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: Two chapters today! Please keep feedback coming! Let me know what you like & don't like! Updated chapter :-)

Steve and Danny walked in to HQ on Wednesday morning, both quiet from their meeting with the Warrens. Jennifer's parents both had red-rimmed eyes from what had clearly been a sleepless, tear-filled overnight flight from L.A. After they had identified their daughter's body, the Warrens answered what few questions they could about Jennifer. She had been working for Metadyne as a regional sales manager for the West Coast for the past two years, mostly in the field coordinating with Metadyne's largest clients. They hadn't talked to her recently, but she had plans to come visit them for Thanksgiving next month. Jennifer's mother had been too upset to even talk, she had just sobbed in her husband's arms as he did his best to answer Five-0's questions. Just a month ago, Jennifer had moved to Hawaii with the promise of a promotion and a life in paradise, and now she was dead.

As they came through the main door, Steve was surprised to see Julia working with her back to them at the conference table, barefoot in faded jeans and a white t-shirt with her hair pulled back loosely in a ponytail, one bare foot tucked underneath her. God, she looks so cute, he thought. Chin, working in his office, nodded at Steve and Danny. They stepped into his office.

"I take it you had a rough morning with the parents?" Chin asked.

"Yeah, you could say that. It's the part of the job I hate the most. At least they already knew. LAPD informed them last night as soon as Hanna gave us her info. I can't imagine what I would do if I got that call about Gracie." Danny said, wearily.

Chin understood all too well. He'd had to tell families about the loss of a loved one far too many times to count in his years on the force. He'd been privately relieved that Steve and Danny wanted to meet with the Warrens when they arrived on the island this morning. "Thought you'd want to know, she was waiting in the hallway when I arrived. At 6:30. I got her set up with a laptop, and she's been in a near fugue since then. But she might notice you." Chin smiled knowingly at Steve, who completely missed his slight tease.

Steve turned and headed out to see her. Danny raised a brow to Chin, who laughed. While Steve was focused on Jennifer's case, it was obvious to all of them that he was quickly becoming captivated with Julia. They had never seen him like this before, but it was a welcome respite to see Steve's intensity directed at a woman, instead of a suspect. Danny and Chin followed Steve, not wanting to miss the entertainment of watching this big, tough SEAL attempt to navigate his way around Dr. Abbott.

"Hey," Steve said quietly behind Julia. She nearly jumped out of her skin. She was so engrossed in her work that she hadn't heard him come out of Chin's office. Julia carefully stood up and stretched a bit. How long had she been here? She glanced down at her watch. A little over four hours, sitting in nearly the same spot. Her eyes were slightly glazed and blurry.

"'Morning. Tough start to the day, I imagine," Julia said as she slipped on her loafers, looking closely at Danny and Steve. She walked over to the coffee pot to pour herself a fresh cup. "How are her parents holding up?"

"Not well. They had a rough night. LAPD informed them last night right after we got the ID." Steve answered. He caught just a hint of the same lavender scent from last night. Even in jeans and a t-shirt, Julia looked incredible. The faded, low-slung jeans fit her perfectly, and the white shirt hung softly over her shoulders, loosely tucked into her petite waist. She sat on the table casually, her hands cupping the mug of hot coffee. "Sounds like you had a busy morning?" Steve asked.

Julia took a sip, thoughtfully, noting the tired lines around Steve's eyes. "Couldn't sleep," she shrugged. "So, I finally gave up and came in here. I cancelled my morning class. My students won't mind. They'll probably give me a point bump in my ratings for giving them a break," Julia continued, smiling. "Oh, there are homemade blueberry muffins over on the table. I have a tendency to bake when I can't sleep."

Danny's eyes widened noticeably as soon as the word 'muffins' came out of Julia's mouth. He and Steve looked at each other, and then proceeded to race full-force over to the table. Kono came out of her office just in time to see Danny and Steve elbowing each other over the large plastic container of muffins. Chin, Kono, and Julia all laughed at the sight of the two grown men fighting over baked goods.

"Uh, guys? Did you want to hear what Chin and I found at Jennifer's apartment? Or are you still gorging out on muffins?" Kono chided.

