Wrong Place, Very Wrong Time VI
Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. However, since writing about it keeps me sane I shall continue to write.
Thanks for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. Time to find out what Kapono is thinking.
Chapter 6
Kapono entered his home and paused just inside the door, his anger building as he saw his nephews just lounging in the room. There was no indication in their behavior that the situation they had created was bothering them at all or that a man's life was in the balance. Paul lowered his magazine, curiosity on his face but Jimmy kept his attention on the TV, his thumbs busy pressing the buttons on his game control. With an angry huff, the older man walked over to James and slapped the controls out of his hands.
"Hey…I was winning!" James exclaimed as he surged to his feet. He was a good four inches taller than his uncle but Kapono was built sturdier and was very fit.
"I don't care boy…..you created this mess and you will not dump it in my lap and play your game. Grow up!" the older man growled, shaking his fist. "That man out there is a cop and has a daughter. Tell me why I should put your life ahead of his?"
"Because it would kill Mom if James went to jail," Paul protested. "She trusts you to take care of him."
"You know they will nail me for those robberies. You promised Mom that you would protect me," James stated. "We can't let him go now."
"So what do you suggest boy?" Kapono asked sarcastically. "I'm no murderer; I have no idea how to dispose of a body. We are in deep but taking a life is not a charge you want hanging over your head."
There was a long pause and then James face brightened as he came up with a plan.
"You know people Uncle. People who know exactly how to deal with cops. Your customers aren't strangers to dealing with cops who get in their way. Ask one of them to get rid of that guy," Jimmy suggested eagerly.
"Yea….that would work," Paul added getting to his feet and moving to his brother's side. "You must know one guy who could get rid of the cop for us."
Staring in disbelief at the two boys, Lee let out a sigh and moved to his favorite chair. He sat down heavily, closing his eyes for a moment. Those two had no idea how complicated their idea was although they were right, he did know that some of his clients would not shy away from killing a cop. He knew how steep the price would be to ask for this favor but it might be the only way he could solve this problem and keep his hands clean. All Kapono wanted was to get this cop off his property and out of his life. He brought his phone out, found the contact number he wanted and pressed it.
"Trey…I have your shipment ready," he stated when the contact answered. "Yes, I have all of it, good stuff and you know it. I have a deal for you my friend…there is a bonus in it if you can help me with a small problem." He paused and listened. "My nephews have gotten into some pilikia and you can be of assistance. I will fully explain it when you get here." He waited a moment, nodding as the other person spoke. "Of course I will make it worth your time my friend. Thank you, I will see you soon."
Lowering the phone once the conversation ended, Kapono gave Jimmy a sour look. The boy had the decency to look guilty as he went to the couch and sat down. Paul stood his ground and looked confused.
"Will he help?" Jimmy asked quietly.
"I won't know until he shows up. I promise you it will cost me; Trey does not do favors for free. This deal will be expensive and I will be indebted to Trey for a long time. I hope you realize what this is costing me," Kapono spat out.
"Maybe Trey hates 5-0 too and he'll be happy to help us," Paul offered hopefully.
"I am sure he hates 5-0 but cop killing is a major crime and Trey is not a fool. He also does not do freebies….so he will demand payment and it will be steep. And I promise you that he will not do a second favor so this had better work," Kapono said angrily. "Now James, go dump that car somewhere, remove the plates, wipe it clean and remove the VIN number. We do not need that car around to connect to us," he added curtly. "Someone may have seen you and the cop's car." Kapono remembered Danny's words about witnesses.
"My car! No!" James wailed.
"Grow up Jimmy, someone may be able to connect you to that car, it stands out. You cannot keep it because if the cops come sniffing around here it is a dead giveaway. Dump the Charger as far as you can from where you left the cop's car," Kapono ordered firmly. "Paul, take the truck to give your brother a ride home after."
"Yes sir," Paul spoke up quickly. "Come on Jimmy…it's only a car. Uncle is right."
"Fu….." Jimmy began to mutter but clamped his jaw shut as he saw his uncle's face. His eyes burned angrily. "It's my car."
"And it will send you to jail hupo!" Paul yelled back. "It's just a damn car, you can get another. Let's move." He went to the table by the door and grabbed a set of keys before stalking out of the house. Reluctantly James got up and followed his brother out.
