Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980): Season 6, Episode 18 - Secret Witness - full transcript

Hey, Pop, come on.

Time to go.

Hey, Pop, come on. Come on.

Case finds you here,
we'll both get bounced.

Come on.

Hey, morning, Case.

Morning.

What happened, man?

It was a little slow last night.

I can see that.

Man, you know, just one night,



if I could just make
the light money.

So we'll turn off
the lights at night.

Use candles.

Might give the place some class.

Great idea.

Great idea.

Say, wouldn't it put a
crimp in all the reading

you're doing on my time?

Now, beat it. I got
some work to do.

See you later.

Joe Wang, Steve,

Dan Bok's number-one bagman.

Caught two big ones, huh?

I'd say a .38 at close
range from the look of him.



Yeah.

Che, what have you got?

Stuff from his pockets:
keys, cigarettes,

a lighter, a handkerchief,
a pocket comb,

a wallet with
about 40 bucks in it

and $2000 in cash from
an inside jacket pocket.

A wallet with 40 bucks in it

and 2000 in cash in a pocket?

Kind of interesting.

Anybody see anything?

H.P.D.'s knocking on doors.

They haven't turned
up anybody yet.

This his car? Right.

Impound it. Take it apart.

It might tell us something.

Chin, get over to Wang's place.

Shake it down.

On my way.

What have we got here, Danno?

A bagman is killed.

Well, was he
burned for the money

he was probably carrying?

Or just the work of some
trigger-happy freelancer?

Or is there more
to it than that?

There's talk the Koreans
are ready to make a big move.

This could be the opening
shot in a gang war against Bok,

trying to knock him
out of the catbird seat.

Yeah. Yeah, maybe.

I don't know, Steve.

But there's one guy who would.

Dan Bok. Yeah.

Let's have a talk with Mr. Bok.

I can't believe it.

You know, Joe Wang
was in for a cup of coffee

an hour before it happened.

You know, he came in a lot.

I knew who he
worked for, what he did.

Everybody knew.

He didn't act any
different than anybody else.

When I saw that guy
shoot him, it was...

It was like I was watching TV.

And then that guy looked at me.

Well, what do you want
to do about it, Teddy?

I don't know.

Teddy, what are we
gonna do about it?

You know we've
gotta go to the cops.

No. No. Look I
saw the whole thing.

I could describe him to them.

A-And then you'll get your
name in the newspapers,

and if the police
don't find him first,

he'll know right
where to find you.

Ted, that man Wang
was a gangster.

You don't know why
those people killed him,

and you don't know what
you'd be getting us all into

if you go to the police.

Sue, look at me.

Just...

He's hungry.

Are you, huh?

I'm sorry, Teddy.

You're right.

I mean, of course you
have to go to the police.

It's just that I get so
frightened, you know?

I mean... Oh, I don't know.

It seems like these things
always happen to us.

We just decide to move inside,

stop living on the
streets like Gypsies,

and then something
like this happens,

a-as it always happens. Come on.

Just take it easy.

Look, you're right.

I mean, Wang was a gangster.

If guys like that want
to kill each other,

then that's their
problem, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's right. Right?

Yeah.

You got his name
and address. Burn him.

He's in your backyard.

You burn him.

You're the one he saw.

You're the one he can finger.

Oh, I'll worry about that

if I ever see him
back in Chicago.

Oh.

Now, I have a plane to catch.

You've got a contract.

For Joe Wang.

And you blew it.

Ask Joe about it the
next time you see him.

Yeah? Five-0, Dan.

Five-0?

In the den.

McGarrett?

And Williams.

You stay, understand?

You wait.

I was just about to come
down and talk to you.

Sort of an informal
conversation, I take it, eh?

Very funny, McGarrett.

What are you doing about Joe?

Well, we've already
observed a couple of seconds

of silence in his memory,
if that's what you mean.

Another comedian.

What do you do? Sell
him your old jokes?

How much money do you
figure you lost last night?

What do you mean?

Come on, Bok, if you
want to talk, let's talk.

Joe Wang was hit
about 6:00 this morning.

He must have just
finished collecting your take.

Now, my guess is
that he was carrying 10,

maybe 15,000 of your money.

You lost me on the
far turn, McGarrett.

I don't know what
you're talking about.

If Wang wasn't grounded
in a heist, why was he hit?

You're the cops.

You tell me.

Bok.

Yeah.

Yeah, he's here.

McGarrett.

Yes, Chin.

He was, huh?

Get a lab crew over
there right away.

