Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980): Season 3, Episode 20 - The Gunrunner - full transcript

A group of masked men break into the home of an international arms dealer and kidnap his wife. McGarrett soon realizes the case is far more than a simple kidnapping - he's now involved with agents of a foreign civil war.

I understand, Mr. Van Droot.

Mr. Cunningham
told me to assure you

that you'll be paid
in full by the 30th.

Well, he's in negotiations now

on a pending deal.

No, I don't know
when to expect him.

Well, he's on his way
back from Hong Kong.

Well, thank you.

Goodbye, Mr. Van Droot.

A year ago, when
I had the corner

on those English mortars,



he was begging
me for my business.

Now it's cash on demand.

Oh, hello, sweetheart.

Hello, Hank.

Ben, you look exhausted.

Will it be much longer?

Oh, the last of the
shipment just came in.

I have to check them
into a warehouse.

It'll be a while.

Look, why don't you get
some rest and go to bed, huh?

But I feel guilty sleeping

while you stay
up half the night.

Claire,

if this deal doesn't go through,



Hank and I will go
back to flying charters.

I promise you.

Promises, promises.

But I wouldn't mind
that and you know it.

Don't be late.

Good night, Hank.

Good night, Mrs. Cunningham.

What was that?

What?

Ben? Claire!

Ben?

Hank, what happened?

Claire!

I don't believe it.

Hank, somebody took Claire.

They got away.

This one didn't.

The, uh, morgue
wagon left with the body

five minutes ago.

Any identification?

John Doe, Steve.

Male. Oriental.

But there were
markings on the shoe.

Some kind of a military issue.

Was it G.I.?

No, but the best I can make out,

the stamp was Malay.

Possible foreign national.

All right, Chin.

Let's find out who
he was the hard way.

Start with Immigration.

Three, maybe four men
broke into the house,

kidnapped the wife.

Cunningham got that
one on the way out.

About what time, Danno?

Hank Merrill says about 12:30.

There was a guard
patrolling the grounds.

Had a dog.

Somebody sneaked up behind him,

killed the dog.

They broke in from
around the back.

Got out with Mrs. Cunningham
through her window.

Weren't too quiet about it.

Four slugs so far.

Pretty crude. Desperate,
for a kidnapping.

Could have been hopped up.

Yeah.

Let's go talk with
Mr. Cunningham, huh?

My wife was downstairs,
alone in the bedroom.

Hank and I were up here working.

Look, McGarrett,
she's all I've got.

We didn't have any kids.

Has anyone contacted you?

No.

No ransom note? No phone call?

Uh-uh.

Mr. Cunningham, if you're
holding anything back

it's not gonna help your wife.

I told you all I know.

Is this the rifle you used?

Yes.

Dutch AR-10, isn't it?

Prototype of the M-15.

Only this one's better.

You were selling
these to someone,

weren't you, Mr. Cunningham?

That's right.

I'm an arms and
munitions dealer.

I buy and sell.

But within the law.

I never do business with
any embargoed countries.

And I pay for a separate license

for each and every
case of those that I ship.

Oh, I'm sure you do.

But in this, uh,
business that you're in,

you can make a few
enemies, can't you?

I guess so. I don't know.

I'm talking about
the kind of people

who might kidnap your wife.

Okay, so there are risks.

You can't avoid them.

Claire knew that.

I even wanted
her to go this time.

But she wouldn't leave.

This time? What do
you mean, this time?

Who are you dealing with?

I can't tell you that.

Mr. Cunningham,

do you want your
wife back alive or not?

Look, McGarrett,

every arms deal involves
the military security

of some country.

Now, that means secrecy for me.

And if I violate
that, I'm through.

Danno, we'll have Che Fong

run that through
the ballistics lab.

Have him check
it against the, uh,

slugs in the dead man.

Mr. Cunningham,

when you're ready to cooperate,

I wanna hear from you.

Meantime, it's my
job to find your wife,

with or without your help.

