S09E11 - “Target -- A Cop” - Plot

Act One

On a quiet street in the middle of the night, a Molotov cocktail is dropped into a dumpster causing a fire to break out. At about 11:40 p.m., a man (Don Stroud) calls to report the fire, which is in the same place as last week. Meanwhile, an HPD officer (Bernard Ching) gets a burger from Matt (Wallace Landford) in a food truck. The dispatcher (Jo Pruden) calls Delta 12, which is the officer's call sign and he responds to the call.

Arriving on scene, the fire department has it pretty much under control as one fireman (Stanley Hookano) tells him it was probably kids. As the officer makes his radio call, he's sniped from above with the firefighters running over but the officer is dead.

The next morning, Danno and an HPD captain (Seth Sakai) look out the window where they believe the shot came from: at least 150 yards away and at night! McGarrett asks if they have anything and why shoot from there? Danno points out that there's a "good angle" down the alley and an elevator next door. The preliminary report shows the bullet shattered on impact meaning it was "a hot load or hollow point". Chin walks in saying an office down the hall was broken into with a knife and the window above the dumpster was open. McGarrett tells Chin to see what else he can find. McGarrett surmises the sniper could have started the fire, snuck down to the room and then made his shot but would he have an inkling as to who would show up? The captain says they are at the intersection of three patrol sectors and any of them could have responded. McGarrett theorizes the sniper was after a cop because he didnÕt shoot at the firemen. McGarrett asks Danno what else he has: two sets of footprints but they probably belong to the painters working in the room. Danno guesses the sniper stood on the drop cloth and tells McGarrett the sniper had a lot of muscle daring him to open the window. McGarrett wants to know anyone who would match the sniper run through the computer, keeping in mind his upper body strength. Danno isn't looking forward to the task but McGarrett tells him Chin will help, which Danno says it will take twice as long! McGarrett is afraid someone "has declared war on the police department, captain".

A group of men play basketball including one in a wheelchair. One of the buddies (Russell Sacco) asks his wheel-bound teammate to "take a little steam off those passes. They're getting a little hot to handle for me". As they leave the court, they run into Tim (Gerald McRaney) who takes over pushing the wheelchair from Bob. Tim pushes "Sarge" to his car as they talk about Tim's drug addiction and how he has "the shorts again". Sarge gives him some money and they talk about stereo equipment. Tim says he can bring some stuff by to even things between them including getting Tim's watch back. Sarge gives Tim a piece of stereo equipment to put in the trunk and Tim spots a nice guitar case, which Sarge tells Tim to leave alone.

That night, the dispatcher receives a call of "noisy skateboarders" and puts unit 37 on it as Sarge overhears thanks to a scanner. He takes notes and figures out the address on a map he has. There's a knock on his door, causing Sarge to shut off the scanner and hide his notes while not being amused by the interruption. He answers the door: it's George (Raye Birk), his Parole Officer. George enters warning him it's a violation of his parole to pose as a war veteran! Sarge isn't too concerned telling him he's "I'm into living now. I'm on my way". George agrees reading about his "prowess" on the basketball court in the Sunday papers but he also asks about the .38 slug pulled out of his spine because he used to keep it in a specific place. Sarge goes past this saying he gaining feeling in his left leg again and there's the possibility he could regain the use of his legs but George is skeptical, "well, it's something to work for, Purdy, if the doctors are for it". Before leaving, George also tells him to cut off Tim Ryder because he's selling the methadone he's receiving from the clinic. After George leaves, Purdy gets back to listening to the scanner.

An older woman (Dorothy Mackaill) calls in about a prowler with the dispatcher sending Romeo 41. When the dispatcher tells the officer (Gary Kau) his nearest backup is doing something else, he says the backup isn't necessary. Mrs. Pelcher has some chocolate brownies made up and the dispatcher wants the recipe! Officer Mifune smells some brownies as she invites him in. Officer Mifune radios back in telling the dispatcher the brownies are made from scratch and she's willing to share the recipe for a stop over. Purdy scratches some notes, sarcastically saying no job is too small!

Act Two

In the Territorial Building and McGarrett's office, Che (Harry Endo) briefs on the incendiary device: glass bottle with a paper wick and "all ordinary household materials," too generic to trace. There's no doubt Officer Ichiro was set up but McGarrett wants to know why. The captain says ambush is trending on the mainland and McGarrett fears it may be moving to Hawaii. McGarrett wants every patrol unit to go to two men "reinforce them with a hot squad in unmarked cars". The captain is all for it, except the costs, which McGarrett will talk to the city council and the mayor to get the funding. McGarrett dials HPD for the captain who gives the order for two men in each car. When Captain Sakai talks to his Lieutenant, he balks at the costs too but the captain assures him McGarrett has their back.

