Chapter Text
“This is ridiculous.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is. I’m a criminal psychologist. Calling me for jury duty doesn’t make any sense.”
“It’s your civic responsibility.”
“Have you ever gotten selected?”
“Nope. When I was in the Navy, I had Command send a letter in to get me excused and now that I’m Five-O, they don’t even send me the notices anymore.” McGarrett held open the door to the courthouse for his girlfriend. It was bright and early on a Monday morning and Dr. Stone was reporting for jury duty, under protest. Steve was tagging along to keep her company. “Why are you making this a big deal?”
“Because it’s ridiculous.” She hissed.
He sighed. She was being stubborn, but he knew how to work around that. “But why? Being involved in a trial would probably be entertaining for you. What’s the reason you think you wouldn’t be a good juror? You believe in justice above all else and that’s the jury’s job.”
“Actually, it’s not.” She sighed and continued. She knew what he was doing and wanted him to understand. “It’s to weigh the evidence that’s presented. And while I’d have no problem doing that, I’d also be reading everyone’s body language, looking for tells and seeing who’s lying. Then I wouldn’t be doing what I’m supposed to be doing, which is just focusing on the evidence. Do you get that?” She looked at him, begging him to understand.
The Navy officer smiled and gave her a quick kiss. “I do.” He paused and let her check in at the desk before they went where they were directed. The officer who checked in the profiler hadn’t wanted to let Steve accompany her, but one look at his badge clammed him up before he’d even been able to protest. Somedays it was worth it to be Five-O. “Why didn’t you call the number on your summons and get out of reporting?”
“I did. But the b… bureaucrat I spoke to wouldn’t tell me the name of the presiding judge, so I could call him or her to get myself excused, and told me to report or be fined.” Jacq sat down on one of the benches lining the hallway of the courthouse. There were people on other benches up and down the wide hall, likely all waiting to be called into the courtroom for their turn answering questions.
“Good catch. Wouldn’t do for you to call someone a name for doing their job.” He stated with a chuckle.
“Are you only here to watch me suffer?” She countered.
“No, I’m keeping you company. After all, today is special.”
“That’s another reason I don’t want to be here.” She sighed and rubbed the pedant she was wearing. It was a pale blue stone in a silver setting, hanging on a thick chain.
“Nice necklace.” He gave her a cheeky grin from his spot next to her.
“It is. It was an anniversary gift. The person who picked it out has very good taste, even if he does shoot robbers.” She smirked over at him.
“They’re the ones who started it.” He argued.
“I’ll give you that.” She leaned over and gave him a fast kiss. “Don’t you need to go to work?”
“Danny’s holding down the fort. It’s all good.” He pulled out his phone when it chirped and looked at the screen. “That’s him now.”
“Say hi for me.”
“Will do.”
With her boyfriend distracted by his phone, Dr. Stone took the time to look around the hallway at all the other people there for jury duty. They were an interesting cross-section of the island, a mix of men and women, old and young, blue-collar and white-collar, and native and haloe. A woman stepped out into the hall from one of the courtrooms and called off twenty names, requesting they check-in with her and then file slowly into the room she had come from, where they would receive further instructions. The profiler recognized the woman calling out the names. Her name was Vanessa and she was one of Judge Miller’s clerks.
“Adrienne Smith? Is Adrienne Smith here?” The clerk called out as she walked down the hallway, looking for someone to speak up.
“Hi, Vanessa.” Jacq said softly.
The woman in question turned and smiled. “Dr. Stone!! What a lovely surprise. Are you here to testify?” She thought for a minute. “I don’t remember seeing your name on any of the dockets.”
“Actually, I think I’m on your list there.” Jacq pointed at the clipboard the clerk was holding. “I got selected for jury duty.”
“What?” Vanessa skimmed a finger down the list and gasped. “I’m so sorry, Dr. Stone. I’ll speak to the Judge after we get through this first group. He’ll likely excuse you. I wish you’d called, then you wouldn’t have wasted your time.”
McGarrett snorted in laughter from beside the profiler and she sent a glare his way as she explained. “I did call, but the person I spoke to refused to give me the judge’s name or excuse me.” She answered evenly, returning her attention to the other woman.
“I’ll relay that to him as well as to Jury Services. They should’ve told Judge Miller about your call.” A woman sprinted into the hall out of breath and the clerk was relieved the last person in Group 1 had apparently arrived. She beckoned to the late arrival. “Let me take care of this group and I’ll be back with you as soon as I can.”