Ben, McGarrett is
a man who can help.

For Claire's sake,
please. Stay out of this.

Let me handle this
the best way I can.

Steve.

Court order for the phone tap.

Good. You set?

Just about. You'll have to

split the phone-company detail

with Chin and Kono.

Eight hours each,
around the clock.

If we get a trace,
we gotta move fast.

Right.

Got a photo of
Claire Cunningham.

Begrudging courtesy
of her husband.

Seems a decent sort of woman.

Loves her husband.

Doesn't like the
business he's in.

What about the
ballistics test on that rifle?

Checks. Che Fong
says the two slugs

came from Cunningham's AR-10.

It killed him instantly.

Okay, Danno. Get
some prints of this made.

Have H.P.D. distribute them.

Right.

I see.

Well, okay.

Thank you.

Nothing on the,
uh, phone tap yet.

What have you got, Chin?

We've identified
the dead man, Steve.

Name was Kemal Orajani.
Twenty-five years old.

Arrived here three weeks ago
from the island of Arasunda.

Arasunda?

Well, that explains it.

The island of Arasunda
is trying to break off

from the Malanesian Republic.

Separatist movement. Yeah.

Yeah, and separatists need
guns. And Cunningham sells guns.

That also explains the,
uh, commando-style raid

of the kidnapping.

Yeah, and Cunningham's
lack of cooperation.

He's guessing what
he may have to pay

to get his wife back.

And it isn't money.

All right, gentlemen, check
all shipping companies.

Airfreight, cargo
lines, everything.

There's a cache of arms
someplace on these islands

and I wanna know where they
are before Cunningham panics

and starts bargaining
with those people.

McGARRETT: Mr. Sangree,
we have reason to suspect

that some of your nationals
are threatening the life of

an American citizen
here in Honolulu.

Now, this man was involved.

Was? He's dead.

Our immigration records show

that he arrived from
Arasunda three weeks ago.

You have managed
to keep this incident

out of the newspapers.

So far.

You know of the
current difficulties

we are having with
the island of Arasunda?

Yes, I do.

But I'm an American
police officer

and my concern is with, uh,

maintaining law in this state.

Of course.

We also have a list
of, uh, your nationals

who arrived from
Arasunda in the last 60 days.

You need not
bother, Mr. McGarrett.

We will be happy to cooperate.

This is the man that
you are looking for.

You will not find his
name on your records.

Not his real name, at least.

He is Lieutenant Emir Kanjil.

As you might
imagine, Mr. McGarrett,

we have our own
sources of information.

Kanjil is an agent

for the Arasunda
Separatist Party.

The dead man was one of
a group under his command.

What are these
men doing in Hawaii?

Kanjil's mission
is to secure arms

for an illegal uprising.

Yes?

Mr. McGarrett, there is
a phone call for you, sir.

Oh, please. The black one.

McGarrett.

Steve, looks like we've
found the kidnap van.

Abandoned.

Yeah, the
transmission totaled out.

McGARRETT: Any prints?

Not yet. The lab
boys are still dusting.

There's some blood
inside the van, Steve.

They think maybe, uh,
from dragging her in.

Tell them to get
that blood typed

as soon as they can.

Get back to me.

What about the van,
Kono? Anything?

Yeah, checked
with Motor Vehicles.

Registered to a
man named Bajano.

Export-import
business. Resident alien.

Comes from the
island of Arasunda.

This is a capital crime.

We need facts and
we need them now.

What happened?

They came to my shop.

One of them was my cousin.

I hadn't see him in ten years.

Uh, they were all from... From
my home island, Arasunda.

The rest of them stayed outside.

Only my cousin came in.

They wanted to use my van.

And you loaned them your van?

Yes.

I'd call that a pretty
strong sense of family.

But you don't
understand, Mr. McGarrett.

I didn't know what
they wanted it for.

At first,

all my cousin talked
about was politics.

I didn't want to be involved.

