S11E07 - “Death Mask” - Plot

Act One

An exhibit of Egyptian antiquities, specifically Pharaoh Tutankhamun, is on display from July 7th until August 15th at the Honolulu Museum of Fine Arts sponsored by Alicia Warren (Cyd Charisse). Several people mill around the main exhibit hall including one man (Tim Thomerson) who goes to stand in line at the bar and steals the wallet of the man (Beau Vanden Ecker) in front of him! Another man (Robert Ellerstein) praises Mr. Miles (Rory Calhoun) on a successful exhibit, which Miles puts the credit back on Mr. Warren's wife. McGarrett is among the crowd too running into Alicia who tells McGarrett she had an exhibit of her own art: painting and sculpture in Portland, Oregon when she lived there. They continue to look at the exhibit stopping at a massive mask when Mr. Warren notices them and interrupts telling Alicia he's leaving.

Afterward, Miles gains the crowd's attention thanks Alicia and Bart for bringing the exhibit to Honolulu and ongoing support. McGarrett is given a message for a phone call leaving to answer it. Alicia walks off the main floor shortly after. The wallet thief tells the man whose wallet was taken that another man (Chuck Couch) took it thus starting a fight. The wallet thief then goes about breaking the glass holding the massive mask and stealing it before running out! McGarrett runs back in time to see the chaos as Alicia is nearly run over by the thief. McGarrett gives chase with a pair of guards toward the back of the museum only to lose the thief but he never left the building, at least according to the door guard (Kaloni Kinimaka). Back inside, McGarrett tells the guards to get Miles as he'll call HPD but before he can; McGarrett notices yet another door. Going in, he corners the thief with the mask still in his arms. Once McGarrett has him in custody, Miles shows up wanting the mask taken to his office and secure it. McGarrett tells Miles he'll be at the office and leaves. Alicia then chews out Miles about the awkward position she would have been in if the mask had been stolen. She then threatens to have him replaced if something like this happens again.

In McGarrett's office, Danno briefs on the thief: "name is Mik Chandler. He came here about five years ago with 10 bucks and a surfboard". His rap sheet includes a drug bust and using stolen credit cards but the cards belonged to a married woman who refused to press charges. Danno calls Mik's attempted theft of the death mask "stupid" with McGarrett questioning the use of the word "stupid". The phone buzzes: it's Bart being told by Alicia what happened. He asks to be told of any information they get from the thief. Alicia arrives home taking the phone from Bart telling McGarrett she would like Five-O to take over museum security but McGarrett says Miles has his own security arrangements and they don't have the right to interfere but she considers Miles incompetent. McGarrett tells her in no uncertain terms they will only help if asked by Miles. Refocusing on the case, McGarrett and Danno wonder how Mik was even there to begin with and what is the point in stealing something so recognizable. While there are rich collectors who would pay any price for it, Mik's connection to the theft still doesn't make sense because McGarrett considers him a "Waikiki hustler". He sends Danno to HPD to talk to Mik.

At HPD, Mik gives Danno a lame story about finding an invitation and just showed up to the exhibit then being tempted by all the gold. Danno doesn't buy one bit of it knowing someone put him up to it. There were several other smaller pieces to steal, but Mik went for the mask. Mik doesn't understand the big deal since the mask was recovered. Danno realizes he's not going to get anywhere with Mik calling the guard to open the room.

As Danno walks out of HPD, a young woman (Marsha Mercant) arrives asking how she can bail out Mik and an HPD officer puts her in the right direction.

At the museum, a trash truck arrives in the morning with the trash man (Richard Vales) and guard exchanging pleasantries. At the same time, Miles speaks to the electrician about the dimmer in the exhibit hall. The trash man, Mogi, greets Miles as the back room where the trashcans are kept is opened. Mogi says the attempted theft has been all over the radio. Across the street, Mik and the young woman watch the trash pick up and follow once the truck takes off.

Danno arrives at the Palace briefing McGarrett that Mik wasn't much help but someone posted his $5,000 bail. They discuss the theft further as McGarrett recalls he stepped out for "a useless phone call" and there was a disturbance about a stolen wallet: both diversions and they don't line up with "an impulse theft". Luana (Laura Sode) walks in to put something on McGarrett's desk and he asks her to call the museum because he needs to see Miles before the museum opens.

