Magnum, P.I. (1980) s05e21 Episode Script
Torah, Torah, Torah
stumble on these thieves, you could get hurt.
This Torah, this piece of parchment, is something that I would risk anything for.
I don't wanna hear anymore about stolen Torahs.
Do you have a plan? Of course, we have a plan.
It appears that things are starting to go our way.
T.
C: Maybe a little more hot sauce.
More hot sauce.
Mmm-hmm.
Don't you think you ought to taste it first? Mmm-mmm.
A truly great chef can identify the missing ingredients merely by smell.
Can I? Magnum, I need you to drive to the airport and meet Flight 42 from Taipei.
It arrives at 2:05, and if you leave immediately, you'll be on time.
A very dear friend of mine, Asher Solomon, is arriving.
Naturally, I had planned to pick him up myself.
But unfortunately, I received an urgent telephone call from Mr.
Masters regarding some business I need to take care of for him on the North Shore.
I don't have time to go over the details.
Suffice it to say that I wouldn't ask this of you unless it were absolutely necessary.
Maybe a dash more hot sauce.
I hope I can count on you to help me out in this emergency.
No! Magnum, I have no time for your childish obstinance.
My God, what is that odor? Higgie baby, you are talking about my Uncle Roland's original Creole Flaming Bayou Blaster chili.
Wanna try a little taste? Not without a paramedic in attendance.
Well, you don't know what you're missing.
Oh, hey, I gotta go.
Thomas.
Look, I'll be back after my charter.
You've got to stir that chili constantly for two hours.
Two hours? Yes.
And then prepare yourself for a culinary event.
Oh.
Whatever you do, don't quit stirring, or else you'll end up with Creole cement.
Later, Higgie baby.
Cement.
And chili.
Genuine Creole bayou.
Magnum, I very seldom ask a favor of you, but this is very important to me.
In all honesty, there is no one else I would trust to pick up my old, dear friend, Asher Solomon.
Will you go? Will you stir? I can't.
Flight 42 from Taipei now arriving at Gate 27.
I was all the way to the airport before I realized Higgins had left without telling me what Asher Solomon looked like.
I figured I'd have to improvise.
Mr.
Yamashiro to a white courtesy phone.
Mr.
Yamashiro to a white courtesy phone.
Aloha.
Hello.
I am Rabbi Asher Solomon.
Welcome to Hawaii.
At first, I was really annoyed with Higgins for not telling me Asher Solomon was a Rabbi.
But as we drove along, I realized I couldn't stay annoyed at Higgins or anybody else with Rabbi Solomon around.
It wasn't exactly the stories he told, though, as he talked, I almost felt I'd been there with him as he fled from Poland to Shanghai, fought with the Haganah in Israel, coached the Maccabiah soccer team in New York.
But more than that, he just had a knack for making you like him.
I've been thinking, Thomas, of the Polynesians.
Journeying over vast stretches of this beautiful and often treacherous Pacific Ocean in open boats no bigger than this car, seeking paradise as foretold by their god.
Not unlike the early Hebrews.
Traveling in the desert, wandering there, looking for the Promised Land, for the land of Canaan.
Or even the European Jews seeking refuge in Shanghai in 1945? Ah, yes, Shanghai.
Nice, beautiful people.
It was a refuge of peace, until the Japanese set up the munitions dumps and the Allies came and bombed.
The temple was destroyed.
It was laid in waste completely.
And this poor Torah was buried under the rubble.
Oh, but that's all the past.
It's history.
Now, to be here, in Hawaii, for a reunion with the many families who came from Shanghai.
And this poor Torah that we gave up for lost, returned to us by the Taiwanese Department of Antiquities.
Perhaps he needs assistance.
Maybe.
Hold it.
Don't move.
Hey! What's going on here? Come on! Let's go! You all right? The Torah.
That filthy pig took my Torah.
I was shocked to hear of this senseless, violent act, and I take personal responsibility for your tragic loss.
Please, Miss Chou, it was nobody's fault.
No, no.
If I had met you at the airport perhaps none of this would have happened.
I regret that other obligations kept me away.
If it weren't for you and your friends in the Department of Antiquities, the Torah would never have been found or turned over to me in the first place.
But I cannot believe that God has brought us this far only to have the Torah lost again.
So, I thank you for your concern and I thank you for your generosity in bringing the car for me to use.
It is the least we could do.
Well, I'm afraid I must be on my way.
Good night, Rabbi.
Good night.
I do hope you feel better.
Nice meeting you.
Good night, Mr.
Higgins.
Good night.
Good night.
Drive carefully.
Honestly, Magnum.
How could you allow something like this to happen? Me? I was the one doing the favor, remember? If you hadn't been chasing around the North Shore trying to track down some art forger-mercenary-soldier Frank What's-his-name? Franz Wallen, and I was hardly chasing.
I was sent by Mr.
Masters to find the man and secure the rights to his life story before he sold them to someone else.
Gentlemen The proceeds from the sale of a best seller based upon his life would have insured construction of a desperately needed new wing at the Children's Hospital.
Fine, that's just fine, Higgins, but the least you could've done is warn me I'd be walking into a potentially dangerous situation.
Gentlemen I would think that, in your line of work, you would keep an eye out for that sort of thing.
Gentlemen, please, you're giving me a headache.
Now, Thomas, there is no way you could have known that somebody organizing a very clever plan to steal the Torah.
And Jonathan, even if you had been there, there was nothing you could have done that Thomas did not do.
Perhaps you're right.
What do the police have to say? They said they'd do their best.
Well, why should a piece of parchment and some ink be of any importance to them? No importance at all.
But now, I have a car.
I will track down the Torah.
Magnum and I will go with you.
No, no, you still have this Franz Wallen to find, and the children need their hospital.
You must not worry about me.
But you know nothing of Honolulu, or of tracking down criminals, for that matter.
Mmm, I could learn.
With all due respect, if I am not for myself, who will be? Look, I'm afraid it's just not that easy.
Even if you happen to stumble on these thieves, you could get hurt.
Hurt? Pish-posh.
You must realize that this Torah, this piece of parchment, is something that I would risk anything for.
It is a tangible reminder of where we come from and what we have lived through.
Look, my wife and son were killed in Poland before we could escape, the temple in Shanghai has been long in ruins, but this Torah has been reborn.
It has been resurrected.
You think I will let it get lost again? No, sir.
Well, if you wouldn't mind a slightly battered old private investigator tagging along, I would consider it an honor to help you in your search.
That would be fine.
Yeah, okay.
All right.
I expect I owe you one.
What's he mumbling about? He's not mumbling, he's saying his daily prayers.
Oh, come on.
