Having not found Elijah Mikaelson in any of the apartments, the team returned to the office with his wife. As Steve walked her past the offices, he glanced through the windows to find Danny chatting with Nicholas and Jerry.
Toni also had seen her son and paused as their eyes met. While she was eager and seemingly trying to hide her happiness at seeing him, he was anything but pleased. Nick turned away, focusing his attention on Jerry, drawing concern in Steve. If seeing his mother drew this sort of reaction from Nick, he could only imagine what Myriam might do.
“He is still angry,” Toni commented, turning to the 5-0 team. “I do not blame him. I am sure my other children are just as resentful. Is my daughter here as well?”
“I am sure she’s around,” Steve emotionlessly answered as he eyed her. “If she wishes to see you, she’ll come.”
Both Agents Gibbs and Pride had stepped aside and let the 5-0 team handle the woman. Pride shook his head, knowing that if Myriam did show up and have anything to say, it wouldn’t be anything good. She had grown up without her parents in her life, and she lacked any emotional attachment to them having known the truth about their business once she gained access to the authorities investigation into her father’s business.
Danny made his way into the hall and took in how everyone stood. “Uh, everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. How’s our friend?” Steve replied.
“Pissed,” Danny commented as he mentally observed the visual resemblance of the woman in their NCIS ally. “You should probably know that Cullen’s lawyer showed up. According to Cullen, they were sent by her friend on her behalf. Here’s their card.”
Steve took the card from him and took note of the address before handing it over to Pride. “You know this name at all?”
Pride blinked at the card and looked at Toni. “Why would the Lances be in Hawaii?”
“Quentin is here?” Toni scoffed. “I can assure you that I won’t request their services. You can get me a – a – défenseur public.”
“Sure thing, ma’am,” Steve replied with a nod. “That is all up to you.”
He started to escort her to holding, passing the conference room when their lawyer guests took sight of them and came running out. “What is the meaning of this?! I demand to have a sit down with our client right now!” Quentin complained, red in the face.
“Sorry, Mr. Lance, but Mrs. Mikaelson requested a public defender,” Steve said calmly.
“What? This is coercion! Antoinette! Tell them you want to speak with us right now,” Quentin attempted while gesturing to his daughter to get on her phone.
“Va te faire foutre, Quentin,” Toni replied venomously.
His eyes grew large as he frowned, stepping back. “If that is how you wish it to be,” he conceded. “No one will be able to protect you.”
“As if you protected me from him!” Toni scowled. “No, I’m taking my life in my own hands now. I don’t want to have to do anything with you or him!”
Danny’s arms were crossed for the show and sighed. “Steve, just take her down before she gets worse. I’m going to go fill Nick in and see if he wants to let his sister know what is going on. Just so you know, she off doing her own thing at the moment so when you’re done, come up so that we can tell you what we know,” he updated him with what he could given the present company.
“She’s what?!”
He shrugged. “He seemed unconcerned and returned my car that she took for me. More than you did. I think I can forgive her this time,” he smiled.
“You’ll forgive her for taking your car but not me? I see how it is,” Steve muttered. “I’m going to hunt her down and chain her to my desk when we get her back.”
“You and my daughter must get on well,” Toni smiled as he started walking with her again, she’d remarkably sobered up after encountering Quentin Lance. “She’d like you a lot.”
“Your daughter gives me a headache,” Steve countered as he helped Toni sit down. “I’ll see to you getting some coffee. Detective Williams will be with you shortly.”
Toni nodded. “If you have tea, I’d prefer that, thank you,” she murmured, calming down from her intoxication. She shifted in the seat to get more comfortable, although it was difficult with her arms secured behind her. Letting out a sigh, she settled down and closed her eyes to wait.
Steve walked into the bullpen and looked at Danny. “She took off, and you let her?”
“She picked up from Isabella that the lawyers were on their way and got spooked. She picked my pocket for my keys, and before I knew it, she was out of her like her ass was on fire, Steve. She did not want to be here when they got here, and they were here literally moments after she peeled out of the lot,” he shared.
“You brought the car back?” Steve asked Nick. “Where did you pick it up?”
Nick slowly nodded. “I’m not saying because she is planning something. She assured me she needs to do this and I trust my sister,” he said. “Arrest me if you wish, but it won’t get me to talk. I am sure by now; if she found who her friend sent her to, they can set her course.”
“Jerry!”
