Act One
Near Nuuanu Avenue, a young man (Elliott Street) looks down on a comic where a character named 'Ling Po' threatens another character named 'Judy Moon'. He walks into a pawnshop pulling out a gun and hiding it. He confronts the owner (Clement Low) about being mean to Judy Moon but the guy has never heard of either character. The owner is every which way confused and just wants to close up shop. The young man shoots the owner three times in quick succession! He runs out stowing his gun and leaving the owner on the floor.
Later, he drives the van for 'Verna's Grooming Parlor' going to his apartment. The guy is obsessed with Judy Moon having a large blow up of the character on his wall along with clippings of the comic on other walls.
At the pawnshop, Ben tells Danno robbery wasn't the motive because the owner's wallet is still there and it's full. Chin backs this up saying none of the cases were broken into. Danno knows McGarrett will want the slugs pulled and Che (Harry Endo) to analyze them but he surmises, "we've got ourselves Victim Number 3". Back in the young man's apartment, he fantasizes about Judy while crossing out Ling Po's face with a red grease pencil/crayon.
In McGarrett's office, he goes over each victim including Ho Toy, the pawnshop owner, who was 49 and born in Hilo. Ho Toy had been arrested on several charges previously but only had one conviction and was a "known associate of criminals". Ho Toy's shop was four blocks from where William King Royce was killed on August 19th and less than a quarter mile from where a sailor from the "U.S.S. Moulton" was shot down about July 8th. McGarrett says the three murders are connected because they were killed in the same general area, never mind that the M.O. of three shots at point blank range and all nine bullets were fired from the same gun! The gun is an automatic because of the "left-hand grooves" on the slugs. Danno believes they're dealing with a "weirdo" and McGarrett agrees because the victims couldn't be anymore apart. McGarrett sends Ben to check hospitals and HPD for any recent releases or parolees who have mental health issues. He also sets Danno to dig the backgrounds on Ho Toy and the sailor, Buchanan, and his family who has been pestering their congressman about his death. Danno is perplexed, the family is in Iowa but "that's not on the moon" with McGarrett saying they can't discount anything and there has to be a connection somewhere. Chin runs in telling McGarrett they have the tie-in: in Ho Toy's ledger there is a jade and diamond brooch pawned by Mrs. William King Royce (Audrey Totter) for $400. McGarrett takes Ben leaving to see Mrs. Royce.
McGarrett and Ben arrive at Mrs. Royce's house and lead to the back where she' lounging while her young playboy relaxes in the hammock. McGarrett reiterates what they found could have something to do with her husband's death. She doesn't seem overly worried even after they mention the brooch. She explains a maid stole it, pawned and disappeared. After hiring a private detective, the brooch was found and she redeemed it worth every bit of $400 to be rid of the maid. McGarrett doesn't like the timing of the redemption being three days after Royce was killed. She claims she didn't keep track and tells McGarrett she hired a man named Donovan on King Street. They leave but outside they discuss their problem: the murders could all be disconnected. McGarrett doesn't buy it, there's a connection but they haven't found it yet.
The young man drives the grooming van to work where his boss Verna (Nora Marlowe) chides him for being late. He asks to see the paper but Verna knows he just wants to read the comics, specifically 'Judy Moon'. She tells him to work on a dog that needs to be delivered by noon then he can read it. When Verna walks out, the young man grabs the paper but Verna turns around and catches him. Arthur reads what he wants then starts on the dog.
Later, he drives to take the dog to its delivery but stops to get something to eat while leaving the windows rolled up in the van! Arthur walks into a diner where he sits ordering two burgers and fries. As he drinks some water, he sees her: Judy Moon for real! The young lady Mary (Susan Foster) finishes her lunch getting up to pay and leaving the diner. Arthur follows her figuring out where she works: Guthrie Insurance Company.
