so much to pull together, develop a whole case and then close it off, like there is nothing before this. I hope you enjoy what I have so far and I hope what is to come doesn't disappoint!
Chapter 21: The Split
Running out of the Williams house, the team split up into two groups with Peter and Steve dashing down to the bright red Camaro and taking off ahead of the pack while Danny made his way quickly, though slower then he would have liked, to the black escalade that Peter had brought for him to use. Kono, Chin and Lori followed him, jumped in with their bagged lunches and waited while Danny sighed at his sad reality and pulled the vehicle away from the curb.
"What's the matter Danny, are you okay?" Chin asked from his place in the passenger seat.
"This is not how I wanted to return to Jersey." Danny sighed, "And I am not prepared to go back to my old precinct."
"Why not, you always talk about how much you love being a cop here." Lori stated over Danny's shoulder.
"Yeah, I love the being a cop and helping people, but in every profession, you're bound to make a few enemies and my Chief, after I became a detective did not like me." Danny sighed.
"Why, who could possibly not like you?" Kono asked with a wink.
"Funny, Kono," Danny laughed but there was a lack luster tone in his voice, "Chief Bromwell had other plans for me and my career, detective work wasn't part of it, special task forces were definitely out. I think he always thought I was one of those guys that would stay a beat cop all his life, and retire out of my squad car. When I moved up in rank, I think I became a threat to his position and now that I am back, and with a task force that is so far above anything he has ever had to deal with, I'm sure to be met with hostilities."
"He sounds like a bully," Kono stated.
"Oh he is, and he doesn't like to deal with anyone that may pull rank on him." Danny explained. "And I will, because I'm tired of being treated as lower class by a man who sits behind a desk all day and only yelled at the men under him."
"He doesn't like you because you'll yell back and with the promotion to detective, you totally could yell back." Chin laughed, "He just wasn't expecting that and you upped the ante on him."
"You sure proved him wrong," Lori smirked, "he's got to be jealous!"
"And that's why I don't want to see him."
"Just take charge and show him who's boss; you've got two governors backing you on this and us, so we aren't going to let him push us around." Chin stated, "Don't worry Danny, things will work out."
"I hope you are right."
5-0
With Peter giving directions and Steve driving as quickly as he usually would in the Camaro back home, the two officers made it to the locked down, maximum security prison to be met outside by the Governor of New Jersey and a pack of NJPD cops.
"How did this happen," Steve demanded as soon as he was out of the car to establish his authority over the officers that were present. "Both Machiavelli and Salvo were supposed to be in isolation, as far away from each other as they could get in a maximum security prison, so how the hell do they end up face to face let alone Salvo killing Machiavelli?"
"We're trying to find out sir," An unsure cop stated as he stepped out of the group cautiously when no one else would take the lead. "Salvo is currently locked up in isolation. Machiavelli's body has been sent to the county coroner, and we've locked down every last person that was on the floor last night. The only way this could have happened was if someone, on our side, is actually working the other side."
"What's your name officer?" Steve asked as he walked up to the cop that came out of the group.
"Johansson, Robert" the cop answered.
"What do you prefer to be called?" Steve asked.
"Bobby, sir."
"Alright Bobby, I'm Commander Steve McGarrett, I'm good with Steve, and what I need from you is a list of all the people working at this facility. Then what I need you to do is tell me how many worked last night, how many actually might have gotten home based on the time of death you are going to get from the county coroner and then I want you to get all that information to Five-O, stationed in Chief Bromwell's precinct." Steve explained, "Can you do that for me Bobby?"
"Sure can, Commander," Bobby smiled and took off.
"Alright, who's going to show me around?" Steve asked looking for the next person to step from the group, "no one? Alright, Peter, you're on." Steve added as he turned to Verardo and pointed onward toward the building.
5-0
Danny pulled the escalade to a stop right in front of the big old building and looked up at it. It was three stories tall with a beautiful set of white marble steps that led up to the sturdy, old wooden, doors. Styled rod iron bars lined the windows and the railings on the stair case matched in craftsmanship. Danny stared for a moment, with the rest of his crew, at the old world charm of the building.
"Have we arrived at Baker Street?" Chin asked jokingly. "I half expect Sherlock Holms to step out of that building any moment now."
"I felt the same way for years," Danny smirked.
"Who said this trip to Jersey wasn't going to be interesting," Kono stated as she too looked up at the building, "look at the architecture, the old charm and the beautiful street that this precinct is on. Imagine the history here; you wouldn't see anything like this in Hawaii!"
"It really is beautiful here Danny," Lori added as she got out of the car and looked up and down the street, "if I didn't know better I wouldn't have given this place a second glace, or have called it a police station at all."
"Thanks guys, I'm glad you like it." Danny smiled and with new resolved stepped toward the building.
The four Five-Os disembarked from the vehicle and headed up the stairs. They walked in, Danny stopped at the reception desk to wink at the same receptionist that had been working there since before he'd even set food in the building and she was more then excited to see him. The Five-Os were given their passes to be in the building and working with the NJPD databases, and then Danny led them up another flight of stairs to the second level.
"Williams!" a booming voice shouted from behind an old wooden door that had Bromwell printed on the frosted glass.
"Here we go," Danny sighed as the door flew open in his face.
"You think you can just waltz in here and take over. This is my precinct Williams and I'm not going to put up with any of your elitist crap!" Bromwell yelled as he stepped out into the hallways and other doors down the way opened as people stopped to stare at the commotion that was about to take place. "You think you can come back here and just waltz back into our lives? Things have changed!"
Chin, Kono and Lori stopped just behind Danny as he faced off with one of his old bosses.