“Thank you, Vanessa. I appreciate that.” The psychologist watched the two women enter the courtroom and the doors shut behind them, then she turned to glared at her boyfriend again. “You were not helpful.”
“I just thought it was funny that you already did exactly what she was telling you, you should’ve done. Good thing you knew her.” The former SEAL was watching her carefully. It wouldn’t do to piss off the woman he loved on their one-year anniversary.
“I understand the humor.” She broke out into a smile. “But you could’ve kept your composure until after she left.”
“I’ll remember that for next time.” He gave her a kiss and went back to texting on his phone.
“There better not be a next time.” She said with a shake of her head. “Are you planning to text with Danny the whole time we’re here?”
“Just staying apprised of what’s going on.”
“Staying in control, remotely. I’d expect nothing less of you.” She smiled, checked her watch, shut her eyes, and leaned back against the wall.
“I’m doing no such thing.”
“We’ll agree to disagree.” Without opening her eyes, she gestured in the direction of his phone and smirked. “Don’t let me interrupt your conversation with your work-wife.”
“I’m going to tell him you said that.”
“Go right ahead.”
Silence descended between the couple and even given their playful argument, it was comfortable. Hopefully, the profiler’s ridiculous day would soon be over.
*****
While Jacq sat there, waiting for Vanessa to return, she thought about the last couple of weeks. After a bumpy start, the couple’s weekend ‘away’ had been a roaring success and was mainly spent in bed together, completely wrapped around each other. Her declaration of love to Steve had caught them both off-guard, but was a legit reason to celebrate. And when the former SEAL had given her the necklace he picked out, she declared her feelings all over again. She was a lucky, lucky woman. Their weekend had only been interrupted (and required clothing) when they ordered room service and handled Burt’s drop-offs and pick-ups. They tried their best to, at least, coordinate breakfast for the same time the former police dog left for daycare, thus limiting the need for clothes during their stay. A smile graced her face as she opened her eyes and looked around. Everything was exactly the same as when she closed her eyes and she checked her watched.
“What?” The profiler muttered, before nudging the man beside her. “McGarrett, something’s not right.”
“Huh?” He looked up from his phone and was confused by her comment. “Why do you say that?”
“Has anyone come out of the courtroom since Vanessa went in?”
“Not that I saw. Why?” He put his phone away and gave her his full attention. He was taking the alarm in her voice seriously.
Dr. Stone pointed at her watch. “It’s been an hour. We should’ve seen jurors leaving when they were dismissed.”
“Maybe they haven’t dismissed anyone.” He wasn’t getting it.
“Highly unlikely. People have inherent biases and viewpoints that make dismissals more probable than not. Also, the defense, if this is a criminal trial which is likely given that Judge Miller is presiding, will have a jury consultant and they try to stack the jury with people sympathetic to their client. That leads to the DA asking jurors to be excluded. A few people should’ve left the courtroom during the last hour.” She pushed herself to her feet. “Come on.” She encouraged him to get up and come with her, which he did. She went towards the court officer standing by the doors. She knew him, but she couldn’t remember his name. “Excuse me?”
The officer turned towards her and smile. “Can I help you with something, Dr. Stone?”
“Yes, Officer….” She smiled when she read his name tag. “Natal. Has anyone come out since the screening session started?”
“No, ma’am.” He nodded his head at the head of Five-O. “Commander.” He thought over her question. “Why do you ask, ma’am?”
“I’d like to check something. Both of you, stay here.” She approached the doors.
“Jacq, you can’t go in there.” Steve warned her, his voice low in order to not disturb the other people waiting.
“I’m not going in. I’m taking a peek through the window.” She stood beside the window, pushed herself up onto her toes and looked around the edge of the window. She cursed after she ducked down. “We have a problem.”
“What?” McGarrett went to look in the window, but she pulled him away to stand next to the officer.
“There’s a man holding a gun to the judge’s head.” She whispered to the two men. She had no desire to start a panic.
“What about Brett?” Officer Natal asked.
“Who?” The Navy officer asked. He pulled out his phone. He was going to call his team as soon as he knew the situation.
“He’s the bailiff. Brett Carter.” The court officer was concerned, but did his best to pull himself together.
“On the floor with a belly wound. Vanessa was tending to him.” The profiler looked around, a plan formulating in her head. She shared that fact with her boyfriend. “I have a plan.”
“You know, I’m Five-O. I’m supposed to come up with the plan.” McGarrett told his girlfriend with a grin.
