S04E08 - “For A Million ... Why Not?” - Plot

(Prepared by Bobbi Baker)


Teaser

A woman (Leigh Christian) shows up to a bank on Kilauea Avenue to be let in by a co-worker named Julie. She asks about Mr. Shaw (Wendell Martin) only to be interrupted by a robbery in progress. Two masked men hold the bank employees on the floor at gunpoint. A third comes up behind her and forces her to the floor as well. It's 8:25 a.m. and the leader (Sam Melville) says they'll wait for the time lock while sending one of the men (Al Harrington) to watch the door. The last guy (Robert Fields) goes over the counter to wait by the vault. While waiting, the guy by the vault suddenly can't breathe! The leader goes to him and yells at the guy by the door to get the car. The two struggle to get out the door but once outside, everyone is fine! The car takes off as the three unmask themselves and the employees watch from the window!

Act One

Danno, Chin and Kono arrive at the bank and immediately "get started". Danno talks to Shaw who asks about McGarrett. He's testifying on the Big Island in the Johnny Oporta trial with a change of venue from Honolulu. Danno wonders how the men were able to enter and Shaw tells him two were waiting for him in his garage bringing him to the bank by gunpoint. The third man was already there with their own car: a light green sedan with plates 8C 6310. Danno wants to know what they looked like and Shaw calls over Carol who was the last employee who entered. She isn't real helpful with a description though saying the leader's eyes were "cold and green". Shaw also tells Danno the men seemed to know everything about the bank: his name, number of employees, the cameras, the alarm and the timing mechanism on the vault. Shaw goes on to explain they are at an all-time high for cash reserves of $6 million! He says they've been thinking about splitting it between branches. Danno suggests moving it sooner rather than later with Shaw agreeing. Danno also asks Carol to accompany him to the office so she can look through the mug shots to see if she can identify the eyes.

McGarrett calls in from Hilo to talk to Danno and brought up to speed on the attempted robbery. In McGarrett's office, Danno has Carol looking through the books as Kono walks in with information on the getaway car: "stolen, hot-wired and dumped. No prints". McGarrett wonders if there is anyone on Oahu with a bank M.O. in their history. Danno says they have found three: one is in an iron lung, one is in jail and the third is a guy named Noonan who is "at an honest job" but they'll check him out. Danno hangs up turning toward Carol.

At 'Tiki Gods Company' a truck pulls in with Fred Noonan, the man at the bank's door and driver of the getaway car, sitting on the back tailgate. Danno and Chin ask him where he was this morning during the attempted robbery. He tells them he was in the business office and they talk to an older gentleman (Jack Kruschen) who takes care of the employee records and filing. Noonan completed two forms and one is time stamped 8:50 a.m. However, the man goes into the weeds far more than Danno and Chin want. The timestamp gives Noonan an alibi for where he was that morning and as they leave, Blumberg tells them to not rush to judgment just because Noonan has a record.

Carol shows up at house where she meets her boyfriend, the guy who faked a heart attack by the vault. At a picnic table, the leader Hawkins loads rifle shells. Carol tells them the money is being moved the next day at 3:30 p.m. Noonan shows up and Blumberg appears in a doorway. Hawkins says they put their plan into action at that time and everyone must do their part. Blumberg says, "for a million, why not?"

At Five-O, Kono and Chin have received acknowledgments from every bank on the island about the warning. Danno hopes they're not the ones caught by surprise.

Hawkins and Noonan stop at 'Carlson's Printing Shop' where Carlson (Glenn Cannon) lets them in. He hands Hawkins an envelope with perfect copies of something. He's been in the printing business 20 years and yes; he ran test copies but burned them up. The type sits in a tray "all broken up". Asking for the money, Hawkins pulls out a gun and shoots Carlson three times! Hawkins and Noonan leave as a printing machine runs in the back.