Steve wiped his mouth of crumbs with a little embarrassment, a slight blush rising to his cheeks, his mouth still filled with muffin as he mumbled, "Yeah, sorry. They're really good, by the way."

Julia swung her feet as she sat on the edge of the conference table while Chin grabbed a seat nearby. "We didn't find much there," Kono started. "No computer or laptop, files or other info. She had a pretty pricey wardrobe for someone her age, and a fair amount of expensive bling in her jewelry box. Are her parents well-off?"

"No," Julia answered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. It's just that I pulled the Warrens' financials first thing this morning," she paused. "They live in a small house near Oxnard. That's a pretty working-class area. The address on Jennifer's driver's license was a two-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica, which she shared with a girlfriend from college. According to Jennifer's bank statements, she made about $85,000 a year plus bonus. A good salary, but not enough to justify shopping trips on Rodeo Drive. But I did find a number of flights between L.A. and Oahu over the past year on Doug Chase's hidden credit card, as well as charges from boutiques, hotels, and restaurants here in Honolulu and on the mainland."

"So he was having an affair with Jennifer then," Danny answered. "Maybe she wanted more, and he had her killed, or the wife found out and hired someone to do the deed."

"I don't think so." Julia said carefully. "A few things still don't click. Why bind her hands and ankles, and then remove them before killing her? Why drug her and then kill her later? I think it was a hired killer, but I don't think it was done because of the affair. I think there's another factor here."

Steve's brow furrowed. Julia had a point. It had bothered him ever since the autopsy why someone had gone to such trouble for what should have been a simple kill and dump. This didn't have the signature of a crime of passion, or a strictly professional hit. "What are you thinking, then?"

Julia stood up and started pacing. "I was thinking about this all night. Then this morning, after I pulled her financials and connected her to Chase, I realized that the only way this made sense was if she was grabbed because of something she either knew or she had found."

Danny looked at Julia intently. "That's gotta be it. The killer removed her bindings to get her to do something – open a lockbox, or log on to a computer, something – and then after she gave them the information, she was executed. She must have stumbled upon something at work, or at the Chases' home." Looking at Steve, he said, "Didn't you find it odd that a West Coast sales director for a ceramics company moved to Honolulu just a month before she was killed? West Coast sales wouldn't be based here, not for the big box stores. Someone wanted her close to watch her and figure out what she knew."

Steve nodded. Danny's theory made complete sense. "So what did Jennifer find out that got her killed?"

"I have a thought on that too," Julia said as she reached for some of the papers on the conference table. "I started to look into Metadyne's records. Their financial statements aren't on file with the SEC since they are privately held, but I was able to look at their corporate card statements and telecom records. Nothing unusual was there. Is it possible to get a warrant to see their financial data?"

"Yeah, but wouldn't that tip off the Chases?" Chin offered. "He is the CEO, their corporate counsel would notify him of any warrants served on the company."

"When I mentioned a workaround yesterday, you said you knew of someone who might be able to hack into a few systems. With the right talent, we could take a look at the company records without anyone being the wiser." Julia continued. "Of course, I wouldn't want to recommend a course of action that might cause, uh, complications for you…"

Danny grinned. "I can see why Steve likes …" he paused for dramatic effect, watching Steve's face contort in discomfort, "working with you. We're not exactly always by the book."

Kono nearly laughed out loud. "Yeah, you put that mildly. Besides, hacking into someone's financial system isn't at all like dangling a guy off of the side of a building."

Julia looked at the team questioningly, "I don't think I want to know. Actually, I'm sure I don't want to know. But I think it would be helpful to meet that hacker with questionable morals, if you think he can help with our, um, access issues. Besides, I'd like to confirm one other thing as well. I traced Metadyne's incorporation records to a holding company in Delaware. The holding company is owned in turn by a general partnership based in Bermuda. Unfortunately, Bermuda keeps their corporation and partnership records private. I think if we can find out who the partners are, that may help add to our list of suspects."

Steve and Danny looked at each other, then at the pile of muffins. "Actually, you might be just the person Toast would like to work with," Danny said, laughing.