“Yes, I’m aware and you have a need to be in control.” She fought a smile of her own. “But I’d like to get through this without anyone else getting hurt or killed. Can you go with me on this?”
“Lay it out, Jacq.” He trusted her completely. She was quick on her feet and incredibly smart. Also, he could overrule her if he disagreed.
“I need something before I do that. Officer, what’s your first name?”
“George, ma’am.”
“All right, George, I want you to quickly and quietly get all of these potential jurors out of here. Then alert the front desk to the situation. We need to evacuate this building without anyone in that courtroom knowing what we’re doing. After you tell them that, get a few of your coworkers and alert the rest of the judges in this building about the situation. How many trials are being heard today?”
Natal thought about it. “Three, ma’am. Two criminal, one civil.”
“Have your fellow officers enter through the side doors and speak to the bailiffs for each case. They can relay the information to the judges. They need to evacuate people out the back. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded and began to step away, but she had one more thing to add. He turned to face her when she spoke to him again.
“Come back here when you’re done and bring along Judge Miller’s other clerk. I need him to identify our gunman.”
The court officer nodded and stepped out into the hallway, speaking quietly but with authority. “Ladies and gentlemen, you’re all dismissed. If your services are….” His voice faded as the couple focused on each other.
“I need a full sitrep, Jacq, before I call the team.”
“All right.” She closed her eyes and tried to picture the courtroom in her head. They couldn’t take a chance at looking again, not yet. “Twenty potential jurors sitting in the jury box on the right-hand side of the room. The judge is on the bench, in his chair, with the gunman standing beside him. The DA and one of her assistants are sitting at one table and four people are at the other, the defense team, most likely. The bailiff, Brett, Vanessa and the court reporter, whose name escapes me and happens to remind me of my great-aunt Cora, are on the floor in front of the bench, the two ladies were tending to his wound.”
“Good job. Now what role do I have in your grand plan?”
She chuckled. “You know, this isn’t how I wanted to spend our anniversary.”
“I get that, honey. But it’s fitting after how our first date went. So?”
“Call the team. We need SWAT, HPD and a couple ambulances here, ASAP. We also need to lock the building down. Once the team confirms all the civilians have been evacuated, come back here and we’ll go over the next part of my ‘grand plan.’” She air-quoted the last two words, causing her boyfriend to smile. “Also, have Kono bring me a vest and radio.”
“Copy.” He lifted his phone, but before he hit dial, he added. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Dr. Stone watched him walk away and make the call. She knew he would likely head to his truck to gear up while he waited for the calvary to arrive. It was a good thing they were only a block away from his office and HPD wasn’t that far from their location. While she waited for her boyfriend and George to come back, she leaned against the wall beside the doors and said a silent prayer. She really hoped Steve’s trust hadn’t been misplaced.
*****
“What’s our status, babe?” Danny asked as he and the rest of the team entered the lobby of the courthouse and walked up to their boss. They were all kitted out and armed.
“All the civilians have been evacuated, except for those in the courtroom in question.” McGarrett responded and adjusted his grip on his long gun. He glanced at the lone female on his team. “Kono?”
“I brought the vest and earwig for Jacq. Jerry’s in the office, ready to coordinate our efforts and gather information as needed.” The young officer responded, holding up the items in her hand. Her cousin was holding her rifle.
In that moment, the head of Five-O noticed there was an extra person with his teammates. “Bowman, what are you doing here?”
“I’m the head of HPD hostage negotiation. This is my rodeo.” The man who responded was tall, muscular, and stony with brown hair and blue eyes. It was well-known he didn’t appreciate Five-O’s tactics in the least.
“No, this is Five-O’s case and Jacq’s going to be handling the gunman.”
“Like hell she is, Commander. She’s a civilian.”
“No, she’s a criminal psychologist, who’s handled situations like this before, and can de-escalate things. Hell, she’s the one who figured out something was wrong.” It was taking all Steve’s control to not hit the HPD officer. His girlfriend had recently started sharing her cases with him, at least as much as she could. He knew she had handled a few situations like this before, was good at talking to people and could get them to do what she wanted or needed them to. Plus, he was pretty sure she’d want to handle the current situation, since she was the one with a plan. He quickly added. “But you can talk to her about that. Let’s go.” He led his teammates down the hall, where the profiler was waiting with three men. One was George, he assumed another one was the clerk she requested join her, and he wasn’t sure who the other man was beyond the fact he was in uniform. However, he knew she’d explain. “Jacq?”