Act Two
In the middle of the night, Danno briefs what he discovered about the sailor: the first of his family to leave Iowa in 30 years. Ben says there's no connection between Royce and the sailor. Danno adds Ho Toy's father opened a Chinese grocery in the 1920s and they "can't even invent" a connection between the three victims. Chin reports HPD is no help with the murder area with "no witnesses, no leads, no nothing". It adds up to no having any suspects.
Arthur dances with a couch cushion in his apartment, dreaming about Mary/Judy because he's seen her for real and she's seen him too. Meantime, Danno tosses out the idea that the killer only wants them to find a connection because perhaps only one was meant to be killed, the other two killed as a cover for the real motive. McGarrett says it won't wash because Ho Toy's enemies would simply hit and run leaving Royce as the real target but who would want him dead and bother with a cover up? Ben mentions Mrs. Royce and while McGarrett agrees to a point, he doesn't see her behind the murders because she could get all she wants from her husband in a divorce. Besides, Chin double-checked her story and it stands up "all the way". The murders happened about 42 days apart each time and they're coming up on the next deadline in two weeks, as it is October 30th right now.
At Verna's Grooming Parlor, Arthur reads the latest Judy Moon adventure as he grooms "Tinker Bell" nearly choking the poor dog when he gets angry at the lawyer trying to rip off Judy. Later, Arthur begins his search ripping a phone book out of a pay phone booth. In the van, he looks up lawyers in the Yellow Pages. He systematically goes from office to office scratching names as he goes. Frustrated, he refers to the latest comic where the lawyer goes to the courthouse and Arthur heads there. He goes from one courtroom to another and finally finds a man (George Kennedy) who looks like the lawyer trying to rip off Judy Moon!
Act Three
The real-life attorney leaves the courthouse for his car followed by Arthur in the van. The attorney arrives at his office building's parking lot where Arthur decides he's going to strike that night.
The next morning, the ambulance is on scene as McGarrett looks over John Gerald Lott. Once Lott's body is removed, a newspaper with blood on it is left on the ground. It's from two days before showing the attorney in the Judy Moon strip plotting against her. McGarrett orders the area roped off so Che and the lab technicians can go over it. Danno laments it's starts all over again right on time. The biggest piece of the puzzle is why every six weeks.
In the laboratory, Che tells McGarrett the blood is from Lott but the prints are useless, they're too blurred. McGarrett is beyond frustrated because the timeline is doing them no good and is about to walk out when Chin passes on a message from Jenny: McGarrett is going to be late for his barbershop appointment.
McGarrett walks in to the barbershop asking Ernie the barber (Robert Whittans) why he isn't ready for him. It's because McGarrett is on time for once! McGarrett takes a seat picking up the paper and the comic section is on the back page. As he's about to go to Ernie's chair, he's hit with a far-out brainstorm. Picking up the paper, he calls Eddie Sherman to hit the newspaper morgue to pull the last 24 to 25 weeks of the comic section. McGarrett wants it over at Five-O as soon as possible and he'll pay for the cab. He walks out of the barbershop without getting his hair cut!
The team splits up the runs of the comics, one for each of the now four murders. Chin takes May 26 to July 8 with Ben working on July 9 through August 19. Danno takes up August 20 to October 2 saying this is one of McGarrett's wildest ideas.
Later in the computer conference room, the operator (Walter Yoshimitsu) types in what McGarrett wants to see to put the Five-O team all on the same page. Also present is Che and Dr. Bishop (Jean Tarrant) who is there to give them an idea of what they're dealing with, i.e. a profile. McGarrett gives a comparison of each victim with his corresponding character in the 'Judy Moon' comic strip. Che says they've been looking at the evidence every morning without knowing it. Now it's Dr. Bishop's turn: "paranoid schizophrenic". She says he fantasizes about life, withdrawing to live his life through the comic strip and in a way, striking back at life through the strip. She can only give a guess about him: young, physically unimpressive with no friends and probably lives in the poorest section of town with a dead-end mundane job. She warns if they don't stop him, he'll probably kill again. McGarrett says they're hoping for that as the phone rings: Jenny tells McGarrett Palmer (Tom Hatten) is on his way from Chicago landing at 4:40 p.m. McGarrett wants Danno and Chin to meet Palmer who draws the 'Judy Moon' comic strip. Dr. Bishop wonders why he's coming to Honolulu: to draw the victim, Danno!
