Chapter 43

Governor Denning placed the phone back into the cradle and reflected on the conversation that he had just had with the Director of the CIA. Margaret Thompson had been very complementary about the JBPHH-Five-0 joint operation and Commander McGarrett in particular. A dangerous international arms dealer and militia group had been permanently put out of commission and the intel that had been shared with the CIA had led to dozens of take-downs across Asia - disrupting one of the biggest weapons rings that they had ever seen, including the seizure of bomb-grade nuclear material that had been on its way to Hawaii. They had been able to trace and apprehend the buyer, a man called Kurt Hoeff, and he in turn had given up his client. A high-level traitor within her own agency had been exposed and captured and the threat of very unpleasant prison accommodation had loosened his tongue and he was busy providing the names of all the people to whom he had ever supplied classified information, as well as the names of his inside contacts in the Company. Once they had names, it hadn't taken long to expose the money trail between all of the players.

The agency had started to analyze the information lifted from Daiyu Mei's electronic devices and that was leading them to even more key people within the organization and millions of dollars in bank accounts all over the world; they were up to nearly $100 million and weren't even halfway through their analysis. It was the biggest catch for the CIA in years and certainly wouldn't hurt the agency when budgetary decisions were being made in the White House. The wily woman had made a less than subtle attempt to ascertain Steve's current employment status, clearly coveting the man for the CIA's SAD.

Of less interest to the CIA, but of great significance to the State of Hawaii, was the dismantling of the local Yakuza - headed up by the seemingly respectable Hiro Noshimuri. Damning evidence had been found in a secret room at his house by an eagle-eyed HPD officer who wondered why the size of the room inside didn't match the location of the walls outside. They had discovered a treasure trove of illegal business dealings - all meticulously hand written and carefully filed away in a room with floor to ceiling custom-made cabinets, organized by year. The man had not trusted his secrets to computers and the paper records went back to the 1970s. Pay-offs, hits, arms and drug deals, human trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, gambling rings, protection rackets . . . the list went on. They were uncovering a comprehensive employee list of everyone who had ever been part of his organization and on the payroll since the early 1970s. The real kicker was finding that Hiro had thoughtfully recorded the names of everyone he was paying off to turn a blind eye or act as an informant and that list was extensive – spanning HPD officers and dispatchers, government and housing officials, Halawa guards and respected senior business leaders. Denning had requested the name of the officer whose sharp observational skills had uncovered the hidden room and made a mental note to speak to the relevant committee – Officer James Keoki would soon be receiving a Governor's commendation, a great honor indeed for the young man.

The Chief of Police had already requested that a special division be set up to deal with what had been uncovered. Sam had readily agreed and reached out to Organized Crime Divisions across Japan, knowing that their expertise in taking down organized crime syndicates, known as bōryokudan, would be invaluable. He made sure the Chief was aware of Osaka-based Detective Marlon Kelly's role in the operation and idly wondered if the man fancied a transfer back to Oahu. He thought back to the circumstances that had made the search warrant for the raid possible in the first place – he knew the sting had been conducted as a direct result of Commander McGarrett and Five-0's actions and that HPD would never have got to this point without them.

His mind was made up, he was damned if he was going to let the Navy or the CIA get their hands on Commander McGarrett – the man belonged to the State of Hawaii in his role as the head of the Five-0 Task Force. Denning paged his assistant and asked her to set up a meeting with Lt. Kelly for later that day.

An hour or so later, the lieutenant sat in the Governor's office trying not to fidget as the man looked him over. He had tried to think what the man might want, perhaps an update on the operation to bring down Wo Fat's deadly empire? Sam Denning finally spoke, "Lt. Kelly, how are you finding your new role as head of Five-0?" Chin was taken by surprise by the left-field question,

"In what way, Sir?" Denning clarified his previous question,

"You've achieved much success with your last case, which included cooperation with SWAT and HPD, as well as working with the Navy and the CIA. It was incredibly complex, but yet all the individual activities were coordinated in such a way that the overall mission goal was accomplished. It was a very impressive first case in your new role as head of Five-0."

Chin took his time digesting the Governor's statement and sighed, "The Task Force has a track record of successfully tackling complex cases, but I should tell you that it was Commander McGarrett who took the lead on the operation. We wouldn't have been able to achieve the end goal without his leadership, knowledge and contacts in both the Navy and the CIA. Whilst all of the individual Task Force members at some point played an instrumental role in the success of the mission, I can't in good conscience take the credit for the successful outcome of this case." Sam nodded thoughtfully,

"Just out of interest, Lieutenant, have you moved into the master office at Five-0 HQ?" Chin shook his head. Denning gave the man a knowing smile, "And why is that?"

"I'm not really sure – it still feels like Steve's office." The Governor nodded again and cupped his chin in his hand,

"Do you want it to be the Commander's office?" Chin reflected on this question for a minute or two, not rushing his answer,

"The Hawaiian islands are very different to the mainland, we have such a strong connection to the ocean and the Navy - our location is of huge strategic significance for the whole of the Pacific region. After all, it was no random act of violence when it was Pearl Harbor that was targeted for the very first strike against the U.S. during WWII. It feels right having someone who understands that to head up Five-0. While it was an honor to be considered capable enough for the job, I believe that someone who has special operations expertise can take it to its full potential. If I'm completely honest, I will run it as an extension of HPD but with much more latitude. Steve will run it as a Task Force in its own right . . . you know, I would like to have my own Task Force one day but just not this one. Five-0 will always be Steve's creation."

Governor Denning sat back in his chair with a smile. He addressed the other man, "I have been reflecting on the events of the last few days and have come to a very similar conclusion. However, I wanted to hear your thoughts on the matter, without pressuring you to tell me what you think I want to hear. I would never move forward with my plan to re-recruit Commander McGarrett without your complete approval." Chin sat up in his chair at this,

"You want to get him back?" Denning just smiled,

"How do you rate my chances, Lieutenant?" The other man laughed,

"Give me a day to put Operation Reclaim into action and then I'd say your chances were better than average."

Sam joined in the laughter, "I'm glad we understand each other, Lieutenant. Just one thing, I'm going to make a monthly lunch meeting with the Chief of Police part of your official duties – I'll leave it up to you to justify Five-0's methods to the man!"