“I was wondering if you forgot about me.” She said with a smile. She approached Kono and took the vest and radio from her, putting them both on. “We have an idea who the gunman is.” She shared.
“Good, but why don’t you make some introductions first?” The former SEAL prodded. He could see Bowman was decidedly unhappy.
“Well, Officer Natal, George, brought Mike, Judge Miller’s other clerk, here after he started the evacuations and Hunter is one of the other bailiffs. He helped the judge when he covered family court a few weeks ago for Judge Alana, who was out sick. We believe our suspect is a father who lost custody of his son. But they can’t remember his name.” She indicated each person in turn and studied her teammates, noticing the stranger among them.
“Did you get that, Jerry?” Chin asked into the radio.
“Sure thing, Lieutenant. I’m looking through court records now.” The conspiracy theorist’s voice came over the radio to his teammates and the psychologist.
“Who’s this?” Jacq pointed at HPD officer standing behind the task force members.
“I’m Lt. Bowman, Dr. Stone. I’m HPD’s lead hostage negotiator. Thank you for your help, but I’ll take it from here.” He stepped forward.
The profiler’s eyes narrowed and she frowned. “What’s your success rate?” She wasn’t going to roll over for this guy even if he was a cop.
“A little over 50%. Why?” Bowman replied and asked.
“Mine’s closer to 90%. So, if you don’t mind, I’ll speak to the gunman.” She was trying to remain civil, but when he opened his mouth to counter her, she spoke over him. “I appreciate the fact that you’re law enforcement and I’m not. But I’m better suited to this. We already have one injured person. If we do things your way, we’re likely to have more, or worse.” She tried to soften her features and ignore the grins on the faces of her friend as she added. “You’re welcome to stick around, but if you try to play me or take over, all I have to do is make one call and you’ll be handing out traffic tickets for the rest of your very short career.” She didn’t like to call on her friendship with Denning, but she would to keep control away from a trigger-happy cop.
“Fine.” Bowman threw up his hands in disgust. “It’s your funeral. Good luck, McGarrett.” With those words, he turned and walked away.
“You sure knew how to handle him.” Lou stated with a chuckle.
“Hostage negotiators have one playbook they all use and it rarely works out well. I want to defuse this situation, not play with the HVAC system or trick him into something.” Jacq sighed.
“What’s the next step?” Steve asked. He was going to continue with her plan… for now. She hadn’t done anything he wouldn’t have done so far.
“Yeah, all right.” She pushed Bowman from her mind and focused on what they needed to do. “I want all of you to stay here while I enter the courtroom and try to get him to release the jurors and the injured bailiff. Once they’ve exited, Mike will take two of you to the judge’s chamber to be ready to breach if needed. Hunter will take the other two to the side entrance for the same purpose. Kono and George will stay here with me.” Dr. Stone scanned the gathered group and everyone was nodding their head except for her boyfriend. “What?”
“I think I should stay here with you.”
“No, Steve. I need you in the judge’s chambers, ready to act if things go sideways. That’s the door closest to the bench. You need to trust me.”
“I do.” He stepped forward and kissed her. When they broke apart, he whispered so only she could hear him. “I’ll make this up to you later.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Lieutenant Commander.” She ushered her friends away from the door. “You all need to stay out of sight. George is going to pull the door open and I’ll alert Judge Miller to my presence, before I go in.”
“One second, Jacq.” Chin stepped forward and attached something to her vest. Stepping back, he hit his radio. “Jer, are you getting the camera feed?”
“Checking.” Jerry’s voice sounded over the radio again. “Got it. I’m getting a clear image of you right now.”
“Copy.” Lt. Kelly responded, then addressed his friend. “Now we can see what you see and Jerry can alert us to anything concerning.”
“Thanks. It’s showtime.” The profiler squared her shoulders and waited for the court officer to pull the door open. She was staying back just in case the gunman shot in her direction. She shouted. “Judge Miller, this is Dr. Jacqueline Stone, are you all right?”
“I’ve had better days, Jacq.” Came the reply. The voice was deep and full of authority.
Another voice yelled over him. It was tinged with anger and fear. “Don’t even think about coming in here, or I’ll blow his brains out.”
