Magnum, P.I. (1980) s06e04 Episode Script
The Kona Winds
You found me.
Nothing else matters.
This is Thomas Magnum.
He's with the security company.
Nobody ever crosses Sam.
Nobody ever outsmarts him.
Anybody tries to take something that belongs to me, I take care of them myself.
I am the only one who can link him to the deaths.
He'll have to kill me.
You have to come over right away.
You better bring your gun.
There's something hypnotic about the climate in Hawaii.
Every day, it's sunny and 80 degrees.
Every day, there are gentle trade winds to take the edge off the humidity.
Every day.
Until the Kona winds come up.
The Kona winds come from the south, from somewhere in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.
And, as they travel toward the unprotected chain of islands sitting, vulnerable, in the huge expanse of water, they pick up power and speed and force, finally crashing into the scattered bits of land.
But the Kona winds do more than whip the sea into a frenzy.
They stir the blood and tear at the emotions, thrusting even temperate men into destinies they may later regret.
I've always felt drawn to the land's edge to watch the winds come in, as if I were somehow part of the drama.
I'm not even sure what happened.
Do you think it was the wind? Of course it was the wind.
What else could it have been? I might have jumped.
Did you? No.
I don't know.
I'm not sure of anything anymore.
I'm not even sure you should have saved me.
Don't ever say something like that.
My husband is going to kill me.
It's the wind.
What you're saying is Very serious.
I know.
You have some kind of proof? For some reason I woke up in the middle of the night last night.
There were voices on the patio below.
Angry voices.
At first I thought it must be the wind.
But I went to the window and I saw my husband.
His face was distorted with anger and Charlie was Charlie? His partner, his best friend.
Was yelling at him, something about inspections and bribery, that Sam was to blame.
And then Sam pulled the gun out of his pocket, and he shot him.
He killed him.
And you saw it? I might have screamed.
I don't remember.
Since that moment, I've been numb.
Shock, I guess.
Nothing seems quite real.
What did the police say? I can't call them.
What if they don't believe me? When Sam came to bed, I pretended I was asleep.
But every time he looks at me, I'm sure he knows.
And I'm sure he's going to kill me, too.
Magnum! That's not the wind.
It's Higgins.
He lives here.
You won't tell him about me.
Magnum, where are you? If Sam didn't see me, I made a terrible mistake in confiding in you.
No, you haven't.
Look, I'm just going to find out what Higgins wants.
I'll be right back.
You're safe here.
With the most extensive Higgins! damage on the outer islands, several resort hotels were flooded by the storm surge, which smashed 30-foot waves We have 24 hours.
Meanwhile, tropical storm Po'ipe is brewing less than 300 miles off the north shore of Oahu.
It is expected that Po'ipe will unleash four times the destructive force Put these on and follow me.
We don't have a moment to spare.
But Higgins! We'll need to put masking tape on every window on the estate because in the event we're struck with Well, yeah, but before we do that A drastic step, to be sure, but one far preferable to having giant shards of glass flying throughout the house.
I estimate we'll need a dozen rolls, two-inch width, Additionally, we will need three or four five-gallon containers of bottled water, four hurricane lamps, six dozen candles, an assortment of batteries and a can opener.
A can opener? Will you slow down? I need to talk to you.
Take a look at this.
The engine which operates the estate's generator system, our only source of power should a blackout occur.
It sounds like it needs a tune-up.
Precisely.
If you don't have the skills to attend to it personally, hire a mechanic.
Everything must be in top-notch condition if we're gonna have any chance of beating the storm.
You sound like you're addressing the troops.
There's only one way to approach these matters, Magnum.
Head on.
Meet aggression with aggression.
Whether the enemy is man or nature, the battle goes to the one who is prepared.
I shall expect nothing less from you than full-scale cooperation.
Wait.
Wait a second, will you? There's plenty of time.
According to the weather report, 23 hours and Fifty-five minutes.
And counting.
I just need a minute! Look, Higgins, earlier today I came across someone who'd had an accident.
It was a woman.
Higgins, now She almost drowned.
And she's in trouble and she's scared.
And I told her this would be a safe place for her to stay.
Then I suggest you set out immediately to ensure that it is.
It's another beautiful day in paradise.
