S09E08 - “Let Death Do Us Part” - Plot

Act One

A prisoner (Jack Kelly) escapes from Halawa Correctional Facility knocking out a guard (Kalani Kinimaka) on the way out. The prison secretary (Penny Lawhn) yells for other guards to take action and the alarms sounds by the time the prisoner is over the fence. Outside the grounds, the prisoner carjacks a farmer's truck taking off away from the prison. Back at the prison, the guard tells them Jim Spier jumped him rather than him getting careless.

The Five-O team has lunch with Manicote (Glenn Cannon) who explains Spier's case. Spier has turned down parole twice, the latest less about a month before yet he escapes from prison by attacking a guard. Manicote can't explain it other than there are "a certain number of crazies" with Danno throwing out, "would you believe 11.7 percent?" Duke calls him an optimist. Back on the case, Manicote tells them Spier had no previous arrests and was broke until he married Helen Newhall (Arline Anderson) who was several years older than him. Her remains were later found in a lime pit and it took a jury an hour and 20 minutes to convict him. Duke asks why he didn't take parole with Manicote explaining it would be an admission of guilt and Spier has claimed his innocence from the beginning. Spier also claimed police brutality because he said HPD hated him. Helen's estate is still in litigation with her daughter Anita (Zohra Lampert) probably getting most of it. McGarrett says they should get on it right away as Manicote says the officer who had the case was Lieutenant Norton (Lyle Bettger) of HPD: he's retired now but Manicote has an address. McGarrett plans to see him as he tells Chin to check on Spier's cellmate, if one exists and any visitors Spier had while in prison. He wants the team to look into the principal players and go over any physical evidence that is left. Afterward, the team leaves the check with Manicote.

At 'Danielle's' a hair salon, Spier is helped by Claudine (Linda Ryan) who darkens his hair. They talk about Lieutenant Norton who Spier is sure framed him and there had to be a payoff somewhere. Claudine has spent about $2000 investigating Lieutenant Norton over the last two years and she hasn't been able to find anything. Claudine asks him to not do anything crazy because helping while he's in prison is one thing but aiding and abetting is quite another.

McGarrett visits Lieutenant Norton to go over the Spier case again. Lieutenant Norton was the lead detective considering Spier "guilty as Cain" and because he's convicted, he can't collect on the $1 million estate. McGarrett asks about a missing witness: Edna Kentner. Lieutenant Norton tells McGarrett the convoluted story about her: they didn't her a peep about her until Helen's remains were found and suddenly Edna is Spier's alibi. Lieutenant Norton and HPD looked everywhere but Edna doesn't exist and he stands by his case that Spier is guilty of murder. Lieutenant Norton hands off his dog Mike to McGarrett while he goes to his car to retrieve a copy of his book 'My Ten Toughest Cases' to give to McGarrett: the Spier case is Chapter Three.

Danno and Chin arrive at a house owned by Anita who is tending her flowers. She tells them if they are the police, they need to come back with a warrant but they're not there to arrest her. Chin asks if she's heard about Spier but she hasn't because she jumps when Danno says he escaped. She isn't cooperative at all refusing to answer any questions and threatens to charge them with trespassing. Danno and Chin back off.

Spier shows up at Lieutenant Norton's house as he takes the dog for a walk. Spier makes his way to the office where he starts going through the file cabinets. Mike refuses to keep going and when Lieutenant Norton sees the office door open, he releases Mike who takes off toward the house barking. Spier finds the file on Helen's murder stuffing it into a garbage bag and takes off over the rail running down the hill. Lieutenant Norton tells him to stop but it's no use. Lieutenant Norton checks out the office realizing the case file has been taken.

Act Two

McGarrett and HPD respond to Lieutenant Norton's house after Spier's break-in. Lieutenant Norton doesn't yet know what's missing but he has no doubt it was Spier who was there. McGarrett wonders what else he would be interested in beside the files on Helen's murder. Lieutenant Norton wants Spier to come back so he can take Spier down. Danno and Chin show up, briefing McGarrett about what they found: Spier had a visitor on every visitor's day the cellmate thought she was a beautician. McGarrett tells Chin to stay on it. Danno moves on to Anita calling her "flaky" and "running some kind of big mystic trip". McGarrett says he'll try; maybe his "karma" is better.

Spier and Claudine look over the stuff he grabbed at her house as he calls Lieutenant Norton's book "trash". Spier reads a passage for Claudine calling it "bull" as Claudine asks if there is any mention of Edna Kentner. Spier says Lieutenant Norton essentially says Spier made up a witness. Claudine found Edna's name on a memo written by an officer working with Lieutenant Norton, she asks when Spier first mentioned her name. Apparently, Anita hired a private investigator to find Edna. Claudine wonders if Anita and Edna contacted each other, as the memo seems to point out. If Spier can prove Lieutenant Norton and Anita held back evidence, he could get a new trial.

