A/N: Thank you to those who are reading and reviewing. This is the most complicated fic that I have ever written, but I am enjoying it. Hope you are enjoying reading it, too!
Chpt 5: It's All in the Name
"Hey, Max," Lori said to the top of Max's head.
"Ah, hello Agent Weston," he responded without looking up. "Who do you have with you today?"
"It's me Max."
"Hello, Commander McGarrett," he said with his head still bent over a tray covered with small particles or insects, or what it was exactly, Steve couldn't guess.
"What 'ya got there Max?"
"Oh," he said and looked at the two of them from behind a head piece much like that of a miner's head lamp only this particular contraption housed no light. Instead, it held two magnifying glasses, one over each of Max's eyes which made them look like they were twelve sizes too big for his head. "These particular larvae are called Chrysomya megacephala."
"The blowfly,' Lori said, pleased with herself for remembering.
"Yes, the blowfly. They indicate that Mr. Melvin Pritchard there," he said pointing to a body lying on the opposite side of a clear window, "died approximately three days ago and was left undiscovered until said neighbor's dog, a Mister Whiskers, found him on a morning walk". He blinked twice behind his magnifying glasses giving him the appearance of an oversized and curious fly.
"Could you take those things off, Max? Please. I'm afraid you're gonna' sprout wings and fly away like Jeff Goldblum."
"Ah, you are referring to 'The Fly', a remake of the classic 1958 film of the same title. I can assure you Commander McGarrett that, while quantum physics theorizes that matter can in deed be transferred through space, a telepod such as Dr. Brundle's does, in fact, not exist. There are significant theoretical holes in its design. Furthermore, the science of DNA hybrid technology is such that metaphysical transport and DNA cross match would likely leave both objects, or human and insect in this case, immediately and cataclysmically in permanent disarray. So you see, the union of these two scientific disciplines could never exist with any conceivable stability."
"Still, Max," Steve said pointing to the contraption on Max's head "the big eyes and all... you're freaking me out"
"Right," he said and removed the head loops. "What can I help you with today?"
"A girl was abducted in the night club district last night. Her friend saw it happen. He used a needle and syringe to knock her out. The friend said the effect was immediate. Any idea what might have been in that syringe?"
"Hmm. My best guess would be an injectable anesthetic if the effect was that immediate. Most likely a dissociative anesthetic such as Ketamine or Tiletamine. Delivery in the muscle at a high enough dose would create a mind out of body experience much like PCP. The victim's body would go immediately limp from the dissociative effect."
"Would one ml be enough for someone my size," Lori asked.
"One ml would be enough for someone his size," Max said nodding toward Steve.
"Ketamine is the date rape drug, special K. It's a powder. Most perp's drop it in the victims drink," Steve questioned
"You are correct. There is, however, an injectable form used in pediatric medicine as an anesthetic induction agent. The same form is used most commonly in veterinary medicine."
"Veterinary medicine," Lori wondered allowed. "Thanks Max, I'll see you tomorrow night."
"Yes, tomorrow night, and good day to you, Commander."
Steve was quiet on their way out. He didn't speak until they reached her SUV. "What's tomorrow night?"
"Tomorrow night?" Lori questioned.
"Max said he would see you tomorrow night."
"Oh, it's movie night. Once or twice a month, a few of us get together at Max's and watch a movie. We bring the drinks and Max makes unbelievably delicious snacks. They all have names that I can't pronounce, but they are delicious none the less. It's fun."
"You go by yourself?"
"Usually... Why, do you want to come with me? I think we're watching "Aliens" tomorrow night, one of the best movies ever by the way."
"Yeah, I'll come. I don't have to dress like an alien do I?"
"Not this time," she teased and was rewarded with a stop-your-heart grin from Steve. A quiet moment passed before Steve's phone interrupted the surprisingly comfortable silence.
"Yeah, Danny, what's up?"
Lori half listened to the one sided conversation. Mostly she thought about her plans for the next evening. Now that they included Steve, there was more to consider, things like a shower and a little makeup.
"Danny said the consignment shop owner remembers a guy, mid twenties, coming in several months ago looking for evening dresses in sizes 0, 2, and 4. He bought everything they had at the time. Paid in cash. She said he turned up twice more and cleaned them out, both times."
"Description?"
"That's where it gets interesting. Owner remembered his eyes. One was bluish green and the other was brownish yellow. Other than that, it was the purchases that stood out, not him."
"So our perps are one in the same," Lori said.
"Looks like it."
"After I drop you off, I'm gonna' look for B&E's in veterinary clinics around the time of the first murders. It's a long shot, but, who knows, we might get lucky. Goodness knows we're due for a little luck."
"I'll talk to Kono and see if she has anything on those names you sent. Chin was gonna' talk to the auto parts owner this morning and see if anything pops there. I'll let you know."
"I have to tell Agent Amari about all of this. He's the agent in charge."
"I know."
"Are you okay with that?"
"Yeah, I'm okay with that. I like Amari. He seems like a good guy."
"He is. He was good to me when I first joined the Bureau here in Honolulu."
Sensing that maybe her transition back into the Bureau was less than smooth, Steve debated on whether or not to press the issue. His natural curiosity coupled with his investigative instincts got the best of him. "What happened," he asked his voice husky, deep with concern.