It's hard to imagine that with such blue skies and clear water that tropical storm Po'ipe is brewing up trouble only a couple of hundred miles away.
Meantime, clean-up operations have begun on the outer islands.
Medical and food supplies are being flown in by helicopter, and work will begin today restoring electrical service She didn't even tell you her name? Well, she's in trouble.
She's scared.
Maybe she doesn't trust me.
Now, I wouldn't be surprised if she felt like she couldn't trust anybody.
Boy! You should have seen her yesterday, T.
C.
There's something about her, I don't know.
That makes you want to take care of her? Makes you want to do whatever you have to do to find her and make sure everything's all right for her? Look, she's practically a prisoner in her own house.
She's married to a man who spends most of his time building a real estate empire.
His whole life is controlling and manipulating other people.
She's no match for a guy like that.
If he is going to do something to hurt her, how's she going to protect herself? I thought you said she didn't even tell you her name.
She didn't.
You know all this stuff about someone who doesn't even tell you her name? Well, I am a private investigator, T.
C.
I did a little investigating.
I ran a check on her license plate from her car.
You ran a check through DMV? Well, Rick did.
But the point is, the car is registered to Sam Henderson.
Sam Henderson? Yeah, wife's name is Lauren.
Yeah, he owns one of the hotels that got wiped out in the storm last night in Kumulani Bay.
He owns hotels on all the islands, T.
C.
So where does it all lead to? I don't know.
She ran away.
Maybe she doesn't even want my help.
But maybe she needs it anyway.
Well, thanks a lot for the blankets.
There's people on that island who will really be needing these tonight.
You think that second storm's going to turn and miss us? I don't know.
But you can't worry about that, Thomas.
You sure can't change the course of the storm.
You sure can't get out of its way if it's gonna roll over you.
In fact, all you can do is, kind of, roll along with it and hope you don't get too banged up in the process.
You know, that's the thing about nature.
It doesn't set out to intentionally hurt you.
But you can't say the same thing about people.
T.
C.
All right, I'll see what I can find out about Henderson while I'm over there.
Hello, you have reached Thomas Magnum.
Please wait for the tone You found me.
My husband just left for Kumulani Bay.
The hotel he and Charlie were arguing about, it's been completely destroyed.
I know.
People were killed.
Nobody knew about the deaths until a couple of hours ago.
If it wasn't the storm, if it was what Charlie said, bad construction He could be charged with wrongful death.
He's gone to make sure there isn't any evidence left to To implicate him.
I don't want to drag you into this, but I don't know where else to turn.
Once Sam comes back, I am the only one who can implicate him with the deaths.
He'll have to kill me.
No, he won't.
It doesn't matter, now.
You came after me.
You found me.
Nothing else matters.
Lauren, wait I'm sorry.
I'm gonna take you to the police.
There's nothing they can do.
I want you to tell them what you told me.
That my husband killed his partner, but I don't know where the body is? No body, no crime.
Isn't that how that goes? He's missing.
It's a place to start.
His secretary said he was on vacation, but she doesn't know where.
I called.
Lauren, are you sure? If you don't believe me, nobody will.
I believe you.
I do.
I believe you.
Come here.
Sit down, sit down The police are gonna believe you, too, if we come up with enough evidence.
Now, all we have to do is prove that he had the motive and the opportunity.
How do we do that? Well, we'll start with the inspector that Sam bribed.
If Sam finds out we're looking into this, he'll kill us.
That's a risk we're gonna have to take.
Now you can't just sit here waiting for him to come back.
What about his office? They close up the office at 5:00 on the dot.
Here's the connection.
Greg Frazier, the site inspector.
He also inspected the grating, the cement work, the framing, plumbing, electrical How'd they get away with this? Is that unusual? Well, unless he's an expert in every one of these fields, which is highly unlikely.
But not impossible.
Well, I'm sure that's what Mr.
Frazier will tell us.
Unless we can put this together with a record of payment.
That's not exactly something Sam would keep on file.
Put that light out.
It's okay.
Suppose you're Sam.
You pay this guy a lot of money, but you want to make sure he doesn't blackmail you for more.
I mean, wouldn't you want to keep a record of it around to show this guy that he's implicated? That's exactly how Sam would think.
Where does he keep his check registers? Anything he'd want to keep hidden would be in his office.
