S11E18 - “The Execution File” - Plot

Act One

At a disco in the sleazy part of town, a man (Robert Loggia) lurks in the shadows placing a silencer on his gun. He has a target in mind as a crowd watches the dancer prance up and down the catwalk. He fires, knocking the man (Meteliko Tuaileva) to the floor dead as he escapes out the back. Later, he walks down the street as if nothing has happened returning to his office: 'Russell Hendrix Investigations'. Russ makes his way to his private office and a secret room behind the bookcases. Inside, he drops his pouch into a file cabinet and draws a crude red 'x' over the picture of the man he just killed. Afterward, he puts a prepaid made letter into an envelope.

In McGarret's office the next morning, Danno tells him about the killing "right in the middle of a packed nightclub". Not only is the killer a marksman, he also sent the newspaper a "regular rap sheet" on the dead man: Martin Kamaki who was a pimp specializing in teen prostitutes. The information also contends Kamaki was a "major supplier" to Roger Maggers' (John Larch) stable. Five-O has been after Maggers for six years. McGarrett considers the murder to be the work of a rival faction or someone with a grudge. The phone buzzes: Luana (Laura Sode) says Maggers, "the Maggot," is on Line 2. Maggers tells McGarrett he needs to find out who's doing this and he's more concerned with protecting his name than the fact Kamaki was killed. McGarrett isn't happy about Maggers chewing on his ear and tells him to sue the paper or take up the matter with HPD, "technically, it's their jurisdiction" and slams the phone down. Danno asks if it's really HPD's ball of wax with McGarrett saying it is until they hear otherwise.

Russ cruises down Hotel Street in a red convertible Mustang when he spots a young girl (Nevada Spencer) crossing the street. He pulls over to talk to her and she gets into his car. Only when they arrive at the office does she realize who she's dealing with. Russ gives her no choice: talk to him or to the cops. They enter the office where he tells his secretary (Maxine Tanaka) to put the call through as he takes the girl into his private office. Russ asks her if she wants a soda or tea but she refuses. Russ lays it out for her: her name is Anne Carpenter, 15, "lived in Seattle" and her parents hired him to find her. Russ knows exactly what happened: "a wonderful guy" met her at the airport, didn't want anything bad happening to her, gave her a place to live, bought some clothes and set her up well enough to hook for him. The wonderful guy is a pimp! The phone buzzes: the call is made to Seattle with Russ reporting he has found Anne safe. He tells Mr. Carpenter perhaps there's more going onto cause Anne to run away in the first place and they should fly out to get her. Once Russ hangs up, he tells Anne her parents will be there "day after tomorrow" but where does she stay in the meantime?

Russ drives Anne to a "halfway house for girls" and as they are about to go inside, a girl (Kaki Hunter) runs to him. They hug and he introduces Anne to Lureen who goes to get Emma (Emma Veary). Meanwhile, Russ tells her story to Anne: a little over a year ago, Lureen was beaten and raped at 15 then her parents died shortly after. The court placed her at the halfway house because she was so withdrawn. Lureen walks out with Emma who introduces herself to Anne and sends Lureen with her to get settled. Russ and Emma talk for a bit about Lureen and how Russ gave her time and attention to bring her back to the world of the living. Emma laments about how she would like some of Russ' time and attention too. He claims to have been busy and there are a few things left to clear up, then he can relax. As Russ goes to his car, Lureen is waiting wanting to know if they'll do anything Sunday, which he says they always do as he drives off.

That evening in McGarrett's office, he pores over various HPD records. Danno walks in knowing the files have something to do with Kamaki's murder. McGarrett explains something bugs him about the information in the paper, namely the rap sheet: much too thorough for just anyone to complete it. He asks Danno if he remembers a Lieutenant named Russ Hendrix: worked in vice. Russ was forced out because he "slugged" somebody and the guy sued after Russ nearly killed him: that somebody was Kamaki!

The next day, Russ is sneaking around again this time aiming for a car pulling out of a parking garage! He fires three shots and the horn blares on the car. Russ takes off out the back, as there is a loud crash.