Act Two

The next morning, Five-O, HPD and the lab technicians are at the printer's shop. Danno briefs McGarrett over the phone on the latest: printer was Carlson who was shot three times in the chest with a .45 caliber, he was found by an employee who comes in to put away type Carlson used the night before. The type they do find was "all over the place" and they have no idea what was used and what wasn't.

Meanwhile, Carol's boyfriend is dressed in a police uniform he acquired from a costume store. Carol talks about the places they'll go and how he'll need to give her dance lessons but he wants nothing more to do with teaching old ladies and have them step on his shoes. Carol makes a move to have him commit, mentioning "forever" that he calls a "very heavy word". They commence with some hanky-panky.

At Five-O, Danno talks to McGarrett again telling him about how the lab has to go through the type piece by piece. The trial is "uphill all the way" as people are afraid to testify. The conversation is cut short as McGarrett is pulled away. Meantime in the laboratory, Kono checks on the progress for Danno. The technician (Seth Sakai) tells Kono, "don't hold your breath" as this job is uphill as well.

Hawkins delivers the forms to Blumberg who figures out Carlson has been murdered when Hawkins says their supply of new forms has "dried up". Blumberg becomes upset but Hawkins has them all between a rock and a hard place because they're accessories to murder. Hawkins true motivations become clear, as he is ready to hit back after being called "a monster" and being wounded in Vietnam. The duplicate forms are invoices: 1409 from Tiki Gods Company. Blumberg switches them before Hanley (Harry Williams) walks in complaining about another "tax examination". He asks Blumberg to take care of it and support as many expenses as possible. After Hanley leaves, Blumberg completes the switch.

Carol and her boyfriend seem to be heading for splitsville but she isn't playing. Carol isn't satisfied with taking $50,000; she wants a full $1 million! She also tells him she has left a letter with her attorney should something "violent" happen to her. Ray is now painted into a corner.

Ray talks to Hawkins the next morning where Hawkins isn't playing either. Hawkins thinks Ray is coming up with the story so he can get an extra share. Ray says it was her idea because he would never go back on a deal. The split is $1 million each to Noonan, Blumberg and Ray while Hawkins takes the other $3 million. Ray can't think of how to get out of paying Carol off. Hawkins aims his gun at Ray saying they'll pay her, out of Ray's share!

At Tiki Gods, Blumberg assigns pick-ups and deliveries. He gives one to Noonan with "900 crates". Meanwhile, at the bank it is now 3:30 p.m. and the money is being moved under heavy guard. Isle-Pac Armored Car Service drives away once the money is loaded. Shaw calls Danno who takes the call in the lab to tell him the money is being moved. After the call, Danno focuses on what the lab guys found: "four numbers in red, eight letters in black" with over 40,000 combinations. Danno tries to figure out what it could mean: a license, invoice, or stock certificate. Danno calls the HPD "computer bank" to help.

The armored car drives in Honolulu without incident. They drive through a tunnel only to come upon a van blocking the road. Ray stands by the van in his police costume signaling for them to stop. Hawkins shoots the driver and the shotgun with his special bullets because they pierce the glass!

Act Three

Ray continues his impersonation by directing traffic around the armored car and van. Noonan stands on the side as Hawkins is on the roof of the armored car pouring acid into the back. The third guard doesn't stand a chance being overcome by the fumes. Noonan breaks into the front and climbs onto the roof to help Hawkins. Afterward, Noonan removes the guards from the front as Hawkins grabs the rifles and climbs in after Noonan and Ray. Noonan drives onto a dirt road to hide the truck.

Danno is about to walk out when Jenny (Peggy Ryan) gives him an emergency phone call. Asking "when" and "where" he tells the other end he's on the way yelling, "Chin! We got trouble!" on the way out. Danno, Chin, and Kono arrive on scene. An HPD officer briefs the truck was gone when they arrived. Danno looks over the guards as the officer tells them they were both shot in the head. Chin is confused but Danno helps, "armor piercing bullets, probably carbide". Danno tells Kono to get information on the camper van plates and notify Shaw at the bank. Meanwhile, another HPD officer has found some tracks. Danno and Chin jump in the car to follow them.