You don't expect me to fall for that rabbi bit, do you? I mean, what are you doing with a Rab He is a rabbi.
He's got a cap on the back of his head.
It's not a cap, Rick, it's Will you just give me the address, please? If I would've known he was a rabbi, I mean, I would've had a Bible here, or at least I would've straightened the office up and made it look more appropriate.
Rick, the address.
Okay.
You know, do me a favor.
Next time, when you give me the details, at least give me a little bit more than, "The big van was painted the same color "as the boys' locker room in junior high," will you? Here.
You don't have to whisper.
He knows about the case.
Oi, do I know it.
But, Thomas, there's one thing I don't understand.
How do you know that the van was rented? Because most of those rental trucks have those mileage counters on the rear wheels to prevent cheating.
Oh.
I've learnt something.
But, you know, I'm sure that those rental agency people will be very much impressed by your observation.
I don't know what you're talking about, pal, and I don't care.
We only got two trucks like you're describing, and I would've known either one of them went out, 'cause I would've dispatched them.
There is a saying I've heard, sir.
"Sometimes a child has a mind of his own, even if forbidden by the parent.
" What's he talking about? Mechanic to the loading dock.
The mechanic to the front loading dock.
Look, all we wanna do is talk to anybody who worked the yard yesterday.
Maybe look at those two trucks that you mentioned, and see if one of them has a little red paint on it, that's all.
Sure.
Why not? It's no skin off of my nose.
Hey, Vic! Get your butt in here.
These guys want to know about a van and a pickup.
Hold it! Freeze! Police! What the hell are you doing here? Gesundheit.
A stolen Torah? Come on, Magnum, you can do better than that.
Well, strange as it sounds, he's telling you the truth.
Two guys in a van ambush you, steal a Torah, and stash it at a truck-rental agency? It's a van and a pickup.
Magnum, I'm in no mood to play games.
I got four officers out with this damn flu.
And I personally feel like I've been dragged over the Hana Road after a flood.
Don't aggravate me.
Just answer my questions.
What were you doing at Rent-a-Junker? We just wanted to talk to this kid, Vic Makula, about the stolen Torah.
- Lieutenant.
I don't wanna hear anymore about stolen Torahs.
All right, it looks like you actually did file a report on the stolen Torah.
Forgive me, Lieutenant, but may I ask, what were you doing there? I'm afraid that's official police business, Rabbi.
Well, I certainly would not want to interfere with official police business.
I only asked because Thomas here thought that you might be able to give us some information.
I just thought you might be able to give us something on Vic Makula.
If I had anything on him, what makes you think I could give it to you? Oh, Lieutenant, you're not a well man.
If I may make a suggestion I know.
Chicken soup, right? No, actually, chicken soup has never worked very well for me.
And from what I read of the canned variety, with the chemicals and all, it's worse than the cold itself.
No, I have always liked some hot peppermint schnapps, together with the juice of two limes and a teaspoonful of baking soda.
It works every time.
Here, I'll write it down for you.
You say it works every time? Well, most times.
But if you take enough, you don't care so much that you are sick.
That's very nice of you.
If there's nothing else, then we won't trouble you any further.
Rabbi, wait a minute.
A few weeks ago, we got wind that a major international smuggling ring had added a Honolulu leg to its circuit.
But then, after hundreds of man-hours of work, not much else surfaced.
Until? Until yesterday.
Interpol cabled us information that led us to this car-and-truck-rental agency, and to Vic Makula in particular.
So, the smugglers were using the rental agency for transportation? That's what we figured.
But we'd only had the place staked out for two hours, and the two of you showed up and blew the whole thing.
Now, Makula's tipped off.
Gesundheit.
Thank you.
Rabbi, I'm only telling you all of this so you'll understand these smugglers are dangerous.
That's why homicide is on the case.
We know of at least two murders here in Honolulu alone.
So, be careful where you step, huh? Thank you, Lieutenant, for your concern, and aloha.
Shalom, Rabbi.
Shalom.
I'll put some pressure on the boys downstairs about your Torah.
Magnum, here's all the stuff the police garage crew took out of the Ferrari.
Thanks.
I heard there's a lot of body damage.
Higgins should be real pleased about that.
Here's your glasses, Rabbi.
Those are not mine.
How would you like to take a little trip down to Honolulu's merchant district? That was terrible, what somebody did to your shop.
This is great.
Is this you, Doctor? One of my last fights, over 20 years ago.
I keep that there to remind me of why I became an optician.
I take it you are the one receiving the punch.
You take it right, uncle.
Now, what is this information I'm supposed to be interested in? I was wondering if you ever seen those before? Of course.
I made them.
That's what I used to do here.
We were hoping you could tell us for whom.
Well, if I had my files, it'd be no problem.
I could look up the frame registration number.
Can you imagine? They come in here, they do this, and all they take are my files.
Who'd want files? You think these belong to the guy that broke into my store? Yes, it's possible.
If I ever get my hands on him, he'll need more than glasses, I can promise you that.
Just look at them.
I mean, this lens here is ground real thick and the other one's perfectly clear.
Isn't that unusual? Not in this shop.
I do a lot of work for the Cauliflower Club.
You know, old boxers down on their luck.
I give them a big price break on glasses.
Over the years, I've ground a lot of lenses like these, for guys blinded in one eye from punches or whatever.
And you don't keep a duplicate set of files? No, not really.
Wait a minute.
Unless he paid cash.
Hey, if I made these for who I'm thinking of.
Ah, here it is.
I remember him now.
A skinhead, mean left jab.
Got blinded in his right eye in his last fight.
T.
C: Yeah, in his prime, that Dick Ling packed quite a wallop.
Sort of like my Uncle Roland's Bayou Blaster chili.
Oh, what a wonderful aroma.
Maui onions, if I don't miss my guess.
Yeah, that's right.
Oh, you got to chop up about six big ones real fine.
And then, stir them thoroughly into the chili.
Naturally.
Guys, do you think you could swap recipes after we find Dick Ling? Hmm? Well, like I said, Dick Ling was real good.
Probably could've been world class.
He was Island Featherweight Champ, as it was.
But then he ran into this 18-year-old kid, a real buzzsaw.
Man, this kid cut Dick Ling up so bad, the doctors were lucky to save even one eye.
You know, you got to keep the cooking temperature constant.
That is why stirring is so important.
T.
C.
, if I had kept stirring yesterday, no one would have been able to pick up Rabbi Solomon at the airport.
Then Uncle Roland's chili would've been wasted on a culinary rookie like me.
Instead, you have a real gourmet here.
Please, Thomas, I'm anything but a gourmet.
Come on, don't be so modest, Rabbi.
