Hawaii Five-O (1968) s08e23 Episode Script

We are not radicals or ecological freaks.
We are people from all walks of life.
Students, housewives, farmers and fishermen, doctors, lawyers, merchants, who are determined to stop this continuous rape of our land by developers.
Here at this site, for another huge hotel, on yet another stretch of our virgin beach, we of the Earth People now draw the line.
No more! If our lovely land is to be destroyed, then we, as Hawaiians, will die with it! Drive it.
I'll tell you where.
All right, you just keep looking to your left.
That's it.
That's a good boy.
Keep looking the other way.
All right, drive it out.
Let's go! All right, move it, out.
- What's going on back there? - None of your business.
Out! Yes, Mr.
Wingfield, I understand.
Ben Tanaka? Very well.
We're on our way.
Del Wingfield's wife has disappeared.
Looks like a kidnapping.
What do we know about a Ben Tanaka? Only he's the big honcho of the Earth People crowd, a well-organized ecology movement.
Why do you ask? Wingfield has Tanaka and his van coming and going just about the time that Lisa Wingfield has disappeared.
Ben Tanaka? He's heavy on that ecology stuff, but he's well-respected by a lot of people.
People with enough leverage to bring work to a halt at Wingfield's new high-rise.
Hard to figure him as a kidnapper.
Duke, get in touch with the bureau.
Tell them what we got.
Right, Steve.
Danno, check with Motor Vehicles.
I want the license number of Tanaka's van.
Then put out a want for him for questioning.
- Right.
- Chin, let's go.
Steve.
If I remember correctly, Tanaka was supposed to speak at a big demonstration on the site of Wingfield's new hotel.
I'll drive out there.
Good.
Chin.
It's all set, the boat's waiting.
- The chick's coming too.
- Chick? I call that a class lady.
- And now, this is Bob Skinner - Leaves dock in about seven hours.
Yeah, well, then we got it made if you just lay off the sauce.
Just trying to keep myself occupied until the money comes.
Leeward side, flat down about 3 feet.
Thanks for hurrying, McGarrett.
The tape's ready.
That's Ben Tanaka, McGarrett.
If he thinks I'm going to knuckle under to his bunch of ecology freaks, he's crazy.
- Are you sure it's Tanaka? - Positive.
Hey, what's happening, fearless leader? Hey, what's wrong? You all right? I'm not sure.
I wish I knew.
- Are you sick? - I was drugged, Julie.
Two guys made me take them up to the Wingfield mansion.
One of them held a gun on me.
You were at Del Wingfield's this morning? I just talked to Dad a few minutes ago, and Lisa Wingfield was kidnapped this morning.
Kidnapped? Julie, I've been framed.
They're gonna blame that kidnapping on me.
Ben, nobody would believe you'd do a thing like that.
You're wrong, Julie.
The way they've got it set up, I don't stand a chance.
- You see? I have to go.
- Ben, don't run.
Give them my speech.
Ben.
Our special place, that's where I'll be.
- Who's this? - Oh, that's my next-door neighbor.
- Vince.
- Del, l - I'm sorry.
I just feel terrible.
- Thanks.
This is Steve McGarrett, Hawaii Five-0.
- My next-door neighbor, Vince Rhoads.
- How do you do? If there's anything I can do to help with this Tanaka, please feel free to call me, Mr.
McGarrett.
How did you know that Tanaka was involved, Mr.
Rhoads? Well, Del told me about it on the phone.
You see, I'm somewhat involved myself.
My daughter hangs around with Tanaka and his crowd at the university.
Is your daughter a student? She's supposed to be.
Does she live at the university? Well, she lives at home most of the time.
When she's away, I never know when she's with Tanaka and when she isn't.
I've told her to stay away from him.
Williams to McGarrett.
Excuse me.
Williams to McGarrett.
Come in, Steve.
Yeah.
McGarrett.
We found Tanaka's van.
Abandoned in Waimanalo.
And no sign of Tanaka? That's the story.
Also, he was a no-show at the big demonstration.
- Are you at Wingfield's? - Yeah.
Would you find out if Mrs.
Wingfield owns an Indian-type headband? - Yeah.
Stand by, Danno.
- Right.
Mr.
Wingfield, does your wife own a turquoise headband? Turquoise headband? Yes.
