Act One
Two guys in a blue van drive up to the University of Hawaii Manoa Campus. The passenger (A Martinez) gets out to approach a woman (Edith Diaz) walking to the dorm. The driver (Richard Yniguez) watches and waits as the passenger pulls a gun on Maria forcing her into the van. Another woman yells at Maria as she's kidnapped but the pair drives away successfully. Maria asks the kidnappers what they want with the only answer being they're big fans of her father (Richard Angarola). At some point, they switch cars to a blue four-door sedan.
McGarrett arrives at the kidnap scene seeing Danno right away. He briefs their kidnap victim is Maria Ramos, daughter of Emilio a.k.a. "the man". They do have one witness, Renee Okawa, who saw it happen from her dorm window. They also have pictures of Maria, which McGarrett wants copies of in "every blue and white on the island". McGarrett says this one will be "rough" and wants the team on it right away talking to her classmates, teachers and anyone else associated with her. He also wants to know what her state of mind is and if there is anything amiss such as crank calls or grudges.
The kidnappers take Maria to an out of the way location. There they meet another woman (Edith Diaz) who looks eerily similar to Maria. She tells Maria they'll let her send a message to her father via tape recorder.
McGarrett continues his investigation at the university when the governor arrives. He's speaking on the phone to Jonathan Kaye when he excuses the driver so he and McGarrett can have more privacy. The governor wants to know where they stand with McGarrett telling him not much at the moment. Meanwhile, her father is on his way to Hawaii and will arrive in about six hours. McGarrett is aware of Ramos' nickname, "El Diablo" or the devil, and his "reputation in the international press". The governor lays it out: not only does McGarrett need to find Maria, but he also has to protect her father while he's in Hawaii. McGarrett and the governor agree to keep his arrival low profile while the governor has another order: cooperate with Ramos fully while he's there. Maria is his only child and she means everything to him.
In McGarrett's office, Chin reports they've covered the dormitories and struck out because classes were in session. He also says the last anyone saw her, Maria was walking home but no one "saw her grabbed" but there are more people to talk to. Danno and Ben walk saying they're still nowhere too however, they discovered she's popular with students and teachers. She also gets a few crank calls but "nothing persistent" and not from the same person. This matches what McGarrett has, "top student. On the Dean's list twice". She has had multiple boyfriends but "nothing steady" and she doesn't publicize her identity not seeing her father in over a year. McGarrett wonders if they're dealing with a psycho or political fanatic. Duke (Herman Wedemeyer) runs in with the plans of airport security for Ramos' arrival. As well, the route between the airport and the Ilikai Hotel is covered.
Ramos arrives at Honolulu International with his security detail making sure it's clear before he leaves the plane. McGarrett meets him at the bottom of the stairs and they don't get off on the right foot. Ramos tells McGarrett he has six hours to find Maria and wonders if Jonathan's praise of him is warranted. McGarrett answers they don't even know if she's been kidnapped and everything that can be done is being done to locate her. Ramos is about to climb into the limousine when McGarrett insists his security men surrender their weapons. His aide (Bryan Da Silva) protests but Ramos agrees ordering his men to surrender their weapons. Danno and Ben collect the weapons as McGarrett gets into the Park Lane passenger side. Danno gets in behind the wheel and leads the motorcade off airport grounds as the kidnappers watch in their parked sedan. They confirm it is Ramos and his aide Felipe. When the motorcade is out of sight, Carlos the driver starts the car and heads back to the hideout.
The other woman finishes her transformation into Maria. She then demands Maria's clothes being asked why. She has no patience and tells Maria to give them up.
The motorcade arrives at the Ilikai with Ramos escorted in under heavy guard. En route to the suite, McGarrett shows Ramos the control center saying any calls from his daughter will be relayed through there and all law enforcement agencies connected with the case will coordinate through the center. Inside the suite, McGarrett gives the spiel to not go to the windows and keeping the drapes closed. The officer outside will provide anything that's needed. McGarrett, Danno and Ben depart as Ramos' team settles in.
At a pay phone, Carlos calls the Ilikai with a message for Ramos: the switchboard operator puts it through to the control center. Carlos tells them there's a message from Maria on a tape in a phone booth Diamond Head Road at Paiku Street. Ben finds it and takes custody.
