McGarrett paced the floor of the DA's office like a caged tiger. With Danny out of town, it had been a long and grueling week and the recent ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals wasn't making it any better. His usual Friday afternoon meeting with the district attorney was turning out to be anything but routine. "Dammit, John," he said, "the court doesn't say we have to turn them loose, just give them a parole hearing."
Manicote was as unhappy with the ruling that gutted Hawaii's Habitual Offender's Law as McGarrett was. The convicts listed on the lawsuit filed with the federal court of appeals on behalf of all inmates currently serving time under the law had read like a who's who in crime. They were pimps, panderer's, drug dealers, thieves, rapists, and extortionists who had left a trail of ruined lives and destruction in their wake. Most of them had been convicted on fairly minor charges, but the three strikes law had locked them away for the rest of their lives as habitual offenders. Or at least that was the original intent, and while the Court hadn't vacated any of the sentences, it did require that all prisoner's were now eligible for parole hearings.
"Not only do they get hearings, the court lit a fire under the parole board. The first hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. First up is none other than your old buddy, Charles Arthur Rhodes."
"Rhodes?" Steve asked. He dropped into a chair as memory made the connection. "Big Chicken himself. He's one of the reasons we have prisons." The headache that had started earlier that morning was reaching an all new level. Maybe it was time to listen to Doc and start taking those pills.
"You okay?" Manicote asked, looking concerned.
"Just a headache, is all," he said. "How did Big Chicken convince the warden to send him to the parole board?"
"The warden didn't have a choice. The hearings are mandated by the ruling. Wait until you hear the rest of the story, the part that's really going to give you a headache. According to the warden's report, Chick's found God and a church group to sponsor him if he gets out. He's been a model prisoner for the last ten years. He's even managed to get himself ordained as a minister."
"Ever notice how creeps like Chicken and his cronies always manage to find both God and Jesus in their cells after lifetime of ignoring every church on this Rock before they got sent up? Who did he con into ordaining him?"
"A group called the United Church of the Living Truth ran by the Right Reverend Simon Leeds."
"Never heard of them," McGarrett said, disgusted with the idea of a Reverend Chicken.
"That's why I want Five-O on it. Chicken's up to something and I intend to find out what it is. We both know that Rhodes has a hand in every illegal racket at the prison, and the one's he's not running he's getting kickbacks from. That money has to go somewhere. I think he's using the church group as a front to launder all that illegal cash."
Sitting still was not one of McGarrett's strong points. He stood up and continued pacing. "I thought we'd seen the last of that creep when the doors slammed shut on the new maximum security wing. I thought he was locked up for good. It looks like I will be attending a parole hearing next week."
"You'll be seeing him sooner than that. Wait until you hear the rest. He wants a meeting with you. Says he wants to make amends."
"For what? Threatening to kill me? If he wants to start making amends he needs to start with all the kids whose lives were ruined when he started supplying them with dope. Or maybe to all those young girls he turned into prostitutes to support their drug habits. He'd have to be on his knees praying non stop for the next century to make amends for all the harm he's done. I'm not buying his born again act."
"Steve," Manicote said, "I'd consider it a personal favor if you did meet with him. He's up to something. What I don't know, but I'm going to find out. There's something fishy about Chicken and his sudden aspirations toward holiness."
"Set it up. When does he want to meet?" McGarrett asked, less than enthusiastic about the prospect. He and Big Chicken had a violent and unpleasant history.
"Monday morning at nine. See if you can get someone inside the church. Find out who the members are and how to find them should it become necessary and hang the overtime. Find me something to keep Chicken right where he is. Failing that, get me enough evidence to get a wire tap on every phone they've got and an excuse to subpoena their books." He handed Steve a folder with what little information he had on the United Church of the Living Truth. "This group came out of nowhere and suddenly they're the go to organization for ex-cons. Their mission statement says their goal is to give newly released prisoner's a 'chance to re-establish a productive life through positive church and community involvement.'"
"Why does that sound like an idea hatched by Sheriff Murphy and his cadre of out of work scriptwriters?"
"Because it is. Murphy is one of their political sponsors. Claims it will cut the crime rate in half and make the streets safer."