Somebody gave
Wang's apartment a toss.

Tore it apart.

You got any idea what
they were looking for?

You got me, McGarrett.

Not yet, Bok, not yet.

But be patient.

I will.

Look, uh... my
plane's leaving in, uh...

You want another
contract, don't you?

That's what you're
angling for, isn't it?

I'm open to an offer.

Ten bills.

Get him.

Sue, listen to this:

"A $10,000 reward
for information

"leading to the
arrest and conviction

"of the slayer or slayers

"of underworld figure Joe Wang

"is being offered
by the Star-Bulletin,

the newspaper's secret
witness editor announced today."

Secret witness?

It's a feature the
newspaper runs.

A person who knows
something about a crime

can write a letter... Ted, no.

No, listen to me. You
don't use your name.

See, y-you... You sign it
with a... With a number,

and you... And you tear
a corner of the letter off

with the number on it,
and that identifies you

in case you get the reward.

No. Listen:

"This newspaper guarantees
the anonymity of the informant

"and payment of a
reward will be arranged

"in any manner
prescribed by the witness

for the protection
of his or her identity."

Ten thousand bucks.

Ten thousand.

Think what we could
do with that kind of bread.

I could quit my job.

I could go back
to school full time.

We could start some
sort of business together.

No, Ted. There must be
some kind of catch in there.

People do not give
away that kind of money

without knowing who
they're giving it to.

But they do. It
says so right here.

I don't care what it says!

You promised me.

You said we were
going to forget it.

That was before.

Sue, I got to do it.

Ten thousand bucks.

I'll never get another
break like this.

Sue, I can't blow it.

Shh. No.

I can't blow this.

Okay.

All right.

You write the letter.

Found this under the
dash of Wang's car.

McGARRETT: Hmm.

Mmm.

Definitely not a car key.

"O.N.B."

Oahu National Bank?

That's my guess, Steve.
A safe-deposit key.

Ben, Chin, check it out.

If there's a box in
Wang's name at the bank,

we'll get a court
order to open it.

What about those two
slugs Doc dug out of Wang?

They're .38
caliber, right twist,

six lands of 0.5 width.

Probably a Smith & Wesson.

Anything on the gun?

Not yet.

Okay, thank you, Che.

Latest intelligence
report on Dan Bok.

What's it tell us, Danno?

The island's crawling with guys

itching to knock
Bok off his perch,

but there isn't a mob
with enough strength

or stomach to make a move yet.

So Wang wasn't the
first drop in a gang war?

Not if that
information is right.

What do they say in the street?

Duke is still out
feeding the pigeons.

No kickback yet.

McGARRETT: Keep pushing, Danno.

There are lots of reasons why
Wang caught those two slugs.

What we need is the right one.

Looking for somebody?

Yeah, a guy called Reynolds.

Uh, I-I got this
address for him.

House is vacant.

Reynolds?

Yeah, a Theodore Reynolds.

Oh, yeah, young
haoles with the baby.

Haoles? They moved out about,

oh, six months ago.

Hey, uh, where did they move to?

Who knows? That's
just a hippie pad.

Kids are moving in
and out all the time.

You a bill collector
or something?

Yeah.

76,497 bucks, Steve.

McGARRETT: Plus the 2000
he had on him when he was killed.

Question: How could
a guy like Joe Wang,

uh, little more than
a bagman for Bok,

get himself a stash like that?

He could have had something
of his own going on the side.

Yeah, possibly, but from
what we know about him,

he wasn't that enterprising.

And if our intelligence
reports are correct

and the talk that Duke picked up

in the street are right,

he wasn't hit by a rival mob.

We still can't rule out
a heist murder, Steve.

No, but let's examine the theory

that he was dipping
into the till, huh?

Skimming? McGARRETT: Yeah.

Now, suppose he kept
just $1 on every hundred

that he collected for Bok.

It wouldn't take him long
to fill that safe-deposit box.

If Wang was skimming,

then he was
really asking for it.

Yeah, and he got it too.

But, uh, why in the open?

Why a street hit?

If this was a family affair,

Bok could have waited until
Wang finished his rounds

and then deep-sixed
him with no noise, no fuss.

Except, when you waste
a bagman for skimming,

you want noise, you want fuss.

You want to hang
him on a meat hook

at high noon on the
Fourth Street Mall

as a warning for everybody
else with itchy fingers.

Now, this is just a
theory, gentlemen,

but I like it because
if we can prove it,

we can really nail
Bok to the wall,

not just for gambling,
extortion and dope peddling,

but for murder.