Lori glanced at him before quickly training her eyes back on the road. "I wasn't in a very good place when I started working at the bureau. I had just left Five-O. I had an official reprimand in my jacket and my heart on my sleeve. Amari and Jenkins were a relatively new team. I guess they had been together for six or eight months or so at the time. Every team at the bureau has an internal task force that they work with, their support crew of sorts. Amari and Jenkins didn't have a full team yet so I was assigned to them. Our first case was a kidnapping case... three little girls. The hours were long and we were all exhausted. Jenkins paid a lot of extra attention to me. I thought it was sweet at first, but then it got to be too much. Amari saw what was happening and kept Jenkins busy with tasks that didn't involve me. He never said anything, but I knew what he was doing. Long story short, we found the guy and got the little girls back home. We all went out one night to celebrate. Jenkins ended up at my doorstep with a little more than work on his mind. When I declined his offer things got a little out of hand."
"What did he do," Steve asked aneurism face firmly in place.
"Oh, he got a little handsy," she said lightly, trying to diffuse the tension in Steve's face, "tried to force the issue. But, luckily he was drunk enough, I didn't have too much trouble putting him in his place. He's pretty much been an ass ever since, but he's kept his distance and he hasn't tried anything else, just snide little comments every now and again. Agent Amari is very good at keeping him in check."
"Did you file a report?"
"No. After I kicked his ass, there was really no need."
"He sounds like a son of a bitch. I don't like him."
"He is, but he and I have an understanding. I don't like him either, but I trust him. He's a good agent."
H5O
Steve did a double take when he saw Lori pass by his office window. He felt a little disappointment when he saw her turn into Kono's office.
"Hey, Kono."
Kono looked up from her computer. "Hey, girl. What's up?"
"Bad time?"
"No, come on in."
Kono's office hadn't changed much in the last year and a half. It still smelled of salt water and island breeze. Lori had always felt very comfortable in this office. She had missed Kono, but breaking ties completely when she left Five-O had been the right thing to do, even if her reasons had been selfish. "I wanted to run something by you."
"Sure."
"I have a name, Markus Aaron Williams. Do you recall seeing that on any of your lists?"
"Not off the top of my head, why?"
"His name popped on a B&E in Pennsylvania, but I can't find any photo records, nothing to put a face to the name."
"Did you two find something?" Steve asked from Kono's door. Lori turned in her seat to find him leaning against the door frame, feet crossed at the ankles, arms crossed over his chest. She was immediately hyperaware of his presence. He seemed to fill the room entirely as if nothing existed other than him. It was a dangerous feeling, she knew, but everything about him drew her in: his scent, his eyes, his smile, him. She felt her cheeks flush and was grateful for Kono's response.
"We're looking at a name, Markus Williams."
Lori explained. "There were seventeen veterinary clinic break-ins in the Scranton area over the course of a year before the murders began. Thirteen of those were smash and grab. The perp's took whatever they could get their hands on. The other four were much more precise."
"What do you mean?" Kono asked.
Lori turned back toward her while Steve made himself comfortable on the corner of Kono's desk. "In each of these four break-ins, the perp used a glass cutter to make a hole just big enough to reach in and unlock a back window. He raised the window and immediately disarmed the alarm system before it ever went off... He by-passed it without the code. All four clinics reported the same inventory loss."
"Ketamine," Steve ventured.
"Ketamine and Hydromorphone," Lori confirmed. "There was one suspect, Markus Aaron Williams. According to the police report, he went to the University of Scranton. He was a double major, computer technology and chemical engineering. The funny thing is, I can't find a picture ID of this guy. There's no drivers license, no bank records, no utility records, nothing. When I called the University, all they could tell me was that he did go to school there, but dropped out in the middle of his third year. He was a straight A student, but there were no accounting records and no student photo ID. It's like the details of his life were erased."
"You said he was a computer major, maybe he erased himself," Steve wondered.
"I don't know," Kono said. "It's one thing to hack the DMV or even a university, but to erase all your financials would take some pretty serious doing."
"I want to look at the names on those lists again. See if there's a Markus Williams or any variation of that name. I could really use your help."
"You got it," Kono offered
He could hear it in Lori's voice, how much she wanted to stop this guy. He was concerned at how tired she looked. The dark circles under her eyes made him worry that she wasn't getting enough rest. Her flawless skin was unusually pale; her typically brilliant green eyes just a touch dull. "I'll get Danny and Chin, maybe we'll find something," he said promising her in silence that they would do their best. She understood and rewarded him with a weary but grateful smile.
Danny and Chin joined them in Kono's office, each taking a list to search. "I've got something," Kono announced. "William A. Marks. He worked at the quick lube in Scranton."
"I've got a Mark W. Adams in Kentucky," Chin added.
"Anything from San Antonio?" Lori asked looking hopefully at Danny and Steve.
"Nothing on my list," Steve said regretfully.
"Whoa, wait. I've got an Aaron M. Williamson in San Antonio."
Lori and Steve looked at each other. He could see the hope building in her eyes. They were dancing again, bright and alive with the possibility of a solid lead.
"Kono, anything on the auto parts list here?"
"No, no variations on Markus Williams."
"Wait," Chin said, grabbing everyone's attention. "I talked Richard Mohana today. He owned the auto parts company that rented the warehouse. He said no one ever came around the warehouse except his employees and one delivery guy from the Auto Mart on fifth. They supplied them with custom, hard to get, parts. His name was Will. That's all he knew."
"Its seven o'clock," Steve said glancing down at his watch. "Kono, pull up the business license. See who owns the Auto Mart and get me an address or a phone number."
A/N: Doesn't seem to be a lot of interest in this story so I will likely be finishing it up soon. For those of you who are reading, I won't leave anything undone.