Mik and the young woman continue to follow the trash truck as she asks why they're following it. Mik gives an evasive answer as the truck moves on after its latest stop. Meanwhile, McGarrett and Danno visit the museum, specifically the back room where McGarrett cornered Mik. McGarrett re-enacts what happened asking Miles if anything has been removed from the room: only the trashcans, which McGarrett blows off.

McGarrett, Danno and Miles go to the exhibit hall where the case around the mask has been replaced and McGarrett wants it opened. Once the case is opened, McGarrett scrapes on the back peeling off "24-karat gold leaf" rather than scratching solid gold. It's a fake!

Act Two

In the exhibit hall, Danno surmises Mik switched the masks while in the storeroom. Putting together the taken trashcans, McGarrett figures the mask is on the move. He sends Danno to check out the Ala Moana Trash Company, a private firm, to find the driver and figure out his route. Miles tells McGarrett he has the only key to the storeroom but having a master key wouldn't be difficult. Miles wonders if he isn't being afflicted by the Pharaoh's curse but McGarrett snaps back that it comes down to the lack of security in the museum.

In McGarrett's office, Duke talks to him on the phone: McGarrett wants to know who posted his $5,000 bail in cash including name and address. He also wants an APB put out on Mik.

The trash truck keeps going with Mik and the young woman right behind. She still wants to know what's going on, asking where he got the $5000 and how he knew ahead of time he would be in jail. Meanwhile, Danno is closing in on the driver of the trash truck with HPD backup. As that happens, a bulletin is aired on the radio verifying the death mask has been stolen. Mik turns the radio off with the young woman putting the pieces together: they're chasing the mask! He tells Jill everything will be all right and nothing will stop them. The truck moves and he yells at her to keep following.

McGarrett goes to visit Alicia to break the bad news of the switch. Alicia doesn't understand: wasn't the thief in jail? Bart walks in half-drunk spouting off about her artwork and not in a good way. He laments about being husband number four and he rambles on about her trying to have Miles fired because he considered her work "third-rate". Alicia apologizes for Bart again before McGarrett leaves.

The trash truck comes to the end of its route at the collection center. Mik and Jill drive to it with Mik getting out to approach the truck as Mogi begins emptying it. Mik tells him he's from the museum and they disposed of something by accident. When Mik finds the mask, Mogi challenges Mik's assertion with Mik fighting back to the point he kills Mogi! Jill watches what happens and freaks out. Mik forces her back into the car driving off!

Act Three

Danno radios McGarrett from the collection center reporting the murder and there's no sign of the mask. Danno says Mik beat them to it. McGarrett tells him to take an HPD unit to stake out Mik's apartment just in case he's "just dumb enough to show up there". As McGarrett ends his call with Danno, Duke wraps up with a sergeant to discover Jill Baker posted Mik's bail. McGarrett's theory of the theft includes a fake that had to be "good enough to fool a lot of people, including some experts". They already know Alicia sculpts and Duke discovered Miles taught sculpting at the university. McGarrett has Luana call HPD to send a unit to Jill's apartment as McGarrett and Duke leave for the address.

Mik and Jill drive to a beach where she keeps freaking out but Mik wants to throw the rod he used into the ocean. Mik is single-minded about getting what's his in the world. He's tired of being pushed around and sees dollar signs in his future but Jill is less confident just wanting to run. She feels very alone in the world but Mik assures her he's not going anywhere as they smooch on the beach. After they kiss, Mik tells her he has a plan and they leave to enact it.

McGarrett talks to Jill's landlady (Kinau Wilder) who tells him she's not aware of Jill having a job but she did have a small inheritance and her boyfriend is a "surfer type". McGarrett asks Mrs. Evans when she saw Jill last: this morning. Mrs. Evans describes Jill's car to them: two or three-year old brown Mustang. McGarrett picks up Jill's mail from the floor, picking out her phone bill. He tells Duke to put a want on the car and to obtain a warrant to have a postal inspector to open the phone bill: McGarrett wants to know what calls she's made. McGarrett give her his card in case she hears from Jill before handing back Jill's mail and leaving.

Mik makes a call from a payphone as Jill trades her Mustang in for a Charger. She pulls out of the lot in front of an HPD car but it passes her by as she parks across the street. Mik threatens the other end: if he's going down, he won't be alone as he'll talk about the entire plan if he doesn't get what he wants. He demands $50,000 of "travel money" and to meet in an hour to make the exchange. Mik goes to the car where he tells Jill about the meet and then they'll leave Hawaii for good.