Yes, she wears one when she's doing her yoga thing.
Why? Why do you ask? Well, we found one in Tanaka's abandoned van.
None of the servants saw or heard a thing.
And they all seem to be loyal to Mrs.
Wingfield.
What about gardener? Was he there at the time? Yeah, but he didn't see the van.
Think he might have looked the other way? No.
My guess is he's telling the truth.
A kidnapping in broad daylight, three servants and nobody saw a thing.
Now, isn't that rather strange? Remember, Steve, Mrs.
Wingfield was in the back yard.
- The servants were in the house.
- Yeah.
What about the neighbors? No luck there either, Steve.
The only neighbor with a view of the Wingfield estate would be Rhoads.
And you talked to him.
Yeah, he had nothing to offer but platitudes.
That camera at the gate bothers me.
If the kidnappers, with or without inside help, could pull off that abduction with such precision, why wouldn't they have known about that camera? Well, it was only installed a week ago, Steve.
I learned that from one of the servants.
Do you know why it was installed? Well, Wingfield was worried about Tanaka and his people.
There were some demonstrations in front of his house.
Danno, didn't you say that there was something planned today for Wingfield's new hotel site? Yeah, I just came from there.
Tanaka didn't show up.
But there was a pretty good crowd, about 500 people, mostly kids.
- How did they behave? - Fine.
Just talked, very serious.
They made some valid points.
Oh, a funny thing, one of the speakers was Vincent Rhoads' daughter, Julie.
Seems that she and Tanaka have something going.
Yeah, I've heard.
Wingfield's neighbor, Small World Department.
Yes? All right, put him on, please.
McGarrett.
Yes, very well.
Thank you.
He's on his way.
Chin, get to the Wingfield estate.
They've already set up the equipment to trace any phone calls from the kidnappers.
Danno, you and Duke keep digging.
There's gotta be a loose end somewhere we can grab onto.
Right.
Julie, you haven't said two words since you came home.
Is there something you want me to say, Father? Look, I'm sorry about Tanaka, but it was a stupid thing for him to do.
Do? He didn't do anything.
Julie, you've got to learn to face up to the facts.
The fact is that Ben is innocent.
Take it, Mr.
Wingfield.
Try to stall as long as you can.
Hello? - Del Wingfield? - Yes.
We have your wife.
Is that you, Tanaka? I talk, you listen.
You have three hours to raise one-half-million dollars.
Small bills only.
You will receive a second call telling you where to take the money.
On one condition.
I want to speak with my wife.
I want to make sure that she's all right.
Your wife is fine.
I want to be sure.
I'll arrange for you to talk to her.
Not enough time to trace it.
I suppose he's long gone by now.
Yeah.
Was it Tanaka who called? Did you recognize the voice? I can't be sure.
Do you intend to meet the ransom demand? I have no choice.
Del Wingfield, we have your wife.
You will receive a second call telling you where to take the money.
Now, this is Ben Tanaka's voice, Steve.
We are the Earth People and our causes are simple.
To keep our land free of urban blight, to keep the sea around us free of pollution, and to keep the air clean.
They don't have the same characteristics.
Che Fong is right.
The caller demanding the ransom was not Ben Tanaka.
Any ideas that might help us, professor? The caller used a sophisticated filter to disguise his voice and did it well.
But I did pick up on a couple of flat A's and a dropped G in the world "telling.
" - Meaning what? - I offer this only as conjecture.
The caller comes from somewhere in the Southwestern United States.
Well, that doesn't narrow it down very much, does it, professor? True.
I happen to be a Texan myself.
With a cured accent.
Thank you, doctor.
Anytime.
Well, we've established one thing.
Tanaka had help.
He didn't pull it off all by himself.
Oh, I don't know about Tanaka, Danno.
What about him? The way he's described, he's a bright young man.
Now, why would he pull off a kidnapping using his own van with license plates registered to him? I thought the headband we found in the van just about wrapped it up.
Well, it would seem to, but let's look at what we have.
A man calls in, demands half a million dollars in ransom in small bills.
He calls from a pay phone used a hundred times a day, and he goes to elaborate lengths to disguise his voice.
Now, what does that suggest to you? - A professional? - Or a very cool amateur.