I'm not political,
Mr. McGarrett.

I'm a businessman.

I've been here in
Hawaii ten years.

I like it here.

Politics.

That's the curse of
countries like mine.

Don't you see?

I don't see why you
loaned them your truck.

That makes you an accessory.

But my cousin put
a gun to my head.

He said if I tried to
contact the police,

not only would
I be killed, but...

Mr. McGarrett, some of my family

are still on Arasunda.

He said they would be considered

the family of a traitor.

Can you identify
any of these men?

Yes.

This man is my cousin.

This man is dead, Mr. Bajano.

Dead?

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Perhaps I shouldn't
be, after all he's done.

But he was surely
too young to die.

Do you have any idea
where we can find the others?

Oh, none at all.

But I promise you,

if I hear of them or from them,

I will contact you immediately.

If you had done
that first time around,

things would be a lot
different. Wouldn't they?

All right, Mr. Bajano,
you may go.

You believe him?

I don't know, Danno.

They could have
put a gun to his head.

He has no record.

According to his consulate here,

he's clean, politically.

Danno, cable the, uh,
Malanesian authorities anyway.

See what kind of information
they have on him down there.

Anything? Several local calls.

Saying nothing much.

The bookkeeper's
been handling them.

A couple of calls from
the mainland, though.

One from Holland.

Cunningham is in
trouble, Steve. Financially.

They're after him both on
the mainland and Holland.

Munitions deals he
hasn't paid off on yet.

It's all right here on the
tape. Worth listening to.

Yeah, hello.

Yes.

Yes.

I'll get him. Just
a moment, please.

Ben!

Ben! Yeah?

It's them. I'm certain of it.

Hello?

Yes, this is Mr. Cunningham.

Is my wife all right?

Just tell me she's all right.

We warned you not to cooperate
with the police, Mr. Cunningham.

I didn't.

I didn't tell them
anything. I swear it.

Look, what do you want? Money?

We are not
interested in money...

The first thing
we're interested in

is that you stop talking...

Chin's got the tracer on him.

I repeat, no more...

We want the full
shipment of weapons

the Malanesian
government has ordered.

Automatic rifles,
mortars, everything.

I can't do that.

They will leave as scheduled

from the Honolulu
airport. Tomorrow, noon.

Three planeloads,
Mr. Cunningham.

But you will direct
your pilots to fly instead

to the Hong Kong airport.

We will arrange to take
the shipment from there.

But I can't do that.
The weapons are sold.

I have a contract.

You have a contract,
Mr. Cunningham,

with a corrupt government
of traitors and exploiters.

I don't know anything
about the politics

in your country.

All I want is my wife back.

Then you will arrange
to deliver the shipment

as instructed.

That is the only way you
will see your wife again.

Look, if my wife is...

If she's all right, I
wanna talk to her. Now.

I have to talk to her.

Only one more step to go.

Ben?

Claire, are you all right?

Have they hurt you?

Oh, Ben. Help me, please.

Oh, Ben!

Claire? Claire?

Begin making the
necessary arrangements now,

Mr. Cunningham.

We'll call you later
for confirmation.

They fixed the location.
Chin is on his way to it.

If Chin doesn't luck out,
we've got until noon tomorrow.

Let's hear it again, Danno.

Dead end.

Mouthpiece to earphone,
earphone to mouthpiece.

A perfect splice.

And nowhere for us to go.

How does it work?

Same as a patch through.

Kidnapper has a middleman here.

He calls the
kidnapper from Booth 1,

then calls Cunningham
from Booth 2.

Couples the phones and beats it.

Period.

You get a look at any of
this stuff from Amsterdam?

What should I do, open it up?

I'm too old to play with toys.

Seven tons of toys in
this one load, brudder.

You're right, that's an
awful lot of play time.

Pier 39 is where it went.

Mind if I take this?

I'm gonna argue with you?

I don't know. I... I guess
my nerves have had it.

This is the first
time in my life I...

