Act One
A guy (Frank Trott) climbs the wall of a house as a dinner party occurs inside. Breaking into the bedroom, he immediately finds the safe. Meanwhile, the host (Eric Braeden) and hostess Christina (Darrall Lau) bids good night to an ambassador and his wife. Using a stethoscope, the thief lines up the tumblers then disables the alarm system by injecting Mercury. Opening the safe, he steals a diamond pendant and a roll of film before the couple returns to their bedroom. The husband notices the painting in hiding the safe is askew and double-checks the contents. He finds both the pendant and the film gone.
Danno and Chin head to Hotel Street to bust a pawnshop owner (Melvin Cobb) and McGarrett wants a "conviction this time". Chin starts in the back while Danno serves the search warrant. Danno wants receipts for everything beginning his search with the owner's suit jacket.
In a dark room, the thief develops a contact strip of the film. It's a Top Secret document involving the National Security Council.
In McGarrett's office, Danno and Chin show what they came up with at Allen's store: a piece of camera equipment and a typewriter that didn't have bills of sale. However, there is a high-priced piece of jewelry having a bill of sale but it caught their eye. McGarrett looks it over knowing a local pawned it, not a tourist. He sends Chin to check out the seller and to send Allen into the office. Allen demands to be charged or released and is uncooperative when McGarrett wants details on who sold him the pendant. Allen still won't budge then Chin walks in telling them the address is fake: it's in the middle of the Pacific! Allen claims the person lied to him and informs McGarrett he can only hold on to his jewelry for three days unless he can prove it was stolen. After Allen leaves, McGarrett tells Chin to get pictures of the pendant out to HPD and check everywhere jewelry is made, traded and sold. He also wants Danno and Chin to check with insurance companies and see why no one reported the pendant stolen.
At the house where the pendant was stolen, it's Christina's mother's (Beulah Quo) birthday and they have presented her with a small bird. Christina's daughter Michi (Deborah Berger) is really excited. The mother tries to get "the nightingale" to sing for her and it does. The mother tells Christina and Michi they are the last of the royal line. The phone rings and Djebara answers it: the thief tells him he has something of his and tells him to go to a phone booth at Wahi and Vineyard. Djebara arrives at the phone booth receiving a call: $50,000 in small bills and no sequences. They agree on a 72-hour deadline.
Act Two
Ben shows a bum (David "Lippy" Espinda) the pendant and is able to talk about it. He made jewelry prior to retirement and says it's handcrafted in the Venetian style. Only two guys on the island: one's dead and the other "an amateur" at the university.
Danno visits the professor (Herb Jeffries) who is in the process of melting gold as they talk. The professor gives Danno their first lead because the professor made the piece about two years before. The stone was chosen by Madame Souvang, one of the last of the royal lines for Indochina. The professor says he made the piece for her son-in-law as an anniversary gift to his wife. The professor goes on to say the son-in-law was an international trade broker and traveled a great deal. He retired and married the Madame's daughter: his name is Djebara.
Djebara is out with his daughter and a pony at the zoo. Madame Souvang is along to, admiring the birds. When she takes over supervising Michi, Djebara goes to meet a Russian contact (John Stalker). This unscheduled meeting surprises Djebara in a way because the agent knows about the "large loan" from his bank. Djebara claims it is another business transaction that doesn't concern them. He tells the agent he will have the film in three days and to have the rest of the money.
McGarrett arrives at Djebara's house inquiring about the pendant. Djebara says it's not his but they make their way upstairs to check the safe anyway. Along the way, McGarrett is introduced to Madame Souvang and Michi. Once upstairs, the key doesn't want to work and upon further inspection, McGarrett notices Mercury on the key and thus, no break in the circuitry to set off the alarm. Djebara tries the key again, this time it works. Djebara opens the safe and says the only thing missing is the pendant. McGarrett asks to use the phone and explains with Djebara's questions about Willard Allen and how they've tried to nail him for receiving stolen goods and they finally have the proof. McGarrett calls Che Fong (Harry Endo) to go over Djebara's house. Djebara doesn't want to scare his mother-in-law as thieves have obviously been in the house. McGarrett assures him they will be there and gone within three hours. McGarrett leaves as Djebara considers his next move. He dials an information line, it sounds like 4-1-1, to ask for Allen's phone number.
McGarrett radios Chin to get with Ben and pick up Allen. They arrive at his pawnshop but it's all closed up with the front and back doors locked. Chin leaves Ben to stake out the shop as he goes to Allen's house. Chin arrives there only no Allen. He radios to Dispatch to get a hold of McGarrett: he answers Chin, telling him they've found Allen and to come in. Allen is found all right, in the morgue!