“There’s no reason to do that, sir.” The psychologist held up her hands and walked forward until she was standing in the doorway, in full view of the courtroom. “I’m unarmed and only want to help.” For the first time, she got a clear look at the gunman. He was white, around her age and slender with messy, dirty blonde hair. And he was pointing his gun at her. She quickly identified it as a revolver and it likely belonged to the injured bailiff, since it matched the ones most of the court officers wore. That could only mean Brett had been stabbed, not shot, which explained why no one in the hall had heard anything. “I’m Jacq, like Judge Miller said. What’s your name?”
“Why the hell does my name matter? All I want is for him to give me my son back.” The gun returned to being pointed at the Judge’s head. The gunman’s face was red with rage as he vented his frustration.
“I understand you’re angry, sir, and that you blame his Honor, but this isn’t the way to go about things. And if you tell me your name, maybe I’ll be able to help.”
Pausing and keeping the gun where it was, he turned to look at her and studied her, probably to see if she meant what she said. “Richard, Rich, if you want. How are you going to help me?”
“Hello, Rich.” She smiled and scanned the room. A bunch of scared faces were watching her. “I’m going to help you by listening, but first you need to do something for me.”
“What’s that?” He had tightened up at her comment.
“I don’t think you want to hurt anyone, Rich, and because of that, you need to let the juror pool, the Judge’s clerk, the court reporter and the injured bailiff go.”
“The hell I will. They’re my bargaining chips. I-.” He had started yelling at her again.
The profiler held her hands out to him, trying her best to calm him. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, Rich. These people just had the bad luck of being summoned for juror duty. And I don’t think you want Brett, the bailiff, to die. Please…. You still have his Honor, the DA, her assistant, the defense team… and me. Let the others go.”
“Fine.” He was still angry, but seemed resigned to do as she asked. She nodded and turned towards the jury box.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you would slowly stand and walk calmly through the door behind me, I would appreciate it.” She held out her right arm. “Turn left and there are officers and paramedics waiting for you. I’d also like to ask four of the gentlemen to help carry Brett outside.”
The twenty people sitting in the jury box did as she instructed. One of the older women looked like she was ready to bolt, but the young man beside her grabbed her hand and offered her some silent support. Four of the jurors broke off and approached the trio on the floor. They carefully lifted Brett off the floor, bringing the injured man back to consciousness, and he groaned in pain. Dr. Stone smiled at the jurors as they passed her and could hear her friends speaking to them as they exited the courtroom. She stepped to the side as Brett was carried by. The judge’s clerk was bringing up the rear and paused beside the psychologist, setting a hand on her arm.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, Vanessa. Get out of here.” Jacq whispered. She heard receding footsteps in the hall and when they completely faded, she turned her whole attention towards the gunman. “All right, Rich. Now tell me exactly what happened.”
*****
McGarrett’s face was blank as he, Danny and a team of SWAT officers entered the Judge’s chambers behind Mike, Judge Miller’s clerk. He scanned the room and went to the door on the other side. “This is the door to the courtroom?” He whispered.
“Yes, Commander. You need a code to get in from the other side, so we don’t need to be concerned about him coming through here.” He was nervous. The Detective noticed.
“Thanks for bringing us here. Head back to the lobby, check-in with the Command Post and get outside. You’ve done all you can. We’ve got it from here.” Danny told him and watched as he hurried out of the room. “What now, babe?” He asked his partner.
“We keep tabs on what Jacq is saying and any information Jerry gathers.” He said curtly.
Williams sighed. “She’s doing a good job, babe. She already got him to release 23 people. That’s quite an accomplishment. I don’t think Bowman could’ve done that.”
“I don’t think so either.” The former SEAL pulled a tablet off the side of his vest and hit his radio. “Jerry, patch Jacq’s camera to my pad.”
“One second, Commander.” They could hear typing in the background, along with the profiler’s ongoing conversation with the gunman. He was continuing to get riled up, but every time he did, she would change directions and ask him personal questions, which helped him to relax. The pad came to life and they could see the courtroom. “You should be seeing it now.”
“I’ve got it, Jer. Made any progress on identifying Rich?” Steve knew he needed to stay off the radio so they could listen to the conversation going on in the courtroom, but if they knew who he was, they could figure out how to end this. Jacq was going to need more information in order to talk their gunman down.
“Actually, I found it right before you radioed. His name is Richard Foster. He went through a nasty divorce with his now ex-wife, Lori Foster, nee Rogers.” The conspiracy theorist paused, waiting for them to digest what he said.
“As in Rogers Industrial?” The Navy officer asked. The Rogers were a well-known family who had an ongoing contract with the Navy to build ships. They were a major employer on O’ahu.
“Yes. I’m reviewing the court documents from the custody case now.”