Purdy cases Mrs. Pelcher's house as the HPD computer crunches some numbers. Danno and Chin sift through the results with little success even though they come across Purdy's name. They discount him because he's a paraplegic. They keep going.

That night, Mrs. Pelcher puts Stonewall outside and readies for bed only to see a silhouette in the window! Scared out of her wits, she calls the police with the dispatcher telling her to stay on the phone while she calls a car. The dispatcher calls the car and had Mrs. Pelcher turn on all her lights starting with the front. The car shows up with the two officers looking around. When Officer Mifune tells Mrs. Pelcher his partner (Barton McCullough) is around back, Purdy snipes him! Officer Mifune collapses in front of Mrs. Pelcher as his partner runs around the front only to be sniped as well but he makes it to the car to radio for help. Purdy takes off snagging the watch he's wearing on some vegetation and he tries to find it but doesn't have much time. He leaves it as the sirens close in.

The next morning, McGarrett and Danno talk to Mrs. Pelcher who swears there was a prowler at her window the night before. McGarrett has no doubt about that when Captain Sakai walks up saying Officer Cartwright's hip is being pinned back together. He also tells McGarrett a whole slug was removed from Officer Mifune who has unfortunately died of his wounds, devastating Mrs. Pelcher. Meantime, they get to work looking around the house finding some wheel marks in some soft soil. Captain Sakai points out a garden cart that is the source of the wheel marks. Captain Sakai suggests talking to Sarah Hale, the dispatcher who told the captain Mrs. Pelcher was pretty scared. McGarrett is troubled by this sniping incident because there was no way the killer could have known about her previous prowler calls. Danno wonders if he's not using a scanner and that's McGarrett's biggest fear. McGarrett wants everything recorded from now on including radio traffic. He also wants the last couple of weeks of dispatch calls sent to Five-O.

Tim shows up at Purdy's apartment with a huge box hoping to square things up with Purdy and get his watch back. Purdy looks at it, seeing some of it's hot and it's not worth a hill of beans! Purdy tells Tim to take the junk out because he's not giving him any more money. Tim fires back reminding him Tim was his prison orderly who wheeled him around most days after being shot in the back by a rookie cop! Ticked off, Purdy goes after him falling out of his wheelchair! While trying to get back up, Tim takes a screwdriver and breaks into Purdy's car stealing the guitar case! Purdy is now mad saying Tim "just bought the farm"!

At HPD, a sergeant (Lee Stetson) gives the tour briefing telling the officers they are still on two-man cars and there are lightweight flak vests available. He tells his shift to be careful and smart as each of them is a target. He then turns it over to McGarrett who tells them they believe the sniper is using a night scope and he's "put two in the ten-ring and one in the four". He warns them that if they're vulnerable, the sniper will get them. One officer (Stephen St. Paul) asks if Officers Mifune and Ichiro made mistakes. McGarrett is clear: "I'm saying that there is no friendly territory anymore. Not until we nail this sniper".

The next day, a gardener trims some brush finding the watch! Meantime, Tim takes the guitar to a pawnshop, opening it for the owner (Terry Plunkett). Tim opens the case but stands in such a way he doesn't see exactly what's inside but the owner gets a great view of the rifle with a scope! When the owner mentions the scope, Tim freaks out closing the case and running out taking off in his beat up Cougar. The owner follows him out and as soon as Tim pulls away, he calls Duke at Five-O! Tim drives down the street barely making a red light causing the case to pop open revealing the rifle!

Act Three

In his office, McGarrett listens to the dispatch tapes taking notes as he goes along. Danno walks in with the watch found by the gardener saying they were due a break. McGarrett reads the inscription on the back: "First Marines, Tim Ryder, H Battery, Third Battalion". Danno has already requested a C&C form Washington and the Marine Corps is pulling Tim's file. Danno adds there were paint spots on the watch face and Che is analyzing them. Chin and Duke walk in saying they're going to Oni's Pawnshop on Hotel Street where "a doper brought in a rifle with a night scope in a guitar case. Changed his mind and ran. No license number". McGarrett tells them to get over there on the double. He then talks to Danno about how to catch the sniper: he's got a good scanner and there's no way to shut him out but he's listening to everything they do including callbacks. However, they can lure him in with fake calls of their own to an address they like and enough men to take him down. "Might work" and McGarrett is sure it will.

At the pawnshop, Oni explains to Chin and Duke what he saw. He was certain the rifle had a scope as it had a battery attachment. He's also sure Tim was a doper for several reasons including not knowing what he had because he stole it. Oni is willing to work with a sketch artist as he got a good look at this face. Duke tells him they could use the help.

Purdy goes to the basketball courts where Bob wants his help to take on some of the guys. Purdy passes because he's looking for Tim as Bob tells him to try Hotel Street.