Act Four
Danno and Chin meet Palmer at the airport to take him to McGarrett's office. When Palmer draws up a character looking like Danno, he becomes nervous knowing he's going to have a target on his back. His idea for his adventure is lame but Palmer has a better idea: Danny is a crooked cop working with a gang and he's their connection into the police department. McGarrett likes it as long as it can be condensed to smoke the killer out sooner rather than later. Palmer agrees to squeeze it into three weeks.
Palmer returns to Chicago to churn out the latest Judy Moon adventure. Arthur hangs on every square waiting to see what happens. The latest bit is she's overheard a plan and has to be taken care of and it's up to 'Officer Danny' to deal with her!
Arthur starts stalking around HPD looking for 'Officer Danny'. He wanders around downstairs as Danno is fitted for an HPD uniform upstairs. Ben remarks the pants look too tight but the tailor (Arthur Hee) says they're perfect. Meanwhile, Arthur approaches an officer (Arte McCullough) who asks if he's looking for someone. Arthur shakes his head and moves on, while Danno in full HPD uniform, Chin and Ben walk out. Arthur continues to wander when he spots Danno on the escalator and realizes he's found who he's looking for.
Later, Arthur hangs out at the building where Mary works stopping her to tell her she has nothing to worry about. Once he says his peace, he leaves but Mary is dumbstruck.
In the middle of the afternoon, Arthur watches HPD from across the street with binoculars. Scanning the area, he watches Mary drive up in her convertible. He rushes down to stop her from entering the police department causing her to scream and several officers including Danno to give chase. After Danno has a close call by being crushed by a pair of cars, they lose Arthur.
In McGarrett's office, Mary realizes she's the object of Arthur's affections as Judy Moon. It doesn't make any sense to her but it does to Arthur or so McGarrett says. He takes her out to Chin to look through the mug shots they've screened. After awhile, Chin and Mary enter with no success concerning the mug shots. McGarrett calls for Joe Donner (James Severson) to work on a sketch with Mary. Joe helps create a face and once completed, McGarrett tells Ben to get 1000 copies out. He also double-checks with Danno on the radio mike, hidden on the tie tack. He then tells Chin to coordinate with HPD for around the clock surveillance on Mary until they catch the killer.
Danno hits the street as bait with McGarrett and Chin right behind him. During a radio check, he sounds nervous and jumps when a dumpster is emptied into a trash truck. Ben and Duke (Herman Wedemeyer) are in a second car with Duke having visual in the side mirror. When McGarrett calls Ben to see if he has Danno, it's McGarrett who sounds nervous! Danno keeps going and is stopped by a guy who tells him about a cockfight but today, they get a pass. Danno keeps walking, winding up in an alley with Arthur calling out to him. McGarrett knows this is it and moves in with Ben and Duke following suit. When Arthur emerges, Danno sees the gun first trying to slowly put his hands up. Arthur wants to know why Danno wants to hurt Judy with Danno answering he doesn't and he can't do what the gang wants him to do. McGarrett sneaks down some stairs to the alley close to where Danno is. McGarrett is real close to Danno and he tells him they go on "two" then counts. It's enough to make Arthur start shooting wildly even taking out a tire across the street! McGarrett shoots back hitting Arthur in the leg who collapses in tears. The Five-O team surrounds him as Chin goes to call for an ambulance. Arthur is hurt but more upset about leaving Judy Moon unguarded!
This plot summary Copyright Bobbi Baker ©2019. No reproduction of any kind without permission.