He told me he kept his private papers in here.
But where? Is there a safe? Of course.
How like Sam to use this picture to hide the safe.
Do you have any idea what the combination might be? His Social Security number? That's too many numbers.
Try, 10-7-40, that's his birthday.
Well, that's one down and two to go.
What do you mean? Well, this kind of electronic lock gives you three chances, then it freezes for 24 hours and sets off an alarm.
Try 6-18-81.
The photograph.
Our wedding day.
Here's something, $2,500.
It's made out to cash.
Yeah, but it was written the same date the first permit was signed off.
And it's endorsed by Greg Frazier.
If we can find more of these checks for the same amount for these other dates It's a security guard.
Must be time for rounds.
Is there another way out of here? That way.
The only question that remains is, how soon will she hit and how much damage will she do? Thanks, Bill, if there's anything we don't need, it's a second storm.
Let's all keep our fingers crossed.
On the lighter side, the Honolulu Sam's going to find out we broke in.
No, the guard didn't see us.
We have to go over the papers.
Yeah, we'll go back to my place.
No! There are other people there.
We can't take another chance on being seen together.
No one will have to see us.
I think we should go to my house.
Sam won't be back until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, but if he should call and I'm not there Do you feel that? It almost feels as if the air is alive.
It's the Kona winds.
Do you realize what you're doing? You idiot.
I was very sheltered and protected all my life.
An only child.
My mother died when I was three.
My father was remote, distant.
He passed away when I was in college, leaving me no resources to survive on my own.
I guess, I saw the Islands as a retreat from a frightening world.
I started working in one of Sam's hotels.
The minute he saw me, he started a campaign to own me.
He never gave me a chance to think about what was happening.
He wanted an ornament.
He got one.
My marriage ended on our wedding day.
He locked me away in this house and made sure I could never leave.
I had no money, no friends, no family.
The one time I told him I was unhappy and wanted to leave, he knocked me across the room.
Nobody ever crosses Sam.
Nobody ever outsmarts him.
Maybe they do.
He left a pretty good trail between him and Inspector Frazier.
Not good enough to take to the police? No, it's not good enough by itself.
But if he left that trail, he's bound to have left something else somewhere.
I want you to go to Robin's Nest.
You'll be safe there with Higgins.
It's better that I stay here.
Keep Sam thinking I'm not onto him yet.
You'll stay right by the phone? I'll call you just as soon as I find something out.
Sam, you're home early.
Everything all right? No.
Everything's a mess.
This is Thomas Magnum.
He's with the security company.
He's been out to check the house.
Nice car, Thomas Magnum.
Thank you.
Some kind of trouble? Well, the winds seem to have knocked out some of the systems at your neighbors' houses, but yours is working just fine.
Well, can't be too careful.
Well, I've got to file my reports.
You checked the whole house, did you? I think we covered everything.
Oh That's very thoughtful of you, dear.
We have an elaborate system here, Mr.
Magnum.
It's quite good.
I'm real proud of it.
I'd like to show you a special feature of the system.
It's something that I added myself.
Mr.
Magnum.
This is the heart of the system, Mr.
Magnum.
But you've already seen it, haven't you? I believe in strong security, Mr.
Magnum.
But I also believe that you have to let would-be intruders know that you mean business.
I don't think you'll have any trouble with that.
Any system can let you down.
But I have a backup that's absolutely foolproof.
Anybody tries to take something that belongs to me, I take care of them myself.
Looks like the second storm is coming.
The encounter with Sam Henderson had left me with the sobering realization that events were happening too quickly and I was losing control.
I know, some people say we don't really have anything more than the illusion of control, anyway.
But I was losing even that.
And it was unsettling.
For some reason, fixing the generator gave me a feeling that I did have some influence over my universe, at least until the second storm arrived.
Then, I knew, everything would be up for grabs.
Higgins? Higgins! What are you doing? I am clearing away the last painful remnants of a battle lost.
Battle lost? A glaring reminder of previous defeat is bad for morale.
I admit the winds yesterday caught me a bit off guard.
The surprise element left us wide open.
The carefully maintained order with which this estate is run was turned into utter and complete chaos.
That will not happen again.
If the storm should attack this part of the island, we shall be ready to do battle and we shall prevail.
This isn't a war, you know.