At the bank, Shaw takes the call notifying him of the truck with Carol eavesdropping on the conversation. Hawkins, Ray and Noonan arrive at a barn or hangar like structure to hide the truck. Parked beside it is a Tiki Gods truck which Hawkins positions to put the armored car into the back. They put the rifles into the Seatrain trailer along with chocking the armored car. Noonan hammers out the front window so he can get out. Ray takes off the police costume before helping Hawkins load the ramps into the trailer.

Danno and Chin lead an HPD unit down the dirt road while Noonan drives out the Tiki Gods truck. Hawkins and Ray rake the dirt essentially erasing the tracks Danno, Chin and HPD have been following. They find the aluminum structure but there is no armored car and no truck. Noonan drops Hawkins and Ray to their cars in town. Afterward, Noonan drives the truck to the port in order to load it for Oakland.

McGarrett nearly comes unglued in Hilo when Danno briefs him about what happened. McGarrett isn't the only one at his wit's end because Danno is nearly defeated because they checked everywhere around the building for 100 yards: "no tracks, no truck, no six million dollars". As they lose it, the Seatrain conex is loaded on ship bound for the mainland.

Act Four

McGarrett pleads with the judge (Donald Over) to allow him to go back to Honolulu for one night. The judge isn't willing to let McGarrett go because the unit can function on its own for one night.

Noonan returns the cab to Tiki Gods where Blumberg signals to him to start a fight. The ruckus causes several men to jump in to break it up. Blumberg takes the opportunity to walk inside and have a discussion with Hanley who is practicing his golf swing. Blumberg tells him about Noonan starting fights and he should be let go. Hanley doesn't care and leaves it in his hands. Blumberg then asks for $50 per week raise, which Hanley flatly refuses. He asks if any other amount would have been accepted and Hanley says no. Blumberg quits his job right then and there leaving the office to pack his things.

In McGarrett's office, they've broken out the chalkboard to work on the word combinations including 'Stiki dog' and 'Dogi skit'. They have 120 pages to work through with 200 words per page, so much for the computer being helpful! 'Kiti Dogs' is the next name Chin writes down after Kono calls it out, "or it could be "Kidi Togs" but Danno sees something. He walks over writing, 'Tiki Gods' the same company Noonan works! Danno suspects Noonan and Blumberg could be in it together and they run out for Tiki Gods.

As the ship arrives in Oakland, the gang begins their getaways. Carol buys a ticket for Dallas as Hawkins takes a flight to Seattle. Meanwhile, Blumberg buys a ticket for Miami with a stopover in Los Angeles. While that's happening, Danno and Chin arrive at Tiki Gods and start digging through the invoices in order to find the money. Ray buys a ticket for San Francisco while Noonan follows Hawkins to Seattle. However, it may be too little too late as Danno hits pay dirt at Tiki Gods finding the phony invoice and making a call to the port. The weight is about ten tons over what is expected.

In Oakland, the conex is unloaded and met by Noonan. He drives off with the load to another part of the port into a warehouse where the gang has met up. They ready to offload the armored car and Noonan carefully drives it out. Hawkins readies the lock on the armored car for nitro but the police quickly surround the warehouse. Danno gives them one minute to surrender but Hawkins throws the nitro at them! Hawkins and Noonan make a run for it with the armored truck only to crash it into an exploding mess! Blumberg, Carol and Ray surrender peacefully.

Danno briefs McGarrett via telephone with McGarrett sharing the good news that Johnny Oporta will be going to prison for the rest of his life without the possibility of parole. McGarrett tells Danno he did a really good job and for $184.50 a week take home, why not!

This plot summary Copyright© Bobbi Baker 2019. No reproduction of any kind without permission.


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