falling into heaven - Wow, thank you for the review. Your insight is great. In fact, you even touched on one of my main story ideas that has not played out yet but I won't tell you which one! I appreciate the thoughtful and complimentary review, Anna!
Dear Readers, I do like my secrets and from reading your reviews, you like them too! And the secret Steve is keeping is nothing compared to the secret that will come out as the story plays out! But not in this chapter...sorry to be such a tease! I debated about whether to have Catherine in this fic because I sort of like the character and didn't want to have to turn her into a cliched "other woman" type character. But hopefully I have brainstormed a way for her to play a role and this won't be the last you see of her in this fic...
Chapter Nine – When Harper Met Catherine
"Jealousy is always born with love, but does not always die with it."
~ François Duc de La Rochefoucauld
Hawaii 5-0 Headquarters, later that afternoon…
"You're right, Kono, these are pretty cool toys," Harper admitted, as she watched in awe while the rookie maneuvered through all of the case files that the Chicago PD had sent to the 5-0 team, but then she winked and added, "although I just don't think that anything can beat having chalk dust under my fingernails or the smell of moldy case files in the morning. Can you pull up that Wilson Crips pyramid of power?"
Kono chuckled at the detective's choice of words as she touched a few buttons on the screen and the hierarchy for Kai Akino's gang appeared on the big screen. Examining it closely, Harper said, "So this Michael Sugimoto was Kai Akino's second in command. We have video footage of the two of them in Chicago on the night that Sammy Norval was killed."
Checking his watch, Chin Ho stated, "And since Akino has been dead for about 20 hours now, it's probably a good bet to assume that Sugimoto is now in charge of the Crips."
"If Akino was working for Wo Fat, the chances are pretty high that he's got Sugimoto in his pocket as well," Danny reasoned.
"So that's where we start," Harper stated matter of factly, "Do we have a local address for this character?"
"An address?" Danny asked, looking at her as if she were a crazy person, "What are we going to do…just walk up and ask him if he's on Wo Fat's payroll?"
"Have you tried it?" Harper challenged him smugly, "Sometimes the simplest solution is the one to go with."
"The simplest solution?" Danny repeated, "What makes you think that a gang leader would cooperate with us?"
"Well, I'm gonna ask him really, really nicely, Jersey," she shot back sarcastically.
Crossing his arms and glaring at her, Danny said, "I'm reading this book about getting along with your co-workers that my daughter gave me. It says that sarcasm is never helpful. I can lend it to you if you want."
Harper could barely contain her smirk and was about to match him sarcastic comment for sarcastic comment when Steve walked into the bullpen and barely glanced at the screen as he asked, "So where are we?"
"Well, your ex-wife is ready to take down the new head of the Wilson Crips using only her quick wit and charming personality," Danny informed his partner, winking at the Chicago detective.
"She's done more with less," Steve answered distractedly, apparently not getting the joke that Danny was throwing out there. Taking a moment to look at the screen, he turned to Kono and asked, "Where are the files we put together on the guys at HPD? We need to find out which officers were involved with the investigations into the Yakuza."
"So you're not even going to look into the Wilson Crips connection?" Harper questioned him, narrowing her eyes at Steve.
"No one from the Wilson Crips committed murder in the HPD interview room," he reminded her sharply.
"Yes, but this Sugimoto guy was in Chicago with Akino," Harper challenged him, never one to back down from a fight, "so if the order for the hit came from Wo Fat, he was probably involved somehow. And he will be easier to crack than a cop."
"I disagree," Steve replied stubbornly, shaking his head.
"Look, if a cop did this, I hope he goes away for a very long time because he disgraced the badge we both wear," the redhead rationalized, "but if you're wrong about this and you go after cops…"
"If I'm wrong, I'll go to the grand jury and say I killed Samuel Norval myself," her ex interrupted smugly, not liking the fact that she was arguing with him in front of the team.
