Runaway Witness XXV

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. No profit is made off of any of my writing.

Real life loves to mess with posting schedules. Oh well…..it is what it is.

Chapter 25

Steve and Danny let the door slam shut on tier prisoner while he continued to demand to see his son.

"He certainly is worried about that boy. Do you think Nelson might not be as tough as his father? Maybe the kid is our best source of information," Danny said as they entered the elevator to head upstairs.

"You could be right," Steve agreed. "Let's hope that Chin and Lou can get something out of him. But I want to talk to Bernard Driver. It appears he is the only one in this mess who didn't want to get his hands dirty. He may fold faster and know more." He reached out to change the elevator control to the main floor.

"Sounds like a plan," Danny nodded. "Driver could prove to be a very interesting interview."

"We need to get over to HPD and find out," Steve said and headed for the exit after leaving the elevator.

*H 5-0*

Bernard Driver sat in a small room at HPD in handcuffs that were attached to the table through a metal loop and he was sweating profusely. He had been able to avoid the cops as he went back to the warehouse to collect his car. He had taken time to call his wife and told her to pack a bag for each of the family and to head for the private airfield where his jet was located. After that he called his pilot and told him to get to the airfield immediately as he went inside the warehouse to collect some cash that he knew was there for emergencies. Getting in his car Bernard then took a winding route to the airfield to be sure he wasn't being followed. All that care had been pointless when he discovered that HPD was waiting for him at the plane and arrested him in front of his wife and daughter. Since then he had been left in this room and denied the chance to speak to his lawyer that his wife had contacted. It was exactly what he expected from 5-0 and their disregard of the letter of the law.

He was yanked from his thoughts as the door opened and Steve McGarrett walked in with Danny Williams right behind him.

"Mr. Driver, we understand you have some information that we need," McGarrett said stopping on the opposite side of the table.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I don't have the time or the patience to play games with you. We need to know where the pipe bombs are located and who else is involved in this plan to set them off," Steve said, glaring at the seated man. "If you insist on playing dumb you will be facing the same charges as Conrad Brickman and his son. Those charges will include the murder of Bruce Martin and the attempted murder of Mahina Okala and myself. And of course there is that plot to kill many more with those bombs."

"I…..I…..I wouldn't murder anyone," Driver protested.

"We know you're involved. Either that or you are the most clueless member of a golf foursome I've ever seen," Danny told him. "We checked, you are one of Carson Makenna's biggest financial supporters along with Brickman, Akina and Jamar."

"Donating to a political campaign is not illegal."

"Of course not. But Ms. Okala did overhear plans to scare voters, bombs would be very effective in that department. We caught Jamar, Akina and Brickman planting pipe bombs at a safe house they believed Ms. Okala was staying at. Jamar and Akina are dead Bernard," Steve said leaning across the table. "The weapons we took off them were matched to those stolen in some recent robberies. You were caught trying to flee the island in the middle of the night with no flight plan filed. That's very suspicious Mr. Driver. We have HPD searching all the known properties of those three men and we'll find the missing link to you."

Bernard shrank back from McGarrett, fighting down the bile that rose in his throat in fear. If they found the warehouse they would find his prints in the building and the van he had left. There was no one left to carry out their mission, they had gambled and lost….this was a major mess. He knew that if squeezed, Conrad would throw him to the wolves and protect himself and Nelson. Talking might be the only way to save his skin and cut a deal….after all he hadn't been present when Conrad killed Bruce.

"I want a lawyer," he stubbornly insisted.

"You can want a lot of things Driver. This is domestic terrorism that you are facing and the Governor has a very big interest in seeing this settled," Danny informed him. "Talk…..we may be able to cut you a deal."

Driver leaned back as far as he could and closed his eyes. He had no idea how much trouble he was in but he certainly didn't want a murder charge hanging over his head.

"I'll talk but only on the condition I don't face murder charges. I can tell you who killed Bruce," Bernie said stubbornly.

"You aren't the one making the deals," Steve said sharply. "Tell us the truth and we'll see what can be done for you."

"I need some assurances."

"If you don't help us then there are no deals. It's your choice Driver, talk or cross your fingers and pray," McGarrett said and stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest.

The man almost crumbled before their eyes. He hunched forward, resting his forehead on his handcuffed wrists and his shoulders shook.

"Okay…..okay, I'll help. I never dreamed it would go this far. It just took on a life of its own," he said in a muffled tone.

"Just what was the point with the pipe bombs? Are you saying you didn't know people would die?" Danny asked angrily.

"Conrad and Malcom said we needed to make people see how 5-0 couldn't protect Hawaii, even with all the laws you break. People would rally to Carson's viewpoint, demanding that he fix it. We had to sell the point of how dangerous it was, there had to be collateral damage," Driver choked out, raising his head to look at them.

"That is the most convoluted thinking I have ever heard. Killing innocents to make a point that law and order is needed is sick," Danny pointed out.

"Okay….if you want a deal start telling us everything," Steve said abruptly. He was impatient to know the full extent of this plan. "Where are the bombs and who else is there to set them off?"

Driver looked McGarrett in the eye and let out a long shaky sigh. A lawyer was not going to save his neck now. He didn't have a law degree but with 5-0 digging into the other men's properties it was only a matter of time before they found the warehouse. Believing in Conrad's promises that no one would catch them he had been careless, he hadn't even wiped down the van after he left it at the warehouse. It was time to talk.

McGarrett pulled out his phone and started recording Driver's confession while Danny went to find someone official to take down what was said. The only time Bernard refused to answer a question was when asked if Carson Makenna was involved in the plans.

"I figured he would fold," Steve told Danny when they finally left the room.

