Is there a Mrs. Syzmanski?
Yes, that's me.
Your husband is Sergeant August Syzmanski,
Second Battalion, Ninth Infantry?
Yes. What's wrong?
Your husband has been delayed.
But he's all right, isn't he?
Just a couple of days late, ma'am, that's all.
They're turning us every way but loose.
Right now I'm waiting for that fat gnat to pull us out of here.
Lieutenant, I hear it.
There it is.
If you ain't doing anything special, Augie,
I thought we might get the hell out of here.
I'll drink to that.
Am I starting to burn yet?
No, you're getting a nice, deep, Hawaiian tan.
It's real sexy with that suit.
Oh, you don't think this suit is too sexy?
If Augie is anything like Frank, there's no such thing.
Hey, why don't we go to the luau at the Moana tonight?
All right, if Augie doesn't call.
I wanna do some sightseeing before Frank gets here.
I have a feeling we won't be going out much.
Well, I think that's enough sun for me.
I wanna be touchable.
Lieutenant, do you call that a three-day patrol?
No, sir, more like a five-day running firefight.
Did you tell those dirty old dinks about our boy Syzmanski?
- About what? - Your R and R orders, sergeant.
They've been on my desk since Wednesday.
What? I thought it was your turn.
I'll be there in a few days, man.
Right now, your wife is lolling on the sands of Waikiki,
just a-pining for her old Augie.
Take the jeep, man. Go on.
Yeah, but I got leeches and lice to number and sort.
Go, sergeant. Go.
I'm going.
I'm going!
We were going to a luau.
Did you see her with anyone beside R and R wives?
No.
Can we take her now?
Yeah, Doc, but as soon as you can, tell me something, will you?
I can tell you something right now, about the murder weapon.
A bayonet.
How do you figure?
Four years in the Medical Corps, that's how I figure.
You see quite a few of those punctures in a field hospital.
Steve, your guy's cool under fire.
Look at that. He took the time to wipe the blade.
Thanks, Doc. I noticed.
Che, what have you got?
Crude job.
Tried to jimmy the lock, but didn't know how.
What do you think? Random kill, psycho, what?
Random, maybe, but he knew enough to wear gloves.
Hi, Steve. How are you?
Amateur.
Ken, looks like you'll be working together on this one, huh?
You know everyone?
- Mrs. Hurbert, this is- - Hurlburt.
I'm sorry, Mrs. Hurlburt.
This is Colonel Ken Hart, Army provost marshal.
Mrs. Hurlburt.
Yeah.
Victim was Ella Syzmanski.
She was waiting for her husband to arrive
on rest-and-recuperation leave from Vietnam.
How long has she been waiting?
Four days.
Four long days.
It's a pointless, vicious world we're trying to stay alive in, isn't it?
Syzmanski?
Syzmanski, that's right. He had to spell it for me.
Someone called?
A man.
What did he sound like?
A man.
Was there anything different about his voice?
Well, he wasn't local.
He had a mainland-sounding voice.
Gee, I really don't know.
Steve, she had one call, a guy.
Naturally, the operator wouldn't give him the room number,
but he must have hustled it out of Ella.
What time was that call?
Five after 2.
And the maid found the body at 3:45.
That gives us the approximate time of the murder.
Nothing from the room clerk or bellboys.
Parking attendants, doormen?
Nothing.
Her husband arrives in half an hour, Steve.
There are times that I wish I was anything but a cop.
If you want, I'll tell him, Steve. He is one of our guys.
Thanks, Ken. It happened on my turf.
The sooner, the better, then.
I'll have to ask you some questions, sergeant.
I've gotta get some leads, try to figure out who did it.
I hope you understand.
Yeah.
How long were you and Ella married?
A year, almost.
How long have you been overseas?
Seven months, two weeks.
How was the marriage going?
Strong.
Strong, beautiful and forever.
Oh, Jesus.
Was Ella very lonely?
What are you saying?
You've been away a long time, sergeant.
Easy. Easy, pal.
Do you think I like to ask questions like that?
- Then don't ask them, not about Ella. - Okay.
Okay. My fault.