“All right, Jer. Relay any information as you get it.” The Lieutenant Commander ordered. He went back to focusing on what his girlfriend was saying and what was happening in the courtroom. He and his partner glued their eyes to the tablet.
“I understand that your ex-wife hurt you, Rich, but you can’t take it out on innocent people.”
“He’s not innocent.” Foster turned his attention from the profiler to the Judge. His finger fell onto the trigger.
The image moved closer to the bench, stopping in front of the gate that separated the gallery from the area in front of the bench. Jacq had apparently stepped closer and her arms appeared in the image. “If I know anything about Judge Miller, he’s an honest man. You can’t blame him for what happened. He wasn’t even the person who was supposed to hear your case. He usually handles criminal cases. He was covering for a colleague in family court when your case was heard.” There was a desperation in her voice that rubbed McGarrett the wrong way. He wished he was in there with her, but knew he needed to be where he was to handle a breach into the courtroom. He itched to open the door and put an end to this.
“What?” Rich looked towards the camera, confusedly, and the gun dropped to his side.
“I know that’s not what you want to hear. You want to place blame, but he would’ve judged the case on its merits.” Her voice was softer now and her arms disappeared from view.
“Merits? MERITS? There was no merit to their case. My ex-wife’s family has money and position. They drowned me and my lawyer in paperwork. Her lawyers said she was more stable and could take better care of our son. But really, she’s a junkie and can barely take care of herself. My son is being cared for by her parents and they refuse to let me see him.” He was begging for someone to understand what he was going through.
Danny hit his radio. “Jerry, find the wife and send me a copy of the custody agreement.” He was familiar with that type of document and could see if the terms were being violated. But he needn’t have been concerned, because even as he received confirmation from the other man, Judge Miller spoke up.
“That violates my ruling.” The older man’s voice was steady and calm. He didn’t seem the least out of sorts considering the situation. He looked at the man beside him. “If you and your lawyer had reported those facts to the court, I could’ve changed my ruling. I wish you had done that, son, then none of this would’ve been necessary.” True sorrow laced his words.
“I… I….” Mr. Foster didn’t seem to know what to say.
“Rich….” The psychologist drew his attention back to her. “My boyfriend and his friends are working to find your ex-wife. If she’s not caring for your son, there are grounds to revoke her custody.” She paused and they heard her take a deep breath. “While we wait to hear, how about we release the defense team and the DA’s assistant? You still have his Honor, Ms. Keli’i and myself. What do you say?” The camera moved closer to the bench, passing through the gate and stopping between the tables where the two legal teams sat. The gunman made a shooing gesture with the gun. Jacq sighed in relief and spoke. “Calmly and slowly, ladies and gentlemen.”
There were sounds of chairs scrapping on the floor and footfalls as the five people stood, doing as she instructed. The camera view was partially obstructed by someone stepping in front of the young woman and a male voice was heard. “Thank you, Dr. Stone.”
“You’re welcome.” She replied and the footsteps receded as they moved away from her. The blockage had disappeared from camera feed and the DA appeared, as Jacq turned towards the other woman. Her next words were a whisper. “Ms. Keli’i.”
“I wish we were meeting under better circumstance, Dr. Stone.” The DA said in reply.
“Me, too. But I’ll take this over jury duty.” She chuckled softly, before continuing. “As soon as I begin to mount the stairs, get on the floor and crawl over to the wall by the jury box. Understood?”
“Yes.” Her response sounded like a low hiss.
The profiler continued to speak quietly, but this time, her comments were directed towards her boyfriend. “As soon as you hear me on the stairs, Steve, send Kono and whoever you posted with her into the courtroom.”
McGarrett chuckled. “Copy.” His girlfriend knew him too well. He’d asked Duke and a team of HPD officers to standby in the hall.
“After I rattled the door handle to the Judge’s chambers, wait one minute, then both teams need to slowly breach. No one shoots without my signal.” She laid out the rest of her plan for him and the team.
“Copy.” He said again. “Be careful.” He would follow her lead, but he’d shoot without her signal if it meant saving her life or the Judge’s. He spoke to the team in the room with him and the others who were listening in over the radio. “Get ready, boys.” He set the pad on the floor next to the door, where he could see it, and put his hand on the doorknob, then strained to hear her coming up the stairs.
Jacq was speaking again. “Rich, I have to be honest with you.” The camera image swung around and stayed locked on the two men atop the bench as she shifted towards the stairs. “Even if we can get custody revoked….”