"Well that's very noble of you, but it's not going to solve the problem in front of us at this moment," she shot back, knowing that he was already digging in and she didn't have much of a chance of getting him to change his mind. But that wasn't going to stop her, especially since he was wrong.
"Which is?"
"Evidence!" Harper snapped, "And the fact that you have none!"
"And you do?"
"No," she admitted quickly, "but going up against a gang banger with no evidence is drastically different than taking on the cops. You can't just waltz into the bullpen at HPD and start throwing your weight around."
"No?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at her and letting everyone in the room know that was exactly what he planned to do.
"Look Steven, I know you think you are untouchable because you and the governor are special pals and I'm sure everyone finds that really freakin' adorable," Harper spat out as her voice dripped with equal parts anger and sarcasm, "but you are not the sole law enforcement agent on this island. And one day you are going to need the cops to back you up, but if you go marching into their office and accuse them of being on a crime bosses' payroll…well, you can just forget about any protection whatsoever. Cops' memories are long and we don't forget when someone accuses us of being on the same level as scum like Wo Fat. And that puts the lives of every single member of your team in danger, so who's not looking at the big picture now?"
The tension was crackling in the room, but no one had a chance to say anything because at that moment Analyst Jenna Kaye walked in and, having no idea what she had just waltzed into the middle of, said to Harper, "Detective James, your brother Frankie is on line two…"
"Why is he calling me here?" she snapped, grabbing her phone from her hip to see if he had tried to call her cell phone and she had missed his call.
"Probably because you have a new phone," Kono reminded her quietly, "and he may not have the number."
Realizing her mistake, Harper ran her hands through her hair in exasperation and told Jenna, "Oh God, I can't deal with him right now…tell him I'm in a meeting."
"I did." Jenna replied, looking at the detective sheepishly.
"And?"
"And he said I should be replaced," the analyst answered quietly.
"Geez Frankie," Harper muttered, following Jenna out into the reception area of the office as she apologized for her brother's manners.
After Harper's abrupt departure, Steve looked around the room at his team and his eyes stopped on Chin, although the look in his eyes matched everyone else's.
"She's right," Chin Ho informed his boss with a simple nod of his head.
"She usually is," Steve admitted with a grimace and then added, "That's what makes her so damn irritating." He took a long moment to stare at the faces of the Wilson Crips on the screen and then swpre under his breath before saying, "I'll go get her."
Shaking his head as he watched his partner go fetch his ex-wife from the reception area, Danny remarked to Kono and Chin Ho, "I never thought I'd meet anyone as hard headed as Steven and then along came the ex. How did these two ever get it together long enough to get married?"
"Come on," Kono told him with a smirk, "Can you see it? Behind all that fighting, there's undeniable passion there. Even after all these years…"
As Steve pushed open the glass doors to the reception area, the elevator doors also opened simultaneously and a striking dark haired woman disembarked.
"Cat," Steve exclaimed, stopping short and looking from his girlfriend to his ex-wife and then back again, "What are you doing here?"
"Dinner?" Catherine reminded him, gesturing down toward the little black dress and designer heels she was wearing as she added, "I've been waiting at the restaurant for over an hour."
"Oh man," he said, checking his watch, "I got wrapped up in this case…"
"Surprise, surprise," she chuckled and then turned to Harper, who had set down the phone and was watching the scene with interest, as she said curiously, "Hi."
"Hi," Harper replied, stepping forward and extending her hand, "I'm Detective Harper James, Chicago PD."
"Lt. Catherine Rollins of the USS Enterprise," Catherine returned the greeting with a smile and remarked, "Chicago PD? You're a long way from home."
Harper refused to meet her ex-husband's gaze but could feel him staring at her from over the other woman's shoulder as she replied, "I'm on a case. My partner was murdered by a local gang banger, so the Commander and his team are helping me out."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," the lieutenant answered with a frown and then turned to Steve, "Dinner can wait. I mean, you obviously have more important things to…"
"No, no, you two go ahead," Harper answered before Steve had a chance to open his mouth, "It seems we've run into a brick wall anyway. And I should go home and get some sleep."