“Already trying to find her, don’t worry,” Jerry said as he was sitting behind his computer. “However, I think if she doesn’t want to be tracked or found, I’m not going to come up with anything.”
“Diggle sent her to a friend?” Pride asked Nick, curious.
Nick shrugged. “I’m not sure who she’s spoken to, to be honest. Why do you think it was Dig?”
“Because he knows people all over the damn place that like to stay off the grid and get their fingers into shit they shouldn’t,” he sighed. “And he has damn good hackers at P’s caliber and higher on his network.”
He shrugged again. “If you think so, I wouldn’t know. I just grabbed the car and did as I was told.”
“But you couldn’t stay dead.”
“Not when my sister was in trouble, no. I don’t think she’s in trouble now. If you’re right and she’s asked Diggle, then she must be with people who know what they’re doing.”
“Excuse me, but who the hell is Diggle?” Danny questioned.
“John Diggle, ex-army, leader of a street gang in New Orleans. Granted, they aren’t giving as much trouble as they used to, but he’s a force to be reckoned with. A valuable source of information if you’re friendly with him,” Pride replied. “NCIS and NOLA PD aren’t friendlies.”
“Unless you’re Myriam, of course,” Nick interceded. “He was always fond of her and hid her from my father and Lance when they came hunting. If he did help her this time, he would send her to allies that would be on the island, but I have no idea who they would be. I wasn’t in that circle of hers back then,” he added before shrugging slightly. “Look, I wanted to leave when I learned of the Lances being in this building, but now that my mother is here, I’d like to go back home to my brother.”
“Any chance either of you want to talk to her? I’m sure she’d like a few minutes. We have no probl-” Steve offered before being cut off.
“Hell no,” Nick growled. “That woman is nothing but poison.”
Steve looked over at Pride, who knew the family best, for his response. “I get how you feel. I have some issues with my mother that we can get into another day, but you should know that your mother chose to stay behind like you and your brother did to give her information on your father now and asked about you three.”
“She likely wants to save her ass and reduce her time in jail,” he muttered. “I’m not going to speak to her.”
Pride scratched his neck and wasn’t sure. “It’s your decision, and I certainly won’t force you. She did ask only for a public defender and cussed out Quentin on her way to holding. If Steve is okay with you going, then go. Fill in Cole, and we’ll try to find Myriam in the meanwhile. If you get anything on where she is, you call us, okay?”
Nick sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, debating about what was the right thing to do. Of course, it was the thing that he dreaded the most; talking to his mother. Because she’d likely be telling him more than she’d share with the cops and whatnot. But he wasn’t supposed to be helpful. Fuck, he kept Myriam’s last known location a secret because he didn’t want to compromise the fancy base Oliver had set up for himself. “Fine, but I want you to record the conversation.” He was the oldest. This is what he had to do, even if he didn’t like it.
“Are you sure?” Steve asked. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re being forced.”
He let out a breath. “It’s the right thing to do to help you guys build a better case against her and that piece of shit father of ours.”
“Technically, it wouldn’t count against her. She requested a lawyer and was read her rights,” Tani said.
“Okay, fine, I’ll be taking my leave then,” he said with a shrug. “Whatever.”
She rolled her eyes. “At least try with her. You might be able to convince her to take a guilty plea no matter what is offered. From what we saw, it sounds like that is what she intends to do.”
“Just because she lawyered up doesn’t necessarily have to mean that she won’t talk,” Pride said. “Go have a chat with her.”
“No, you’ve had your chance,” Nick said as he walked out of the pen and headed to the elevators.
“Alright, I’ve had enough of this. Come with me,” Steve said as he took Nick by the elbow. “You’re not going in but at least stand outside the window and hear what she says.”
“Hell no.”
“You know what questions that need to be asked, ones that I might not immediately know of. You can talk me through questioning her,” he said. “You don’t have to step in the room at all, and she won’t see you or know you are there. For all she knows, Myriam or Pride would be around.”
Pride didn’t like seeing Nick like this. He looked like a beaten kid and didn’t want to confront his demons. “It might help you, son,” he kindly said as he had joined him and Steve. “You don’t have to be afraid. She’s in that room, and you will be in the other one looking through a window where she won’t be able to see you.”
“I know how these things work,” he scowled. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it. Let’s get this over with so that I can get the hell out of here.”