Now, even if Ben Tanaka is an idealist gone, let's say, super-militant, it still doesn't make sense to kidnap for ransom.
Unless he thinks he's Robin Hood, stealing from rich, giving to the poor.
Or maybe he's a guy who just decided he wants to make his pot of gold the easy way.
Yeah, well, I wanna bring Ben Tanaka in quietly, Danno.
And I wanna bring him in alive.
Hungry, baby? How come a foxy chick like you is married to a square dude like Wingfield, huh? I bet you're starving, aren't you? I must look like some kind of freak with this thing on.
It's too bad you can't see the real me.
I'm irresistible.
I think I'm gonna have me a nice, little party before we hand the lady back over to big daddy.
That is if we hand her over.
What's that supposed to mean? It means I got nothing to lose.
Not with two murder raps waiting back on the mainland.
Look, we made a deal.
Hands off.
You listen to me.
You got nothing to lose either.
We are both in it up to here, doing life if we blow it.
Now, it don't make any difference if I decide to party with the little lady.
And if I decide the lady don't get handed over, it still don't make any difference.
Maybe next time you better knock.
I could have blown you away.
How is she doing? She'd be doing a lot better if he'd stay away from her.
I thought I told you to leave her alone.
I haven't laid a glove on her, not yet.
And you'd better not.
What's the tape recorder for? He wants to talk to his wife.
Have her say a few words into it so he'll know she's all right.
You stay here.
- Wingfield.
- Yes.
Do you have the money? You said that I could speak with my wife.
All right, but just for a minute.
Here she is.
Lisa? Baby? Baby? Del, I'm all right.
They haven't harmed me.
I know they're going let me go when they get the money.
I love you.
Lisa? Lisa? That's it, Wingfield.
Now we talk money.
- Do you have it? - Yeah, I have it.
Put it in an unmarked suitcase.
Put it in locker 186 at the Waikiki bus terminal.
- Locker 186.
- What about the key? You'll find it taped under the second sink in the men's washroom.
When do you want the money delivered? You have one hour.
We got a trace.
Look I don't want anything done that'll harm my wife.
Don't worry, Mr.
Wingfield.
- McGarrett.
- Steve? - Yeah, Chin.
What do you got? - Mr.
Wingfield's been contacted.
And we were able to trace the call, - 555-3631? - Right.
Here, get an address.
What about the drop, Chin? Waikiki bus terminal, in one hour.
Oh, and Steve, Mrs.
Wingfield came on the line and talked to her husband.
- Is she all right? - Yeah, sounded like it.
You'd better get back here, Chin.
Leave the technician on duty.
Okay, Steve.
The address is a public phone booth, Steve.
That's about what I expected.
Chin said that Mrs.
Wingfield talked to her husband.
They wouldn't take her out to a public phone booth.
No.
I don't think she was taken anywhere, Danno.
I wonder how they arranged that? Tape recorder, probably.
Ready for testing, Steve.
Good signal.
Diminishes slightly.
Increases.
Here.
See how that feels.
Coming in clear.
- I still can't figure it, Steve.
- Try them on.
A bus-station locker, middle of the day.
He must know we'll have it covered like a blanket.
Well, then we've got to assume he must have a pretty good plan.
- Steve.
A guy just called in.
- Yeah.
He spotted someone who answers to the description of Ben Tanaka.
You got a location? Off the polje, back of the Buddhist temple on Nuuanu Street.
What about the tail on the Rhoads girl? She's at Ben Tanaka's place.
Okay, I'd better go up there alone, Danno.
You handle the drop.
Ben Tanaka can't be in two places at once.
- Right.
- Oh, what kind of backup we got? I asked H.
P.
D.
For six plainclothes men.
Well, you still have to pick up Wingfield.
Better get going.
Miss Rhoads? McGarrett, Hawaii Five-0.
Just a minute, please.
We know where Ben Tanaka is hiding.
Now, if I send my men in after him and if he resists or tries to run, he might get hurt.
- I don't want that to happen.
- You're a policeman.
Why not? Because I care about human life, believe it or not.
May I come in? Thank you.
Miss Rhoads, I need your help.
Go to hell.
You know, it would be very easy for me to strike back.