"Good to see you too Chief," Danny smirked and the short man, shorter then Danny, turned red.
"Remember Williams, you're just a cop. I know how you work!"
"Actually I'm a detective," Danny stated calmly.
"Cut the crap," Bromwell hissed, "you're back in my town."
"Oh trust me, I am well aware of that fact, so why don't you move aside Chief, and let me and my task force get down to business. The sooner I can close this case, the sooner I can get back to paradise and you can be stuck here pushing papers in the dead of winter."
"You listen to me, punk, I run this ship."
"Don't say that to my boss when he gets here or he might put you through full naval training and make you eat your words. For now, and on this case, I've got all the authority and if you have a problem with that you take it up with Governor Veneruzo." Danny stated and shoved a finger into the little mans chest, "I know you aren't one for the elitist crap, but I'm going to pull that card anyways. Stand aside, Five-O is in town to clean up a mess that you've let spiral out of control."
"How dare you," the red faced little man hissed.
Danny flashed his badge at the Chief, handed him the official documents sighed and sealed by the United States government and proceeded to pass the Chief in the hallway, "alright everyone, yes I'm back in the building but I don't plan to be here long. If you aren't about to help the task force I suggest you get the hell out of our way!" he announced as he marched himself and his team through the hall toward the office space he knew he'd be taking over with the team.
"Nice work Detective," Lori whispered in Danny's ear as they walked.
"I'll show him whose town this really is!" Danny huffed as he heard a door slam somewhere far behind him.
5-0
Inside the maximum security prison Steve was met by a second group of officers once he and Peter had passed through all of the security and were moved toward the area where the murder had taken place.
"Commander McGarrett, I'd like to introduce you too Lieutenant Coffee, he's the head of our organized crime unit and has been working the Machiavelli case for years, as well as the Salvo case. He is the officer, who first made the connection between the Salvo and Machiavelli cases." Peter Verardo stated as they stood with the full unit before them.
"It's a pleasure Lieutenant," Steve smiled.
"Sounds like we're supposed to all be on the same side," Coffee stated suspiciously as he looked Steve up and down before shaking his hand. "I hear your task force is responsible for Frank Salvo's death." He added.
"I'm sorry if it caused any more head aches for you, here in New Jersey, but I couldn't let the man put down roots in Honolulu, we have our own crime families to worry about, and we don't need to have any transplants."
"Amen to that," Coffee smirked, "So by the look of things, Machiavelli was being held here in the infirmary with a detail of officers on high alert. This was the farthest and the most secure location away from the isolation block where Salvo was being held. Late last night, after the night lock down, Salvo managed to get out of his cell and arrived here in the infirmary wearing a full NJPD uniform. Before the guards knew what was going on he had attacked Machiavelli and killed him with this." Coffee explained and handed an evidence bag to Steve.
"How did an inmate get his hands on a weapon like that?" Steve asked and passed the bag to Peter. "There is a search ever night, before lockdown, is there not?"
"He probably got it the same way he got a police uniform," Coffee stated, "Someone gave it to him. We are holding all of the officers and warden staff for questioning. It's gotta be more then one person, Machiavelli had to make it through gates and floors and whole areas of this prison before he could actually gain access to this room."
"Do you think the culprit is still in the building?" Peter asked.
"No, I think this was an inside job, I think our guys came in, is one of the regulars, dropped off his goods and took off again. I think that some of his accomplices are still in the building, but the person who turned over the uniform and the weapon is probably long gone."
"I'd have to agree with you," Steve said and took the knife back from Peter and looked at it again. "I have a funny feeling about this."
"Sounds like something Danny would say," Coffee smirked.
"You know Danno?" Steve smiled.
"Sure do, he's a damn good cop," Coffee added.
"Was the weapon ever recovered from the stabbing in the courtroom?" Steve asked. "The place was crawling with officers, was it not, what if this knife was that knife as well?"
"Then the crime lab might be able to get both men's blood off it," Peter stated.
"I need this analyzed and I need it done now." Steve demanded.
"We're on it," Coffee stated and passed it back to another one of his men.
"You've got the uniform as well, I'm assuming," Steve said as he looked around the infirmary taking it all in, the escape routs, the blood still pooled on the floor and the shambles of toppled equipment and medical supplies.
"He was still wearing it when he was brought back under control." Coffee explained.
"That needs to go to the crime lab as well," Steve stated and moved across the room to something that had caught his eyes. "Why is there blood way over here?" Steve asked as he stuck a gloved finger into the still tacky blood on the wall."
"Spray?" Peter asked.
"There would be more, someone was pressed against this wall," Steve stated, "was Salvo injured in the attack?"
"Couple of scratches but not enough to leave that kind of a mark," Coffee stated.
"And what about the men that brought him under control?"
"We don't have any reports of other injuries…" Coffee stated and flipped through the report he was given.
"I think your guy was in this room for the commotion. Test that blood and see if it's not in the system, and get all this information to the precinct for Five-O to analyze!" Steve ordered.
"We're on it!" Coffee smiled and ordered his men to get their crime lab on the scene.
"Come on by the precinct, Lieutenant, I'd like it if you were involved with the Five-O investigation. This is your town, and I need all the help I can get from the locals." Steve explained and shook the man's hand again.
"I'll be there with everything I have on Machiavelli and Salvo." Coffee smiled, "You have me intrigued with the whole idea of an elite task force. It might be something we'd like to look into once you're gone." He added with a laugh.
"Welcome aboard," Steve stated and he and Peter were escorted out of the prison.
"You are smooth," Peter laughed once he and Steve were alone in the Camaro again.
"I know how to get what I need, and I always manage to get what I want!" Steve smiled and drove off with the Governor's convoy following closely behind them.