S08E23 - “A Sentence To Steal” - Plot

Act One

A van drives up to a warehouse where two masked robbers get out disabling the alarm bell with the contents of a fire extinguisher at Kanoni Dental Supply Co. They go downstairs preparing to blow up the safe as the guard (Chuck Couch) drives up outside. The guard checks out the van before proceeding inside where the thieves blow the safe! They steal the gold inside as the guard orders them to hold it with his gun drawn. The guard is able to get the thieves to stand against some shelves but as he frisks them, they fight back overtaking him and struggling to get the gun. The gun discharges, taking the guard down as the thieves grab the bags and run! The driver (Remi Abellira) hits the gas as the alarm finally goes off. The driver and passenger (Gregory Enton) put the bags in a spot at a beach shack where a go-between (Arthur Meskil) takes the bags to yet a different location via boat. No one talks to one another at the shack. The boat arrives at yet another shack where the gold is melted in a crucible to be formed into other gold bars.

In McGarrett's office, he closes his briefcase on his desk. Jenny (Peggy Ryan) interrupts McGarrett with Chin on Line 1: another gold hit at a dental supply company but this time a guard has been shot and he's critical. McGarrett calls Danno and puts him on it since McGarrett will be tied up with the governor. Danno comments it's the third gold hit in the last month!

Danno arrives on scene catching up with Chin who introduces Ned Loe (Sakae Takahashi) who owns Kanoni Dental Supply. Loe tells Danno they believe about 30 pounds was stolen, worth about $60,000. They normally sell to dentists and dental supply companies. Danno says they'll be in touch. Chin briefs the guard was able to tell them about the thieves: they wore stockings masks, were young, drove a light blue van with a partial license number of "29". Danno and Chin go inside where they talk to Yoshi (Ed Fernandez) who tells them "the vault's clean" but they found a footprint outside and they're making a mold. Danno finds a gold wafer on the floor wondering if Loe has a list of the stolen serial numbers. When Chin confirms he does, Danno wants a copy.

When McGarrett returns to Five-O, Danno briefs 26 vans came back based on the partial numbers with seven of them being blue but only four are light blue. One belongs to a dry cleaning business, another by "Holiday Nursery School," Don Alda and the last belonging to a John Manoa (Tommy Fujiwara). McGarrett wants a rundown on all the owners.

In the laboratory, Che Fong (Harry Endo) briefs McGarrett on the footprint found: a very common sandal but there is a nick out of it that may help nail it down. McGarrett leaves for his office where Danno and Chin later brief him all the vans check out but one: "registered to a John Manoa, but it's owned by the Makama Youth Rehabilitation Home in Waikiki" where Manoa is the administrator. McGarrett recognizes the name: Elizabeth Rollins (Barbara Baxley) established the home and he attended the dedication four years ago. McGarrett also says her nephew Edward Ross (Tommy Sands) is a liaison with the HPD Juvenile Division. Danno has a surprise though: Manoa's real name is Fred Napa who served time at Oahu State Prison for two counts of armed robbery and since his release, he's been clean. McGarrett wants a tail on Manoa anyway and to have Duke (Herman Wedemeyer) take care of it. Chin points out even if the thieves are from the home, they would need an outside connection to get rid of it. McGarrett wants that angle worked as he calls Elizabeth.

At the Makama Youth home, Manoa leads a group in prayer prior to eating. Manoa then asks Tommy (Stephen Arruda) if he got all the weeding in the backyard done, which he has with the blisters as his badge of honor. He then asks Pete (Ron Nakahara) if he and Mike completed the laundry detail, which they did. Manoa then turns it over to Hogan (Sam Peters) who asks Cooper, the passenger in the van for the robbery, why he wasn't helping prepare breakfast that morning. Cooper said he wasn't feeling well, which Hogan doesn't accept as an excuse. Ross then jumps in spouting about shunning responsibilities puts a heavier burden onto everyone else. Manoa has back everybody off when it's obvious a dog pile is about to start. Cooper agrees to not let it happen again.

McGarrett goes to visit Elizabeth at her house where he finds her in the backyard. They haven't seen one another in a while with McGarrett carrying some bad news: the van used in the robbery where the guard was critically wounded came from the home. When she says there must be a mistake, McGarrett tells her it's registered to Manoa.

Manoa takes the van out with Duke watching him the whole time. Manoa makes a stop handing something to a kid before driving off.