McGarrett arrives at Anita's house where the servant (Ethel Azama) tells him Anita is in her special room. Anita is working with a client as she waves McGarrett to enter. He apologizes for interrupting and she explains it is "presence" that interrupts. McGarrett flashes his badge formally introducing himself as the client flees. Anita tells McGarrett she's hired Lieutenant Norton to up her security until Spier is recaptured. He sits at a table with an Ouija board asking Anita to go through her story again about her mother's disappearance. Anita tells it again: her mother was on her way to a health retreat and the car broke down. Helen called the house first but there was no answer then she called Anita. They arrived back at the house at about 2:00 with Spier's car in the driveway. Anita claims she drove off watching her mother climb the stairs and that was the last she saw of her, "not on this astral plane". McGarrett asks if she can communicate with her mother and she takes offense but he clarifies it's an honest question. Anita confirms they do communicate and McGarrett wants to know if any details have emerged that are not part of the trial transcript. Anita's attitude changes on a dime as she accuses Spier of killing Helen because she was going to change her will. As McGarrett is about to leave, the Ouija board comes to life: Anita tells him her mother trusts him to see that justice prevails. McGarrett says he'll try not to disappoint, as he's not sure what to believe.

At the house, Anita readies for bed when Spier breaks in forcing her into the bedroom at gunpoint. They go into one of their "frank little talks" but mostly argue. Anita tells him he killed Helen but he continues to claim his innocence. Spier and Helen "had an arrangement" as long as he remained her companion but Anita says he despised Helen anyway. Spier wants to know hwy she hired a private investigator when they're interrupted by a knock on the front door. Spier checks it out from the second floor railing: it's Lieutenant Norton. Anita emerges from the bedroom, knocking the pistol out of Spier's hand. They fight for it, with Anita grabbing it first. Spier makes a run for it as Lieutenant Norton breaks in the door. Anita and Lieutenant Norton hold Spier at gunpoint but she aims for Lieutenant Norton and fires. Spier takes off running into the night.

Act Three

Later, HPD and an ambulance are on the scene as McGarrett talks to Anita upstairs. She tells her version of events: she was walking upstairs and Spier was laying in wait for her. She also tells him Spier has changed his appearance: hair is dark brown and no moustache. McGarrett keeps her on track when she goes on a tangent and she keeps going with her story about how Spier ranted at her with Lieutenant Norton breaking in the door. The men then saw one another, exchanged words before Spier shot him. She says he dropped the gun; she picked it up and shot at Spier but missed. McGarrett tells her she'll have to go downtown to make a formal statement.

At their temporary headquarters, McGarrett pulls the team, into his office wanting Anita under 24-hour surveillance. He wants to know more about the "very strange" lady. He also wants Chin to get an updated appearance on Spier from her and pass it on to HPD. The phone rings: it's Spier. Danno works on a trace as Spier tries to plea his case to McGarrett. Spier tells him that all the information he's been told is wrong. Spier says everything is in the papers he's sending special delivery confusing McGarrett. Spier tells him Anita killed Lieutenant Norton and it's another frame before hanging up. There was not enough time or a trace. McGarrett pounds the desk wanting things "cleaned up". He lays out what they're dealing with: a jailbreak, a murder and two counts breaking and entering. Chin says the cellmate has no idea why Spier broke out but McGarrett is sure there has to be a reason so he wants Chin to dig and to start with the beautician, even if every parlor in the state has to be checked. McGarrett then tells Danno to find everything he can on Edna Kentner.

Chin checks out beauty salons, starting with 'Alika's Beauty Shop' as Duke keeps an eye on Anita. Danno tracks down an airline stewardess (Valli Hanley) who has a story of a woman having problems with her teeth. She referred her to a dentist friend, Irv Cutler, in San Francisco but she's not sure it was the flight in question.

In McGarrett's office, Chin briefs he hit pay dirt about Claudine: she owns Danielle's and the prison guards recognized the sketch of her. When Chin asks if he should pick her up, McGarrett wants him to stay a step behind her. Duke reports Anita left the house yesterday afternoon to make a phone call to San Francisco to a phone in a shopping center. The phone rings: it's the answer to the telex from San Francisco. The dentist dug up a name of the patient referred to him: Evelyn Knight, same initials as Edna Kentner so they could be the same person. McGarrett wants to know more so he sends Danno to San Francisco to track down an address for Evelyn Knight and to pick her up to bring her back to Hawaii.

Danno takes off for San Francisco tracking down the address in short order. However, when he and a San Francisco PD officer show up, there is no Evelyn Knight. Danno calls McGarrett briefing on what they found: they have a description but it appears she was tipped. The description is being sent via telex. McGarrett tells him to pack it in and to "come on home". McGarrett then tells Chin to get the description off the telex and put out an APB on Evelyn Knight, a.k.a. Edna Kentner.

