Act One
A man (Don Knight) makes his way through Customs at Honolulu International Airport. Jeffrey Hobbs is bringing opals into the United States for McHeath Hempstead Sydney, Australia. They're worth approximately $150,000 with the duty paid at the port of departure. Hobbs leaves the airport to his hotel calling Haggai (Kenneth Ing) but gets his receptionist (E. Lynne Kimoto) at first. Hobbs tells Haggai he has them and he can be there in an hour. At his hotel, Hobbs cuts his jacket revealing what he truly brought in: opals not in the lot declared at Customs.
In a back room, Haggai examines the opals as he and Hobbs haggle on price. Hobbs wants $500,000 because they could be easily sold on the mainland for $1 million. Hobbs isn't willing to budge because he's done everything under the sun the last 25 years to finally hit a payday. In the front of the store, two masked men enter to rob the place. One of the robbers (Raul Rojas) goes to the back room stealing all the opals laid out, shooting Haggai twice and roughing up Hobbs as he pulls the guy's mask up. As the robbers make their escape, Hobbs staggers after them noticing the license plate, N3-625, and a major dent on the rear fender of their car.
McGarrett leaves the Palace in response to the robbery and murder with HPD units right behind. On the scene, Doc Bergman (Al Eben) says two slugs from a .38 at point-blank range killed Haggai. This is the fourth robbery with the same M.O. during the last month but the first kill. Ben introduces Haggai's assistant as Miyoshi Akura who explains what they took from the safe up front was worth more than everything else combined in the store. She explains one of the robbers entered the back room where Haggai and Hobbs were but she heard nothing. Ben introduces McGarrett and Hobbs. Hobbs explains he was able to see the guy "for a split second, maybe" when he pulled off the mask after the guy shot Haggai. McGarrett explains the active case to Hobbs and they have mug shots of possible suspects and would like Hobbs to look through them. Hobbs is willing to look through them but when it comes to describing the car, Hobbs claims he didn't see anything.
At Five-O, Hobbs goes through the shots with no success. Danno brings out one, Lee Franks who is an ex-boxer and current auto mechanic. Hobbs sticks on him but doesn't let on that he recognizes him. Hobbs shakes his head, feigning fatigue. When Danno offers a car to take him back to his hotel, Hobbs passes as he would like his opals recovered.
Later, Hobbs goes to DMV to retrieve information on the license plates he saw. The car is registered to James Kulaani (David Simmons) 570 Halekauwila Street, Honolulu. Hobbs takes the information and leaves knocking on the door of the home. James is home but he has no idea why Hobbs would be there asking about his license plates. Hobbs becomes belligerent with James when he mentions he had the wheels aligned at a shop. Hobbs goes to Tri-Star Auto Clinic where he asks a mechanic (Warren Aki) if Lee is around. The mechanic tells Hobbs, who tells him a fake story about being an old buddy; Lee is working mornings this week but lives on 119 King Street, apartment 14. Hobbs goes to the address breaking into the apartment.
In McGarrett's office, Danno reads the report from Sydney Police: Hobbs is clean. McGarrett asks the team and Duke (Herman Wedemeyer) were all the jewelry importers were hit by the same pair? According to Chin, the M.O. says they were. In the first three holdups, the front displays were robbed and no one entered an office or back room. The other difference is this time they killed but Ben points out a clerk was shot in the second holdup but he was only "winged". Duke wonders if someone else didn't pull off the Haggai job and that's exactly what McGarrett is thinking. Danno says there is a major flaw in his theory should the bullets match from the second holdup and the Haggai robbery meaning the same pair pulled off all the robberies. Che (Harry Endo) hasn't completed the ballistics report yet but McGarrett sets Danno to follow up.
Hobbs tears the apartment apart finding nothing helpful. He then attacks the toilet discovering a waterproof bag in the tank. In the bag, the gun used to kill Haggai.
In the laboratory, Che briefs Danno and Chin on what he's found: "the first is .32 caliber, six grooves, left twist. Indicated weapon, a Colt ejector. The second is a .38 caliber, five grooves, right twist. Probable weapon, a Smith & Wesson special". There were two separate weapons used! Danno wonders what was so special about Haggai's to try to make it look like the other robberies but they still killed. Chin offers that is was an inside job because if someone knew Hobbs was bringing in opals but what he had was worth $150,000 according to McHeath and Hempstead. Danno says every stone was weighed, photographed and registered and there is no way a fence would pay more than ten percent of what they're worth because there would be no way to unload them. So there's something more at stake.