My fault. My fault.
This groove leaves a distinct mark at the point of entry.
The killer's bayonet was much sharper than this one.
His had an edge like a scalpel.
Stabbed her once just below the sternum, using an upward thrust,
penetrating the right ventricle, right atrium and aorta,
main chambers of the heart.
Quick and sure, huh?
Okay, Doc, thank you.
Jenny, when Colonel Hart-- Oh, come on in, colonel.
Jenny, get everyone in here who has a report, please.
What have you got, Ken?
Well, a pretty good report on Sergeant Syzmanski and Ella,
from the Army side anyway.
What does it say?
That Ella and August Syzmanski were very married.
She's from a small town, churchgoing people,
thoroughly decent girl.
What about the sergeant?
Regular Army, five years, sharp noncom, cool, spotless,
sent his wife all but $30 out of his paycheck every month.
Did you get a C & C on him, Danno?
Same story, no stains, criminal- and credit-wise.
What did she do for four days, Kono?
Shopped at the International Market Place twice, Fort DeRussy PX once,
visited the R and R center every afternoon.
The rest of the time she was at the hotel.
Breakfast and lunch in the coffee shop,
sunbathed mornings,
always told the waitresses and beach boys where she was,
in case her husband called.
It's as if she was struck by lightning. No rhyme or reason.
If the guy is a psycho, where is his ego, his mark?
Ken, if I wanted to talk to Syzmanski's commanding officer,
how do I go about it?
There you're in luck, Steve.
A Captain Dan Nichols is due in on R and R, his CO,
tonight or tomorrow.
Mrs. Nichols?
Mrs. Dan Nichols?
That's right, sergeant.
Aloha, ma'am. I'm Jake Wheeler.
I served under your husband in the quaint little land of Nam.
Are you on R and R too?
No, ma'am, I'm stationed over here at Fort Shafter.
There's no need to take the limo, ma'am.
I'm authorized to put you in a soft-riding, affluent kind of staff car
and convey you in a style fitting and proper
to the wife of Captain Dan Nichols.
How nice.
- Is this your luggage? - Yes, it is.
Is this your first trip to Hawaii?
Yes. I've never been here before.
Oh, you haven't?
Well, I hope you enjoy your stay.
Somehow I never thought Hawaii would have freeways.
I want you to sniff that air, ma'am.
Ain't that just about the sweetest air you ever whiffed?
Flowers.
Is this the way to the R and R center, sergeant?
Yes, ma'am, it sure is.
This is what's known as the scenic route,
part of the officers' wives welcome tour.
Why don't you step out of there a minute, ma'am.
Oh, look at that.
If you don't have twenty-twenty vision now, this will sure give it to you.
- Come on. - Well, all right.
If we go up on the point here,
we can see a few more of the islands: Lanai, Molokai.
- You'd better hold my hand. - Okay.
It's pretty treacherous.
Well, I didn't lie to you, did I?
No.
Lovely. Just lovely.
Old Mother Nature sure knew what she was doing, didn't she?
She certainly did.
Aloha, Mrs. Nichols.
She's 20 yards to the right of where I rappelled off.
A hundred and twenty down.
We'll need the bag. Over.
Danno, is that Mrs. Nichols' purse?
Driver's license, credit cards
and R and R papers all say Mrs. Leslee Nichols.
Where was it found?
Over there. Officer Lakea found it, phoned it in.
There are footprints and drops of blood near the edge.
We'll need some casts and some samples.
I've already called for the mobile unit.
All right, let's go.
Steve.
A bunch of blood on these leaves.
Yeah.
As if someone wiped a blade on it.
A man and a woman's footprints go to the edge of the cliff.
Only his come back.
Haul away.
There's the signature you were looking for, Steve.
Yeah.
Just below the sternum.
Why stab her?
It would have been easier to make it look like suicide here.
This way he leaves us his message.
Premeditated murder.
Eight-oh-two.
Go ahead.
Put me to Five-0. McGarrett, please.
About 5 foot 9 inches, 150 to 155 pounds,
light-brown hair, with a dandruff problem.