Steve let out a sigh and scratched his eyebrow. “Hey, Danny? Can you bring Mrs. Mikaelson a cup of tea while we get started? Hopefully, she’ll be willing to talk while Tani calls the courthouse for a lawyer for her. I doubt this is her first rodeo.”
“Yeah, sure. Tea. Disgusting,” Danny sighed.
“How’s the briefcase going, Junior?” Steve asked him as he processed its contents.
“I’ll let you know if I find anything, boss, right now it’s not making any sense, at all.”
Steve let out a breath and nodded before showing Nick to the observation room and handed him a walkie. “That’s directly in contact with this,” he said as he showed him an earbud and put it in his ear. “Any question you want me to ask her, just tell me.”
“Fine,” Nick sighed, testing and whistling into the walkie to test it, grinning as Steve winced at the sound.
“Asshole.”
Nick shrugged as he turned the chair around so he wouldn’t have to see his mother and sat down with his feet up against the wall. “Takes one to know one.”
Steve rolled his eyes and went to go into the room. “I have your tea coming. It’ll just take a bit. Now, because of the time, it’ll take a little while to get you a lawyer from the public defender’s office. If you want to talk, it’s up to you…”
“I didn’t lawyer up,” she sighed as she tried to get comfortable again, her hands were still behind her back.
“You did say you wanted a public defender in the hallway.”
“Yes, if I had to choose between the Lances and a lawyer, but I don’t want one. I’d likely tell them to shut their faces anyway,” Toni replied with a sigh. “Could you please remove these restraints? I’m not going anywhere.”
Steve turned to look at the window and camera, before deciding to cut the ties. As he sat back down across from her, he silently stared at her for a moment. “Why are you in Hawaii?”
“Because my husband wanted to come here for the conclusion of his elaborate plan – details, of which, I wasn’t privy of. The blonde bitch, however, was,” Toni sighed as she rubbed her wrists.
“Parsons?” Steve asked for verification.
“Yes. Amelia Parsons.”
He nodded and noted the animosity behind her tone. “How long as she been involved with your family?”
Toni scrunched up her face. “You mean involved with my husband?” she countered. “Years.”
Steve raised a brow as he remembered reading that Parsons had been involved with Barlow before he committed suicide and down the hall, Cullen claimed that she was in a relationship with the woman. “Is that so? How did she come into the fold? She isn’t old enough to have been there before you and your husband disappeared from New Orleans.”
“My husband is an acquired taste and loves…” Toni stopped herself before continuing her story. “There have been many women in his life while he was married to me. In the beginning, I thought Amelia was just another fling, one who he wanted to do everything for, shower her with gifts and money, but she’s done some jobs for my husband over the years, and together they schemed and thought of an elaborate plan to get rid of us all.”
“That includes your children. One was in jail, one presumed dead, another a federal agent.”
“Elijah never believed Nick was dead. Cole and Nick were inseparable. Fighting all the time, sure, but they would never do anything to hurt each other. To hear that Cole had shot Nick was as if listening to… what you call it? Fake news? Cole and Nick both know more subtle ways to get what they want and guns are the last thing they’d use. And certainly not that spectacular. Elijah taught them better than that,” Toni replied. “And yes, for that plan to work, all our children had been out in the open, and that included Barlow. Pride. And other casualties.”
Steve was annoyed that Nick remained silent thus far. “I thought you said you knew nothing about the elaborate plan that they planned together.”
“I didn’t,” she replied angrily. “I only learned of it two days ago, and when he admitted of wanting to hurt our children, I decided that enough is enough. I’m tired of being treated like I’m not his wife but one of his whores he likes to flog, and nobody touches my children.”
“Why now?” Nick’s voice sounded in Steve’s ear, his voice cracking a bit.
“Why now? Why would you step up for your children now instead of years ago when they could have used their mother?” Steve questioned.
Toni rolled up her sleeves, revealing bruises and drug tracks. Some old, some fairly recent.
“I see,” Steve murmured. “Did you do that or was it forced on you?”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
Drawing in a breath, he nodded. “Alright. How recent was the last use?”
Nick scowled as he texted his brother. I’m sitting here hearing our mother talk. Any questions for her?
What?!
What do you want to ask her?
“Two days ago, after I hit him on the head with a vase and threatened to kill him.”
“For how many years?”
She thought for a moment as she rubbed her temples. “I don’t know… somewhere after Myriam was born, I suppose.”