I don't know which way to turn.

All right. Let's take it

from the beginning,
Mr. Cunningham.

Well, they left
this note behind...

when they took Claire.

"Don't call the police.
We'll contact you."

You knew?

Yeah, I've seen a lot of these.

And then they called
to give me the terms.

KIDNAPPER: We warned you

not to cooperate with the
police, Mr. Cunningham.

I didn't.

I didn't tell them
anything. I swear it.

Look, what do you want? Money?

We're not interested in
money, Mr. Cunning...

Look, I... I guess I should be

grateful somebody's
looking after me.

But you heard what
they said, McGarrett.

Tomorrow, noon, or
they're gonna kill Claire.

Now, if it was just money...

Money, I could get
that somewhere.

But what am I
gonna do, McGarrett?

What you're not gonna
do is give them the guns.

Buy me some time,
as much as you can.

Now, I have some leads
and I wanna run them down.

But they won't listen!

Then make them!

You've negotiated
some pretty tough deals

in your time, Mr. Cunningham.

I need 48 hours.

McGarrett,

do you think they
would kill Claire

even if I gave in?

I can't say.

I don't know.

Most kidnappers
keep their victim alive

until they get the payoff.

You get me those 48 hours
and it will lessen the risk.

Okay.

I'll give it a try.

McGarrett, I promise you:

I want to, and I will,
cooperate in every way.

And whatever you think of
me or the business I'm in,

I love my wife very much.

Central Dispatch. Kono calling.

Go ahead, Kono.

Yeah, patch me
through to Five-0 office.

Yeah. Yeah, Kono.

Check. Pier 39. Got it.

Right.

Kono found the warehouse
where the arms are being stored.

You stay with it, Kono.

If anyone breathes
near those guns,

you let me know.

Right.

I checked the, uh, phone tap.

Kidnappers called again.

Cunningham bought us some time.

How long? Thirty-six hours.

Well, it's better than nothing.

But we were to accept
shipment of those weapons

by noon tomorrow.

That was in our contract.

I know but, uh...

Uh, some of the ammo
for the AR-10's didn't arrive.

That's special caliber stuff.

I find this
difficult to believe.

Two days ago, you said

the shipment was complete.

Mr. Cunningham,

our country needs those weapons.

Desperately.

All of them.

Only last night,
fighting broke out again

in one of the
provincial capitals.

Now look, you
know my reputation.

I don't welsh on any deals.

Please, let's make this brief.

The enemy has done something

to affect this
delay you request.

What have they done?

Did McGarrett...? Did
he say anything to you?

Oh, no, no, Mr. Cunningham.

We are most aware of
your business reputation.

We can only assume that
something has happened

to bring about this
unbearable pressure.

They've kidnapped my wife.

Fanatics from your country.

And if I...

If I turn the
shipment over to you,

they're gonna kill her.

Kanjil.

Mr. Cunningham,
we are truly sorry.

How do you know these fanatics

have not already
killed your wife?

Because I spoke
to her on the phone.

When? How long ago?

This morning.

And since then?

Well, when they called
back they wouldn't put her on.

You see.

They will do that.

Let her live long
enough to convince you.

But I know these people.

You are right.

The worst kind of fanatics.

They will never
return your wife alive.

Forgive our candor,
Mr. Cunningham,

but it is the truth.

The general has
tracked Kanjil for years.

Three years ago,

Kanjil led a raid on one
of the villages of Arasunda.

Thirty hostages were taken.

The central government
paid a high ransom

for these hostages.

Kanjil took the money
and killed the prisoners.

Every one.

Well, if my wife's dead...

Oh, she can't be.

Mr. Cunningham,

you must think of
your wife, of course.

But we must think
of the hundreds,

perhaps thousands of
lives that must surely be lost

if we do not receive
those weapons.

But I promised
McGarrett I'd wait.

In that case, we must look
elsewhere for what we need.

No, no, no. Wait.