How many people could recognize Maui onions? So, don't you think it worked out for the best, T.
C? Well, I sure do.
So, what about Dick Ling? I talked to this sports writer buddy of mine.
He said that Ling was working at a meat-packing plant downtown.
Some guy named Shelby gives ex-cons a break, hires them there.
That is most commendable.
Yeah.
Cheaper, too.
The state subsidizes them.
Oh, Rabbi.
Come here.
Look.
Ah, what a wonderful aroma.
So, our Mr.
Ling is an ex-convict? Yeah, armed robbery.
Mmm, mmm.
It's almost done.
You are going to love this chili, Rabbi.
Oh, I'm certain I would if I were only permitted to eat it.
What do you mean, if you were permitted to Oh, it's not kosher.
But please, T.
C.
, you and Thomas eat, enjoy.
The chili smells delicious.
Don't mind me.
No, Ling's shift is probably up by now.
If we're gonna go, we better go now.
I'll see you later, T.
C.
Keep stirring.
It's that late already? Oh, wait, wait a minute, Thomas.
Hey, I got little league practice in 20 minutes.
You can't I need you to stir.
Are you Dick Ling? How'd you find me? Hey, now, just Wait a minute.
We just want Over there! Take it easy.
Come on, move it.
No funny stuff, now.
Get in.
Ah, he must have jammed the handle.
There's got to be a floor pedal or an emergency release or something, somewhere.
We have a saying.
"If you're in the dark, you can't see what's in the light.
"But if you're in the light, you can't see what's in the" Actually, I'm not certain that this saying applies here.
I like it anyway.
Here, Thomas, have a coat.
I think you must be freezing.
No, no.
We're not gonna be here that long.
You know, this is the first time I've been properly dressed since I arrived in Hawaii.
That's quite an idea.
There we go.
Here we are.
All right.
Now One, two, three.
It's unlatched, but it won't open.
He must've blocked the door with something.
Thomas, there's a bright side here.
If Mr.
Ling has blocked the door shut, then it has to mean that he's not standing out there with a gun waiting for us.
That's a very good deduction, Rabbi.
Let's try this again.
Yes, but this time you have to put your heart into it.
You have to have faith.
Wait a minute.
Amen! Gesundheit.
All right, Magnum, you're off the hook again.
Ballistics says the.
38 they found you with was not the gun that killed Ling.
Wait a minute, what do you mean I'm off the hook? Didn't you guys shoot Ling? Don't be ridiculous.
They just answered an anonymous shots-fired call in, and found you and the Rabbi there with Ling's body.
They're checking both bullets against the one that killed Vic Makula.
Makula's dead, too? Fished his body out of the Ala Wai this morning.
What a horrible waste of youth.
Believe me, Lieutenant, Thomas and I are just as puzzled as you.
I guess we're back to square one.
Well, yeah.
I mean, unless we could find out who the gun that killed Ling was registered to.
I mean, that would be a place for us to start.
Now, wait a minute.
It didn't belong to Dick Ling? No.
Ex-cons can't own firearms.
You know I can't give you that information.
We couldn't ask the Lieutenant to give us that, no.
I'm sure it would be against regulations.
That's right.
- Yeah, yeah.
But regulations could be bent.
I mean, as long as nobody got hurt.
If it would lead us a step closer to finding the Torah.
Maybe even Ling's killer.
That's police business.
- No, we can't ask.
- No.
Good.
I will just have to accept the fact that the sacred Torah, symbol of faith and courage of countless generations of my people, has been irrevocably lost, under the nose of Hawaii's finest detective.
Excuse me.
I left something in the copy room.
I'll be right back.
I'll be right back.
Well, Thomas, what's our next move? A surprise visit to Shelby.
But, if as Lieutenant Tanaka says, he has already been cleared of the Ling murder.
Yeah, well, Ling was carrying a gun registered to Shelby, Ling works at Shelby's factory, and Ling was one of the guys who attacked us and took the Torah.
I would think that Shelby might know something about that.
Yes.
So, it appears that things are starting to go our way.
Oh, don't worry, Thomas.
I'll have it fixed in no time.
If you can find me a jack.
Oh, that's okay, Rabbi.
You just get the next one.
Oh, all right.
Maybe a story could make the task seem faster.
You know something? You know what I would like to hear is how you and Higgins met.
I couldn't.
No.
Jonathan doesn't like to have the story repeated.
Oh, I don't think he'd mind you telling me.
All right.
It's a good story.
It was in Palestine, after the war.
You know that Palestine was then ruled by the British, and for Jews, it was impossible for them to emigrate.
They wouldn't allow it.
Naturally, it didn't stop us.
Naturally.
A few of my friends and I, we liberated a lifeboat from that tramp steamer that we were on, and under cover of night, we rowed all the way to the shore.
When we got there, there was a British patrol standing there.
Higgins.
What could we do? Row out into the sea? Jump into the water? You must understand that the British had a standing order to shoot on sight.
Well, we landed the boat and put our fate in the hands of God.
We sat there for what seemed like an eternity.
I was looking straight into that British soldier's face.
I could see the struggle in his eyes.
And all of a sudden, he made a smart left turn, as if he never saw us.
And walked away, leaving us free to scatter into the dark, to freedom.
So, Higgins disobeyed a direct standing order.
Years later, it was in London, on Trafalgar Square, right outside the museum.
I see a face in the crowd.
I get goose pimples all over.
My palms begin to sweat.
I wanted to throw my arms around him and thank him.
He must've thought I was meshugge! I said, "You were in Palestine!" He said, "Yes.
" This, that, the other thing, I said, "How could a British soldier disobey a standing order?" And he answered, very calmly, you know how he speaks.
He said, "I was obeying a higher law "that does not permit me to shoot "unarmed refugees looking for a home.
" A little piece of that Torah will always belong to Jonathan Higgins.
Torah? Who would steal a Torah? Well, that's why we're here, Mr.
Shelby.
We were kind of hoping you could help us figure that out.
If I may make a suggestion, Mr.
Shelby.
If you keep your left foot square with the line of the ball, keep your head down, and follow through, you'll have much more success.
Yeah? Mmm-hmm.
Hmm.
Thanks for the tip.
Not at all.
Now, perhaps you'd like to return the favor? Maybe.
What do you have in mind? We were wondering, Mr.
Shelby, why you would give a man with Mr.
Ling's background access to your handgun? Believe me, I didn't.
Ling stole the gun out of my office drawer, and I don't use it, so I never realized it was missing.
I wouldn't trust Dick Ling with a gun or much of anything else, for that matter.
Yeah, but you gave him a job.
Sure I did.
I give a lot of ex-cons jobs.
Got to give them a helping hand.