McGarrett and Danno arrive at an apartment where they're invited in with a more than friendly manner! The two officers inside were expecting some airline stewardesses and become all nervous when they see it's McGarrett and Danno! Oops! Officer MacDougall (Mark Malmborg) tells them about the stewardesses while his partner (Ron Nakahara) is still trying to figure out what the detail is all about. McGarrett explains the plan to lure the sniper in and he's certain the officers are up to the task to create a disturbance with the hi-fi. When McGarrett spots an unmarked station wagon, MacDougall explains it's their guys as they have the whole area covered. Danno wonders if they need the setup at all as they have a description of Ryder and an active APB on him. McGarrett isn't convinced Tim is their guy and it may be a while before they arrest him. He knows the sniper has "turned cop killing into a science". Once the officers are ready, McGarrett calls Captain Sakai tells him they're ready. After hanging up, he tells the officers to give them a head start then "wake the dead".

Captain Sakai takes notes and hands them to Sarah telling her to handle it like any other call and to repeat it every 20 minutes or so. She dispatches Bravo 22 to Manaluan Apartments, Hawaii Kai about a "noisy hi-fi". Meanwhile, Tim pawns the case to a music store owner (Lewis Stout) claiming his guitar went missing. Tim takes off as Purdy scours the streets for Tim as Sarah radios out Tim's description. Tim spots Purdy in his side view mirror and speeds out of town only to be spotted by HPD heading for the freeway. Sarah distributes the information with car description and license number! McGarrett makes a U-turn as Danno radios in they can intercept.

Tim and Purdy proceed down the freeway with an HPD officer (William F. Roos Jr.) puts his car between the two of them turning on his lights and siren. Tim tries to go the wrong way into an on ramp managing to roll his car! McGarrett and Danno show up just as it happens with Tim still alive. The officer calls for an ambulance and the mobile lab with Captain Sakai asking about Tim's condition: "it looks like he's bought it, captain. I think we have the guy who killed Ichiro and Mifune". Purdy sits across the highway knowing the police have it wrong.

Act Four

Che runs ballistics in the laboratory from the rifle they confiscated from Tim's car. Meantime, McGarrett hangs out in Captain Sakai's office where the hospital just informed him that Tim's condition is unstable. Danno walks in with Tim's Marine personnel file: "he was a forward observer in Vietnam, a good one too. Decorated twice, wounded twice at the siege of Pleiku". McGarrett looks it over noticing he was an "expert rifleman". While the evidence is stacked, McGarrett has a tough time accepting "that a junkie could shoot that well". The phone rings: it's Che telling McGarrett ballistics match the rifle with Tim's prints all over it and the paint chips put him in the office the night Officer Ichiro was killed. The sergeant walks in wanting to know what to brief the tour. Captain Sakai tells him to go to one-man patrols starting tonight as they have enough to convict Tim. Captain Sakai calls MacDougall to have them pack it in and go back to work.

At the apartment building, a car radio is blaring in the garage with Purdy calling it in! Sarah can't believe what she's hearing but takes the call. After she hangs up with Purdy, she calls Captain Sakai with the information: all the way down the line for the stakeout! McGarrett and Danno become interested quickly as McGarrett wants to know what was said and who would take the call. Sarah tells him the guy is complaining of a noisy hi-fi and Bravo 22; Officer Blankenship would take the call. McGarrett tells her to hold him as he devises a plan for him and Danno to go in HPD uniforms! McGarrett puts it simply, "we set the trap, we'll be the bait".

McGarrett and Danno take over Bravo 22 as Officer Blankenship, the one who asked if his fellow officers made mistakes, hands McGarrett his lucky rabbit's foot. As they're about to pull out, Captain Sakai stops them telling them he's giving them 15 minutes before the cavalry charges in! McGarrett drives off with Danno tensing up as they face their suicide run. Purdy loads his weapon ready for their arrival. McGarrett drops Danno off so he can flank the back as McGarrett pulls into the garage. McGarrett radios in that his on location and investigating as Purdy puts himself in position to lay in wait. When McGarrett finds the noisy car, Purdy takes aim but hides the gun quick as Danno enters the garage behind him! Purdy wheels out complaining about the loud music. He wheels away and just as they think it's a legitimate call, McGarrett notices the tracks, the same tracks as that at Mrs. Pelcher's! McGarrett pushes Danno out of the way ducking into another set of cars as Purdy fires! McGarrett shoots back and Purdy rolls down the car ramp eventually crashing! Captain Sakai shows up in time for them to converge onto Purdy. Danno finds that he's "pau" and Captain Sakai can't believe Purdy was the sniper. McGarrett thanks Officer Blankenship for the rabbit's foot, tossing it back to him.