Mr. Cunningham,

we cannot hope to compensate
you for this tragedy with money.

But at the same time,

we are most aware of
your financial difficulties.

I am authorized by my
government to offer you

an additional half
a million dollars

for that shipment

if you will guarantee
delivery today.

Now.

You will receive payment

the moment the airplane
leaves Honolulu Airport.

One half million
dollars, Mr. Cunningham.

You lose much.

But you do not lose everything.

Where are the weapons?

Warehouse.

The warehouse on Pier 39.

We are most grateful,
Mr. Cunningham.

Kanjil here.

The weapons are going out.

Today.

Time to make the arrangements.

Where are they now?

Pier 39?

Dispatch, this is Kono calling.

Who else beside
Cunningham, Kono?

Couple of big
shots in a limousine.

Diplomatic plates.

All right. I'm coming down.

Meet me at the foot of Pier 39.

Danno, Chin, get your coats.

It must be Kanjil.

Cunningham!

Hold it! Put down those guns.

You're a man of your word,
aren't you, Cunningham?

You're really beautiful.

My wife's dead!

He killed my wife.
How do you know that?

Steve, he's in pretty bad shape.

Put a guard on
those guns, Danno.

I'm impounding the entire
shipment as evidence.

Kanjil, where is
Mrs. Cunningham?

What did you do to
her?! You killed her!

Stay out of this, Cunningham!

He killed her. He killed her.

Kanjil... the woman
you kidnapped.

Is she still alive?

Woman?

Alive?

I kidnapped nobody.

AB negative.

That's a pretty
rare type of blood,

isn't it, Doc?

It is.

And here's, uh, Mrs.
Cunningham's blood sample

we got from Iolani Hospital

where she was a donor.

Type O.

When we found out it wasn't

Mrs. Cunningham's
blood in the van,

we did what you suggested.

Now, that... That was
the sample of the blood

of the man that
Cunningham killed, right?

Right. AB negative.

But he was found on the lawn.

He never got back to the van.

So the bleeding
had to take place

on the way to the kidnapping.

Why would they
take a wounded man

on an operation
like that? It's crazy.

They didn't.

They didn't take a
wounded man, Doc.

They took a dead man.

McGARRETT: So you never actually
saw Cunningham shoot anyone?

No.

Ben must have shot him, though.

I didn't have a gun.

There wasn't
anything I could do.

You weren't supposed to.

Can you identify this man?

Uh, his name is, uh, Bajano.

He was the middleman
between Ben and the separatists

when they first tried to
make a deal for the guns.

You mean, Kanjil tried
to buy the guns first?

Through Bajano.

But they couldn't, uh, come
near the price Ben wanted.

Not even close.

Mr. Cunningham's
got financial problems,

Mr. McGarrett.

Big ones.

Yeah, I know. How big?

He made a deal
in Central America,

uh, six months ago.

It went sour.

Everything was confiscated.

It nearly wiped him out.

Uh, he figured that if he
could make this Malanesia deal,

it would put him
back on his feet.

Almost, anyway.

Almost? You mean,
he's that broke?

Yes.

All right, Mr. Merrill,
thank you very much

for your help.

Just got a reply from
Malanesia on Bajano.

He was indicted once for
smuggling. No conviction.

But remember how he told us
the dead man was his cousin?

As far as they know,
he had no living relatives

on Arasunda.

Wow.

Danno, I think Bajano
has Mrs. Cunningham.

And I think he took her
with the help and connivance

of her own husband.

Cunningham had his
own wife kidnapped?

That's the way I see it.

I think he set us up
from the very outset.

Even the phone calls.

He knew that we'd tap the
line if he didn't cooperate.

He had Hank there
to support his story.

But the dead man was
killed by Cunningham's gun.

Hours before the kidnapping.

And that's what ties Bajano

and Cunningham together.

Well, you can
forget self-defense.

That's conspiracy
and murder one.

Right, and we're gonna
get Mr. Cunningham

on exactly those charges.

