ANs in Ch. 1

You Picked The Wrong Girl
2/2 by Sammy & Mari

"Awl g'ne." Angie pushed her plate away and clapped.

"It is all gone. That's Grandma's big girl." Elizabeth kissed her head. "And now you can have your cookies."

"I'll get them, Aunt Elizabeth," Grace offered as she gathered dishes along with Joseph.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Top shelf on the left."

"Cookie, cookie, cookie," Angie chanted happily as her grandmother wiped her hands. "Ama Ang, ah me cookie."

"That's right, angel, because you're such a good girl, you're having cookies." She leaned in from where she was seated on Angie's other side and whispered. "I may have a cookie or two myself." And kissed the little cheek.

When the family had finished a dessert of coffee cake and cookies, Elizabeth brought Angie in for a bath and Joseph took each dog in turn out for a short potty break, complete with their own HPD escort.

When Grandma Ang sat on the sofa Grace went to join her. As they sat side by side the teenager placed a hand over Ang's. "They'll catch the guys," she said with a smile.

"I know they will, honey," Ang said with complete confidence. "Especially with my Catherine backing them up."

"I get how you're all still getting used to knowing about cases in real time, I just … I can't say don't worry, but I don't want you to worry too much, okay?" She kissed the senior's cheek and was pulled into a hug.

"You're an amazing young lady," Grandma Ang whispered before they broke the embrace. "I'll promise not to worry too much if you do." She held out her hand to lighten the mood.

Grace nodded and took Ang's hand in both of hers. Just as she let go, her phone dinged a text.

Checking it, she smiled. "It's Danno, they're on their way back to HQ, Auntie Cath has a lead."

Thirty minutes later the entire team had reassembled at headquarters along with Duke, Sheriff Kaholo, and Frank Kaewa, who had been briefed on the situation.

"What have you got?" Steve asked.

Catherine swiped a driver's license and an arrest record up onto the overhead screens. "Innocence Watkins. Not exactly aptly named. She's 26 years old and has been arrested 13 times. Nothing violent. Possession, prostitution, a few minor assaults. Mostly against johns who got rough."

"Any connection to one of our open cases?" Kono asked.

"Not directly." Catherine swiped again and the pictures changed. "But according to her social media accounts Innocence has a boyfriend named Johnny Ray. He's quite a charmer. Has a record as long as my arm. Owes back child support to three different women. Just got out of Halawa Correctional Facility a month ago after serving five years for assault with a deadly weapon. His last year in he had a cellmate named Billy Ortega."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Chin asked.

Catherine put a new set of documents up on the screen. "He's one of the street level sellers you arrested in the drug sting last week."

"He's sitting over in lockup as we speak," Duke said. "He's a real piece of work. He fancies himself a real jailhouse Clarence Darrow."

Frank Kaewa checked his notes. "I know exactly the guy you're talking about. We offered him a deal last -three years in exchange for the names of his suppliers. It was a gift for a guy with a record like his."

"I'm guessing he didn't take it?" Danny surmised.

"He gave me the old 'snitches get stitches' line," Frank said. "I figured after he has a few days to think about things, like how if he doesn't cooperate he's looking at ten to twenty, it might loosen his lips."

"So Billy Ortega wants to try to threaten his way out of jail but he can't make the call himself," Danny said. "So he calls up his old cellmate and hits him up for a favor. What's in it for Johnny Ray?"

"That will be one of my first questions after we pick him up," Steve said, his fists clenched at his side "Do we have an address for Johnny Ray?"

Ortega was clearly the brains of the operation, such as it were, and Steve would deal with him later, but for right now he had one objective. Find and neutralize the man who had called and threatened Catherine and Angie.

"Looks like he's been staying with Innocence since he got out," Catherine said. "She has an apartment on Pua Street. They hang out a lot at a bar down by the docks. He also has a brother that is mostly homeless but sometimes stays in a meth den down on Hotel Street. I'm texting everyone all three addresses."