The head of Five-O heard a foot hit the first stair. “Kono, Duke, move in. And have someone secure Ms. Keli’i and get her out of the courtroom.”
“Copy, boss.” His teammate responded.
“What the hell?” Mr. Foster turned away from the psychologist, his eyes likely catching sight of other people coming into the courtroom. He pressed his gun into the side of the Judge’s head and stepped behind him, using him as a shield.
“Rich… Rich… keep looking at me.” Even as she did her best to calm the gunman, the Navy officer heard more footsteps, then felt a minor vibration through the doorknob. “Even if your ex-wife’s custody is revoked, you’re going to have to answer for what happened here today. But I promise you, we, Judge Miller and I, are going to do what we can to help you. However, the only way we can do that is if you let his Honor go and give me the gun.”
The doorknob shifted in Steve’s hand and he heard it rattled. “60 seconds, everyone. Nobody shoot unless I give you the go-sign.” He pressed the door lever down and paused, counting down in his head.
“Isn’t that right, Judge?” Jacq urged of the older man. Miller’s head nodded on camera.
“Of course, son. We want to help you.” A slight quaver could be detected in his Honor’s voice as the camera image of him grew bigger and Dr. Stone’s arm appeared.
“Please, Rich?” She begged him to turn over his weapon.
“Move.” McGarrett pushed opened the door and entered the courtroom with his partner and the SWAT team. Some of his tension disappeared when he saw his girlfriend with his own eyes again.
“No one here wants to shoot you and thus far, you haven’t killed anyone. Please?” The psychologist plead with their gunman.
Foster looked around wildly and tears fell down his face. “I never wanted to hurt anyone. I just want my son back.” The gun dropped to his side and he walked around the Judge. His grip on his weaponed shifted until his palm was wrapped around the butt. He held it out to her and when she took it gently away from him. He whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know.” She gave him a sad smile, held the gun behind her for the head of Five-O to take, and once he did, moved out of the way, going to check on the judge.
“Danno?” The former SEAL prompted his partner, while he kept his gun trained on Foster and shoved the revolver into his vest.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Book ‘em, Danno. I know.” Danny put his gun away and grabbed his cuffs. He twisted Rich’s arms behind him and spoke. “Richard Foster, you’re under arrest for assault and unlawful detention. You have….” His voice faded as Steve went to check on the woman he loved, who was kneeling in front of Miller.
“Are you sure you’re okay, your Honor?” She was asking the older man.
“I assure you, I’m fine, Jacq. I’m also incredible grateful you were in the courthouse today.” He rose from his chair with her assistance. SWAT had already started to remove Foster from the room and Williams was conferring with his teammates in the gallery.
“You can thank Jury Services, Judge. They’re the ones who refused to let her out of jury duty.” McGarrett shared, causing Miller to laugh, and supported the Judge on his other side.
“I’ll speak to them and have you added to the exemption list. Think of it is a thank you gift from me to you.”
“Then you’re welcome, your Honor. Now what are we going to do about the Rogers?” She and her boyfriend helped Miller down the stairs and they rounded the bench.
“We follow the law.” He turned and addressed Steve. “Commander, gather your team. We have a warrant to serve.”
*****
“Please tell me you don’t intend for him to stay there tonight.” McGarrett asked his girlfriend as he came into his bedroom from the bathroom. The profiler was sitting in his bed, Burt laying beside her in the middle of the bed and Coronado was in her lap.
“No, just giving him a little attention after a long day.” She smiled at Steve as she pet her dog, then ordered. “Burt, your bed, now.” The former police dog stood, walked over her and jumped off the bed, heading to the large dog bed set up in the corner of the room, while the Navy officer’s cat got one more ear scratch and followed him. “Thank you for dinner. It was very nice to sit at the Chef’s table. Please thank Morimoto for me.”
“I will. I’d actually arranged all of that before today’s drama. It didn’t make sense to mess up our plans, not after the day we had.” He climbed into bed and gave her a kiss. He was so thankfully to have her with him, in his home and in his bed. “Happy anniversary.”
“Happy anniversary. But next year, we both call out sick.” She smiled when he laughed.
“Deal.”
“You ready to tell me how it went at the Rogers Estate?”
“Yes, I just didn’t want to talk about it at dinner.”
“I get that. Now what happened?”