In McGarrett's office, Danno tells him they checked Mik's apartment with no success. Danno was left with the conclusion that Mik hustles women pretty good. The phone rings: it's Duke looking for McGarrett. Duke reports some of the calls were to a storage company in Portland, Oregon where Jill has some of her stuff. Every other call was fairly normal. McGarrett suddenly remembers Alicia mentioned she used to live in Portland so he wants Duke to take the first flight to Portland to see what Jill's personal effects can tell them. McGarrett is confused as to how Jill got mixed up with Mik as he contacts the Portland police chief.

Mik and Jill go to Diamond Head Tunnel for the meet. Mik then takes the mask down the hill for the exchange but Jill hears a gunshot! She runs down the hill only to find Mik dead on the ground and no mask, again.

Act Four

Jill is in the hospital under sedation because "she was hysterical when they brought her in". McGarrett wants to talk to her but the doctor tells him the first opportunity won't be until the next morning. Danno meets McGarrett in the hallway briefing Mik was killed by .32 caliber shot at close range. He also has Jill's purse that was found at the scene and he discovered she traded her Mustang in for the Charger. McGarrett dumps her purse onto a gurney where he finds her Oregon driver's license with a Portland address. He tells Danno to take her purse to HPD and sign a receipt for her wallet because he'll keep it.

Duke arrives at the storage facility in Portland where he finds a photo album. One of the photos includes Alicia!

McGarrett talks to Miles in his office, accusing him of being behind the theft. Miles wrongly assumes Alicia put McGarrett up to the accusation. McGarrett straightens him out right away but Miles tells him the next they talk, it will be with Miles' lawyer present. The phone rings: it's Alicia who just heard Mik was killed. McGarrett isn't in any mood to put with her crap and cuts her off telling her they're working on recovering the mask. As he puts stuff away, the phone rings again: this time it's Duke reporting he found a photo from 'June 14th 1966' and the woman is definitely Alicia. McGarrett is pleased and tells Duke to come home.

The next morning, McGarrett and Danno talk to Jill who tells them her story. She met Mik when she got to Honolulu three months ago. She also tells them about the situation: Mik threw the iron bar into the ocean even though killing the trash man was an accident. Mik gave her $5000 for the bail and she had to be there fast to get him out of jail. McGarrett warns her she could be charged with crimes while she helped Mik but she could help them put away Mik's killer. Jill relents asking what do they want to know. McGarrett starts with her mother Alicia, which Jill is shocked they know the connection. Jill explains the relationship with her mother is strained to say the least, as they haven't spoken to one another in two months. Jill's father was husband number one and died last year. Jill came to Hawaii hoping Alicia had changed, but she hadn't: Alicia only cares about herself. Mik fits in because they fell in love and he was going to take her away from all of it. McGarrett has a hunch the answer is at the Warren house and they leave to go there.

At the Warren house, Bart is destroying a bunch of artwork he argues between him, Alicia and Miles. McGarrett and Danno drive up in time to hear the screaming and the maid running out telling them about "a fight". Danno takes the front while McGarrett follows the maid into the studio bursting in to break up Bart and Miles. Bart tries to leave but McGarrett stops him. McGarrett also tells them Jill has been arrested being complicit in the theft and accessory to murder because she was with Mik when he "killed a man". When Alicia says Mik lied to her, McGarrett asks if she knew him. Bart smarts off that they both knew him but Alicia "knew him well". Bart keeps it up sneering at Alicia she kicked out Jill because of jealousy! McGarrett points out the bail money, not something difficult for Bart to come up with. McGarrett has a theory that someone conspired with Mik to steal the mask in order to hang onto a much younger man who was about to move on without her among several other reasons. When Bart asks if McGarrett is accusing Alicia of killing Mik, McGarrett tells them, "let's explore that possibility". McGarrett wonders what happened: did he demand more money or threaten to reveal her part? As Danno appears, McGarrett takes special interest in her "matching pair" of lion's heads. One is near completion but the second wasnÕt even started when McGarrett was there last. McGarrett takes it apart revealing the true death mask inside. Alicia says the copy she made was "exquisite" but McGarrett's opinion of her as a person is very low: "book her, Danno. Murder one". McGarrett works on freeing the mask.

In McGarrett's office, he dictates a letter to Luana for the governor wanting it delivered first thing in the morning with Danno's report. Danno walks in, only about halfway through only to find out his deadline! McGarrett tells him there is a bright side: the real curse of the pharaohs is paperwork!