Sheriff Kaholo looked his watch, then at the screen, then back at Catherine. "You dug up all this information in thirty minutes?"

"Actually, it only took me twenty minutes," Catherine said matter-of-factly as Steve beamed at her with unabashed pride. "The other ten I spent waiting for you guys to get back."

"I feel compelled to remind you that you can't kill the guy on sight," Danny said as he and Steve headed for the apartment building where Johnny Ray had been staying since his release from prison.

"He threatened Catherine," Steve growled. "And Angie."

"And we'll make sure he pays for that." Danny kept his tone calm and even. "But you getting yourself into hot water for roughing him up ... or worse … isn't going to help anyone. The goal is to get all three of you back home safe and sound as soon as possible."

Steve kept his eyes focused straight ahead. "I can't let anyone get away with threatening my family."

"He won't get away with it." Danny braced himself against the dash as Steve took a corner without braking. "If Catherine was here you know full well she'd be telling you the same thing."

Steve passed the car in front of him on the crest of a hill causing Danny to slam his eyes shut momentarily. "Catherine's not here."

"Do you want me to call her?" Danny asked as he pulled out his phone. "Because I will."

Steve changed lanes again. "I hate you."

"I know."

"Can I at least break his nose?" Steve asked hopefully.

"If he resists at all," Danny acquiesced. "I mean accidents do happen."

Steve thought for a minute then nodded as they turned into the apartment building's parking lot. "I can live with that."

Much to Steve's disappointment Johnny Ray did not resist arrest and both he and Innocence Watkins were transported to HPD without incident.

"I'm tellin you you got it all wrong," Johnny said cockily as he sat across the table from Steve and Danny in Interrogation Room 1. "I didn't call nobody. You can check my phone."

Because Catherine couldn't positively identify the voice as either male or female they'd brought in both Johnny Ray and Innocence Watkins. Catherine was down the hall trying to convince Innocence to come clean before she found herself in even hotter water.

"You used your girlfriend's phone," Steve said.

"What girlfriend? I ain't got no girlfriend," Johnny scoffed. "I'm a free spirit. A man like me can't be tied down to one woman. I got girls all over the island."

Danny rolled his eyes. "That's not what we hear."

Johnny leaned back. "Well you hear we even know how many different guys Innocence has been lending her phone to. Could be anybody. All I know is I didn't call nobody. For all I know it was her that made the call. That bitch is crazy."

"I'm not sure you understand what your boyfriend has gotten you involved in," Catherine said patiently as she sat across the table from Innocence Watkins.

"I didn't do nuthin'," Innocence insisted. "I told you I didn't call nobody and I didn't make any threats."

"I believe you." Catherine folded her hands on the table in front of her. "But you let your boyfriend use your phone and that connects you to the call. For all we know he's down the hall right now trying to put this all on you."

"Johnny wouldn't do that to me," Innocence insisted with an air bravado.

Years of questioning suspects had trained Catherine to look deeper. What she saw was a frightened young woman who had most likely never had anyone extend her a hand up in her life. She made her way through every day doing whatever she needed to do to survive. Which put her in the orbit of a lot of losers like Johnny Ray.

"Are you sure?" she asked. When Innocence couldn't look her in the eyes Catherine continued. "How long have you known him?"

"Three months," Innocence said softly. "I met him when I went to Halawa to visit my brother."

"Did you know he has four kids he doesn't support? Or that he was serving time for assaulting his last girlfriend with a baseball bat?" Catherine kept her tone soft. In spite of everything she had compassion for the woman across the table from her. There was a level of sadness and desperation in her that told Catherine she was the farthest thing from a hardened criminal. Getting involved with a thug like Johnny Ray was the last thing Innocence Watkins needed.

"He told me it was just a disagreement that got out of hand."

"She took five dollars out of his wallet while he was sleeping to go to the store and get milk for their baby." Catherine opened the case file and showed it to Innocence. There was a photo of the badly beaten victim right on top.