Act Two

McGarrett finishes a phone call with the governor in his office then calls in Danno and Duke. A second pimp has been killed and done in a manner for maximum publicity, to the point the wire services are all over it. McGarrett tells them they are going to put it to a stop immediately and Danno knows where they'll start.

At Maggers' house, a group of pimps meet with one (Nephi Hannemann) saying it has to be Russ. Another (Jimmy Borges) tells Maggers ever since Russ was forced out he's been stalking them, taking pictures. They know Russ won't stop until they're all dead and ask Maggers what he's going to do about it. Maggers doesn't believe Russ is that "ambitious" and finds it amusing it's up to him to take care of Russ. His pimps give him no choice but Maggers says it can't be traced to them so he decides he's going to order a contract from the mainland.

Russ is at his office when McGarrett shows up to discuss the pimp murders. Russ admits he's the "prime suspect" but claims he had nothing to do with them. McGarrett wants to know Russ' take on the killings, why the rap sheets for example. He doesnÕt think they're gangland killings but Russ says someone could have moved into the territory and "wanted people to know who was boss". McGarrett takes it all in telling Russ about the search warrant he has, however, Russ agrees to a search of the premises as McGarrett calls in Duke. Once introduced, Duke begins the search as McGarrett tells Russ his apartment will be searched as well. McGarrett then leaves hoping the searches donÕt turn up anything.

In McGarrett's office, Danno reports the typewriters found don't match the letters sent to the paper. Duke briefs nothing was found in the office but Duke says Russ' criminal files are "one of the best criminal files I've ever seen, including ones on the victims". McGarrett isn't surprised given Russ' background being a former police officer. Duke says HPD plainclothes officers are on surveillance watching Russ with Duke splitting the shifts with them. McGarrett calls Russ "slippery" if he's their man and wants him watched every minute.

At the halfway house, Russ walks with Lureen who tells him she may soon be going to a home. She's not sure but optimistic about the prospect and is less sure about being on her own at 18. She changes the subject asking what they're going to do on Sunday but Russ tells her it's a surprise. As they talk, Duke photographs them. Before he drives away, Russ tells Lureen, "I love you, sweetheart".

Russ drives out to a house that's being built with an oddly steep driveway leading into the garage at the bottom of the floor. Russ climbs the stairs talking to the foreman who wouldn't be surprised if he moved in three months from now. Duke follows Russ to this house parking on the street. Inside the house, Russ contemplates his future there and then makes his way out only to see Duke's car. Russ decides to get into his car and take off. He loses Duke at a fork in the road in order to make it back to Hotel Street where he goes to 'Oahu Car Rental'.

McGarrett is on the phone is his office when Danno walks in. Hanging up the phone, McGarrett explains he was talking to Bill Hayes at HPD: the only cases Russ handles are missing-person cases, specifically "little girls".

Russ takes up a perch across the street from a white Cadillac parked on the street near a market. As a man shows off his new clothes, Russ fires! The man falls back dead and Russ takes off calmly walking to the street entering his rental car.

A man (Christerpher Neddels) checks into a hotel arriving at his room. Meanwhile, Maggers and his pimps meet again at his house with the second pimp from before asking how are they supposed to operate when the hits keep coming? The phone rings: it's the man from the hotel saying he's from Portland. They hang up with Maggers telling the pimps their man has arrived and to keep low profiles until his job is done.

Act Three

In McGarrett's office, Russ admits to shaking the police tail. Russ claims he doesn't object to the surveillance because it's "unsolicited police protection" against the mob or kumu. McGarrett finds it fishy Russ gave Duke the slip hours before the third murder and asks him where he was at the time of the killing. Russ give a story about working the streets a lot and that he's currently trying to locate five runaways but he can give a general area. Russ would rather get back to his job even though he understands McGarrett has to question him but ultimately McGarrett doesn't have anything. McGarrett lets Russ go and afterwards asks, "what do your instincts tell you, Danno?" Danno answers he believes Russ is lying because they haven't turned up any other leads as McGarrett agrees. McGarrett would like to know what is motivating Russ in this pointing out his dedication to rescuing runways "from prostitution or sexual assault". McGarrett tells Danno to dig into Russ' past to see if there is a connection there.