Murder one.

Yes, Jenny.

Jack Powell on line four.

Oh.

The publisher of
the Star-Bulletin.

Yes, Jack?

Steve, I have something
you should see.

A secret witness letter
about the Joe Wang killing.

Oh?

And I think it would
be a good idea

for the district
attorney to see it too.

All right. Okay. I'll
have Manicote here.

I can be there in 20
minutes if that's convenient.

Fine. We'll be here.

Gee, that's interesting.

I'm sorry, but
we're not permitted

to hand out any
information on cardholders.

Oh, I... It's a rule.

Yeah. Oh, I understand that.

You know the old saying,

"Rules are made to be broken"?

Not library rules.

Look, this guy Reynolds,
he skipped with 3000 bucks.

He's a crook.

Sir, for the last time,

even if I had a change
of address for the man,

I'd not be permitted
to give it to you.

Now, you'll have to excuse me.

May I help you?

Yes, thank you.

I just moved here from Hilo.

I asked the lady at
the checkout desk

if I could use it here,
and she said no,

I'd have to have
one for Honolulu.

She said you'd give me
an application form to fill out.

May I have one, please?

As you know, Steve,
most of the information

handled by our
secret witness editor

is routinely turned
over to H.P.D.

But in this case,

because of the
organized-crime implications

of the Joe Wang killing,

plus the fact that
the Star-Bulletin

is offering a handsome
reward in the case,

the letter was
turned over to me.

And after I read the letter,

I figured I'd better call
the district attorney.

You see the problem, Steve?

Sure, the Star-Bulletin pledges

to keep the identity
of its secret witnesses

anonymous from
beginning to end. But here...

Here we have a
letter from someone

claiming he not only
saw Joe Wang killed,

but he was almost
killed himself.

And whose life could
still be in danger.

McGARRETT: You can bet on that.

If Bok was behind
the Joe Wang hit,

he's not gonna let an eyewitness

walk around alive and
chirping if he can help it.

He's gonna turn this town
upside down to find him.

Now, Jack,

I-I appreciate the
implications involved here.

I know that your paper
promises anonymity.

It's a promise that we
have to keep, Steve.

McGARRETT: In
this case, you can't.

But you're talking
about a threat to a man

that might not even exist.

Maybe I am, maybe not,

but maybe Joe Wang's
killer is out there right now

looking for this man.

We can't take that chance, Jack.

No, I suppose we can't.

Thank you, Jack.
I appreciate it.

I doubt if I could
lift a clear print

off an envelope that went
through the mail, Steve.

I realize that, Che.

From the tone of the
letter, I'd say the guy

was smart enough
or scared enough

to wipe his own prints
off before he sent it,

but try anyway.

Then have some Xerox copies made

and send them up to my office.

McGARRETT: He says
he got away from the killer

by going over a wall at
the end of a parking lot.

Probably this one here

between Center and Sierra.

Somehow he got
from here up to here.

Duke, get some of your men.

We'll scour it. Done.

I'll join you there.

"The man was dark-haired,
under six feet tall,

"and weighed
between 150 and 160.

"He wore dark glasses,
a light-blue sports shirt

and blue pants."

Danno, hit the computer.

See if any of Bok's
triggers fit that description.

Right.

Take a look at the second
sentence in the letter.

"I was walking home from work

a little after 6 this morning."

Yeah.

How far do you think a guy
would walk from his job home

after working all night?

That's hard to say, Steve.

Well, what's a safe
assumption? A mile?

I would say a mile
or two, outside.

Okay.

Now, Wang was gunned down here.

Now, if you're right, Chin,

our man lived and worked

in an area about like that.

So do thousands
of others, Steve.

Well, we can narrow it down.

Let's forget that
he lived there.

Let's concentrate on the
fact that he worked nights.

What would that give us?

He could be a janitor,
a night watchman,

or a... A night
clerk in a hotel.

Night manager, projectionist,

ticket taker in an
all-night grind house.

A lot of people in that area.

Bars too and
all-night hash houses.

A lot of people, a
lot of ground to cover,

but it's the only
clue we've got.

Okay, gentlemen,
let's get on it.

Jenny?

Yes, Steve?

Get me Dan Bok.

But neither Hawaii Five-0

or the H.P.D. Homicide Division

will speculate on the motive
behind the slaying of Joe Wang.

Turning to other local news...

Is there any news yet?

No.

I'm going to the grocery store.