Act Two

In McGarrett's office, Duke reports Vinnie Kowa (Dennis Dubin) was released from the home about a month before. Yet today, he meets Manoa who hands him an envelope. McGarrett wonders if it isn't a payoff of some kind. Duke isn't sure it could be anything. Chin walks in saying the undercover man is there, Sergeant Louie Pakoa (Rudy Ramos) recommended by Narcotics as their undercover man. He's been responsible for some of the biggest teen bust on the island and he's worked the gangs. McGarrett meets with Sergeant Pakoa who is a bit too laid back for McGarrett's taste. McGarrett gives him instructions to keeps his eyes open with specific attention to Manoa with no heroics and to get out if anyone discovers who he really is. Before Sergeant Pakoa leaves, McGarrett gives him a quick lessons in manners and what's to be expected while working for Five-O. As Sergeant Pakoa walks out, Danno walks in. McGarrett assigns him to check all the outlets selling gold to see if anyone is selling more than they're buying from legitimate sources running inventories if he has to with Chin's help.

At the courthouse, an HPD officer (Ken Chang) hands over Louie Keoki who is actually Sergeant Pakoa. The officer releases Keoki/Pakoa over to Ross who tells him the difference between jail and the home is freedom and "a chance to make it clean". Keoki continues giving mouth until Ross puts him straight: he must accepted into the home and they don't like know it alls! Meanwhile, Danno and Chin check gold inventories around town.

At the home, Manoa explains if there's any trouble, the troublemaker is judged by the other residents and the decision of whether to stay or be kicked out is made by the kids. Bobby is currently on the hot seat: popping reds and stealing from a locker. One guy (Chuck Chuck Akamine) says Bobby will have trouble "outside" if he can't cut it at the home. Pete chimes in, "Bob will never learn to walk if he don't quit flying" and he needs to be somewhere with "a tighter leash". Bobby is voted out and turned over to his probation officer. After the meeting breaks up, Keoki approaches Cooper about scoring some action. Cooper warns him against the idea.

Later Keoki/Pakoa calls into McGarrett saying, "I got a line out. I might be using the wrong kind of bait. I'll know more tomorrow". He also reports about Manoa meeting Vinnie, which McGarrett already knows about with a man watching Vinnie. He tells Pakoa to stay on top of things at his end.

That night, Keoki/Pakoa starts nosing around, breaking into Cooper's locker and taking a rub of Cooper's sandal. The driver of the van wakes up and starts looking around when he hears some noise. Finding Cooper's locker open, he closes it returning to the bunks. Seeing Cooper in his bed but Keoki is missing.

Act Three

Elizabeth visits McGarrett in his office telling him no uncertain terms to pull his undercover guy. She has assurances by the governor after all if nothing was found he would be pulled. However, McGarrett refuses because he believes Manoa is involved with something outside the home. Elizabeth explains she has tried to base the home on trust and to give her boys a "fair shake". McGarrett isn't interested in destroying something "so constructive" but he's thinking of the guard and whoever shot him has now escalated to attempted murder. Elizabeth leaves in a huff, adamant about the boys not being involved in the thefts and angry at McGarrett's refusal to pull out the undercover officer.

The van drives to a park where Pakoa hands the rub to Danno saying the sandal belongs to a kid named Joey Cooper. Pakoa goes on saying Cooper is tight with another kid Jimmy Luka, who usually drives the van. There's no sign of the gold at the house and Pakoa doesn't believe it's there. Ross and Hogan seem straight so far and the psychologists and probation officers seem to go through a revolving door. Pakoa takes off because he's supposed to be on a grocery run. Danno says they'll be in touch.

In the lab, Che compares the rub with the mold taken at the Kanoni theft: perfect match putting Cooper at the scene. McGarrett still wants to know what Manoa's connection is and tells Duke to pick up Vinnie. McGarrett has a plan: he wants Che to make up a gold wafer with a serial number of one that was stolen. Danno needs to pass it to Pakoa so he can plant it in the home: maybe it'll shake something loose.

Keoki/Pakoa confronts Cooper with the wafer claiming he found it by Cooper's bunk. He wants in, knowing what's going on by reading the newspaper. Keoki threatens to talk to the cops if he's not cut in telling Cooper to think about it as Keoki tosses the wafer.

Vinnie is brought into Five-O to talk to Danno who isn't willing to put up with Vinnie's attitude. Vinnie tells them the story: he lost $120 in a poker game and Manoa is helping him square the debt at $30 a shot. Vinnie says he just got a job as a busboy in order to pay back Manoa who helped him out a lot at the home. Vinnie considers Manoa just like a cop. Danno and Duke take it all in.

Cooper and Luka go to see Ross about Keoki wanting to be cut in. Ross tells them to keep quiet and to stay away from Keoki. Ross then tells them they have another job, which shocks both boys. Luka says the guard is still in the hospital with Ross blaming him for that: the plans didn't call for violence anywhere along the line. Cooper refuses to do any other jobs but Ross threatens to send them to the prison farm for one to five years! Cooper talks about going to Manoa but Ross says it'll be his word against theirs. Luka tells Cooper Ross has them and they leave.