I know it's tough for them out there.
But I also know which ones to trust.
Now, you'll have to pardon me, I'm afraid, because I have a very important golf date.
With my banker, no less.
Now, please, hang around, enjoy yourselves.
Have a drink if you'd like.
Bye-bye, now.
Don't wait up for me.
I don't trust that man.
I'm sorry, but I don't.
Thomas, please pull over and stop the car.
What's wrong? Thomas, please, stop the car.
Pull over, please.
There, now stop.
All right.
Thank you.
Wait a minute, Rabbi, what's the matter? It's almost sundown, and our Sabbath is about to begin.
Our tradition does not permit me to ride in the car on the Sabbath.
I'll see you over at the estate.
But that's over two miles.
You can't walk all that way.
I'm not an invalid, thank you.
You see, the Sabbath is a pillar of our faith, and we're obligated to honor the day and keep it holy.
I'll see you over at the estate.
Wait a minute! I'll walk with you.
Here, Rabbi.
Amen.
Amen.
Rabbi Solomon, Mr.
Magnum, are you all right? I think so.
I don't suppose you know anything about that explosion? No.
What do you mean? Come on, Miss Chou, you've been following us around all day.
Now, that could be a huge coincidence, but somehow I doubt it.
It is not what you think.
Would you please get into the car? That is very gracious, Miss Chou, but the Sabbath has begun, and I'm not permitted to ride in a car on the Sabbath.
Rabbi, I must insist you accept my invitation.
If you want your Torah back, you must come with me.
We have many thing to discuss, including how you smuggled the Shen Wa rubies into this country.
The Shen Wa's rubies are among my country's most treasured and valuable historical antiquities.
And you accuse me of smuggling them out of Taiwan? I could never do such a terrible thing.
You simply do not understand my feeling about the legacy of our past.
I think maybe I do.
Do you see this? It's over 600 years old, from the Ming dynasty.
Just touching it gives me a feeling of being connected.
A direct link to my ancestors.
That's very nice.
Is that why you put a bomb in our car? Mr.
Magnum, if I had wanted to kill you, you must admit, I could have done it before this.
Over the last few years, many precious antiquities have disappeared from our museum.
Gems, pictures, statues, and many other objets d'art.
All of which brave men like my own father risked their lives to rescue out of the mainland before Mao's cultural purge destroyed them forever.
We have tried desperately to find the men responsible for this terrible loss.
And until recently, we have failed.
So, you see, Rabbi, I do understand how you feel.
You said, "Until recently.
" That must mean that you know who they are.
One of them.
Their contact in Taiwan.
And that was the same man who arranged for your Torah to be returned to you with the Shen Wa rubies inside.
What we didn't know is, who was on this side? Who was going to receive the stolen gems? So, you knew about the smuggling operation and you let it happen.
We had to get to the key man, and we thought that if we exchanged the rubies with copies and follow them And you didn't think it was all that important to tell the Rabbi that the Torah and his life was in danger? We never meant to lose sight of the Torah, and I'm terribly sorry it is lost.
Well, the important thing is to get the Torah back.
We have heard a rumor that a buyer is in Honolulu, and tonight he will see the rubies.
And I had hoped that perhaps you would find out where the location is going to be.
And perhaps we could stop the smugglers and retrieve the Torah.
Will you help us? What could it hurt? Why should we? We have a saying, "In order to learn from the past, "a man must forgive it.
" Thank you.
We have the same saying.
We have a saying, too.
"Once burned, twice shy.
" T.
C: What makes you think Shelby put a bomb in your car? And give me my gun out of the glove compartment.
Deduction.
It wasn't there when we left the police department.
That we know for sure.
Yeah.
And so, naturally, you couldn't call the police.
I didn't say that I couldn't call the police, T.
C.
What I said was, if Mia Chou's information was correct, the exchange would take place about midnight.
And they couldn't have a search warrant by then.
Right.
That's what I said.
Yeah.
Even if the guy even has the jewels.
Well, if he didn't have the jewels, then why would he kill Ling and Makula? The two people who could have led us to them.
Deduction.
Deductions.
T.
C: Thomas, look.
Okay, Rabbi, you wait here for half an hour.
If we're not out, call Tanaka.
Do you have a plan? Of course we have a plan.
Sort of.
It's locked.
Rabbi.
I couldn't wait in the car.
Don't make me ask again, Shelby.
Where are the rubies? The Torah, what are they doing to the Torah? Shh, they might hear us.
They'll hear you better inside.
Drop them.
Good work.
Well, Magnum, may I be so bold as to ask what you're doing here? Well, we were just trying to make sure you wouldn't cut us out of the rubies deal, and from the looks of things, that's exactly what you're trying to do.
Shelby, what is this stupid game you're trying to pull? These gems are all counterfeit.
What? What are you talking about? Look.
I told you they wouldn't fall for it, Shelby.
You shut up! Yeah, we tried to warn him.
Don't listen to them.
These rubies can't be fake.
I've had that Torah ever since it got to Hawaii.
Well, what're you pulling a gun for? Look.
Rabbi, you remember what they say? "If you're in the dark, you can see what's in the light, "but if you're in the light, you can't see what's in the dark.
" They have been in my control ever since they got here.
What the hell? Mr.
Magnum, I want to thank you for all your help, and for referring me to Lieutenant Tanaka.
Thank you.
Yeah, but, Magnum, next time you get into a mess like this, don't expect me to bail you out again.
And just as I was about to close the deal, this sniveling reporter from American Star magazine tricked Wallen into signing with them.
It took every ounce of wile in me to extract a promise from them to donate part of their royalties to the Children's Hospital.
I mean, I'm most exhausted.
You missed the turn.
No, I didn't.
Where are we going? Magnum? Your friend, Asher Solomon, has something he'd like to tell you.
Jonathan, come here.
Abraham Pressman.
I don't understand.
There's no reason why you should.
But 40 years ago, this Abraham was on a jammed, leaking lifeboat off the coast of Palestine.
Abraham, together with 20 homeless Jews, including myself.
Fortunately for Abraham, and for me, and for the others, we landed on a beach in Palestine that was patrolled by a British soldier called Jonathan Quayle Higgins.
Oi, Abraham and I go back many years.
Shanghai.
Yes, he died.
He passed away on a visit to his family before I recovered the Torah.
I wanted you to be here at the time when I shared it with him.
Asher, I'm deeply touched.
But bringing the Torah into a cemetery I know, is against the highest Jewish tradition, but after all this Torah has been through, I think the good Lord above will forgive us.
Abraham, Avremele, this is for you, and for all of you, my friends.
And now, we will take this Torah to the living.
L'Chaim, Jonathan.