Do you have some
money you can give me?

Not too much. How
much do you need?

Five should do it.

Thank you.

What are you looking for?

Ted, what is it?

My library card.

It was in the book I dropped
when that guy chased me.

Oh, no, you always
keep it in your wallet.

It must be here. It
isn't. I remember now.

I was in a hurry when I
checked the books out,

and I put it...

If that guy found my
card, he knows my name.

All right, Duke. Let's see if
our information checks out.

Okay.

McGARRETT: Check
the adjoining houses.

Steve? Che for you on the radio.

Yes, Che. What have you got?

On that original letter,

the only prints I
was able to raise

are yours, Manicote's,
Jack Scott's

and the Star-Bulletin secret
witness editor, Ray Brooks.

What about the paper?

Dime-store stuff.

You can buy it in a
thousand different places.

Do have one thing for you,
though, on the typewriter.

The letter was typed on a
very inexpensive machine,

uh, made by the
Roma Company of Italy.

This model is called Zephyr.

Manufactured for two
years and then discontinued.

See if the machine
was distributed locally.

If it was, I want to know
the name of the distributor

and all the retail
outlets it was sold to.

Right, Steve.

Slug, huh?

Looks like it, Steve.

A .38.

Well, at least the guy is
telling us a straight story.

Steve, your office just called.

You've got a visitor.

Oh?

Dan Bok.

You were smart to
come in on your own, Bok.

Well, you didn't give me much
choice, did you, McGarrett?

Unless you were bluffing
about coming down

to bring me in if I didn't show.

Now, what's this all about?

I've got something
that belongs to you.

Over $78,000, including 2 that
we took off Joe Wang's body.

What makes you
think it belongs to me?

Look, Bok, I'm gonna
get right to the point,

and I'm only gonna make it once.

Joe Wang was skimming from you.

What?

McGARRETT: You knew it, and
that's why you had him burned.

Me? You.

And you had his
apartment torn apart

looking for this.

Now, wait a minute,
McGarrett. You hold it right there.

After you telephoned
me, I called my lawyer.

He's on his way here now,
so any more questions...

Now, you look. I didn't
call you in here to ask you.

I called you in here
to tell you something.

There was a witness
to Wang's murder,

and your hitter saw the witness,

chased him and
tried to kill him.

Oh, really? McGARRETT: Yeah.

And don't pretend that
I'm telling you something

you don't already know,
because I know better.

And I know that your boys

are beating the
bush looking for him.

The way you were talking, I
thought you had him already.

If I had him, you'd
really need a lawyer,

and when I find him,

the whole Hawaii Bar Association

is not gonna keep
you from going inside.

Thanks for the warning.

McGARRETT: I
wouldn't knock it, Bok,

because I'm gonna
make you a promise.

From now on, every
time a body turns up

with a hole in it, I'm
gonna haul you in.

And I'm gonna
keep the heat on you

until you drown
in your own sweat.

Now, take your money
and get out of here.

Nice try, McGarrett.

Next time, there won't be a try.

It'll be murder one,

and I'm gonna make it stick.

That's a promise.

Central, patch me
through to McGarrett.

I'm afraid the computer
is no help, Steve.

The description of the
hit man is just too general.

McGARRETT: I see.

McGarrett. JENNY: Chin for you.

Put him on, Jenny.

Yes, Chin?

We got 23 names and addresses

of guys who work nights, Steve.

We're turning them
over to H.P.D. units

to check out as we get them,

but this could take forever.

Well, you know a better way?

Okay, Steve, we'll
keep slogging.

Steve, there were
two distributors

of that typewriter.

Between them, they were
placed in 18 retail outfits.

Eighteen?

Stationers,
office-supply companies,

couple of discount houses,

and a chain of
cut-rate drugstores.

We don't have enough time or men

to cover all those places.

No, but maybe we don't have to.

So far as I can see, only
one place in this entire area

carried the typewriter.

Uh, Lopaka Wood, office
machines on Waialae.

Now, if our man
lives in the area,

maybe he shops in the area.

It's worth a try.

Yeah, hit it, Danno.

And Duke, uh, give
Chin and, uh, Ben a hand.

Right.

Look, maybe he
didn't find the book.

He did. You know he did. Sue...

And now he knows your name.

But the Kapena Street
address is on the card.

That doesn't
matter. He'll find you.

If he wants to, he can find you.

We got to go to the cops. - No.

They'll protect us, and
maybe the paper will still

give us a reward if they find...

Is that all you care
about? The reward?