The young woman winced and looked away but said nothing.

"Did he tell you why he wanted to borrow your phone?" Catherine pressed.

"He said he needed to make a call for his friend Billy," Innocence admitted. "Said it was no big deal but he needed to use my phone just 'cuz I don't got no connection to Billy. Said the cops were too stupid to figure it out."

Catherine closed the folder. "Did he tell you who he was going to call?"

"Some cop's wife." Innocence repositioned her arms to try to relieve some of the discomfort caused by the handcuffs. "Tell her they need to drop the investigation." Her lips turned up in a sad smile. "I guess it didn't work."

"No." Catherine shook her head. "It didn't."

"Am I going to jail?"

Catherine took a deep breath. "I'll talk to the prosecuting attorney and tell him you were very cooperative."

"Thanks," Innocence replied. "I got a regular job. I've been working at a laundromat for almost two months. I'm trying to be better."

"I'll see what I can do," Catherine promised.

When she exited the room she saw Frank Kaewa in the hall. "Any luck?" he asked. The first thing they needed to do was establish clearly who made the call.

"She definitely put the phone in Johnny Ray's hands," Catherine said. "I'm gonna let Steve and Danny know."

"Excellent." Frank pulled out his phone to call his office,

Catherine took a few steps down the hall then turned back. "She's worried she's going to jail."

"She probably is," Frank said. "She has a bench warrant for failing to pay the fines on her last prostitution arrest."

"She was really helpful to me," Catherine said sincerely. "Plus I don't think she's a bad person. She's just never had a break. I looked up her history. She went into foster care at 5 years old after her father killed her mother then himself. She had 13 different placements before she turned 18. She aged out of foster care with absolutely nothing and six months later was her first prostitution arrest."

Frank shook his head. "What are you? Her defense attorney?"

Catherine smiled. "Just offering my opinion."

Truth is, over the years Frank had learned to trust Catherine's gut. When she advocated for someone to get a second chance, or even a third, the person was usually deserving.

"I'll see what I can do about finding a program for her," he said.

Catherine tapped lightly on the door to Interrogation Room 1 then stepped in. She made eye contact with Steve and held a brief non-verbal conversation.

"Your girlfriend gave you up, Johnny," she said matter-of-factly. "She says you were the one that made the call."

"She lyin'," Johnny insisted.

Catherine shook her head and leaned nonchalantly against the wall. "I don't think so."

"I take care of her." Johnny Ray puffed out his chest. "No way she gonna turn on me."

Catherine approached the table and threw down a manila folder. "I showed her a picture of the last woman you took care of." She opened the folder to reveal his battered and bruised ex-girlfriend. "She was a lot more willing to talk after she saw this."

"You didn't have no right to show her that," Johnny raged.

Catherine leaned over the table, eyes blazing. "I had every right. Just like she had every right to know who you really are."

"You don't know nuthin' about who I really am." Johnny Ray stared her down but if he thought he was going to intimidate Catherine he had picked the wrong girl.

"You're the kind of low-life loser who beats and threatens woman and children." Catherine's voice was steady but her tone was unmistakably dangerous.

Steve stood and leaned menacingly over the table. "And now we have all the evidence we need. You're going back to jail."

Johnny Ray smirked. "For what? Some punk ass phone call? What am I gonna get? 90 days for harassment? I can do that easy."

Steve chuckled then shared an amused look with first Catherine, then Danny. "Try twenty years."

"Twenty years?" Johnny bark laughed. "You're crazy. Six months at the most."

Steve sat back down and pinned the man with a glare. "You threatened the chief of staff to the governor of Hawaii in her government office on her government phone, moron. You're looking at hard time. The Department of Homeland Security is gonna want to talk to you, too."

"Department of Homeland Security?" Johnny pounded his hands on the table. "No way."

"It's domestic terrorism." Steve leaned back in his chair now that it was clear Johnny Ray was about to crack. "They'll put you in a hole so deep no one will be able to find you."