McGarrett silently cursed Murphy and all actors turned politicians. "If he'd bother to read any of the reports from my office he'd know the crime rate is already down. I suppose that this means our esteemed sheriff is to be kept in the dark about Five-O involvement?"
"You got it. I don't know the extent of Murphy's involvement with this group. Find out. See if he's received any campaign contributions from them."
"Murphy's never had to deal with Chicken. You and I have and we know what he's capable of. It's time for Big Chicken to find out there are some things he can't control. I want him strip searched and shackled. The last time I saw him he was pointing a gun at my head."
"Was that before or after you broke his jaw?"
"Before. While we're meeting, toss his cell. He'll be smart enough not to have anything incriminating in there. Do it anyway."
"Are you sure you're okay? You look like you're exhausted. If you don't get some rest soon Maggie is going to have us all on report. How is she? I was so aggravated by Rose Bird and her gang of four that I forgot to ask."
For the first time that afternoon, McGarrett smiled. "She said yes."
"Yes to what? Wait a minute! She's going to marry you? Congratulations! You finally found someone who'll put up with you. When's the big day?"
"We haven't set a date yet. I think she wants to wait until after she retires from the Army."
"Just keep me posted. That is good news. The best I've heard all day."
Steve shook hands with Manicote, stashed the folders in his briefcase, and went back to his office at Iolani Palace, happy in spite of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and a splitting headache.
Maggie was just putting the finishing touches on what had became a continuing column on military women. The column had started out as a week long piece highlighting the contributions by women to the modern military that had proved so popular it was now a weekly feature. As she typed she caught a glimpse of the diamonds sparkling on her left hand and hoped that the column would be reassigned to another staffer after she retired.
In the week since she'd said yes to Steve's proposal, she'd turned down a promotion to Master Sergeant and had started the process of filing all the paperwork necessary for retirement from the Army. She was still having trouble coming to grips with the idea that nearly twenty years had passed since she'd stood in the recruiting station in New Orleans being sworn in as a clueless buck private. Today was one of those days when she was wondering just what would have happened if she'd stayed on Grande Isle, and that was causing her imagination to draw a total blank. Nope, wouldn't have ever happened, she thought. No regrets here. Could have saved a lot of pain and heartache, but it was worth it. He's more than worth it. Her bout of nostalgia was interrupted when Lu knocked briefly and came in, dropping the updated duty roster on her desk.
"Hope you didn't have plans for this weekend," Lu said, collapsing into a chair, "Flores's wife went into labor. He'll be a daddy by morning. I had to shuffle the list around to make this work. You've got duty tomorrow."
"So what else is new? No plans, really. All we had on the agenda was rearranging the garage so that my stuff could fit until I decide what to do with it." Maggie's furniture and personal property had been in storage since she was re-assigned from Europe after the Gulf War. After a journey across two oceans the stuff was to be delivered Monday morning. She was taking the day off to be at the house when the movers arrived.
"Another exciting weekend shot to hell," Lu said, smiling.
"What about you? You got anything planned?"
"Not yet. Probably go out to dinner or something. I swear if that man doesn't make a move soon, I'm going to do it for him." Lu and Duke had been dating for over three months, and, according to Lu, that was all they were doing. She was starting to get frustrated.
"Lu, he's old fashioned. When he does make a move, you'll know he's serious."
"Well, he'd better hurry up. That man has no idea how hot he is. You know, I think what attracts me the most is that he's so damned quiet. After all the noise and commotion we have to put up with from the Army, he's soothing to be around. It's kinda nice to be with someone who doesn't expect me to the tough chick in uniform all the time. Crazy, right?"
"No, Lu, not crazy at all," Maggie said, smiling at her friend. "Are you telling me Ms Find 'em, Fool 'em, and Forget 'em is falling for a man?"
"Yeah, like I said, crazy. And at my age. You'd think I'd know better by now."
"You know, he could be the one. Sophie graduates from college in two years and there are worse places to retire to than Hawaii. You could hang up the uniform at twenty-five instead of thirty
"This coming from someone who is well and truly spoken for. I'll never get that lucky." Lu said, sighing. "Speaking of which, have you set a date yet?"
"Not yet. Want to go dress shopping with me next weekend? I can't decide if I want to buy the dress or make it. We need to find you a dress, too, since you're going to be my maid of honor."
