Justified – Story 1 in the Unbreakable series
Disclaimer: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)
Rating: T (for romance)
Pairing: Steve/OC, Steve/Danny (friendship - no slash)
Author's Note: Thanks for the terrific feedback – please keep it coming! Julia's mystery is far deeper than this story will go, but you will find out some key things about her. There will also be a lot more "bonding" time for my two favorite characters and yes, repercussions with Cath (sorry Steve/Cath fans, but it should prove interesting!). To my Aussie fan, nope, I'm not Australian, but I am curious as to the pun in Julia's name? I have a personal reason for picking her name, nothing overly sentimental, just a fave of mine. Updated chapter!
Steve was working at the conference table outside of his office. Periodically, he'd look up to see Julia flipping through documents, scribbling furiously on her pad, and then going back to his laptop. Steve felt powerless. He'd done everything he could. Danny had had no luck with his contacts in New York. Catherine had no hits on Jane Doe. The check on Julia would take some time, as Cath had to tread lightly when it came to an intelligence check. She had a friend who had a friend who would do the search… but any time you asked about a potential Federal or military employee, it had to be done delicately. He'd talked to Sam Hanna at NCIS, but he had been out on a case and said he'd run the check on the victim when he got back to the office.
"Pizza's here, such as it is," Danny announced, dropping the boxes of pies on the table in front of Steve's papers. "You want to tell Dr. Holmes, or shall I, Watson?"
"Funny. Only I would be Sherlock and you would be Watson," Steve replied as he headed toward his office. Opening the door, he quietly stepped inside. Julia looked up at him, the long day showing in her eyes. "Hey. We picked up some pizza," he asked. "And maybe a beer?"
Julia stood up and stretched her neck from side to side, trying to rub some of the tension out of her shoulders. "I didn't realize how late it is, but yeah, I'm hungry. Pizza and beer sounds perfect. I'll fill you in on what I've got so far." She gave Steve a small, tired smile and followed him out to the bullpen.
Danny, Kono, and Chin were already helping themselves to a slice, as Julia joined in. Steve opened up a Longboard and handed it to her. She took a long sip and laughed a little.
Danny looked at her quizzically, "What's so funny?"
"Oh, just some silly trivia. I love this beer, but I found out recently that while Kona Brewery has a plant here on the islands, they also brew their beer in New Hampshire. I just think it's really funny that one of my favorite 'local' beers is made about 50 miles from where I went to college on the mainland."
They all let out a laugh. Danny smiled, "Yeah, that is pretty funny. I never even thought to look at a label. So let me ask you, as an off-islander and an expert analyst, what is your opinion of the best pizza?" Steve rolled his eyes a little as he prepared himself for Danny's lecture on the proper pizza toppings.
Julia picked up her slice, folded it, and took a bite, then a swig of beer. "I grew up outside of New York, so I'm biased, but the best pies are definitely in the city. I'm a big fan of Spunto in Manhattan, although Pepe's in New Haven makes a fire baked pie that is amazing. Let me guess, this is about the whole pineapple/ham pizza thing?"
Steve interrupted, "Danny has this notion that fruit does not belong on a pizza, just because in New Jersey they don't eat ham and pineapple on a slice."
Julia laughed. "We used to debate pizza toppings in my house growing up. My brothers are of the pepperoni persuasion. My sister is a veggie hound, and my parents were dead-set against anything other than mushrooms on a pie. To me, pizza should consist of dough and mozzerell."
"See, this is what I'm talking about! And sauce, of course," Danny added. "Finally, some support against this fruit-pizza tsunami."
"Nah, I'm actually a white pizza fan. Perfectly thin crust, hint of olive oil and herbs, and fresh mozz. Although in Rome, the pizza is thick crust, no cheese, and get this – sometimes has mayonnaise on it!" Everyone laughed as Danny made a sound like a cat hurling up a fur ball.
Steve watched as Danny and Julia went back and forth on the merits of different styles of pizza – Chicago, New York, Boston, London, Rome. He took another swig of his beer as he polished off another slice. It felt good to let go for a bit. The team needed a break. Hell, he needed a break. He stood back from the group for a bit and leaned up against the wall, smiling.
Danny was in the middle of the great pizza debate with Julia when he saw Steve step briefly away from the group. His partner still looked a bit haggard from the stress of the case and the pace they'd been keeping lately. But looking closer, he saw a glimmer in Steve's eye as Julia started to answer Kono's question on Boston pizza. So he was right, Steve did have a thing for the good doctor. Danny was actually glad. In spite of Julia's taste in pizza, she seemed like a good fit for Steve – smart, beautiful, and not easily steamrolled by Sargent SEAL. Steve needed something outside of the office to make him happy other than going to the shooting range or reading the latest Guns and Ammo, and if that was Julia, it would make Danny's life easier. And hopefully safer.