"I didn't know nuthin' about any of that," Johnny said, his confident veneer completely gone. "I was just given a number to call. Nobody said nuthin' about Homeland Security. Those guys don't play."

"Who gave you the phone number?" Steve thundered.

Johnny took a deep breath, clearly trying to decide what to do next. "Billy Ortega's old lady. She dropped off the number plus $2,500 cash for my trouble."

"That didn't take long," Danny snorted. "So much for loyalty."

"I'm loyal but I ain't doin' twenty years for nobody." Johnny began rocking back and forth in his chair. "Billy said even if I got caught I'd do a few months at the most and he'd make it worth my time."

"I think you need to stop taking legal advice from an idiot like Billy Ortega," Steve said. "He was offered a deal by the prosecutor last week. He was gonna get off easy. Instead he pulled something like this and bought himself a whole world of trouble."

"They wanted him to snitch on his suppliers and he figured if he does that he'll get killed in the joint," Johnny said. "He thought getting the case dropped would take care of that."

Steve and Danny shared a look. The logic of criminals never failed to amaze them.

"He's gonna wish he'd just turned over the names of his suppliers by the time I'm through with him," Steve ground out.

"And I'm gonna be watching you like a hawk," Catherine told Johnny. "If anything happens to Innocence Watkins, or any other woman who is unlucky enough to cross your path, I'll personally see to it that you serve the rest of your miserable life in jail." She picked up the file and turned to leave." Oh and by the way, as soon as you're done answering whatever charges you get related to this incident you have an appointment with a judge about your back child support. That money Billy paid you is going to your kids."

Steve and Danny followed Catherine into the hall.

"For a minute there I thought you were gonna pop him in the nose," Danny said.

Catherine smiled. "Believe me, I was tempted."

"Me too," Steve said as he dropped an arm across her shoulders.

Danny shook his head and grumbled, "A perfect matched set."

"Mama, Dada? Wan' Cookie," Angie announced the moment the family entered the beach house.

They'd picked up the bathed and pajama-clad toddler along with Cammie, thanked Elizabeth, Joseph and Grandma Ang and said their goodbyes to Grace and Danny in the condo's parking lot. The sleepy toddler had dozed in the truck but upon entering the living room woke and asked for her favorite food.

Steve and Catherine shared a look. The release of the day's tension had left them tired, but their daughter's request for the simple treat had them smiling at it's normalcy.

"You know what, baby girl?" Steve said as he kissed the soft cheek of the little girl who was watching him expectantly. "You can have a cookie. Even though you had them at dinner, because I seriously doubt Daddy could say no to anything you ask right now."

Wanting to make sure her daddy was agreeing, Angie placed a little hand on each of his cheeks and repeated, "Me cookie?" with a head tilt and expression that were one hundred percent Catherine's.

The laughter that bubbled up in his chest at Angie's tenacity had Catherine laughing as well, and Cammie dancing around their feet. "Yes, cookies for Angie." He confirmed and kissed her again.

"Doggie cookies for Cammie, too," Catherine added and Angie cheered.

"Yay! Cookie!"

"C'mon, sweetheart, let's get a cookie and then we'll have your story." Catherine took her from Steve as he moved to give Cammie a potty break. Smiling softly at each other when they simultaneous uttered, "Meet you upstairs."

Closing the book and kissing Angie's head, Steve whispered, "Goodnight, baby girl."

Catherine stood from where she was seated on the toddler bed and they watched her for a long moment after tucking her in.

As Steve wrapped an arm over Catherine's shoulders and hers wound around his waist, she murmured to the dozing toddler. "Someday I tell you a story how Daddy eradicated a threat in nine hours today. Because no one threatens our family."

"And someday Daddy will tell you exactly how Mommy zeroed in on the threat, because she's one hundred percent right." Smiling into a kiss, Steve looked into his wife's eyes as he addressed her. "And how Ortega picked the wrong girl."

THE END

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