L'Chaim, Asher.
You.
Goodbye, Abraham.
This Torah, this piece of parchment, is something that I would risk anything for.
I don't wanna hear anymore about stolen Torahs.
Do you have a plan? Of course, we have a plan.
It appears that things are starting to go our way.
T.
C: Maybe a little more hot sauce.
More hot sauce.
Mmm-hmm.
Don't you think you ought to taste it first? Mmm-mmm.
A truly great chef can identify the missing ingredients merely by smell.
Can I? Magnum, I need you to drive to the airport and meet Flight 42 from Taipei.
It arrives at 2:05, and if you leave immediately, you'll be on time.
A very dear friend of mine, Asher Solomon, is arriving.
Naturally, I had planned to pick him up myself.
But unfortunately, I received an urgent telephone call from Mr.
Masters regarding some business I need to take care of for him on the North Shore.
I don't have time to go over the details.
Suffice it to say that I wouldn't ask this of you unless it were absolutely necessary.
Maybe a dash more hot sauce.
I hope I can count on you to help me out in this emergency.
No! Magnum, I have no time for your childish obstinance.
My God, what is that odor? Higgie baby, you are talking about my Uncle Roland's original Creole Flaming Bayou Blaster chili.
Wanna try a little taste? Not without a paramedic in attendance.
Well, you don't know what you're missing.
Oh, hey, I gotta go.
Thomas.
Look, I'll be back after my charter.
You've got to stir that chili constantly for two hours.
Two hours? Yes.
And then prepare yourself for a culinary event.
Oh.
Whatever you do, don't quit stirring, or else you'll end up with Creole cement.
Later, Higgie baby.
Cement.
And chili.
Genuine Creole bayou.
Magnum, I very seldom ask a favor of you, but this is very important to me.
In all honesty, there is no one else I would trust to pick up my old, dear friend, Asher Solomon.
Will you go? Will you stir? I can't.
Flight 42 from Taipei now arriving at Gate 27.
I was all the way to the airport before I realized Higgins had left without telling me what Asher Solomon looked like.
I figured I'd have to improvise.
Mr.
Yamashiro to a white courtesy phone.
Mr.
Yamashiro to a white courtesy phone.
Aloha.
Hello.
I am Rabbi Asher Solomon.
Welcome to Hawaii.
At first, I was really annoyed with Higgins for not telling me Asher Solomon was a Rabbi.
But as we drove along, I realized I couldn't stay annoyed at Higgins or anybody else with Rabbi Solomon around.
It wasn't exactly the stories he told, though, as he talked, I almost felt I'd been there with him as he fled from Poland to Shanghai, fought with the Haganah in Israel, coached the Maccabiah soccer team in New York.
But more than that, he just had a knack for making you like him.
I've been thinking, Thomas, of the Polynesians.
Journeying over vast stretches of this beautiful and often treacherous Pacific Ocean in open boats no bigger than this car, seeking paradise as foretold by their god.
Not unlike the early Hebrews.
Traveling in the desert, wandering there, looking for the Promised Land, for the land of Canaan.
Or even the European Jews seeking refuge in Shanghai in 1945? Ah, yes, Shanghai.
Nice, beautiful people.
It was a refuge of peace, until the Japanese set up the munitions dumps and the Allies came and bombed.
The temple was destroyed.
It was laid in waste completely.
And this poor Torah was buried under the rubble.
Oh, but that's all the past.
It's history.
Now, to be here, in Hawaii, for a reunion with the many families who came from Shanghai.
And this poor Torah that we gave up for lost, returned to us by the Taiwanese Department of Antiquities.
Perhaps he needs assistance.
Maybe.
Hold it.
Don't move.
Hey! What's going on here? Come on! Let's go! You all right? The Torah.
That filthy pig took my Torah.
I was shocked to hear of this senseless, violent act, and I take personal responsibility for your tragic loss.
Please, Miss Chou, it was nobody's fault.
No, no.
If I had met you at the airport perhaps none of this would have happened.
I regret that other obligations kept me away.
If it weren't for you and your friends in the Department of Antiquities, the Torah would never have been found or turned over to me in the first place.
But I cannot believe that God has brought us this far only to have the Torah lost again.
So, I thank you for your concern and I thank you for your generosity in bringing the car for me to use.
It is the least we could do.
Well, I'm afraid I must be on my way.
Good night, Rabbi.
Good night.
I do hope you feel better.
Nice meeting you.
Good night, Mr.
Higgins.
Good night.
Good night.
Drive carefully.
Honestly, Magnum.
How could you allow something like this to happen? Me? I was the one doing the favor, remember? If you hadn't been chasing around the North Shore trying to track down some art forger-mercenary-soldier Frank What's-his-name? Franz Wallen, and I was hardly chasing.
I was sent by Mr.
Masters to find the man and secure the rights to his life story before he sold them to someone else.
Gentlemen The proceeds from the sale of a best seller based upon his life would have insured construction of a desperately needed new wing at the Children's Hospital.
Fine, that's just fine, Higgins, but the least you could've done is warn me I'd be walking into a potentially dangerous situation.
Gentlemen I would think that, in your line of work, you would keep an eye out for that sort of thing.
Gentlemen, please, you're giving me a headache.
Now, Thomas, there is no way you could have known that somebody organizing a very clever plan to steal the Torah.
And Jonathan, even if you had been there, there was nothing you could have done that Thomas did not do.
Perhaps you're right.
What do the police have to say? They said they'd do their best.
Well, why should a piece of parchment and some ink be of any importance to them? No importance at all.
But now, I have a car.
I will track down the Torah.
Magnum and I will go with you.
No, no, you still have this Franz Wallen to find, and the children need their hospital.
You must not worry about me.
But you know nothing of Honolulu, or of tracking down criminals, for that matter.
Mmm, I could learn.
With all due respect, if I am not for myself, who will be? Look, I'm afraid it's just not that easy.
Even if you happen to stumble on these thieves, you could get hurt.
Hurt? Pish-posh.
You must realize that this Torah, this piece of parchment, is something that I would risk anything for.
It is a tangible reminder of where we come from and what we have lived through.
Look, my wife and son were killed in Poland before we could escape, the temple in Shanghai has been long in ruins, but this Torah has been reborn.
It has been resurrected.
You think I will let it get lost again? No, sir.
Well, if you wouldn't mind a slightly battered old private investigator tagging along, I would consider it an honor to help you in your search.
That would be fine.
Yeah, okay.
All right.
I expect I owe you one.
What's he mumbling about? He's not mumbling, he's saying his daily prayers.
Oh, come on.
You don't expect me to fall for that rabbi bit, do you? I mean, what are you doing with a Rab He is a rabbi.