To respond in kind to a statement like that, but then nothing would be accomplished, would it? And what I want to accomplish is to bring Ben in unharmed.
Well, I don't happen to believe that.
- Why not? - Because you're a lousy cop.
No, I'm not a lousy cop.
I'm a good cop.
Oh, terrific.
Why do you think I came here first? Well, let me guess.
You came here because you knew that I'd be here alone, and, well, you know how young people are today.
How we like to get it on.
I'm gonna ignore that.
I came here because I thought you might like to help Ben.
But instead of helping him, you're too busy spewing out poison.
- Isn't that the way it is, Miss Rhoads? - I'll tell you why you came here.
You came here because you think I know where Ben's hiding.
And you think I'll take you to him.
That's right.
Because neither one of us wants to see him get hurt.
- What do you care? - I just told you.
Also, I have good reason to believe that he might be innocent.
If I take you to where Ben's hiding, you promise he won't be harmed? Not if it's in my power to prevent it.
Here we are, Mr.
Wingfield.
We'll follow you in one at a time.
There are three plainclothes men already staked out inside.
Remember, you don't know us and leave the locker unlocked.
- Got it? - Right.
Ben and I are gonna be married as soon as I finish college.
How does your father feel about that? My father.
Big Wasp.
Big businessman from Diamond Head.
Big deal.
He hates Ben because he's part Hawaiian.
And because he's an ecologist who's willing to Willing to fight for what he believes in.
And that conflicts with Father's business interests.
What about your mother? She died several years ago.
You know, that's when he started to fall apart.
I mean, he really became unglued.
Then things started to go bad with his business.
And he once made a big bundle in oil back home in Oklahoma.
And now? He's hanging in there.
But he lives well enough.
Your home is next to the Wingfield estate, isn't it? And mortgaged to the hilt.
- We've been snookered, but good.
- Let's find the basement.
Ben and I come here a lot.
Just to gaze at the sky and dream.
Now to come here like this Get down.
- Where is he? - Down there somewhere.
You'd better go on alone, Julie.
If he sees me, he'll run.
Okay.
Ben? Ben? Ben.
You've gotta turn yourself in.
You can't keep running.
Ben.
Come with me quietly and I promise you a fair shake.
I'm sorry.
Halt.
Put your hands on your head.
It's gonna be okay.
I really gotta hand it to you, baby.
You waited almost eight hours before bringing a cop here.
She did it for your own good, Ben.
Let's go.
You wanna tell me your version? What good would that do? Try me.
Somebody framed me.
Two guys wearing masks.
They held a gun to my head and made me take them up to Wingfield's place.
- I got a hunch they were just muscle.
- You mean you think - someone else is behind it? - Yes.
Why don't you do like the man says and stay out of there? Maybe because I don't like him telling me what to do.
I know you've been lonely back here, baby.
I thought you might like some company.
Now, wait a minute.
Now, wait a minute.
I'm not gonna hurt you.
Oh, you're gonna You're gonna learn to like me.
Yes, you will.
Because I'm the kind that grows on foxy chicks like you.
Please don't touch me.
You shouldn't have done that.
You see, I don't like it that you did that, because now you can identify me.
- Steve? - Yeah, Danno.
Bank statements on Vincent Rhoads that you wanted.
Oh, good.
Julie said her father was hanging in there.
What an understatement.
He's flat broke.
Check the item on the next page.
"Financial trust note for 300,000"? "Money transferred to Wingfield business account, for investment in new high-rise development.
Note is due and payable at 12th.
" That's tomorrow.
Do you know what that gives us, Danno? - Motive.
- Double-barrel motive.
Rhoads is broke, he borrows money to invest with Wingfield and work on the project is forced to a stop.
By pressure from the Earth People group, which is Ben Tanaka.
Yeah.
Who just happens to have a thing going with Rhoads' daughter.
There's one other thing too, Steve.
Who else would know the layout of the estate and Lisa Wingfield's schedule - better than the neighbors next door? - Yeah.
And the voice on that tape.
A Southwest accent.
Rhoads is from Oklahoma.
Okay.
That gives us motive and opportunity.
What we need now is proof.
Put Duke on Rhoads.
See if he leads us anywhere.
- Right.
- Oh, one more thing, Danno.
Whomever it is, we know they're not working alone.