Act Three
McGarrett reads the autopsy report in his office: cause of death a .38 slug entering the brain with powder burns, close range. Of a unique, if not gross, note: the first three fingernails were ripped off the right hand meaning Allen was tortured prior to be killed. McGarrett wants to know why Allen was tortured. All the motives Danno and Ben throw out are for murder but not torture. McGarrett believes Allen had information and finally gave it up because only one hand was affected. As Danno points out, they don't have much to go on with McGarrett adding, "like the Djebara robbery". Ben says Duke has been looking M.O.s for anyone who could have or might have pulled off the Djebara heist. Ben walks out to get an update as Chin walks in with a thread from a black cloth: a woman's glove. No one in the home owns one including the staff. McGarrett wants Danno to check out Djebara because the only thing they have is a pendant stolen then the fence who buys it is now dead. He tells Chin to stay with the glove.
Djebara goes about his day with two thugs (Nick Nickolas, Chuck Couch) following him. Djebara takes care of them in short warning them if they kill him they'll be no deliveries. He also tells them he told their boss 72 hours. After the melee and threatening to shoot one, Djebara walks away.
A man (Mitch Mitchell) from the Navy enters McGarrett's office. He informs McGarrett about Djebara: a counter intelligence agent sometimes for the CIA, sometimes for friendly governments. Navy Intelligence doesn't have a lot on him. The Navy man goes on saying Djebara's cover was blown six year ago and barely escaped an arrest by the Chinese government. Since he's retired, Djebara leads a busy social life marrying Madame Souvang's daughter and they live with the Madame. The only travel he does is to accompany Madame Souvang every six months or so back to Indochina due to her sizable holdings and "dreams of ancient glory". It's more information but little help according to McGarrett.
The thief returns to his apartment with Djebara hot on his heels. Meanwhile, McGarrett and Danno look at what they have so far: six guys "who work the islands" using mercury in the alarm and work the safe rather than "blow it". McGarrett strikes one off the bat due to arthritis and Ben strikes another because he is in a Los Angeles prison since the week prior. Danno takes a third one down for "being a number two man" and their thief is a loner. Two more: one claimed to be retired and the other just returned from Tokyo. That leaves Paolo Mahana, which McGarrett orders an APB on him. Chin walks in with information on the gloves, only two places sell them with one pair sold recently to a "little guy, like a jockey" saying they were for his wife but he tried them on. Danno nearly yells "Sammy York," their wanted thief.
The Five-O team goes to Sammy's apartment with Danno and Ben covering street level while McGarrett checks out the apartment. Noticing the lock undone, McGarrett knocks on the door only to be shot at. Danno and Ben move in as McGarrett kicks in the door. He goes to the window in time to see someone go over a metal wall in the back parking lot. However, they come up empty-handed. They search the tiny apartment when McGarrett finds Sammy between the bed and the wall with a rope around his neck.
Act Four
Ambulance attendants take away Sammy while McGarrett and Danno discuss Sammy's fate along with Allen. "It's a nice trinket, Steve, but not worth two murders". Danno dials the lab so they can check the apartment for latent prints. However, when the lab answers, Danno can't hear them and tells them to hold on. He takes apart the earpiece on the handset: a contact print of some microfilm. Danno notices the safety light while McGarrett finds the developing tank. The only link in all of it is the pendant. McGarrett wants Djebara tailed but loosely and wants to know "every time he blinks".
In McGarrett's office, the Navy Commander tells him the microfilm is a schematic for the inner workings of a Polaris Missile. The Commander tells him they suspected a leak in the diplomatic corps but could never find the contact man who McGarrett says was Djebara. "Sammy York found more in his safe than he bargained for". The Commander warns Djebara has been doing this for 20 years; they have their work cut out for them.
Djebara grabs a cab near the canal as Chin watches, follows and reports. McGarrett coordinates over the radio with Danno to keep up the surveillance. Djebara takes the cab to his own car with Chin still watching from across the street. Chin calls in the plates and McGarrett has Ben intercept. As Djebara makes it to the Lunalilo Freeway, McGarrett keeps up the radio calls to keep him in sight. Djebara goes to the Ala Moana Shopping Center where McGarrett spots him through binoculars. McGarrett decides he and Danno will intercept/follow on foot. Djebara hangs out and waits with Danno walking past him with a Chinese man approaching him. Things go south fast as a shot rings out and Djebara falls to the lower level! Danno grabs the Chinese man holding a briefcase as McGarrett goes to check on Djebara. Danno and an HPD officer assist with Danno pointing to the Chinese guy handcuffed on the rail!
Madame Souvang meets with the Russian contact exchanging paper bags: on with the microfilm and the other with a bunch of groceries. The Russian agent takes the film and walks away. Before going too far, McGarrett stops him flashing his badge. Danno, Ben and Chin back him up right away with Chin and Ben taking the agent into custody. McGarrett runs up behind Madame Souvang dumping her grocery bag filled with money. Since the negatives on Djebara were blank, McGarrett figured she was behind it. Worse yet, she had her own son-in-law killed because she considered him a traitor to her family's cause of restoring the monarchy in their country. McGarrett is dumbfounded, "Danno, book her. Murder One and Espionage".
This plot summary Copyright Bobbi Baker ©2019. No reproduction of any kind without permission.