He's got a cap on the back of his head.
It's not a cap, Rick, it's Will you just give me the address, please? If I would've known he was a rabbi, I mean, I would've had a Bible here, or at least I would've straightened the office up and made it look more appropriate.
Rick, the address.
Okay.
You know, do me a favor.
Next time, when you give me the details, at least give me a little bit more than, "The big van was painted the same color "as the boys' locker room in junior high," will you? Here.
You don't have to whisper.
He knows about the case.
Oi, do I know it.
But, Thomas, there's one thing I don't understand.
How do you know that the van was rented? Because most of those rental trucks have those mileage counters on the rear wheels to prevent cheating.
Oh.
I've learnt something.
But, you know, I'm sure that those rental agency people will be very much impressed by your observation.
I don't know what you're talking about, pal, and I don't care.
We only got two trucks like you're describing, and I would've known either one of them went out, 'cause I would've dispatched them.
There is a saying I've heard, sir.
"Sometimes a child has a mind of his own, even if forbidden by the parent.
" What's he talking about? Mechanic to the loading dock.
The mechanic to the front loading dock.
Look, all we wanna do is talk to anybody who worked the yard yesterday.
Maybe look at those two trucks that you mentioned, and see if one of them has a little red paint on it, that's all.
Sure.
Why not? It's no skin off of my nose.
Hey, Vic! Get your butt in here.
These guys want to know about a van and a pickup.
Hold it! Freeze! Police! What the hell are you doing here? Gesundheit.
A stolen Torah? Come on, Magnum, you can do better than that.
Well, strange as it sounds, he's telling you the truth.
Two guys in a van ambush you, steal a Torah, and stash it at a truck-rental agency? It's a van and a pickup.
Magnum, I'm in no mood to play games.
I got four officers out with this damn flu.
And I personally feel like I've been dragged over the Hana Road after a flood.
Don't aggravate me.
Just answer my questions.
What were you doing at Rent-a-Junker? We just wanted to talk to this kid, Vic Makula, about the stolen Torah.
- Lieutenant.
I don't wanna hear anymore about stolen Torahs.
All right, it looks like you actually did file a report on the stolen Torah.
Forgive me, Lieutenant, but may I ask, what were you doing there? I'm afraid that's official police business, Rabbi.
Well, I certainly would not want to interfere with official police business.
I only asked because Thomas here thought that you might be able to give us some information.
I just thought you might be able to give us something on Vic Makula.
If I had anything on him, what makes you think I could give it to you? Oh, Lieutenant, you're not a well man.
If I may make a suggestion I know.
Chicken soup, right? No, actually, chicken soup has never worked very well for me.
And from what I read of the canned variety, with the chemicals and all, it's worse than the cold itself.
No, I have always liked some hot peppermint schnapps, together with the juice of two limes and a teaspoonful of baking soda.
It works every time.
Here, I'll write it down for you.
You say it works every time? Well, most times.
But if you take enough, you don't care so much that you are sick.
That's very nice of you.
If there's nothing else, then we won't trouble you any further.
Rabbi, wait a minute.
A few weeks ago, we got wind that a major international smuggling ring had added a Honolulu leg to its circuit.
But then, after hundreds of man-hours of work, not much else surfaced.
Until? Until yesterday.
Interpol cabled us information that led us to this car-and-truck-rental agency, and to Vic Makula in particular.
So, the smugglers were using the rental agency for transportation? That's what we figured.
But we'd only had the place staked out for two hours, and the two of you showed up and blew the whole thing.
Now, Makula's tipped off.
Gesundheit.
Thank you.
Rabbi, I'm only telling you all of this so you'll understand these smugglers are dangerous.
That's why homicide is on the case.
We know of at least two murders here in Honolulu alone.
So, be careful where you step, huh? Thank you, Lieutenant, for your concern, and aloha.
Shalom, Rabbi.
Shalom.
I'll put some pressure on the boys downstairs about your Torah.
Magnum, here's all the stuff the police garage crew took out of the Ferrari.
Thanks.
I heard there's a lot of body damage.
Higgins should be real pleased about that.
Here's your glasses, Rabbi.
Those are not mine.
How would you like to take a little trip down to Honolulu's merchant district? That was terrible, what somebody did to your shop.
This is great.
Is this you, Doctor? One of my last fights, over 20 years ago.
I keep that there to remind me of why I became an optician.
I take it you are the one receiving the punch.
You take it right, uncle.
Now, what is this information I'm supposed to be interested in? I was wondering if you ever seen those before? Of course.
I made them.
That's what I used to do here.
We were hoping you could tell us for whom.
Well, if I had my files, it'd be no problem.
I could look up the frame registration number.
Can you imagine? They come in here, they do this, and all they take are my files.
Who'd want files? You think these belong to the guy that broke into my store? Yes, it's possible.
If I ever get my hands on him, he'll need more than glasses, I can promise you that.
Just look at them.
I mean, this lens here is ground real thick and the other one's perfectly clear.
Isn't that unusual? Not in this shop.
I do a lot of work for the Cauliflower Club.
You know, old boxers down on their luck.
I give them a big price break on glasses.
Over the years, I've ground a lot of lenses like these, for guys blinded in one eye from punches or whatever.
And you don't keep a duplicate set of files? No, not really.
Wait a minute.
Unless he paid cash.
Hey, if I made these for who I'm thinking of.
Ah, here it is.
I remember him now.
A skinhead, mean left jab.
Got blinded in his right eye in his last fight.
T.
C: Yeah, in his prime, that Dick Ling packed quite a wallop.
Sort of like my Uncle Roland's Bayou Blaster chili.
Oh, what a wonderful aroma.
Maui onions, if I don't miss my guess.
Yeah, that's right.
Oh, you got to chop up about six big ones real fine.
And then, stir them thoroughly into the chili.
Naturally.
Guys, do you think you could swap recipes after we find Dick Ling? Hmm? Well, like I said, Dick Ling was real good.
Probably could've been world class.
He was Island Featherweight Champ, as it was.
But then he ran into this 18-year-old kid, a real buzzsaw.
Man, this kid cut Dick Ling up so bad, the doctors were lucky to save even one eye.
You know, you got to keep the cooking temperature constant.
That is why stirring is so important.
T.
C.
, if I had kept stirring yesterday, no one would have been able to pick up Rabbi Solomon at the airport.
Then Uncle Roland's chili would've been wasted on a culinary rookie like me.
Instead, you have a real gourmet here.
Please, Thomas, I'm anything but a gourmet.
Come on, don't be so modest, Rabbi.
How many people could recognize Maui onions? So, don't you think it worked out for the best, T.