“Well, it was the team, Judge Miller, his clerk, and the DA, plus Duke and a couple of squad cars. We rolled up on the estate, but they wouldn’t open the gate.” He chuckled. “At least, not until Lou threatened to ram it. Once we got to the main house, we served the warrant and gained entry. Mr. & Mrs. Rogers were screaming bloody murder about how their rights were being violated. Ms. Keli’i assured them that was not the case. Then we asked to see their daughter and grandson.”
“And what did they say?” She leaned against him and his arm automatically went around her, drawing her closer.
“Demanded their lawyers. That’s when Miller stepped in.”
“I can only imagine what he told them.”
The former SEAL smiled. The Judge had completely impressed him. “He informed them he had testimony claiming they were in direct violation of his ruling and they were going to be arrested if they didn’t immediately produce them.”
“Kind of hard to do considering what Jerry found.”
“They tried to tell us their daughter was away for a few days and they were just watching the boy. Then Chin showed them the money trail, proving they had paid for Lori to enter a detox and rehab facility on the Big Island, five weeks ago. And Kono showed them the video the Hawai’i Police Department took for us of Lori at the facility.”
“Bet that went over well.” Jacq kissed the underside of her boyfriend’s chin.
He dropped a kiss on her head when she pulled back. “Turned ash-white. Then we had Duke and his guys arrest them. And Child Services took the boy.”
“That poor kid. What’s going to happen to him?”
“Foster care for the time being. Child Services is going to be looking for any other family members who can take him. How’d things go with Rich?” He leaned away from her for a minute and pulled open the drawer of his bedside table.
The profiler sighed. “Undergoing a mandatory 48-hour mental health evaluation at the hospital and I found a lawyer who’s willing to represent him pro bono. He has grounds for an extreme emotional disturbance defense.”
“It was good of you to help him.”
“Yeah…. While I was at the hospital and after I got Rich settled, I checked on Brett. It looks like he’s going to make it, but has a long road to recovery.”
“That’s great news.” Steve was fighting a smirk. “I need to let you know Bowman filed a complaint against you.” She pulled away from him and his smirk finally broke free.
“On what grounds?” She was outraged.
“Undermining his authority.”
“I’ll show him undermining. Where’s my phone?” She started to look around frantically and grabbed it off the nightstand. Before she could find the number she wanted, McGarrett took it away from her. “Give that back. I need to call Sam and make good on my threat.”
“There’s no need for that.” He placed her phone on top of his, which was on his bedside table, then turned back to cup her face with both hands. “The Chief called me when I was on my way back to the office and asked me to come by. I went to his office and Bowman was there. The Chief had him explain the basis for his complaint against you and when he finished, the Chief called bullshit. Said Bowman should be thanking you, because you got everyone out of it alive and relatively unharmed. And then he told Bowman, if he didn’t drop it, he’d be doing tourist patrol on Waikiki Beach.”
“That’s almost as good as handing out parking tickets.”
“It shut Bowman right up.” He kissed her and released her face. He twisted around and lifted a box out of the drawer of his nightstand. “And in order to avoid this happening again in the future, I got you something.” Once he was facing her again, he offered her the box. “Here. Think of it as a bonus anniversary gift.”
“Is it a taser? I’d love one to use on Bowman the next time I see him.” She took the box and set it in her lap. “You really didn’t need to get anything else.” She stroked the pendant around her neck. “The necklace was more than enough.”
“I know, but it’s not that kind of gift. Open it.” He sat back and waited.
“If you insist.” The box wasn’t very big and there were no clues as to what was inside. When she lifted the lid off the box, she gasped. “I… I….”
“I’ve seen everything. You’re speechless.”
Jacq lifted out the contents of the box. It was a badge, her very own Five-O badge, and under it were her credentials. “But I’m not a cop or former military. I don’t know-.”
“Shhh, honey. You’re part of the team and this makes it official. I don’t expect you to go out into the field with the team, unless needed, or even work on every case, but it gives you more authority, especially if a situation like today ever comes up again. Do you like it?” He sat back up and waited for her response.
Instead of answering, she returned the badge to the box and set all of it on the nightstand. Then she shifted in the bed until she was straddling McGarrett’s lap and gave him a searing kiss. “I love it and you.” She kissed him again.
Steve rubbed his hands all over her body, eventually getting under her shirt and pushing it up and off. He pulled his lips away from hers and trailed kisses along her jawline, down her neck and finally reaching her breasts. She gasped in pleasure and held his head in place. They quickly lost themselves in each other.
It may have been an action-packed day, but it had also been one hell of an anniversary with a very satisfying ending.