"You got a deal as long as the dress doesn't have sequins, tulle, or ruffles." Lu paused for a minute, thinking. She had been the only attendant at Maggie's wedding to Michael Alden years earlier. "You really love this guy, don't you?" Lu asked, the concern evident in her voice.
"Yes, I love him. I know it sounds strange but it's like I've known him forever and all we had to do was find each other again."
Lu laughed. "If I hear the word soulmate coming out of your mouth, I swear I'll have you committed to the mental ward at Tripler."
"My opinion on that is the same as yours. Every time I hear the word 'soulmate' all I can think of is somebody's having some really good sex." Maggie said, grinning. She'd heard that word from so many young soldiers she felt as if she could write a book on the advisability of running away from anyone uttering the word soulmate. Maggie saw the beginning of another of Lu's world championship smirks. "Don't give me that look! I have known you so long I can tell what you're thinking before you think it. If you must know, it's exceptionally good sex."
"Really good sex is what I'd love to get this weekend. You know the funny part? He could be the worse lay in history and I really wouldn't care as long as it was with him. Geeze, I'm getting philosophical in my old age and I've still got a pile of paperwork waiting on my desk that needs to get done before I can get out of here. No wonder Hardin was such an ass, the paperwork drove him to it." She got up, stretching to her full height as she did. "Don't forget, duty tomorrow." She said as she left the office.
Lu still wasn't use to the sign on the door that read First Sergeant Yablanski. What she was getting use to, however, was the bigger office and the comfortable executive's chair that went with it. She had just sat down when the cell phone she had stashed in the desk drawer started ringing. She frowned at the offending instrument, debating on whether she should answer when Duke's number popped up on the caller ID screen.
"Hello, Susan," he said when she answered. "I hope you haven't made plans for tonight because my kids want to meet you. Dinner at my house at seven."
Lu was momentarily speechless. This was not what she had expected. "Sounds good," she said, hoping she didn't sound as nervous as she felt. "Seven, you said. Do I need to bring anything?"
"Just your beautiful self, magic lady," he had been calling her that since the night they met when he swore that magic had been in the air. "My daughter is cooking. I'm not sure what, but I promise it will be good."
"I'll be there. And Duke," she said.
"Yes, Susan?"
"Thank you."
"I'll see you at seven." He hung up the phone, counting down the minutes until he would see her.
Lu got back to the mounds of paperwork that went with the diamond in the center of her stripes. Duke was the first non-military man she had dated since the mid eighties. After her second divorce she'd decided no more men from the ranks. That hadn't worked out at all, since there was very little she could actually talk about with a civilian without them thinking she was totally bonkers. Duke was different. He was quiet, polite, and easy to be with. What impressed her most about him was he didn't seem like he was trying to impress her at all. He had shared a few of the more amusing stories about being an HPD officer, but most of those were about other people. He'd told her about his late wife, about his kids, and about Hawaiian culture and traditions. He had shown her secluded parts of the Island that were so far off the beaten path that few tourists ever got to see them. What he didn't do was talk about Duke Lukela, and in a world where she had to deal with male braggadocio on an hourly basis, that was as refreshing as the trade winds that blew across the islands.
Then there was the night two weeks earlier when he'd shown up at the BEQ unannounced, with cut knuckles, a bruise on his cheek, and a bandage on his neck that she later learned was from a knife wound that had taken eighteen stitches to close. He said he had been driving by and thought of her and wanted to know if she'd like to go to the beach. It was after ten, but she she'd grabbed a blanket from the closet and they had driven down to a deserted stretch of beach near Diamondhead. He had spread the blanket on the sand just above the water line. She could tell something was wrong. His usually calm demeanor seemed to be shattered. He hadn't said anything; he'd just held her until he'd stopped shaking. The next day the lead story on the morning news was a report of a robbery gone bad where the suspect had held a knife at the throat of a teenage girl until he was subdued by a HPD patrol officer who had been injured disarming the suspect and had been treated and released by Queens hospital.
That was the night she fallen totally and helplessly in love with the silver haired Hawaiian police sergeant with eyes as dark as melted chocolate.
Now he wanted her to meet his kids. Maybe he was getting serious. Maybe Maggie was right and he was the one. She looked up at the clock on the wall, willing the hours to pass quickly.