Steve sighed and shifted on his chair as he pulled his phone out to message Danny to set up a medical evaluation. “Alright. We can see what we can do about working a deal with the DA about a prison with a rehab program for you.”
“I don’t deserve prison, Commander,” she said softly as she looked at her hands. “I deserve far worse. What mother abandons her children? Can’t protect them? Nurture them?”
Steve’s eyes fell to her covered arms. “The way I see it, you were placed in a position that you couldn’t do more than you already did. While they had their difficulties, they are strong. Cooperate with the DA, and I’ll do what I can to help you as long as you hold your end. I doubt that anyone had any idea that your husband would have done something like this to you. I know I didn’t see anything like this in your husband’s jacket.”
Nick looked at his phone when Cole hadn’t answered. Did you know dad drugged mom?
What? Nick, I don’t care. That woman can burn in hell for all I care. Leave me alone.
“That’s the thing about Elijah Mikaelson, Commander, half of the things he has done; you don’t know of. Nobody does. Because there’s never anyone left to talk or to trace back to him. And I went along with it all, even before he started to make sure I was his obedient and perfect punching bag. Because Elijah Mikaelson is a charming man, you’d do anything for him, even turning on your best friends or to make sure your own family gets the blame for something they haven’t done,” Toni replied quietly. “I’m just very grateful that despite everything, to my knowledge, he’s never laid a hands on our children. Until recently where he decided to get rid of them, and me.”
“She’s wrong about that,” Nick spoke in Steve’s ear. “Father liked to take Cole or me out somewhere and go to town with a belt. Don’t tell her that.”
Steve ran his hand over his jaw and blinked, unsure of what direction to continue in as the woman was as much victim as she was compliant in her husband’s activities.
“Cole doesn’t want to ask her anything, for all he cares, she can burn in hell. Ask her if she’s proud of what Myriam’s become.”
“Your daughter became a federal agent to put away men like your husband.”
“My boys and Agent Pride made a good decision for her; I was afraid she’d end up living in the bad parts of town with babies with different men,” Toni replied. “I have been watching her achievements through the news, and I had hoped that she would be able to save me because I certainly couldn’t,” she then let out a sigh and smiled. “And my boys are perfect. All they need now is to settle and find peace.”
“You’re doing a fine job in helping yourself now,” Steve pointed out. “And I’m sure they will one day learn what you think of them if they aren’t ready to hear it today.”
“Is my son still around?”
Steve hesitated. “He was reluctant when I offered to give him a few minutes to talk with you. I’m sorry.”
“That’s alright, Commander, I understand.”
“I’m sure he will come around, give him some time,” he smiled, scratching behind his ear.
The door swung open, revealing Danny with a cup of tea for Mrs. Mikaelson. “Sorry it took me so long, I had to borrow a teabag from upstairs,” he said as he set it down in front of her with some sugar and a plastic spoon. “Also, boss, we’ve found her.”
Steve’s eyes lit up. “Really? Anywhere familiar?”
“Not really. But she turned on her phone, so Jerry could ping her location.”
His eyes shifted out of focus as he considered that. “She did that on purpose. She wants us to know where she is now, which means she’s got something,” he said as he quickly stood up, nearly knocking the chair on the floor. “Uh, perhaps if Jerry isn’t doing anything, he can keep Mrs. Mikaelson company? Just to make sure that the lawyers don’t go wandering in here.”
“Tani called the DA for Cullen; the lawyers will be going shortly. Might take some time for her though,” he said as he walked out of the room and thumbed over his shoulder.
“Mrs. Mikaelson’s case will end being extradited to Louisiana because they have the case, but let’s make her as comfortable as we can while she’s with us. And get HPD down here as a personal guard because she’s given intel that her husband not only had plans to go after the kids but included her.”
Danny hummed as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “You do know that’s it’s her word against his, right?”
“Evidence so far supports it, and extra security on her wouldn’t hurt,” he pointed out as he turned to open the observation room door to find the oldest Mikaelson child with his head in his hands. “You okay Nick?”
“No. I hate you lot.” He put the walkie down on the table and headed towards the elevators. “Fuck you all,” he said as he pushed the button impatiently.
“We found your sister,” Steve called after him. “Or rather she let us find her location.”
“Yeah, I heard. Bring her home safe, or I’ll tear you limb from limb,” he growled. “Leave me alone.”
Steve sighed and waved him off, letting him go home to cool off. He was sure that he would have it much worse when he filled Myriam in on the most recent events with her mother.