Two rows of decorations and service ribbons were worn,
perhaps by the original owner.
I'll know more after analyzing it.
Hold it, Che.
You mean this is a secondhand uniform?
Right. There's an odor of insecticide.
Small shops use it to protect against silverfish and moths.
Well, he could have stored it himself.
Yes, but there are indications of staple perforations, a price tag.
So he's not necessarily a military man.
Maybe not. What about the staff r?
Hot-wired, stolen from the headquarters parking lot at Fort Shafter.
Mileage adds up to airport and where Mrs. Nichols' body was found.
We'll take the photo of Mrs. Nichols off the ID
and have some duplicates made.
Yeah.
She came in on the noon flight
and the killer was there to meet the plane.
Now, how did he know about Captain Nichols' R and R and her flight?
Steve, that's no secret.
There are orders posted in hallways and offices,
and a phone call or two would get her flight number.
We're getting everything except leads.
Maybe somebody at the airport can tell us about that face.
He might have bought this from you.
Lots of soldiers bought lots of leis.
I don't look at their faces, just at the money.
Yeah, she was picked up by a staff r.
A sergeant, E-5 or 6.
What did he look like?
Like a lot of Gls.
Don't fluff me off, Mac.
The guy we're looking for murdered two women.
What did he look like?
I don't remember. Honest, I don't.
Okay.
Mrs. D. Nichols.
Flight 28, seat 32-B.
Do you know if she was traveling alone?
It looks that way. The seat next to her was unoccupied.
That's all we know.
- Okay, thanks. - Yes, sir.
Well, he was about medium height
and he wore flier glasses and lots of ribbons.
Could you describe his face?
Yes, very haole.
Thank you.
Brandy, captain?
Yeah. Thanks.
So he stabbed her?
All right, captain.
Who hates your wife enough to wanna kill her?
Anybody hate you enough to wanna kill her?
No old grudges?
How about the present?
What present? I'm in the Army.
Okay, the Army. Any bad feelings in your outfit?
No conflict between officers and enlisted men?
There's always conflict between enlisted men and officers.
No.
No more than usual.
My men are all good men, all of them.
When is the next man from Echo Company due in on R and R?
About a month. Lieutenant Carter, I believe.
Your office will notify ours?
- About a month before. - Okay.
How long will it take to get the records of every man in Echo Company?
Steve, that's a lot of paper.
Ken, somebody took dead aim on two wives from that company.
Could be a coincidence.
Could be somebody is using R and R for revenge too.
Hi.
Oh, Mr. Wheeler, isn't it?
Right, right.
I see that you don't have to stand in line to join up around here.
How's my application going?
Not too well.
The computer spit you out, buddy.
They say you're Thomas Robert Ramon,
recently discharged from the United States Army.
Ralston? Who's Ralston?
I don't know anything about any Ralston.
Look, Wheeler, or Ralston, or whatever your name is,
I don't know what the Army media found wrong with you,
but the Marine Corps doesn't need used meat with a phony name.
Boy, you really think you're huckleberry over persimmon, don't you?
Try the Foreign Legion.
They don't ask questions.
Shove it, Tinker Bell.
DSC. Mine.
I wasted 11 VC and a mortar team to get that.
How many did you get, latrine sergeant?
You fools know what that is?
That's a Distinguished Service Cross.
That's a genuine hero medal.
For meritoriously wasting a bunch of Charlies.
Eleven!
All right.
"Mrs. Dennis Carter,
129 Ravine Forest Drive, Lynville, Florida.
Your husband received R and R early.
He arrives Honolulu tomorrow for five days only.
Come immediately."
Signed, Captain Dan Nichols.
Is that correct, captain?
Perfect. Pluperfect.
This noncom who was up for company punishment,
did he ever threaten--?
Sergeant Titus?
No, he just misunderstood my orders. We cleared that up.
Titus is all right.
Here's a man with a DSC, Thomas Ramon.
Platoon sergeant, Lieutenant Carter's platoon.
Good noncom.
He saved our lives one night.
He closed down a VC mortar squad all by himself.
That's why I put him in for the DSC.
Then why did you transfer him out?