"Are you sure…?" Catherine asked slowly, looking to Steve for confirmation.
"No…I mean yeah," the Commander finally managed to say, stumbling over his words, "let's go to dinner. We can pick this up in the morning. Why don't you wait for me down in the lobby while I get changed and then we'll get out of here."
"It was nice to meet you, detective," Catherine said with a warm smile, "but I'm sorry about the circumstances."
"Me, too," Harper said quietly, before she turned and walked down the hallway toward Steve's office. Before she knew it, he had caught up and was walking in step next to her. Without looking over at him, she surmised, "I take it that Lt. Rollins isn't aware that you were married?"
"It hasn't come up," he replied, looking straight ahead. "And I'm sure you don't tell everyone you meet that…"
"Oh give it a rest, Steven," Harper interrupted, "It's pretty easy to be anonymous in a city the size of Chicago, unless your name happens to be James. And the Police Department is like an incestuous, small town…everyone knows everything about everyone. So it's pretty common knowledge that I ran off with the babysitter about ten years ago."
Steve flinched at the hard edge in her voice before he quietly agreed, "Yeah."
They finished their walk to his office in silence, so Steve was a little surprised when she followed him into his office instead of continuing on into the bullpen. Flopping down on the couch, Harper said coolly, "She's nice…"
"Jimmy…" he warned, dropping a file down on his desk and turning to look at her.
"Cute," she added, "Great legs."
"Don't."
"Don't what?" she asked, looking up at him innocently.
"Don't…do that," Steve answered, sighing as he sank into his desk chair and explained, "That passive aggressive thing you do."
"Aggressive I've heard before," Harper answered with a shrug, "Passive is new."
"Look, I'm with Catherine now and I'm sorry if that is weird for you…"
"I just said she was nice!" she reminded him.
"And cute. And had great legs," he repeated, "I heard you."
"And young."
"Jimmy…"
"And a lieutenant," she continued, ignoring the warning edge to his voice, "I think you have found the perfect combination of…"
"And this is why I said, "Don't Start'," he sighed, glancing up to the ceiling and rolling his eyes at the situation. He should have known the two women would meet eventually, but he wasn't ready for it to happen on Harper's second day here. They hadn't even worked out their past situation before having to dive head first into his current one.
"Is it serious between you?" Harper asked suddenly, doing a good job of masking the vulnerability in her voice.
"Serious as a heart attack," Steve lied before he realized what he was saying. Was he trying to hurt her without even realizing it?
She nodded and mused, "Heart attacks are very serious."
"Yes, they are," he replied inanely, keeping up this strange charade, "Very serious." And then after a few moments of silence, he asked, "Did you really expect I would never move on? I mean, it's been seven years and I'm not a monk…"
"I know," she snapped, "Of course you've moved on. I've moved on, too. A lot. Yes, I have definitely done my fair share of moving on."
"Please spare me the details," Steve told her, visions of her with nameless and faceless men suddenly causing him to frown.
"If you insist," his ex-wife answered, getting up and heading toward the door, "Have fun on your date."
And she had almost made it out of the office when he said, "You know, when you act like you don't want to talk to me, it just makes me want to talk to you even more."
Turning back to face him, Harper rolled her eyes at him and stated, "That may be the world's most annoying personality trait." She paused and was about to turn to leave when she added, "The not talking when we were married, that's totally different than the not talking now."
"It is?"
"I avoided the talks back then because, according to my friends, I... I didn't know how to be in love with you," she explained in a matter of fact tone.
"And now?"
" Well, now I..." Harper stumbled on her words but managed to keep her composure intact as she said, "I'm not in love with you now, so there's simply no need. To talk, that is."
If she had meant for the admission to hurt, mission accomplished. But Steve also managed to keep his emotions from showing as he replied, "Well, as long as that's cleared up…I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah," she said, opening the door to his office again, "See you tomorrow."