Lee Franks comes home only to be surprised by Hobbs holding the gun. Franks knows he's up against a wall and his only bargaining chip is that he knows where the opals are. He throws the lamp across the room hoping to throw off Hobbs but it doesn't work as he shoots Franks dead. While Hobbs finds some opals on him, they're not the ones he smuggled in.
Act Two
Five-O and Doc Bergman are in Franks' apartment looking for clues. Doc reports one slug, probably a .38. After Chin finds some pay stubs, McGarrett sends him and Duke to Tri-Star Auto Clinic. As Doc goes to call for the wagon, Danno mentions Franks was on their list of possible suspects with McGarrett saying he was one of 30.
At Tri-Star Auto Clinic, Chin and Duke talk to Jake (Robert Basso) about Franks. He tells them he gave Franks a job because he needed mechanics and Franks was a good one. Jake claims to know nothing about what Franks did on his off time. He also says no one came around looking for him with his other mechanic behind Jake saying nothing. Chin tells Jake to call if he remembers anything else. After chin and Duke leave, the mechanic tells Jake about the guy looking for Franks and Jake tells him to keep the information to himself. Jake leaves as Hobbs sits across the street watching and eventually following Jake. Hobbs winds up in a parking garage but Jake is gone to either the 5th or 11th floor of the apartment building.
In McGarrett's office, Che briefs the bullet that killed Franks was fired from the same gun that killed Haggai. The grooves match perfectly proving a connection between the two crimes.
Jake reports what he knows about Franks to a man (Al Avalon) who gives some cash and shows him the door. Jake returns to the parking garage where Hobbs confronts him about the man he just visited but a honking horn distracts them and Jake makes a run for it into the street only to be hit by a truck! As a crowd gathers around Jake, Hobbs slinks away from the scene.
Hobbs goes to see Miyoshi that night at her apartment where he confronts about the set up for the robbery. He believes she's the one who set up the robbery thus double-crossing Haggai. She answered the phone and knew Hobbs was on his way in to meet with Haggai. When Miyoshi wonders aloud if Hobbs and Haggai had other business on the side, Hobbs grabs her throat threatening her to keep silent. Afterward, Miyoshi goes to see the man Jake visited prior to his death.
Act Three
McGarrett and Danno go to the lab where Che shows them a fragment of opal vacuumed out of Franks' jacket pocket. The fragment matches a part of "opal number 23" Hobbs brought in from Australia. Che explains opals are made of silica layers and they are all individual. The finding puts Franks as one of the heist men: McGarrett wants his mug shot and Hobbs brought in for a talk.
Miyoshi tells the man Hobbs knows there was a set up and has figured out she's the one who gave the tip. The man changes his plan: take a little less money and move out fast. Webber, the man with Miyoshi, calls Hoffmeyer (George Herman) with a proposal. Hoffmeyer wants to meet in an hour to examine the merchandise.
Hobbs is brought into McGarrett's office where he's asked if anyone else knew he was going to be at Haggai's. Hobbs claims he isn't sure and wonders where McGarrett is going. McGarrett lays it out: two men barge in with one going directly into the back room where Hobbs and Haggai were going over the opals. Hobbs claims the retail value of his gems are $75,000 and McGarrett says a fence would be crazy to pay more than ten percent value of them. He wonders why they took the opals, "the easiest stones in the world to identify," and leave behind jewels more readily sold off. McGarrett is sure Hobbs is hiding something and shows him Franks' mug shot, the only one he had any interest in when going through the photos. McGarrett tells him Franks was killed with the same gun that killed Haggai and asks if Franks is the one whose mask was ripped off by Hobbs. Hobbs denies knowing anything and is very snide with McGarrett at being called a liar. When Hobbs leaves, McGarrett orders Ben to tail him then tells Jenny to get someone in the D.A.'s office for search warrants.