Russ drives Lureen to the house with McGarrett and Danno on his tail. As Russ and Lureen walk through the house, she wonders if he's going to live there by himself but he tells he that isn't his plan. As he tells her to imagine the house complete, the hit man drives up toward the house. When he describes a bedroom with its own bath, Russ tells Lureen it'll be hers if she wants it. Lureen is overwhelmed and excited at the same time agreeing to his proposal. The hit man sets up his rifle as they talk, finding them next to the unfinished wall. The hit man fires three shots as McGarrett and Danno respond, cutting him off as he tries to escape. Danno yells at the hit man to halt as he takes off running but he doesn't get far as either McGarrett or Danno shoots him dead. Danno looks for identification but there isn't any.

Russ drives Lureen back to the halfway house where Lureen is shook up. Russ says being shot at is part of the job but he has no business putting her in harm's way. He tells her he can't see her until this is done but it will be soon. Lureen notices Russ is bleeding but he assures her the wound is a graze urging her to get out of the car. Lureen melts down before climbing out of the car and Russ drives off.

McGarrett and Danno arrive at the halfway house looking for Russ. Emma tells them he just left a few minutes before. Lureen says he left ten, 15 minutes ago but she has no idea where he went. McGarrett and Danno leave: they'll try his office first. Lureen sobs as Emma holds onto her. Meanwhile, Russ rushes into his firm ignoring his secretary and going straight to his private office holding his wound.

Act Four

At Russ' firm, McGarrett kicks in the office door with Danno, Duke and Russ' secretary behind him. Danno notices the window open as the secretary tells them Russ was hurt pretty badly showing on herself where he was shot. They now have no idea where he would go now and he's probably bleeding internally as well. McGarrett asks if there's someone at Russ' apartment with Duke saying there is but Russ hasn't returned. McGarrett orders Danno to put out an APB on Russ and keeps looking around. Duke briefs Russ was a police officer in Chicago with a wife and daughter but his wife died when the girl was three. Fast forward to when she was 16: kidnapped, turning up dead in Miami victim of murder. She had been forced into prostitution. Afterward, Russ moved to Honolulu eventually joining HPD asking for vice detail, thus his motivation. Duke was able to find a photo of Russ' daughter and compared it with the photo of Lureen: they look similar. As Duke hands the photos to McGarrett, Danno notices something at the bookcase: blood. McGarrett looks at it closer noticing the blood stops at a certain level. He hands Danno some books, discovering the wall behind is "hollow". They find the secret room where they find the binder with the photos with red X's over them. The last photo is Maggers without a red X but they deduce that's where Russ is heading.

Russ scopes out Maggers' house with two guys by the front gate. Russ struggles to climb the wall due to his bullet wound. Inside on the grounds, Russ evades the guards until one becomes wise and Russ takes him out. Meanwhile, McGarrett and Danno force their way through the front gate as McGarrett tells Duke to stay put and keep his eyes open. Russ makes into the house confronting Maggers. He tells Maggers Lureen was nearly killed due to the hit but Maggers claims he didn't put out a hit. McGarrett moves in behind Russ prompting him to use Maggers as a human shield between the two of them. McGarrett tries to talk Russ down but he's focused on killing Maggers but he wants Maggers to confess to his crimes of buying and selling young girls all over the world. As McGarrett natters on about Russ' daughter Nancy, Danno sneaks in behind Russ with his gun drawn. Russ weakens at every passing moment eventually collapsing. McGarrett eases him onto a couch where Russ realizes he's no better than Maggers, or is he? Russ dies before a proper resolution as Danno holds Maggers at gunpoint.

McGarrett talks to Lureen at the halfway house where she tells him she knew she would never see Russ again. She also says he loved her as a woman as well as a child and things would have worked out given time. The surprising part: she felt the same way. McGarrett kisses her on the cheek, "have a beautiful life, Lureen". McGarrett steps out the main gate where some girls are playing Frisbee and he even catches a throw! Danno waits by the Marquis Brougham where McGarrett says the halfway house allows them to be kids again. They get in, off for more cases.