Claudine leaves the supermarket with some groceries as Chin and Duke watch her. She leaves, knowing she's being followed. Meanwhile, Che (Harry Endo) shows McGarrett what was found in the lime pit beside Helen's remains: "jewelry and the bridgework". They discuss the various pieces including a ring worth $3500 and returned to Anita after the trail. When McGarrett asks if the case was a hoax, Che says there were human remains in the lime pit but human bones disintegrate quickly in the mix and the killer figured that.

Claudine returns to her house as Chin and Duke stay back radioing in the address. They decide to move in as Claudine puts away the groceries and Spier looks every which way to make sure no one followed her. He asks if she made sure she shook them, which she says over she did. He takes out a .22 caliber gun to be sure but Claudine isn't sure of that idea. Chin and Duke sneak around back knocking on the door. When Claudine answers the door she tells them he just left but Spier outflanks them, holding them with the .22. He orders Chin and Duke to drop their guns, which they do. Spier eventually turns himself in handing over the .22 and he wants it understood he didn't surrender because he had to. Duke comments, "man, you gotta do everything the hard way". Spier decides to give himself up because of how good Claudine has been to him. She encourages him as Chin and Duke take him in.

Spier is taken to McGarrett's office to make a statement where McGarrett tells him to slow down: "one thing at a time". Spier admits to cheating on Helen but tells McGarrett what happened at the house: Lieutenant Norton "had the drop" on him and he thought Anita was going to shoot him but instead shot Lieutenant Norton. McGarrett tells the clerk to type up the statement so Spier can sign it. Once the clerk leaves, McGarrett wants the rest of the story. Spier explains he and Helen had an arrangement because it wasn't a "love match" and Spier claims he was upfront about it. However, the deal didn't include one-night stands. Spier goes on that he was hoping he could be a friend and companion but that didn't work either after the physical part didn't work. He eventually came to resent Helen but admits now he caused her "a lot of pain". As Spier talks, Danno walks in telling McGarrett a woman fitting Evelyn Knight's description just arrived at Anita's house. "Taxi picked her up at the airport" and there's no mistake. Anita even met her at the door. McGarrett orders the HPD sergeant to take Spier back to holding. Spier asks what's happening: they may have a missing witness.

Act Four

McGarrett and Danno drive to Anita's house where she walks down the stairs greeting them, "ah, Mr. McGarrett and friend". McGarrett tells her Spier turned himself in, which Anita is relieved to hear. McGarrett also tells her his explanation about what happened with Lieutenant Norton differs from hers. Anita's retort is that they have "the real Jim Spier". He goes on saying they are looking for Edna Kentner a.k.a. Evelyn Knight and they have reason to believe she is in Honolulu. Anita assures them there is no one at the house "by that name". An older woman appears at the top of the stairs and she is none other than Helen Newhall. They move out to an open-air room.

McGarrett asks Helen to verify she was living in San Francisco under the name of Evelyn Knight, which she confirms. Anita says Helen didn't know who she was. Helen explains, "I had a terrible shock and suffered from what has been called a traumatic loss of memory". Next thing she knew, she was in San Francisco. As Helen goes on, McGarrett and Danno exchange glances not sure what to believe. Helen says she made Evelyn Knight's description fit her and vice versa but ultimately wasn't good at it. However, people donÕt seem to be too observant so she got away with it. Things get strange when McGarrett asks Helen if she was in touch with Anita who says they were connected "on the extra sensory level". Danno can't believe what he's hearing: "ESP?" Really? Anita tries to backpedal saying they weren't "legally conspiring" but neither officer believes it.

McGarrett asks to see Helen's hands, palms down: the ring Che pointed out earlier, and given back to Anita after Spier's trial, is on her left ring finger. McGarrett asks if they weren't in touch, how did Helen wind up with the ring? By "astral projection?" Besides being at the house, of course, before they arrived. Anita becomes defensive saying she doesn't have to listen to "these snide, vicious attacks on my beliefs". Helen finally breaks telling McGarrett and Danno they've been in touch since the beginning and admits to killing Edna Kentner. The story then is fully told: Edna was Spier's one night stand and Helen arrived home catching them in the act. Once Spier left, she attacked the woman in the bathroom causing her to fall over the tub. Anita comforts her mother as she tells what happened but there's yet more. At some point, Helen went downstairs to call Dr. Imhoff and according to her, Anita came in but she discovered the woman dead.

McGarrett puts the pieces together: they conspired to dispose of the body in a lime pit, pointing Lieutenant Norton to his discoveries and having Helen assume the woman's identity framing Spier in the process. McGarrett says while the woman was still alive when Helen went downstairs, Anita actually went upstairs and finished her off. He tells Danno to book them both for conspiracy as he calls Manicote to release Spier and be ready for a lawsuit.