Now, the kidnappers have the money, but we don't have Lisa Wingfield.
That could be bad news for her.
I'm gonna try to create some confusion and maybe smoke them out.
It's worth the gamble.
I'm very fearful for her life, especially if she can identify them.
- Bob Skinner to see you, Steve.
- Yeah, Bob.
Come in, would you? - Hi.
Good to see you.
- Thank you.
- Sit down, please.
- Okay.
I need a favor, Bob.
Always happy to oblige such a stalwart arm of the law.
We have Ben Tanaka in custody.
Yeah, I know, and you want me to keep my mouth shut, right? Wrong.
I want an immediate news bulletin to that effect.
- Is this an exclusive? - Well, you're the first to know.
So far, you're doing all the favors.
What's the catch? Without lying, can you imply that Tanaka has confessed and has agreed to lead the police to Lisa Wingfield and to the half-million dollars in ransom? Do you mind if I ask the reason for this gambit? Well, hopefully to smoke out the kidnappers.
Tanaka's accomplices? Well, we don't know if that's true.
Well, I could treat it as a rumor.
- You know, speculate.
- Good.
Here are the details.
You're not really afraid of me, are you? Or maybe it's this that you're afraid of? Well Knock it off, Molony.
Get in here and listen to this.
And the officers who have been investigating the case.
A new and startling development in the kidnapping has been brought to the attention of this reporter.
Repeat.
Once again, this unconfirmed exclusive report.
Tanaka was taken into custody and charged with the abduction of Lisa Wingfield, wife of the multi-millionaire contractor, Del Wingfield.
Waiting confirmation is the rumor that Tanaka has confessed to the kidnapping and shortly will lead the police to a hideout - where Mrs.
Wingfield is being held.
- What? Rhoads.
Also unconfirmed is a report that police expect to recover the entire half-million dollars paid in ransom within the next few hours.
And now for the news on the political Think Rhoads is trying to pull something? I don't know.
I'm gonna find out.
Maybe we ought to wait like we were told? Oh, and let Rhoads waltz off with half a million bucks? Mr.
McGarrett, is Tanaka cooperating with you? I have nothing to report beyond the fact that Ben Tanaka is in custody.
- What about that confession? - What about it? That's all for now.
Out.
Hold it.
What are you doing here? I'm here to see the money, big shot.
Where is it? I've got the money.
Now get out of here, I'll meet you later.
Did you hear me? I said I wanna see it, now.
Half a million bucks.
What are you worried about? The cops are way off base.
We've got Tanaka in a frame he can't squirm out of.
No, I'm gonna take it with me.
I've been hearing things on the radio I don't like.
You're not leaving here alone.
Sure, Pops.
Everybody trusts everybody, right? - McGarrett.
- This is Julie Rhoads.
You can release Ben now, Mr.
McGarrett.
You see, I found out who's behind the kidnapping.
It was my father.
He just left here with someone and the money.
Thank you.
Rhoads is leaving with the money.
Let's go.
Let's go, Danno.
Central, this is McGarrett, requesting a backup unit.
In pursuit, black Lincoln What was that stuff on the radio all about? I think it was McGarrett putting up a smokescreen.
Good.
Let's make the split, right now.
All right.
We agreed you'd each get a hundred thousand.
We did all the heavy work.
You're ripping us off.
I said we agreed you'd each get a hundred thousand.
Get the boat ready.
Danno, he's coming your way.
Freeze.
One more and you're dead.
Get back here, quick.
I'll leave first, and you take the girl down the road, tell her to keep walking.
She's seen me.
She can pick me out of the lineup.
She's gonna have to be terminated.
Right now.
No.
No.
There'll be none of that.
No.
Now, Rhoads, if anyone asks you, you can tell them that it was my idea.
- You can still be Mr.
Clean.
- I said, no! This is McGarrett, Hawaii Five-0.
The house is surrounded.
You're under arrest.
You have one minute to come out with your hands up.
Danno, they're coming out.
Find out what happened to Rhoads.
All right, take him.
Now.
Right now.
Let's go.
Come on.
Don't move.
Give me that gun.
Get up.
Get up.
Take him.
Is she all right? - Where's Rhoads? - He's dead, Steve.
Oh, no.
And all for this, huh?