Teaser
During the early morning hours, a woman (Beth Brickell) is awakened by desperate knocks on her door. It's McGarrett, accompanied by an HPD officer, and is trying to get a hold of Carol Rhodes. Carol opens her door with McGarrett rushing in taking a thorough look around. He closes the curtains to her apartment then gives her the bad news: L.B. Barker (William Watson) is out of prison. Carol doesn't understand how it's possible because L.B. was in solitary confinement. L.B. faked an illness able to escape from the infirmary. Carol panics and begins packing wanting the "first plane to anywhere". McGarrett tells her to cool it, stay put where they can protect her. Otherwise, L.B. will hunt her down and kill her. The phone rings, Carol answers with great hesitation and for good reason, it's L.B. He tells her she'll be dead by sunset while McGarrett tells him he doesn't stand a chance of getting near her. Carol slowly sits scared out of her mind.
Act One
Five-O and HPD arrive on scene to surround the building Carol lives in. At the same time, they evacuate the building or at least the floor Carol lives on. A command center is set up as Duke (Herman Wedemeyer) talks on the phone with "Car Seven" but McGarrett wants nine patrol cars and 11 policemen on the lookout for L.B. Duke informs him Cars Eight and Nine are inbound. McGarrett also orders ten-minute check-ins on the walkie-talkies. Carol walks in among the chaos feeling safer with McGarrett who wants her in her apartment. Duke reports Car Eight is at "G-4". Gazing at the map, Carol asks what it is with McGarrett pointing out the "Sheraton Waikiki," their perimeter around it and the other cars and patrolmen out searching for L.B. A red tack signifies L.B. who started at Oahu State Prison and is assumed to be moving toward them. Danno walks in with McGarrett's briefcase. McGarrett tells him to take over and "we'll be across the hall" as he escorts Carol back to her apartment.
Once they're back in the apartment, Carol immediately pours herself a drink. McGarrett wants her to explain why L.B. hates her enough to want her dead. When Carol goes to peek out the window, McGarrett yells at her to get away from it. She doesn't like his tone while McGarrett explains they don't know if L.B. has a rifle or not. Carol tells him the criminal is outside, not in but McGarrett ignores her. McGarrett unpacks the briefcase: tape recorder, walkie-talkie and various files. Carol is interested to know what the files are. McGarrett explains he was away when L.B. killed his partner McCabe and was convicted of the crime, that's the first file. The second is the "Beckmann Museum Jewel Robbery," which occurred a month before McCabe was murdered. The third file is hers: 'Carol Rhodes Ð Juvenile Hawaii Five-O'. McGarrett was "tired" after nine years of being Hawaii's top cop so he took a vacation and went as far away as he could to the "snow in Switzerland". The robbery and the killing took place during that time. McGarrett puts down the files as he asks Carol to him about herself.
Carol tells McGarrett she was abandoned and lived in various foster homes. She hustled and was burned out by 17 when she met L.B. and McCabe. They had a beach shack and she surmises L.B. fell in love with her. She downs the rest of her drink and is about to pour another when Danno calls in on the walkie-talkie. L.B. was spotted stealing a car but by the time HPD arrived, he was gone. But it was taken at Wiliwili Street and Waiola and they have a good description of the car with a red alert already issued. Carol becomes more nervous pouring her next drink especially when McGarrett mentions L.B. is three miles from the perimeter. McGarrett questions her more wondering why she left the pair behind. Carol tells him she was arrested with them for breaking and entering but she was a minor and given probation. She joined them for another job but it went south and she ran nearly hit by an older man, Alfred Townsend, driving his car. Carol tells McGarrett about him, how he took her in and was kind rather than using her like everyone else did. Townsend was the curator of the Beckmann Museum and when she stayed with him, L.B. flipped out threatening Townsend and her. She goes on saying L.B. called them at all hours making "crazy calls, dirty threats". She adds McGarrett has no idea how nuts L.B. can be. McGarrett runs down the crimes: the robbery took place with $1 million in gemstones taken, a month later L.B. kills McCabe and three days after the robbery Townsend is killed. A bang outside puts everyone on edge including Danno from the command center. False alarm, it's only an oxygen tank toppled for the one person who couldn't be moved.
Car21 radios into the command center reporting L.B. just robbed a gun shop on McCully Street. They know it was L.B. because he left his prison shirt and a fake gun carved from wood that he probably used in his breakout. Carol works herself up with the worst expectations. Car 43 then radios in with L.B. and the stolen car in sight: on Beretania heading toward Diamond Head. Beretania and King is the current location but then he turns south onto Kapahulu Avenue. After a few minutes, they report the car has been abandoned and L.B. is now on foot. The last they know he's heading south toward the perimeter.
Act Two
McGarrett orders the three best marksmen in various places to be ready for L.B.'s approach. Carol realizes he's only a mile and a-half away but HPD and Five-O are ever vigilant. Inside the apartment, Carol slowly becomes more fractured as she continues to drink even offering one to McGarrett who refuses. Instead, he studies L.B.'s file and sees there was no violence until he killed McCabe. McGarrett notes L.B.'s only defense was he went to McCabe's house because his partner owed him money but no one mentions how much money and McGarrett theorizes it had to be a lot to cause a fight between best friends. Carol accuses him of trying to set her up because he believes she kept in contact with them but she claims she hasn't heard from L.B. in years. McGarrett goes one step further with his theory postulating all three, L.B., McCabe and Townsend, were involved in the jewel heist.