Act Two
McGarrett listens to the tape as it's played for Ramos. Maria says she's all right and gives the demand of $250,000 in unmarked bills to be dropped by Felipe at Koapaka and Kahuku at 9:00 a.m. the next morning. Maria nearly cries asking for no police and no tricks. McGarrett shuts it off awaiting Ramos' answer. Ramos will pay the ransom against McGarrett's advice but Ramos assures him if they harm Maria, he will hunt them down and "spit on their graves". Ramos orders Felipe to ready the money.
The governor confers with McGarrett as he rides down the road. He tells McGarrett in no uncertain terms, there is nothing they can do except go along with what Ramos wants.
Felipe goes to the designated point to make the drop as a boat driven by Carlos appears near the bridge. Felipe tosses the bag into the boat and Carlos takes off eventually arriving back at the hideout with the other guy. They call for Rita, opening the door to the back room revealing Rita now in Maria's clothes. It's near impossible to tell them apart. Olivares leads Rita out as Carlos closes the door leaving Maria behind. Olivares eventually drops Rita at a pay phone where she calls the police through the operator pretending to be Maria. McGarrett is alerted and he and Ben take off to pick her up.
McGarrett shows her his badge and puts her into the backseat of the Park Lane as Ben drives. They talk and he records her about her kidnapping experience. She tells him there were three kidnappers that she knew of: one who grabbed her, one who drove and a third one "at that place". They take her to the Ilikai to see her father who welcomes her with open arms. McGarrett says they want to finish questioning Maria as soon as possible because "time is of the essence". Ramos agrees but shoos everyone out including his own guards. When Ramos pulls 'Maria' back from the embrace, he realizes too late, it's not her. Rita introduces herself as Rita Salazar and shoots Ramos with a silenced gun, dedicating the first shot to Teresa. She shoots him a second time for good measure.
Act Three
Rita wipes all of her prints from the doorknobs and anywhere else she touched in the suite. As Rita makes her escape, McGarrett, Danno and Ben listen to the tape made in the back seat of the Park Lane with 'Maria' describing her kidnappers and the experience including that she was blindfolded. Rita rappels to another room where Olivares is waiting. She changes quickly so it appears she's been in the hotel the entire time. Based on her descriptions, McGarrett guesses she was held between Kamuki and the Kahala Mall, a residential area. She messes up though saying she heard a boat whistle: but only if she was traveling toward the water and not away from it! Meanwhile, Rita and Olivares get into the elevator on their way out. McGarrett decides to clear up some things after she's been with her father for 20 minutes but when they enter the door is locked. McGarrett opens it as Rita and Olivares have made it poolside and well on their way out. As McGarrett finds Ramos dead and no evidence of 'Maria' leaving, he tells Danno to check the room below but Rita and Olivares have disappeared. Reentering the suite, he orders Chin to double the guard on every exit and start checking empty rooms. He then tells Ben to put out an APB on Maria and to call Che (Harry Endo) to tear the suite apart. He then orders Duke to get him the governor, top priority.
At the hideout, Carlos paces until he hears the car stop. Olivares enters saying they were successful. The three are in a group hug when Maria emerges knowing they killed her father. She says nothing will change, as one of his men will rule now. Rita slaps Maria for crying over Ramos and tells her the real reason she killed him: her mother Teresa. Teresa was Ramos' mistress who became pregnant, Ramos shuttled her to Hawaii where Rita was born and they could be forgotten. Olivares points out one big problem for Maria: Rita didn't kill Ramos, Maria did! As well, Maria is so remorseful she can't live with herself and will commit suicide.
In McGarrett's office, Danno briefs he talked to Maria's roommate, her three closest friends and her boyfriend again and he discovers Maria and Ramos were growing apart, something they already knew. But they also said Maria isn't capable of violence, let alone murder. Chin backs up Danno saying he has the same story from everyone he talked to. They also find out she wasn't involved with any militants. Ben has checked some of them: no one is taking credit for the political assassination. McGarrett turns things upside down going polar opposite of Maria's personality with one problem, why the elaborate kidnapping with accomplices? It doesn't make sense when she could have summoned her father at any time. Che walks in reporting all sorts of fingerprints found but none of the girl. Chin wonders why she would wipe her prints and McGarrett nods in agreement. Che also says makeup was found on Ramos' clothing: a think flesh-colored type to cover blemishes. McGarrett gets a brainstorm supposing there's a twin or double involved. McGarrett wants Ben to deliver the tapes to Che to conduct a voice print analysis to check his theory.