Julia looked over the Five-0 team and was briefly envious of Steve. While she loved her work, she didn't get a chance to work with a team like this, and she missed the camaraderie of working closely with friends. She looked over at Steve and gave him a small smile and a nod. He nodded back with his trademark lopsided smile that made her breath catch briefly, before stepping up to the table. Break time was over.
Julia picked up a napkin to wipe off her hands, set aside her beer, and began typing some commands on the smart table. "So I started to focus in on the Chases, and just as Kono found, nothing out of the ordinary. But there seemed something a bit odd. Doug Chase made about $3.5 million in ordinary compensation last year, according to his Hawaiian tax records, plus more for some pretty swanky perquisites, as well as cash from some stock options and stock grants. Yet when I looked at their total spend – across credit cards, cash withdrawals, bank transfers and checks – it seemed a bit low."
"Low? This guy has a couple of yachts, private jet, copter, and that seems low to you? Do you hang out with Robin Leach or something?" Danny countered.
"Champagne wishes and caviar dreams on my salary? I'm lucky to afford ginger ale and a plate lunch." The team laughed. "No, that's not it. It just didn't seem… complete. I ran a regression analysis comparing their spend by category to comparative income and wealth groups after estimating the Chases net worth, and added a breakdown of off-island and on-island comparatives."
"Regression analysis, Professor? Can you bring it down a notch for our friend here?" Danny asked, nodding with a grin to Steve. Steve, although he had aced statistics, truly did not know what Julia was talking about anyway, so he actually appreciated Danny's dig, in a way. A very small way, he thought, as he narrowed his eyes at Danny.
Julia noticed Steve's look at Danny, and tried to keep the smile off of her face. "Sorry, let me clarify. I created a model, based on typical spending patterns of families with similar income and/or wealth as the Chases, and looked at total spend as well as categories to see if there were discrepancies over the past five years. What I found was that five years ago, the overall discrepancies were small compared to the model with expected variations across categories – less spent in country club fees, more on cars, for example. Same with four years ago and three. Then last year, spending across all categories was way down – 40% lower than comparative families based on income, 70% lower than families based on wealth, on average. This year, very similar results."
"So they're cutting back. It's a down economy, even for the uber-rich." Kono offered.
"I don't think so. I took a look at their property tax records, and sure enough, they continued to add to their dominion of planes, cars, boats, and playthings. If they were cutting back, they'd trim in particular categories, like household staff and travel. The Chases are still spending, but they're spending less on everything, so much so, I don't think they are cutting back. I think they're hiding. On a hunch, I dug a little deeper and found something very interesting. Douglas Chase is using his 23-year old daughter Lia's identity. I found two accounts open in her name with Douglas Chase as an authorized user, billed to a P.O. Box on the island even though Lia lives in Los Angeles. The accounts had millions of dollars of purchases – including some serious jewelry - all paid for on time. I doubt she even has a clue about the cards."
"Where's the money coming from?" Steve asked, intrigued, his arms crossed as he watched Julia in action. He was rather impressed with her analysis and findings.
"All of the bills were paid by transfer from a single account, a numbered account in Bali. I can't find out details on the account without raising red flags that would alert the Chases and flush them out. Bali is a small island with about 4 million residents. I have no doubt the Chases are well connected there. An inquiry at the bank would give Mr. Chase the opportunity to destroy the evidence we need to tie him to our victim. I need some other way to get that financial data." Julia looked up at the team, with a small gleam in her eye.
"Like what?" Kono asked.
"Like a really good hacker with questionable morals. Know any?"
Steve and Danny exchanged a look and said one word in unison, "Toast."
"I take it that's a person not a program or food item. I may have an additional thing he or she could help us with," Julia continued, thinking ahead.
Steve's phone interrupted the group. They all fell silent as Steve took the call, nodding and discussing the case with someone. He walked over to the smart table and put his phone on it. The team got up and stood around the table.
"Hanna found our girl." He flicked a California driver's license photo up on the screen. The picture was a ringer for their victim. "Jennifer A. Warren, 1248 Canyon Ridge Road, Santa Monica. No other records. Kono?"
"Yeah, boss, I'm on it." Kono began typing on the board. Danny offered to call the address in California and follow-up, while Chin went back to his office to look for any known family to notify. Julia looked around as the team scattered, then went back into Steve's office to get started on Jennifer's ties to the Chases. They had a fresh lead, and she was going to do everything she could to find out why Jennifer had washed up dead that morning and who was behind her murder.