C? Well, I sure do.
So, what about Dick Ling? I talked to this sports writer buddy of mine.
He said that Ling was working at a meat-packing plant downtown.
Some guy named Shelby gives ex-cons a break, hires them there.
That is most commendable.
Yeah.
Cheaper, too.
The state subsidizes them.
Oh, Rabbi.
Come here.
Look.
Ah, what a wonderful aroma.
So, our Mr.
Ling is an ex-convict? Yeah, armed robbery.
Mmm, mmm.
It's almost done.
You are going to love this chili, Rabbi.
Oh, I'm certain I would if I were only permitted to eat it.
What do you mean, if you were permitted to Oh, it's not kosher.
But please, T.
C.
, you and Thomas eat, enjoy.
The chili smells delicious.
Don't mind me.
No, Ling's shift is probably up by now.
If we're gonna go, we better go now.
I'll see you later, T.
C.
Keep stirring.
It's that late already? Oh, wait, wait a minute, Thomas.
Hey, I got little league practice in 20 minutes.
You can't I need you to stir.
Are you Dick Ling? How'd you find me? Hey, now, just Wait a minute.
We just want Over there! Take it easy.
Come on, move it.
No funny stuff, now.
Get in.
Ah, he must have jammed the handle.
There's got to be a floor pedal or an emergency release or something, somewhere.
We have a saying.
"If you're in the dark, you can't see what's in the light.
"But if you're in the light, you can't see what's in the" Actually, I'm not certain that this saying applies here.
I like it anyway.
Here, Thomas, have a coat.
I think you must be freezing.
No, no.
We're not gonna be here that long.
You know, this is the first time I've been properly dressed since I arrived in Hawaii.
That's quite an idea.
There we go.
Here we are.
All right.
Now One, two, three.
It's unlatched, but it won't open.
He must've blocked the door with something.
Thomas, there's a bright side here.
If Mr.
Ling has blocked the door shut, then it has to mean that he's not standing out there with a gun waiting for us.
That's a very good deduction, Rabbi.
Let's try this again.
Yes, but this time you have to put your heart into it.
You have to have faith.
Wait a minute.
Amen! Gesundheit.
All right, Magnum, you're off the hook again.
Ballistics says the.
38 they found you with was not the gun that killed Ling.
Wait a minute, what do you mean I'm off the hook? Didn't you guys shoot Ling? Don't be ridiculous.
They just answered an anonymous shots-fired call in, and found you and the Rabbi there with Ling's body.
They're checking both bullets against the one that killed Vic Makula.
Makula's dead, too? Fished his body out of the Ala Wai this morning.
What a horrible waste of youth.
Believe me, Lieutenant, Thomas and I are just as puzzled as you.
I guess we're back to square one.
Well, yeah.
I mean, unless we could find out who the gun that killed Ling was registered to.
I mean, that would be a place for us to start.
Now, wait a minute.
It didn't belong to Dick Ling? No.
Ex-cons can't own firearms.
You know I can't give you that information.
We couldn't ask the Lieutenant to give us that, no.
I'm sure it would be against regulations.
That's right.
- Yeah, yeah.
But regulations could be bent.
I mean, as long as nobody got hurt.
If it would lead us a step closer to finding the Torah.
Maybe even Ling's killer.
That's police business.
- No, we can't ask.
- No.
Good.
I will just have to accept the fact that the sacred Torah, symbol of faith and courage of countless generations of my people, has been irrevocably lost, under the nose of Hawaii's finest detective.
Excuse me.
I left something in the copy room.
I'll be right back.
I'll be right back.
Well, Thomas, what's our next move? A surprise visit to Shelby.
But, if as Lieutenant Tanaka says, he has already been cleared of the Ling murder.
Yeah, well, Ling was carrying a gun registered to Shelby, Ling works at Shelby's factory, and Ling was one of the guys who attacked us and took the Torah.
I would think that Shelby might know something about that.
Yes.
So, it appears that things are starting to go our way.
Oh, don't worry, Thomas.
I'll have it fixed in no time.
If you can find me a jack.
Oh, that's okay, Rabbi.
You just get the next one.
Oh, all right.
Maybe a story could make the task seem faster.
You know something? You know what I would like to hear is how you and Higgins met.
I couldn't.
No.
Jonathan doesn't like to have the story repeated.
Oh, I don't think he'd mind you telling me.
All right.
It's a good story.
It was in Palestine, after the war.
You know that Palestine was then ruled by the British, and for Jews, it was impossible for them to emigrate.
They wouldn't allow it.
Naturally, it didn't stop us.
Naturally.
A few of my friends and I, we liberated a lifeboat from that tramp steamer that we were on, and under cover of night, we rowed all the way to the shore.
When we got there, there was a British patrol standing there.
Higgins.
What could we do? Row out into the sea? Jump into the water? You must understand that the British had a standing order to shoot on sight.
Well, we landed the boat and put our fate in the hands of God.
We sat there for what seemed like an eternity.
I was looking straight into that British soldier's face.
I could see the struggle in his eyes.
And all of a sudden, he made a smart left turn, as if he never saw us.
And walked away, leaving us free to scatter into the dark, to freedom.
So, Higgins disobeyed a direct standing order.
Years later, it was in London, on Trafalgar Square, right outside the museum.
I see a face in the crowd.
I get goose pimples all over.
My palms begin to sweat.
I wanted to throw my arms around him and thank him.
He must've thought I was meshugge! I said, "You were in Palestine!" He said, "Yes.
" This, that, the other thing, I said, "How could a British soldier disobey a standing order?" And he answered, very calmly, you know how he speaks.
He said, "I was obeying a higher law "that does not permit me to shoot "unarmed refugees looking for a home.
" A little piece of that Torah will always belong to Jonathan Higgins.
Torah? Who would steal a Torah? Well, that's why we're here, Mr.
Shelby.
We were kind of hoping you could help us figure that out.
If I may make a suggestion, Mr.
Shelby.
If you keep your left foot square with the line of the ball, keep your head down, and follow through, you'll have much more success.
Yeah? Mmm-hmm.
Hmm.
Thanks for the tip.
Not at all.
Now, perhaps you'd like to return the favor? Maybe.
What do you have in mind? We were wondering, Mr.
Shelby, why you would give a man with Mr.
Ling's background access to your handgun? Believe me, I didn't.
Ling stole the gun out of my office drawer, and I don't use it, so I never realized it was missing.
I wouldn't trust Dick Ling with a gun or much of anything else, for that matter.
Yeah, but you gave him a job.
Sure I did.
I give a lot of ex-cons jobs.
Got to give them a helping hand.
I know it's tough for them out there.
But I also know which ones to trust.