McGarrett has a report to back up his theory that L.B. didn't kill Townsend and Carol loses it saying L.B. killed Townsend. However, this is impossible since six policemen were interrogating L.B. around the clock about the museum robbery/Jewel heist. Carol then asserts McCabe killed Townsend but McGarrett wants to know the motive. Carol spins out of control yelling at McGarrett that she has enough to deal with "a lunatic" out to kill her. McGarrett believes Townsend set up the robbery so he could provide the best for Carol. She takes Townsend's picture and cries on her bed.
Carol breaks down telling McGarrett Townsend arranged the robbery as L.B. could get in anywhere and McCabe was the electronics expert. Carol says she tried to warn Townsend but he went through with the robbery anyway. On the third day, he was supposed to meet a man about the jewels but instead was killed with him warning Carol beforehand L.B. or McCabe were responsible because "they wanted it all". When Townsend was found, the jewels were gone. Carol figures when L.B. was released after being interrogated, he put two and two together and figured McCabe killed Townsend. When they met, McCabe fired twice and L.B. killed him.
The phone rings and they're ready to trace the call. McGarrett tells Carol to do anything and everything to keep him on the phone. Chin is at the phone company completing the trace. It's L.B. again who tells Carol he's moving ever closer, as a matter of fact, he wants her to open the drapes so he can see her. McGarrett tells him again he doesn't stand a chance but it's only to empty air.
Act Three
Danno calls in on the walkie-talkie that Officer Kurawa stationed at the service entrance has been "slugged" and is being taken to the hospital. McGarrett calls back to warn L.B. is in the building and get 20 more men leaving Carol in the dust.
Running into the command center, Danno pulls a map down for McGarrett showing where Kurawa was in relation to the freight and services elevators and laundry room. Carol flashes to L.B. sneaking in by hiding in a laundry hamper and crawling UP a laundry chute. Carol freaks out as McGarrett orders everything sealed. McGarrett then drags Carol down the hall showing the manpower in force to prevent L.B. from getting to her.
Back in the apartment, Carol makes herself yet another drink. Meanwhile, McGarrett starts playing a tape of a conversation less than 36 hours before. The guy asks for McGarrett, a friend of McCabe's who is a junkie but he was in the house the night McCabe was killed. He says L.B. and McCabe argued; they exchanged gunshots with McCabe winding up dead and L.B. leaving. However, someone came in "fast" through the "kitchen in the back". Carol goes off the deep end trying to take the tape player from McGarrett who spells it out for her: McCabe's gun was never found and neither were the spent casings from McCabe's gun. If these could have been found, L.B.'s claim of self-defense could be proven. McGarrett even tells her that Carol's story lines up with L.B.'s story. She says she didn't back him but McGarrett quotes her: she did indeed back up L.B.'s story. McGarrett plays more of the tape where the junkie says someone grabbed McCabe's gun and he proposes if the junkie is telling the truth, L.B. is innocent of first-degree murder and someone knew he was going to visit McCabe because that person waited until after the "shootout" in order to take McCabe's gun. McGarrett also theorizes McCabe's gun was loaded with blanks thus no bullet holes at the scene. Carol considers McGarrett's theory a bunch of crap while L.B. makes his move toward her apartment. L.B. rappels down and walks on the outside railings as McGarrett checks in with Danno before hearing a soft thud at Carol's apartment. Drawing his gun, McGarrett goes out to the balcony looking around only to have L.B. jump him and knock him out in Carol's apartment. L.B. puts his hand over her mouth and says, "Good night, baby".
Act Four
L.B. drags her to the bar as Carol tells him he needs her. She finally asks him what he's going to do but he doesn't know as he pours himself a drink. Because Hawaii doesn't have the death penalty, L.B. has nothing to lose and killing Carol is "a freebie". Carol knows she's going to die and starts nattering about setting L.B. up. She put blanks in McCabe's gun and took the gun after the shootout. Her motivation to do so was she thought one of them killed Townsend who she loved, or so she thought. L.B. cocks the gun and then Carol comes clean, she killed Townsend. Townsend was about to turn them all in to save his reputation. After all was said and done, she then dealt with the insurance company to get a payoff of $500,000 but she couldn't contact L.B. until the pay off was done because everyone was watching her. L.B. then asks about what to do with McGarrett and Carol wants to kill him too. Carol claims to give them time to go to the bank but in reality, McGarrett knows her game but Carol is in denial until she turns around to see McGarrett standing behind her.
McGarrett then drops a bombshell on her: it was all staged. They got L.B. out and he's been hanging out downstairs all day. Carol feels she'll get out of the charges because $500,000 can buy a lot of layers and the only two witnesses are "a murderer and a self-serving cop". One problem: the entire conversation has been taped. McGarrett calls in Danno and Duke who come running in. L.B. turns over the guns to McGarrett who empties the one L.B. carried: blanks. Duke takes L.B. out who has an appointment in court very soon. Danno walks Carol out but doesn't have a hand on her because she throws Townsend's framed picture at McGarrett hitting him in the arm. Danno secures her a bit better before walking her out as McGarrett tosses the blanks in the air.
This plot summary Copyright© Bobbi Baker 2019. No reproduction of any kind without permission.