*H 5-0*
Steve and Chin had joined Kono at the smart table to see what she had found so far.
"How goes the search Cuz," Chin asked as names flashed across the table top.
"There are more blue muscle cars on the island than you might think," Kono replied in frustration. "Late models are very popular with car collectors, especially Chargers and Challengers."
"Narrow it down to owners on the North Shore," Steve suggested. "My gut tells me that these young men are from up there."
"Sure thing," Kono agreed as her fingers flew over the keyboard.
Listings for twelve cars fitting the description moved to the top of the list and Kono swept them up onto the overhead screen.
"I think we can remove Stuart Jonas from the list, he's sixty five," Steve said scanning the names.
"Unless he loans his car out to his grandsons," Kono commented causing Steve to nod, his face a mask of frustration.
"We'll have to check them all," Chin added. "Kono, have you run a check to see if any of these cars have been reported stolen. That might be enough motivation to attack Danny if he stopped them."
"On it Cuz," Kono acknowledged as she did as he suggested. Moments later she shook her head negatively. "Nope, none are listed as being stolen."
"Kono, pull up a photo on James Wilson and get a history on him," Steve ordered as he studied the names. "See if he has a brother."
"Here's the license," Kono said as she brought it up on another screen. A thin face with shoulder length hair stared at the camera with a smirk on his face. His birth date made him twenty three and the home address was listed as Wailuku on Maui. She pulled up other information on the boy.
"It appears James was a Maui resident until five months ago and the Charger was purchased here one month later," Chin observed. "A boy and his toys, not a cheap purchase for a twenty three year old."
"Money may not have been an issue," Kono pointed out. "It seems the Maui police think he fits the description of one member of a gang suspected of a series of convenience and liquor stores robberies in and around Wailuku and Kahului. That gang stole a large amount of money…enough for a share of it to buy a classic car."
"Or he had help with the payment. The address on the registration is in Kawailoa just south of Waimea Falls where we found Danny's car. Who owns that property?" Steve demanded.
"That would be Kapono Lee," Kono replied. "I believe he is James' uncle. And James does have a younger brother Paul, eighteen." She brought up Paul's license.
"We need to get photos of these boys to that couple. They're all we have to ID these boys," Steve ordered.
"I'll have Duke send someone over with photos," Chin said and Kono quickly printed out the licenses of both boys. Chin took the printouts and went into his office.
"What else do we have on Kapono Lee?" Steve asked Kono, leaning against the table.
"He owns a small convenience store on the outskirts of Kawailoa Beach, how is that for irony? His nephew is suspected of robbing convenience stores and he owns one," Kono said dryly. "That alone may be why James went off on Danny. He didn't want to be looked at too closely and sent back to Maui to face the police."
"But why would Danny be chasing him?" McGarrett wondered. "What made him pursue the Charger and confront this kid; he didn't know about the robberies on Maui."
"I may have the answer to that," Chin stated as he came back into the room just in time hear Steve's last question. He had his phone to his ear. "Ms Pua, I'm going to put you on speaker so the rest of my team can hear you," he said to the phone and set it on the table.
"Okay Lt. Kelly," a female voice responded. "As I was saying….I was driving down Highway 83 earlier today, heading to Waialua for a job interview when a bright blue Dodge Charger pulled up alongside me, wanting to race. I tried slowing down but the driver kept pressing until I was forced off the road and onto the shoulder. He scared me to death; I thought I was going to crash. A black Camaro with flashing lights and a siren came up from behind us and chased the jerk off. I was so shook up that I sat there for five minutes, then I drove back home and rescheduled my interview for another day. I just couldn't face running into that creep again."
"Did you get a look at the Charger's driver? Was anyone else in the car?" Steve asked.
"The windows were tinted too dark to see inside. I'm sorry, I can't tell you much more than that," Ms Pua apologized.
"Thank you Ms Pua, you've been a great help. If you give your address to Lt. Kelly, he can send someone to take a more formal statement," Steve told her. "You have given us very valuable information for our case."
"I'm glad I could help, I just wish it was more. I hope you catch that idiot, he could have hurt someone very seriously," Ms Pua said as Chin reached for the phone and he headed to his office to write down her address.
"We need to talk to Kapono Lee right now," Steve told Kono.
End chapter.
So the Mustang's driver helped out. Thank you for reading.