Danno and Chin enter McGarrett's office with good news: the guard is going to survive! They also have some information on Kiko Gold, Inc.: three out of the eight gold firms on Oahu has bought ingots from them but the company only has a post office box. The total buy so far has been about 60 pounds. McGarrett wants more information on Kiko Gold and tells Chin to break out the mug books to see if anyone at the firms can pick out the sellers.

Keoki/Pakoa takes out the van again with Cooper and Luka following him. Meanwhile, men from the firms pick out the seller: Harry Lio (Harry Chang) at Five-O. Pakoa then tries to call into McGarrett only to be stopped by Cooper and Luka!

Act Four

Cooper and Luka drag Keoki/Pakoa to quiet area saying he's an undercover cop! They know who McGarrett is and that Keoki was trying to call him. Pakoa comes clean telling them they know these two aren't the only ones in on it. Luka says they don't know who the dealer is with Pakoa pushing to know who's calling the shots. He figures it's someone in the home but Cooper and Luka don't say. Pakoa shares with them he's been on the streets since he was 12 and gave the cops so much grief, they figure it was easier to give him a badge! He also tells them the cops know what's happening and if they cooperate, McGarrett may go easy on them because they're being leaned on. Cooper and Luka relent, willing to cooperate.

Danno and Chin pay a visit to Lio who claims to not know what they're talking about and he always stays diversified when Danno brings up the gold. Lio says the gold he's been selling has been in his company's inventory for two years. Danno finds it strange that he's selling now because the price of gold has dropped significantly in that time. Lio retorts he's a "lousy speculator" and not only will they find the inventory in order, but also the tax records. Danno warns Lio to not leave the island until it's all checked, doubting things are that straightened out. Outside, Danno and Chin discuss the case: somehow Lio received information of gold shipments brought in and he adds the amounts to his inventory. The issue they have it to tie Lio so tightly to the case, he can't "squirm out of it" no matter what he tries. Central radios: Duke patches through telling them to meet Manicote (Glenn Cannon) in Alani Park as he has the details.

Pakoa takes Cooper and Luka to meet Danno, Chin and Manicote. Manicote tell them about the guard and that he's well enough to say the shooting was accidental. The guard is willing to drop charges against them and while Manicote can't provide any guarantees, as DA he can make recommendations. Cooper and Luka agree to cooperate telling them after each robbery they take the H-1 to Kalanianaole to a beach cottage where they would drop the gold but wouldn't see who picked it up. They remember seeing a boat heading to Makani Point after the first robbery but it was too far away to see who was on it. Manicote wants to know about the next hit: tonight at 6:00 p.m. Allied Precious Metals Company. Cooper is floored: they're going through with it? Danno confirms they are.

In McGarrett's office, he goes over the plan with his team, Pakoa and the boys. McGarrett is pulling in HPD help to drop a net over the area hoping to catch Ross, Lio or both in it. He'll contact the company so Cooper and Luka won't run into any problems and urges them as soon as they've made the drop, they get out. After everyone leaves, McGarrett tells Danno his only worry is what this new information will do to Elizabeth: her nephew is behind the robberies!

Elizabeth visits the home, specifically Manoa as he finishes talking to one of the kids. The conversation is not a happy one as Manoa breaks the news to her that Ross is behind the robberies, leaning on some of the kids to pull them off. Elizabeth is shocked and ticked, leaving Manoa's office in as composed a manner as possible.

Cooper and Luka pull off the robbery with Duke following them. Everything goes smooth until the drop when the go-between takes Cooper and Luka with him! Duke radios the latest happenings and when the boat comes into his sight, Chin reports it's heading to the abandoned mission at Kalanianaole. McGarrett orders all units to move in as he and Danno take off. In the shack, Ross is waiting as the go-between and boat pilot bring in Cooper and Luka. Outside, Five-O arrives and as they are splitting up to cover all the angles, Lio pulls up in his limousine! When McGarrett speaks through the bullhorn, everyone scatters except Ross who takes Cooper and Luka hostage! Everyone is rounded up, including Lio by McGarrett and Danno who turn him over to Chin to go inside. Breaking inside, they have Ross surrounded with McGarrett and Danno on one side and Pakoa on the other. Ross makes one last desperate move shoving Luka toward McGarrett and jumping out a window but Danno has a gun against his neck in no time! McGarrett tells Danno to book Ross.

Manoa visits McGarrett's office later greeting him and Danno. He thanks them for testifying for them that morning: Cooper and Luka are on conditional parole with Manoa fully responsible for them but he isn't worried about them, "they're gonna make it". Manoa says he'll be seeing them, but hopefully it'll be on an unofficial basis.