S08E17 - “Loose Ends Get Hit” - Plot

Act One

A construction worker is on the roof across the street from the Legislative building with a toolbox. However, he has a disassembled rifle in the bottom of the toolbox! He puts it together and waits.

Inside, McGarrett and another man (Henry Darrow) sit in Manicote's (Glenn Cannon) office as Manicote goes over the man's statement. The man is Billy Madrid giving a statement he saw a guy Kum Chi (Jimmy Borges) shoot and kill Harry Kwan as well as watch Kum Chi toss the murder weapon into the ocean. Billy doesn't have a choice: he feels he's Kum Chi's next target even though he's been the right-hand man for the last ten years. Not only does Billy have to sign three copies of the statement, but he also needs to say the same in front of the grand jury and then in court. Billy needs Five-O's protection, which McGarrett is willing to give because they've been after Kum Chi for years: Billy is the first one willing to talk. Billy finally signs all three copies.

Later, McGarrett and Billy walk out of the Legislative Building surrounded by Danno, Chin and HPD officers. The construction guy on the roof takes aim and fires as they walk to the cars! Danno scramble to get Billy to the car as McGarrett is hit in the arm! Duke (Herman Wedemeyer) grabs McGarrett as shots continue ringing out. Danno and Chin return fire as the construction guy takes off and Duke drives the Marquis Brougham out of the area. Chin finds the rifle after they get on the roof.

At the hospital, the doctor (Robert Brilliande) tells McGarrett he's lucky and he needs to rest for two weeks: "no straining that arm". As the doctor leaves to check him out, Danno walks in with a jacket for McGarrett. Danno briefs about the sniper: gone but they found the rifle, a .30-06 with a scope, and took it to the laboratory. Chin, Duke and some HPD men have taken Billy to Safe House Four. McGarrett wants "four men, three shifts around the clock" and will get the extra people from HPD. In the meantime, he sends Danno to the lab to see if there's a ballistics report yet. He then makes a phone call to the HPD chief (Mitch Mitchell) to secure the manpower and a driver for two weeks: he wants "someone with a top score on the pistol range".

Chin, Duke, Billy and the HPD men arrive at the safe house where Duke double checks that it's clear. Billy still isn't sure even when Chin tells him to make himself comfortable. Chin points out a pair of fishermen: HPD officers. Billy is quite safe.

McGarrett walks out of the hospital with an HPD guard. He gingerly enters the car to find his driver: Officer Sandra Wells (Amanda McBroom). He begins to protest but she quashes them right away in more ways than one! Even though she graduated at the top of her class from the academy eight months earlier, she's had lots of experience in juvenile, bunco and patrol with Officer Fred Shigata, who survived! She tells him he can call her Sandi in an attempt to make things less formal. Sandi meets McGarrett's sexism head-on and wins: "Regulation 642, paragraph B states clearly that sex shall not be a barrier to any police assignment, provided the officer is qualified. And I assure you, I am qualified".

Sandi drives McGarrett to Kum Chi Amusement Corp. where he goes in to talk to Kum Chi face-to-face. McGarrett has to bang on the door for a hoodlum (Joe Geremia) finally opens it. McGarrett bypasses the thugs in the outer office including one (Beau Vanden Ecker) playing pinball to see Kum Chi. They talk about the hit as McGarrett asks him if he didn't order it, how did he know about it? McGarrett tells Kum Chi he's got a stretch in front of him because Billy already signed an affidavit guaranteeing a murder one indictment against Kum Chi. McGarrett also says "all the exits are covered" in case he decides to try to leave the island. After McGarrett leaves, Kum Chi tells Benny and Joe to do what they need to.

In the lab, Danno looks through the scope of the rifle as Che (Harry Endo) verifies it's the gun that wounded McGarrett. They have a serial number of 32X-479 but only bits of fingerprints but Che is trying to put them together to discover an identification.