After we find his wife.

Danno, I want
surveillance on him.

Around the clock.

I think Claire
Cunningham is alive.

And he's gonna lead us to her.

Hello?

Where are you calling from?

Yes, of course.

She's in the next room.

What do you mean, release her?

Without payment?

Look, I don't know what
Kanjil told him before he died.

And they've questioned
Hank Merrill again.

Now, all you have to do is
let her think she escaped.

And once she gets home
safe, my lawyer said he's sure

he can get the guns released.

But it's gotta be done now.

I've gotta get
McGarrett off my back.

So do we, Mr. Cunningham.

So do we.

We have taken
risks also. Big risks.

Kidnapping, murder.

When you have paid
the agreed $50,000,

then we will let your wife go.

Not before.

But I don't have it!
Don't you understand?

I don't get a penny until
the guns are shipped.

Look, it's worked
great up to now.

Why foul it up?

I'll, uh... I'll give
you a bigger cut.

I suggest you ask the
Malanesian consulate

to advance you the money.

Tell them, $50,000 now

and you can ship them the arms.

They are reasonable gentlemen.

Also, they need
the guns very badly.

All right, I'll give it a try.

And if I get the
money, I'll be right out.

But just one thing:

You make sure my
wife doesn't see me.

If he brings the money,

we will leave here today.

I want this place wiped clean.

No traces of...

Tie her again.

She's seen our faces.

We're gonna have
to kill her now.

When we get the money.

And not before.

He just came out of
the consulate, Steve.

Started north.

Kono will pick him up.

Don't lose him, Chin.

Stay in touch, we'll
be with you soon.

Right.

Chin, suspect
turned right on Paki.

He's yours.

I got him.

He's going north
again on Kilauea.

You interfered in a perfectly
legitimate business transaction

which affects the
interests of my country.

I do not see why we
should cooperate any further.

May I remind you, sir,

that you are involved...
Deeply involved.

In a deal that is a whole
lot messier than you think.

Now, so far there is conspiracy,
murder and kidnapping.

Now, I can make this
the biggest, dirtiest

front-page story in
the international press,

or you can cooperate.

Now, what happened
with Cunningham?

Yes. Cunningham.

Uh, Mr. Cunningham asked
for an advance of $50,000

in cash.

Did he get it?

Yes.

All right. One more thing.

When you knew that his
wife had been kidnapped,

you offered him a lot more
money than the original deal, right?

It was the least we could do.

Steve, Chin said
Cunningham just left his house.

He's headed north on Monsarrat.

Let's go.

I'm turning.

Stay with him, Chin.

We're coming west on Campbell.

Be with you in minutes.

He turned into a
private road, Steve.

In Fort Ruger.

It dead ends in Diamond Head.

If I remember right,

there's an old
abandoned house in there.

Claire, are you all right?

What do you care?

She knows about our arrangement.

What did he tell you?

Essentially, that I am

her husband's employee.

He's lying, Claire. He's lying.

Ben, please don't
make things worse.

Why did you tell her?

Because she saw my face.

She saw all our faces.

Now, that was not
part of the deal, was it?

But she won't say anything.

Claire, I had to do it.

You know the bind we're in.

I had to do it this way.

To make an extra
half a million dollars.

All right, let's move in.

Chin, Kono, take
the back of the house.

Danno, you come with me.

Look, Bajano, believe me.

She won't tell
anybody about this.

I can guarantee it.

Is this the money?

Oh, no.

Claire walks out of here first.

Come, come,
Mr. Cunningham. The money.

The $50,000.

Oh, no. Ben.

Oh, Ben.

Hold it.

Oh!

Oh!

Ben.

They were gonna kill me.

Ben was trying to save me.

Easy.

It was all over the
last shipment of guns,

wasn't it?

That's right.

I guess those guns
are legally yours now.

Are they?

Then I know what I'm
gonna do with them.

Sink them in the ocean.