He asked for a transfer.
He'd gone as high as he could in my company.
He deserved more rank.
It says here he received a medical discharge in Colorado
two months ago.
Would you send for that, Ken?
Okay.
Must have been that malaria of his.
Yeah. That's rough.
He was gung ho to stay in.
Your company records speak well of you, captain.
Sharp outfit.
I figure the sharper the outfit, the longer we live.
Hello.
Is there something I can do for you?
- Yes, ma'am. - Yes?
Does Mrs. Dennis Carter live here?
Yes, she does. I'm her mother.
- Is she here? - Oh, no.
She's on her way to Hawaii to visit her husband from Vietnam.
Her husband? Lieutenant Dennis Carter?
Cablegram came yesterday.
They're going to have three weeks of R and R in Honolulu.
She left here in such a flash.
Why? ls there something wrong?
Her husband, Lieutenant Dennis Carter,
was killed in action yesterday.
Denny? He's dead?
Oh, Lord.
I'm sorry.
May I use your phone?
Poor Amy.
I have to phone Honolulu.
Are you sure of this?
Okay.
Mrs. Dennis Carter is on her way to Honolulu.
Denny doesn't qualify for R and R for another three weeks.
Well, she received a cablegram from Honolulu
telling her her husband was on his way here.
But Carter's in Vietnam.
Lieutenant Carter was killed in action last night.
Who sent that cablegram?
It was signed Captain Dan Nichols.
I didn't send any cablegram.
Danno, Chin, Kono, in, please.
When is she arriving?
Two hours, 45 minutes.
Danno, get a description of Mrs. Dennis Carter
from Colonel Hart's office and find a policewoman to match.
Chin, check FIT, RCA, Global and Western Union.
I wanna know who sent that phony message to Mrs. Carter in-
Lynville?
--Lynville, Florida.
And, Chin, take a police artist to the telegraph office with you.
How are you doing on a description of the killer?
- Lousy. - Maybe we have a break here.
Could you restrict the news of Lieutenant Carter's death?
Sure can.
Now, the killer knew that your name on that cable
would bring Mrs. Carter here.
Now, what is it that ties you and you and Lieutenant Carter together?
We're in the same outfit.
No, something more than that.
And we've only got two hours and 40 minutes to find out what it is.
Right, 5-feet-4, 110 pounds.
Got it.
His cheeks were fuller, wider.
Perfect. Perfect.
You know, come to think of it, he sounded like a Southerner,
like a farm boy.
Colonel Hart, please. Special messenger.
- Oh, they're expecting you. - Thank you.
Medical report on Sergeant Ralston, sir.
Just came in from Colorado.
Thank you, sergeant.
Steve, Ralston was discharged on a Section Eight.
Paranoid, aggressive-defensive, tendencies to violence.
There's a bunch of reading here.
Okay, captain.
Tell me again why Ralston transferred out of your outfit.
He wanted it.
And it was better for discipline.
Discipline?
After Ramon was awarded the DSC,
he began coming on kind of strong.
How strong?
Like he wanted to go for OCS.
And one night he...
Augie, you were there. I wasn't.
Well, I told Ralston to shut off the lights in his bunker
and he wouldn't.
Lieutenant Carter came in and ordered him to.
Ralston says,
"You want those lights out, boot looey? Okay, lights out."
So Ralston shoots out the lights,
laughing the whole time.
- What did you do? - I tried to take his rifle away.
And he hit me a butt stroke.
That's a court-martial offense, of course,
but it was dark and I wasn't sure he did it on purpose.
Did your battalion commander know about that?
How do I bring charges against a guy I put in for the DSC?
All right. This is a verbatim transcript of his interview with the psychiatrist.
Now, Ralston really flipped out when he got back to the mainland.
You listen to this.
“Ramon:
I was regular Army, headed for the high cotton,
wanted to put in for OCS,
but they wouldn't recommend me and that tore it, really tore it.
Doctor: Who wouldn't recommend it?
Ramon'.
Augie, Captain Dan
and that Benning baby, Lieutenant Carter.
I get the DSC and they stuff me down a rat hole.