Hobbs returns to the apartment building with Ben right on his tail. Hobbs goes into the building hitting several buttons on the elevator to throw Ben off while taking the other elevator to one of the floors. Ben goes back calling in: Hobbs spotted him and is in the building somewhere. McGarrett tells Ben to call in HPD backup and cover all the exits, front and back. Ben also says it's the same building where Jake was hit by the truck. McGarrett will follow up on that and he's to stick with Hobbs. Meanwhile, Hobbs makes his way into the parking garage eventually finding the car the robbers used with the nasty dent on the driver's side rear panel. It's in the parking spot for 'H. Webber 11A'. Hobbs goes back upstairs to confront Webber but he and Miyoshi step into the elevator prior to Hobbs getting there. Hobbs breaks in and begins searching the apartment. Meanwhile, Webber and Miyoshi drive out to the street as Ben radios in an update. He tells McGarrett about Miyoshi but no make on the driver but they are on Ala Wai Boulevard toward Lewers intersection. McGarrett will send an HPD car after them.
Hoffmeyer looks over the opals during the meeting and offers $100,000. Webber and Miyoshi want more as these have never been registered! Hoffmeyer says he'll get back to them.
Danno calls Ben with the registration of the car: Hal Webber, Hawaiian Towers and no record. Miyoshi is clean too. Meantime, Hobbs is still in Webber's apartment when the phone rings: it's Hoffmeyer saying the merchandise checks and he wants to meet in a half-hour at Diamond Head Road and Paikau Street. Hobbs agrees pretending to be Webber. Hobbs leaves sneaking out of the apartment building via the garage and a valet driver (Kimo Kahoano, Jr.) by ducking into the back seat of a Continental.
Later, Hobbs meets with Hoffmeyer forcing him to drive. Meanwhile, Danno and Chin execute a search warrant for Hobbs' hotel room. The manager (Arthur Hee) isn't sure about the warrant but Danno tells him to read it and says they'll explain things to Hobbs if necessary. At the same time, Ben and Duke search Miyoshi's apartment with Duke tossing a stuffed bear to Ben. When Ben tosses the bear onto the couch, it rattles weird making Ben take notice and cutting it open: opals!
Act Four
At Hobbs' hotel room, Chin finds the jacket Hobbs wore and it looks new but it's cut up. Danno finds the shoulder pads in the pocket and suspects opals were inside. The phone rings: Ben tells Danno about the opals and Danno says McGarrett wants Miyoshi brought in if she shows up so Duke needs to cover her place. After he hangs up, Danno says they'll take the jacket and to give the manager a receipt.
At Hoffmeyer's, Hobbs wants to know how much for the opals. Hoffmeyer offers $500,000 in cash but Hobbs just laughs at him. The phone rings: it's Miyoshi telling Hoffmeyer her and Webber are in the back room at Haggai's. She instructs him to ring the bell for one long signal.
Later, Hoffmeyer does that with Hobbs still holding the gun on him. Hobbs hides in such a way it appears only Hoffmeyer is at the door and Miyoshi opens the door and Hobbs forces his way in behind Hoffmeyer. As Hoffmeyer tries to leave, Hobbs hits him on the back of the head. Hobbs then forces Miyoshi into the back room not giving Webber a clue they've been had. Hobbs demands to know where the opals are with Miyoshi saying they're in the vault. Hobbs makes her open it. As she works the combination, Miyoshi hits the silent alarm to alert the police. HPD lets Five-O know and the team heads for Haggai's. With the vault open, Hobbs takes a peek inside and Webber tries to pull his gun but Hobbs shoots him. Miyoshi goes to Webber but Hobbs forces her up and into the vault to get the opals. She retrieves them and as Hobbs looks over them she walks out of the vault only to be shoved back in and locked in! Five-O shows up, breaking in as Hobbs admires his unregistered opals. Ben yells, "freeze!" as he and Chin break through the front and McGarrett and Danno kick in the back door. Danno immediately disarms Hobbs then gathers up the opals. McGarrett pins Hobbs to the wall when he won't answer where Miyoshi is: he locked her in the vault. McGarrett orders Chin to call a rescue squad to get her out after Chin confirms Webber's dead. When Danno is bagging the opals, Hobbs loses it as Danno and Ben both have to control him. He yells, "they're mine, McGarrett! They're mine! I worked my guts out for them! I spent half my life collecting them! They're mine!" McGarrett tells him he'll spend the rest of his life paying for them. Danno and Ben wrestle Hobbs out as McGarrett holds the opals.
This plot summary Copyright Bobbi Baker ©2019. No reproduction of any kind without permission.