"That you did. Chin and Lou should be done talking to Nelson Brickman and Todd Sparks, think they got as much as we did?" Danny asked.

"Probably not, they weren't the brains behind this operation. They might have picked up some valuable info to tie Makenna though. Duke and the bomb squad went to Akina's warehouse and will report back to us as to what they find," Steve said. "I think there will be a lot to connect the pieces once they are done."

"Don't you want to check that out yourself?" Williams asked in surprise.

"No…..I trust Duke. I want to have a second go at Conrad Brickman now that we've been told he killed Bruce Martin," McGarrett said with relish.

"We only have Driver's word that Brickman did that and he wasn't an eyewitness. The only ones left alive from that murder are Conrad, his son and Mahina. She didn't see faces and I'm willing to bet the kid won't rat out his father," Danny pointed out.

Steve smirked at Dany as he stopped by the Camaro's driver's door.

"But Brickman might confess if he thinks that Driver said Nelson did the killing," he replied. "The man struck me as a very concerned father."

A wide grin broke out over Danny's face as he got in the car.

"Now that is an idea of yours that I can get behind partner. I can't wait to see his face when you break that news to him. He needs that smug look wiped off his face. That scum honestly thought he needed to take innocent lives in bombings to sway an election. That makes me sick," Danny continued, feeling his anger spike again. He had wanted to punch someone when Driver had fully explained the whole plan. He couldn't wait to see Brickman squirm.

"I've encountered a lot of cruel, heartless people in my life. Seen a lot of violence against innocents but this plan takes the cake," Steve said shaking his head. "I can't imagine how a normal person would be willing to kill innocent people just to influence an election. I can understand not liking how 5-0 operates and wanting someone else in the Governor's mansion but to be willing to go to that extreme baffles me."

"Then let's go burst Brickman's bubble…..it will be fun," Danny said cheerfully.

Nodding, Steve started the car and headed back to 5-0 headquarters.

Chin and Lou beat Steve and Danny back to the office and were waiting when the two men arrived. The four gathered around the computer table and began comparing notes.

"Sparks is one stubborn SOB," Lou finally stated. "He refuses to talk even with all the information we have linking him to these crazies. All he would say is he wants a lawyer."

"Let him have one, he's going to need legal advice with what Driver told us. Bernie waived a lawyer once he got rolling and is hoping he can cut a deal for cooperating," Danny said.

"Sparks is nailed by the texts and phone records on his burner phone and Brickman's," Chin said bringing up the tech reports on the table. "He passed on everything in our investigation into Bruce Martin's murder that HPD knew and that included when you followed Mahina and Nahele."

"What did Nelson Brickman have to say?" Steve asked.

"The kid is scared out of his mind. He didn't say much, claimed he knew nothing….just did as he was told. I think he's holding out for his dad to save his sorry ass. I got the impression he knew more than he's saying, he had to catch himself a few times from continuing to speak," Lou told them and Chin nodded.

"According to Driver, it was Nelson, Keller and those two kids we arrested at the safe house that committed those robberies," Steve reported. "Evidently Brickman and Jamar cooked up this nasty plan to set off bombs to shove voters towards Makenna. As it progressed they decided there had to be casualties to make us look unable to protect Hawaii from terrorism even with our means and immunity. All the good we've done these last years meant nothing to them because they wanted their candidate elected at any cost," he said bitterly.

"The public is smarter than that. They wouldn't buy that story," Chin responded.

"The public believes what they want to believe if they are frightened," Steve said. "The plan was very extreme but I can see it working. If people are frightened enough and think they could be the next target they will grab onto the first person who claims they can fix it. This could have worked if they hadn't been so careless and Jamar hadn't tried to kill me which kept us digging."

"Okay…..I see what you are saying," Chin acknowledged. "Good thing we're smarter than they were."

"Yes we are," Steve agreed. "So now I want another shot at Mr. Brickman. I am sure we'll get an interesting reaction when we tell him we're charging Nelson with Bruce Martin's murder."

"That ought to shake the man up," Lou nodded.

"Well he did try to kill Mahina," Danny put in.

"And thankfully bungled that job. I want a confession from Brickman. I want the man to admit to all he set in motion," Steve growled and headed for the door. Danny hurried after him, ready to see how this played out.

*H 5-0*

Conrad's head jerked up as the door buzzed and once more McGarrett and Williams entered the blue lit room. This time it was McGarrett who led the way and it was clear he was in charge. Conrad sat straighter, bracing himself.

"All right Brickman…..Bernard Driver had a very interesting story to tell us. Now it's your turn to give us your version. If you choose to remain silent then we can only believe he's given us the truth. Based on Mr. Driver's story, we are going to book Nelson for Bruce Martin's murder and the attempted murder of Mahina Okala," Steve announced as he halted in front of the man, hands on his hips.

"Nelson didn't kill anyone."

"That's not what Driver said," Steve snapped out.

"He's lying!"

"Then you tell us the truth," Steve challenged. "You say everyone else is lying but you haven't given us a reasonable alternative. So far a lot of Driver's story checks out."

"Nelson is not a murderer," Conrad repeated.

"We do know for a fact that he is a thief. His body type fits that of one of the men on the security tapes of the recent robberies that gave you the bomb supplies. We have Driver's information on that and the location of where the bombs are stored. We also know that the remaining guns that were stolen and we didn't recover at the safe house are in your shed at home. Once we show our proof to Luther and Cyrus we are sure to get a confession," Steve said bluntly. "And I am sure one of them will be willing to say that Nelson was the one who pulled the trigger on Bruce Martin."

End chapter.

It looks like Steve has Conrad over a barrel. Thanks for reading.