No! What do you
suggest we do then?

Go away. Go back
to the mainland.

On what? On $19... and change?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Look, I'm sorry.

It's all my fault. I'm sorry.

It's not your fault.

It isn't anybody's fault.

We weren't meant to
live like normal people.

Yes, we were. We
can, and we will.

I'll get the airfare
back to L.A.

How?

From Case.

I'll... I'll figure out
a story he'll buy.

I'll talk him out of the money.

You just pack and
get the baby ready,

and I'll be back
in just a little while.

McGARRETT:
Yes, I'll let you know

the minute we turn
up something, Jack.

Thanks for calling.

Our long shot never even
got out of the gate, Steve.

The manager of Lopaka
Wood office machines

says he took six of those
typewriters on consignment.

Turned out to be such
schlock merchandise,

he had to send them
all back to the distributor.

Our man is out there
somewhere, Danno.

We've got to find a
way to turn him up.

Who is it?

Police.

Mrs. Reynolds?

Yes?

We'd like to talk to you.

What do you want?

Is your husband at home?

No.

I'll wait.

Ted Reynolds, 127 Koa Street.

Yeah, works midnight to 6:00.

I'll give it to H.P.D.
to check out.

Right.

Hey, can you give me
an idea what's going on?

It's just, uh, routine.

Hey, Ted's a nice guy, you know?

Sure hope he
ain't in any trouble.

Nice guy. Got a wife and baby.

As a matter of
fact, he was just in.

Tapped me for a
couple of hundred bucks

in advance on his pay.

The kid's got to
go to the hospital

for some tests or something.

Right. Apartment four. Okay.

Chin. Check this.

Hey, look, if the
kid's done anything...

Looks like the same
typewriter to me.

Yeah.

Who typed this?

Huh? Who typed this?

This. This. Who typed it?

Ted.

He does it all the time.

Makes a couple of
bucks extra a week.

Does it at home.

Sue.

Sue, I got the money.

Ah! Ah! No.

Teddy.

Teddy, no.

Oh, Teddy.

Why?

Oh, Teddy, Teddy.

No.

Chin, have Duke
wire for more backup

and cover the back with Ben.

Danno, come with me.

Five-0. Open up.

You hear me?

I hear you.

Now, you hear me.

I want to see both of
you down on the street

in exactly one minute.

Now, just remember
I got a woman and kid

up here with me.

And if you don't believe
it, you just stick around.

Listen to me.

Now you got just 50 seconds.

What's it look like
back there, Ben?

No rear exit, Steve.

All right, you and
Chin come back here.

We're on the street.

Excuse me. Yes.

Who's the officer in charge?

That man in the blue suit.

There's a man
calling on my phone.

He wants to talk to
the officer in charge.

McGARRETT: Where's your phone?

Oh, back there.

McGarrett.

Now, listen to me, McGarrett.

That's my car down
in front of the building,

and I'm coming out.

Yeah, with the
woman and the kid,

and we're taking off.

So I want every
cop off of the street,

and that includes
you, McGarrett.

Mister, you're on a rock
in the middle of the Pacific.

I can seal off this island
so tight nothing moves.

How far do you think
you're gonna get?

Let's try it and see,
huh, McGarrett?

This guy's really got us
between a rock and a hard place.

We can't blast him out
or even smoke him out

with a woman and child in there.

No, we can't.

If we let him have a run
at getting away, Steve,

that woman's life
wouldn't be worth a $3 bill.

The kid's too, maybe.

I know, Chin, I know.

Duke, get these
H.P.D. units out of here.

Okay, let's go.

Get 'em out of here.

Danno, get your rifle.

Find a good spot.

If you can get a
clean shot at him

without endangering
the child and the woman,

drop him. Right, Steve.

Ben, Chin, move the
rest of the cars. Go.

Oh, Ben.

Come back into the house

and bring your lug wrench.

Get the kid.

Get your kid! Oh! Oh!

Hurry it up.

McGarrett?

You win, mister.

Let's go.

Get an ambulance.
Check the woman.

Are you all right?

My husband.

The man thought he
was dead, but he's not.

Please call an
ambulance. He's up there.

Bo Lansing.

You're dying, my friend.
You know that, don't you?

Who gave you the
contract on Joe Wang?

You might as well tell me.

You've got nothing to lose now.

Who was it?

Who was it?

Say it. Say his name. Tell me.

Who gave you the contract?

Bok.

Dan Bok.

Get him.

I promised him murder one.

Duke.

Take over.