Now, you'll have to pardon me, I'm afraid, because I have a very important golf date.
With my banker, no less.
Now, please, hang around, enjoy yourselves.
Have a drink if you'd like.
Bye-bye, now.
Don't wait up for me.
I don't trust that man.
I'm sorry, but I don't.
Thomas, please pull over and stop the car.
What's wrong? Thomas, please, stop the car.
Pull over, please.
There, now stop.
All right.
Thank you.
Wait a minute, Rabbi, what's the matter? It's almost sundown, and our Sabbath is about to begin.
Our tradition does not permit me to ride in the car on the Sabbath.
I'll see you over at the estate.
But that's over two miles.
You can't walk all that way.
I'm not an invalid, thank you.
You see, the Sabbath is a pillar of our faith, and we're obligated to honor the day and keep it holy.
I'll see you over at the estate.
Wait a minute! I'll walk with you.
Here, Rabbi.
Amen.
Amen.
Rabbi Solomon, Mr.
Magnum, are you all right? I think so.
I don't suppose you know anything about that explosion? No.
What do you mean? Come on, Miss Chou, you've been following us around all day.
Now, that could be a huge coincidence, but somehow I doubt it.
It is not what you think.
Would you please get into the car? That is very gracious, Miss Chou, but the Sabbath has begun, and I'm not permitted to ride in a car on the Sabbath.
Rabbi, I must insist you accept my invitation.
If you want your Torah back, you must come with me.
We have many thing to discuss, including how you smuggled the Shen Wa rubies into this country.
The Shen Wa's rubies are among my country's most treasured and valuable historical antiquities.
And you accuse me of smuggling them out of Taiwan? I could never do such a terrible thing.
You simply do not understand my feeling about the legacy of our past.
I think maybe I do.
Do you see this? It's over 600 years old, from the Ming dynasty.
Just touching it gives me a feeling of being connected.
A direct link to my ancestors.
That's very nice.
Is that why you put a bomb in our car? Mr.
Magnum, if I had wanted to kill you, you must admit, I could have done it before this.
Over the last few years, many precious antiquities have disappeared from our museum.
Gems, pictures, statues, and many other objets d'art.
All of which brave men like my own father risked their lives to rescue out of the mainland before Mao's cultural purge destroyed them forever.
We have tried desperately to find the men responsible for this terrible loss.
And until recently, we have failed.
So, you see, Rabbi, I do understand how you feel.
You said, "Until recently.
" That must mean that you know who they are.
One of them.
Their contact in Taiwan.
And that was the same man who arranged for your Torah to be returned to you with the Shen Wa rubies inside.
What we didn't know is, who was on this side? Who was going to receive the stolen gems? So, you knew about the smuggling operation and you let it happen.
We had to get to the key man, and we thought that if we exchanged the rubies with copies and follow them And you didn't think it was all that important to tell the Rabbi that the Torah and his life was in danger? We never meant to lose sight of the Torah, and I'm terribly sorry it is lost.
Well, the important thing is to get the Torah back.
We have heard a rumor that a buyer is in Honolulu, and tonight he will see the rubies.
And I had hoped that perhaps you would find out where the location is going to be.
And perhaps we could stop the smugglers and retrieve the Torah.
Will you help us? What could it hurt? Why should we? We have a saying, "In order to learn from the past, "a man must forgive it.
" Thank you.
We have the same saying.
We have a saying, too.
"Once burned, twice shy.
" T.
C: What makes you think Shelby put a bomb in your car? And give me my gun out of the glove compartment.
Deduction.
It wasn't there when we left the police department.
That we know for sure.
Yeah.
And so, naturally, you couldn't call the police.
I didn't say that I couldn't call the police, T.
C.
What I said was, if Mia Chou's information was correct, the exchange would take place about midnight.
And they couldn't have a search warrant by then.
Right.
That's what I said.
Yeah.
Even if the guy even has the jewels.
Well, if he didn't have the jewels, then why would he kill Ling and Makula? The two people who could have led us to them.
Deduction.
Deductions.
T.
C: Thomas, look.
Okay, Rabbi, you wait here for half an hour.
If we're not out, call Tanaka.
Do you have a plan? Of course we have a plan.
Sort of.
It's locked.
Rabbi.
I couldn't wait in the car.
Don't make me ask again, Shelby.
Where are the rubies? The Torah, what are they doing to the Torah? Shh, they might hear us.
They'll hear you better inside.
Drop them.
Good work.
Well, Magnum, may I be so bold as to ask what you're doing here? Well, we were just trying to make sure you wouldn't cut us out of the rubies deal, and from the looks of things, that's exactly what you're trying to do.
Shelby, what is this stupid game you're trying to pull? These gems are all counterfeit.
What? What are you talking about? Look.
I told you they wouldn't fall for it, Shelby.
You shut up! Yeah, we tried to warn him.
Don't listen to them.
These rubies can't be fake.
I've had that Torah ever since it got to Hawaii.
Well, what're you pulling a gun for? Look.
Rabbi, you remember what they say? "If you're in the dark, you can see what's in the light, "but if you're in the light, you can't see what's in the dark.
" They have been in my control ever since they got here.
What the hell? Mr.
Magnum, I want to thank you for all your help, and for referring me to Lieutenant Tanaka.
Thank you.
Yeah, but, Magnum, next time you get into a mess like this, don't expect me to bail you out again.
And just as I was about to close the deal, this sniveling reporter from American Star magazine tricked Wallen into signing with them.
It took every ounce of wile in me to extract a promise from them to donate part of their royalties to the Children's Hospital.
I mean, I'm most exhausted.
You missed the turn.
No, I didn't.
Where are we going? Magnum? Your friend, Asher Solomon, has something he'd like to tell you.
Jonathan, come here.
Abraham Pressman.
I don't understand.
There's no reason why you should.
But 40 years ago, this Abraham was on a jammed, leaking lifeboat off the coast of Palestine.
Abraham, together with 20 homeless Jews, including myself.
Fortunately for Abraham, and for me, and for the others, we landed on a beach in Palestine that was patrolled by a British soldier called Jonathan Quayle Higgins.
Oi, Abraham and I go back many years.
Shanghai.
Yes, he died.
He passed away on a visit to his family before I recovered the Torah.
I wanted you to be here at the time when I shared it with him.
Asher, I'm deeply touched.
But bringing the Torah into a cemetery I know, is against the highest Jewish tradition, but after all this Torah has been through, I think the good Lord above will forgive us.
Abraham, Avremele, this is for you, and for all of you, my friends.
And now, we will take this Torah to the living.
L'Chaim, Jonathan.
L'Chaim, Asher.
You.
Goodbye, Abraham.