Sandi keeps up her driving duties as Benny and Joe follow the Marquis Brougham. As they keep going, Sandi tells McGarrett when she was working in Juvenile they had a pair of young overdose victims who got their stuff from Kum Chi's pushers but nothing could be proven. As she talks, she notices the blue Continental behind them. McGarrett clicks his seatbelt just before Sandi makes her evasive moves squealing tires, which impresses McGarrett. Sandi quickly drives to a bunker area backing the Marquis Brougham into one allowing Benny and Joe drive past only to discover they've lost the Marquis. They turn around only to have Sandi drive out of the bunker and get in behind them! She forces them off the road near Diamond Head Tunnel where Benny and Joe's car rolls over. McGarrett and Sandi force them out of the car where Sandi confiscates their Saturday night specials. McGarrett says the guns will have ballistics tests run against them and their licenses to carry will be checked. The guns can be picked up next Friday from the property office. McGarrett tells them to hit the bricks but not before Sandi writes them a traffic ticket!

McGarrett and Sandi arrive at the safe house where Chin reports Billy is not holding up well getting more nervous by the minute. When McGarrett goes inside, Billy goes off "I'm going nuts in this place, McGarrett. Stark raving nuts". Billy only wants one thing: Madeline (Lynne Ellen Hollinger), his wife. Billy tells McGarrett she runs a dress shop on Liliouakalani Street. Billy makes it clear: it's not a request to bring her. McGarrett doesn't like the idea because the safe house location must remain secret in order to keep Billy alive. Billy refuses to testify unless she's brought to him.

Act Two

Benny and Joe drive Kum Chi to 'The Greenery' where Kum Chi talks to a blonde woman showing a dress to a customer. The woman passes the customer to Dorothy (Mary Frey) as she makes her way to the office meeting Kum Chi. He has a message for Billy as it only a matter of time before she sees him. Meantime, McGarrett and Sandi show up with Kum Chi's man telling him they're on their way in. Kum Chi and his man sneak out the back as McGarrett and Sandi enter the front. The blonde is Madeline who McGarrett wants to see. McGarrett tells her of Billy's predicament and that he wants to see her. However, McGarrett warns her she has to be in complete isolation with him until after the trial is over and there's no turning back if she decides to go with him after he has a new identity. McGarrett is willing to take her "right now".

Chin walks out to the car telling Danno the rifle is a "dead end" due to the buyer giving a phony name and address. Che came up with something though: a thumbprint that "belongs to Jimmy Naguchu" who is a hit man working for Kum Chi. Later, they surround a shack where Jimmy is with HPD's help. They converge and break in only to find Jimmy already dead. Danno tells them to "wrap him up for the morgue".

Madeline arrives at the safe house giving Billy the message: "everything is going just fine".

Act Three

McGarrett and Sandi arrive at the courthouse with Manicote giving the good news: Kum Chi indicted on murder one. Later, Kum Chi is booked at HPD yelling at McGarrett and Danno during his phone call. Kum Chi calls Chauncey D. Allen (Ted Scott), the best defense attorney in Honolulu. McGarrett finds it strange Kum Chi "lost his cool" yelling at them but Danno chalks it to never nailing Kum Chi with a murder charge before.

McGarrett and Manicote talk to Billy at the safe house telling him about Chauncey Allen being hired with Sandi behind them with groceries. Manicote's goal is to make sure there are no holes in Billy's testimony. As they talk, she goes to the kitchen seeing Madeline there and dropping off the groceries. In the living room, a tape recorder runs as Billy tells the story again including the fact that he quit. In the kitchen, Sandi compliments Madeline for the dresses in her shop especially "the Sharmonay," a piece straight from France. Madeline tells Sandi to wait to buy something from the new spring line and she'll even arrange for a discount. Meanwhile, Manicote hammers away at Billy's testimony to ensure he will stand up against cross-examination and there are no holes.

Sandi arrives at the dress shop checking out the Sharmonay and asking about the spring line. Dorothy tells her the order hasn't been placed yet and to try back in about three weeks. When Kum Chi's guy calls out of the office, Sandi recognizes him immediately but doesn't let on. At the soonest moment, Sandi takes off.