Only I ain't staying stuffed."
Okay. I made an error in judgment.
An error in judgment?
I'd say you were more interested
in keeping your sharp outfit looking sharp.
The guy needed a head doctor and you give him a transfer.
And you pass that off as an error in judgment?
That's what it was, McGarrett. And I've paid for it.
All right, maybe he did start flipping out.
When you and Victor Charlie are out in the boonies every night
trying to kill each other, we all get pretty weird.
Good, Chin. You know him?
Yeah, that could be Ralston.
Clerk mentioned the guy sounded Southern, a farm boy.
That's Tommy Bob, all right.
Okay, let's go.
Steve, this is Policewoman Cathy Miller.
Our look-alike for Mrs. Carter. She's been briefed.
Cathy, you know you're playing the role of target number three.
Yes.
I realize you volunteered, but if you have any second thoughts...
Shouldn't we be getting to the airport?
Yes, we should.
Please.
Control tower.
This is McGarrett, Hawaii Five-O. Priority one.
We have received FAA clearance
to talk with captain of incoming Flight 28.
Over.
Please hold it, Mr. McGarrett We'll patch you through.
- Mrs. Carter? - Yes?
I've been instructed to ask you to remain in your seat after landing.
Some people are coming aboard to talk with you.
Is it Dennis? Is it my husband?
No, I don't think so. It's someone else.
Mrs. Dennis Carter has been instructed
per your request, Mr. McGarrett.
Anything else?
- Will you repeat that, plain? - Yes.
Mrs. Dennis Carter has been instructed
per your request, Mr. McGarrett.
ls there anything else'?
Just that when you land, captain, follow your normal procedures,
but I repeat, under no circumstances is Mrs. Carter to leave your plane.
Affirmative.
Thank you, Kemo.
Last chance, Cathy.
It's the only way to draw out the killer, isn't it?
Excuse me.
We'll return your bags to you as soon as possible.
What about...
...my husband's things?
They'll be sent to you.
Some of his things are very precious to me
and I wouldn't want to lose them.
A Bible from our wedding...
...and a watch that I gave him...
...and a funny snapshot...
...taken of us on our honeymoon.
That photograph has been around the world with him.
Everything will be sent to you, I promise you, Mrs. Carter.
Mrs. Carter, this is Steve McGarrett of Five-O.
What can I say, Mrs. Carter?
My deepest sympathy and my apology for being so brusque,
but your own life is in danger right now.
So I'll have to ask you to please stay away from these windows.
The safest place for you is right here on the plane.
You have about an hour and a half
before your flight returns to the mainland.
Colonel Hart will stay with you
until he can get you on that safely.
Mrs. Dennis Carter.
Will Mrs. Dennis Carter please answer the courtesy telephone
at the message desk.
Mrs. Dennis Carter.
Hello? This is Mrs. Dennis Carter.
Hello?
Hello'?
Hello?
Hello'?
Steve?
Yeah, Danno?
Why do you suppose he called and didn't show up?
Yeah, that's just what's on my mind, and I don't like it.
Kano, when you get to For! DeRussy,
you make two rights to the R and R center.
Right, I know the place.
I want you at the door of that b when Cathy gets out.
And remember, Chin is going to the south door.
I remember exactly. I've got a photogenic memory.
That's photographic, Kono.
That's what I said.
Photo, photo, photo...
It's been around the world with him.
Ramon';!
Is that the way you won the DSC?
Killing women?
That sounds like the lint-free, round-mouthed voice of justice.
Where's that little handgun you dudes carry?
Don't need one.
I don't think it's gonna make any difference now anyway, do you?
Put that down, Ramon.
No need to kill a widow.
A widow?
Lieutenant Carter was killed in action yesterday.
Now the score is settled.
That's what's known as a right quick Sunday lie.
It's true--
The only lie around here is you, Ralston,
you being a hero.
You didn't need one?
I was wrong.
It's all right.
Steve, you all right?
Yeah. Yeah, I think so.
How about you?
I'm okay.
Ramon'?
He's dead. You'd better ll the coroner's office.
Long day-
The longest.