Che works on the tapes rewinding and fast-forwarding as necessary while graphs run on the voices. Che calls McGarrett ready with the comparisons. McGarrett and Danno show up at the lab where Che tells them they're dealing with two different girls. The question now is what do they do with the real Maria? They have to kill her but they make it "look like a suicide". McGarrett tells Danno to contact the media for special coverage on a press release in order to buy Maria "a chunk of time" and force the kidnappers to change their plans.
At the hideout, Rita cuts out the article with the huge headline: 'Dictator Assassinated by own Daughter'. Olivares walks into the room after wiping their prints off everything they touched except what Rita is messing with. He pulls out a gun ready to kill Maria. Carlos runs in with a portable radio saying the police are on to them: the newscaster reads the story that Maria is not wanted for the assassination of her father but rather an imposter. Olivares flips yelling they need to go now but Rita says they can't, they still have Maria!
Act Four
Olivares calls McGarrett demanding a plane with a pilot by 6:00 p.m. and they'll turn Maria over to them alive. Danno attempts a trace but not enough time. McGarrett figures they have three hours to find her. He leaves to go to the Ilikai where he meets Felipe and asks if Ramos had only one daughter. Felipe gets indignant when McGarrett asks about previous marriages. Felipe does tell McGarrett about a woman from any years before who was paid off and moved to Hawaii but that's as far as he'll go because he values his life too.
Danno begins the immigration search for the mystery woman. He begins by calling the HPD computer room with a description. The Iron Brain spits out some information leading to the Vital Statistics office where he finds the record of birth for a baby girl to Teresa Elena Salazar.
Back at McGarrett's office, Danno has a bunch of information on Rita: previous arrests connected with demonstrations for disturbing the peace and assaulting a police officer. She was arrested with two others. McGarrett tells Danno to check them out as he calls the control center.
Danno and Chin go talk to the apartment manager (Charles Dubin) who tells them Rita hasn't been there in weeks. He opens the apartment saying there's nothing left and she had a couple of guys visit. Chin asks for descriptions but the manager isn't forthcoming making Danno a bit perturbed. Danno wants Che to check out the apartment.
It's now 5:00 p.m. when Danno walks into McGarrett's office with more information on Rita's accomplices, Carlos and Olivares. Their fingerprints were in her apartment but they can't be found. They do have an address for Carlos' girlfriend, which Chin and Ben are checking out. The girlfriend isn't that helpful as Carlos took off about a month before. She does tell them about the cabin where Carlos used to hold "some dumb meetings" when she recognizes Olivares' picture.
At the hideout, Olivares brings Maria out of the back room but she begins her passive resistance. Carlos tells Olivares to cool only to be punched in the mouth and as they fight with Rita in the middle of it, Maria makes a run for it! Danno watches from a helicopter when Maria breaks out, relaying to McGarrett what's going on. McGarrett drives up the mountain road with Chin and Ben followed by two HPD units. Once stopped, he tells Chin to take the shack as he and Ben chase after Olivares and Maria. Chin signals to the second unit to follow McGarrett and Ben as he takes the other two officers into the shack.
Olivares catches up with Maria and is about to run back only to see McGarrett and Ben coming after them. He makes his way to a tower forcing Maria to climb up while Rita and Carlos are arrested. Olivares fires a shot signaling for everyone to back off. McGarrett and Ben split up only to be reunited at gunpoint by Olivares who threatens to throw Maria off the tower. Both toss their guns aside to keep her from being killed. He then radios Danno to back off as two HPD officers are set up in sharpshooter positions. The helicopter takes off and Olivares moves her toward the stairs. When McGarrett sees the officers in position, he nods as one takes a shot hitting Olivares in the shoulder releasing Maria. McGarrett disarms Olivares and Ben cuffs him, "book them. Murder One". McGarrett then walks Maria down the tower.
This plot summary Copyright Bobbi Baker ©2019. No reproduction of any kind without permission.