The next day, Sandi drops McGarrett off at the courthouse where he tells her he won't need her until the noon recess. She'll check the timing during the break. Inside, Billy is on the stand with Manicote questioning him as Allen and Kum Chi listen intently. Allen takes his turn shaking Billy up and making him question his testimony. Allen shatters Billy's testimony as Billy backpedals on the stand. Satisfied, Allen returns to the defense table. Manicote asks the judge (Don Over) if he can redirect, which the judge grants. Manicote nails Billy for contradicting his testimony and informs him he can be charged with perjury. Billy claims he was forced to give the prior testimony under threat, by McGarrett!

Act Four

That night in McGarrett's office, he talks to Manicote trying to figure out where they stand. It's not good because the judge is ticked at everyone connected to the prosecution including Manicote and Five-O because they don't have the evidence for a conviction. The judge has given a deadline by 10:00 a.m. Monday for them to come up with something. McGarrett surmises it's been Kum Chi's strategy the whole time: have Billy come forward, change testimony in court after some near misses of being shot at then let the double jeopardy clause take over. McGarrett buzzes Danno to bring Sandi in. She tells them about the dress shop and the spring line: Madeline is planning to order it even though she's going to be leaving with Billy and will have to sell the shop. She also tells them about Kum Chi's man being in the office and it appeared he was checking the books! McGarrett ties it in: Madeline's shop is under Kum Chi's umbrella and "they are all in it together". McGarrett wants to try something since they still have until 10:00 a.m. Monday.

Billy and Madeline leave the safe house with McGarrett putting a bug in his ear about Kum Chi wrapping up loose ends. McGarrett, Danno and Sandi take off after Billy and Madeline pull out.

That night, Billy and Madeline go to a bar where Sandi and a date are watching them. Sandi acts drunk showing off the Sharmonay and telling them it was pretty slick how Billy changed his testimony. She says he can put Kum Chi away at anytime for a conspiracy charge so he could blackmail him for $5000 to $6000 a month. Billy tells it's ridiculous since they're "like brothers" but deep down he doesn't believe it. She calls over Marvin to take her home and once outside, she radios McGarrett to tell him the seed has been planted!

Danno rips off a telex from LAPD saying they will send two officers 'unfamiliar Hawaii' to report to McGarrett for further instructions. Later, two guys are hanging outside Billy's house as he freaks out taking Madeline back inside. Billy calls Kum Chi who refuses to talk to him. Billy calls back telling Kum Chi he's behind him all the way and mainland muscle isn't needed. Kum Chi hangs up on him leaving Billy feeling uneasy. Kum Chi feels Billy is going to be trouble and he doesn't want any problems so he sends Benny to take care of it.

Billy and Madeline drive around with the two guys behind them and a bomb in a front wheel well! Billy takes some evasive action and loses them but drives through a residential area. An HPD officer follows them as the two guys find them again. As the HPD car pulls over Billy and Madeline, the two guys hang back. The officer takes them both to his car and good thing too: their car explodes!

Back in the courtroom, Billy changes his story to what was expected: Kum Chi killed Harry Kwan and Billy watched him do it. Billy is through lying for Kum Chi after the attempt on his life.

In McGarrett's office, Jenny (Peggy Ryan) buzzes in as Officer Gordon (Dick Fair) who stopped by to say goodbye. McGarrett wants Chief Pennelli to know how grateful he is for the help. When McGarrett says they shook up Billy, Gordon says they would have never gone as far as Five-O did by blowing up Billy's car! McGarrett is not amused in the least, as he didn't order it and assumes Sandi was behind it based on Gordon's comments! McGarrett doesn't even give her a chance to explain what's in her hand and accuses her of conspiring with someone in HPD, promising he'll have their badges. When she is able to properly explain it was Kum Chi's men who planted the bomb, McGarrett realizes he screwed up sending Gordon on his way. McGarrett apologizes for accusing her of "an illegal act" and tosses her the Marquis keys.