I mean, once nature sets its course, you can't do anything to stop it.
You can if you're British! If I had paid attention to the way the storm was affecting everyone around me, I might have noticed that it was brewing up some intense feelings in me.
Although T.
C.
seemed philosophical enough about it, Higgins was flailing around for control.
And when I called Rick to ask for his help, he sounded distracted, almost giddy.
And if I'd really paid attention, I would have noticed that I was being driven by forces I couldn't quite identify and taking chances I wouldn't ordinarily take.
With winds gusting up to 75 miles an hour, the Coast Guard has issued small-craft advisories.
The National Weather Service is predicting that tropical storm Po'ipe will turn into Hi.
I'm sorry.
Henderson and Brandon? Yes.
Hi.
Hi.
I'm with the Superior Mutual Insurance Group.
We carry the coverage on the Kumulani Bay operation.
Oh, why does everything always happen at once? Listen, Mr.
Henderson, he's not in right now.
But he's supposed to be back pretty soon because he needs to talk to the police, so you're welcome to wait, if you like.
What? The police are involved in the Kumulani Bay problem? What? No, not at all.
It's about the break-in last night.
What? You know what? I probably shouldn't be telling you any of this.
Why don't you just wait for Mr.
Henderson? That's a shame.
I mean, I kind of wanted to wrap all this up before the end of the work day in LA.
I mean, you know how slow they can be in issuing checks from the home office.
I'll tell you what? Is Mr.
Brandon around? No, I'm sorry, but he's on vacation.
Oh, gee! You know, I just don't need that much to get my paperwork done.
See, the home office wasn't able to telex me my copy of the insurance policy, so it would really help me out if I could take a look at yours.
Well, I Well, all right.
I guess that'd be okay.
Great, great.
I'll also need copies of the purchase orders of all your building materials, you know, just to verify replacement cost, that sort of thing.
You want to know what I'm going to do as soon as Mr.
Henderson gets back here? What? Leave.
The last place I want to be is in the 12th floor of this building when that storm hits.
Oh, yeah.
I'll bet Mr.
Brandon Charlie, is it? Yeah.
Yeah, well, I'll bet you he's glad he's on vacation, what with all the weather trouble here and everything.
Yeah, well, I really wouldn't know because I haven't talked to him.
Do you know where I can reach him? I mean, in case I need his signature for anything? No, I don't.
Now, here are the copies of those purchase orders you needed.
Oh, I really appreciate this.
Let's see Oh, here it is.
This is the insurance Yeah, this is it.
This is the insurance file on the Kumulani Bay Hotel.
Thank you.
You know confidentially, I mean, just between you and me, I don't blame you for not wanting to stay up here.
I mean, the storm has got everybody so nervous.
Well, you know what? It's not just that.
It's just I don't know, but things are just so weird around here lately.
Yeah, I'd noticed that myself.
You did? Yes.
No, really, did you know Yes! Did you know that Charlie took off and never even told me where he was going? I mean, I I don't know what I'm supposed to do about all his luncheon appointments this week.
Plus, we have the inspection on the Waverly Waikiki Hotel.
And you know, Charlie, he always meets with the inspectors.
And Mr.
Henderson Please! Mr.
Henderson is not about to meet with those inspectors.
And then last night, I don't know if you Did you hear about this? We had a break-in in here last night.
Yeah, I hope he calls in.
I really do, because I'm going to tell him.
I'm just going to tell him what I think of this little disappearing act of his.
Listen to me.
I'm going on and on about my problems, and those poor people of the Kumulani I'm sorry.
You know what? Don't pay any attention to me, okay? It's all right.
It's the storm.
Yeah, oh well.
Anyway, look it, here are those Social Security Numbers, and You know, I really think that's just about everything you need.
Your other hotel? Oh, yeah.
These are Well, if you need anything else, really, Mr.
Henderson should be back this afternoon.
Thanks, uh Oh, Cindy.
My name is Cindy.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
The National Weather Bureau has advised travelers to stay off the roads.
Stay tuned for emergency centers An uneasy feeling began creeping around the back of my mind.
If Charlie always met with the inspectors, how was it he didn't know about Sam paying one of them off? Was it possible, that Sam was, for some reason I couldn't quite put together, concocting some elaborate scheme to terrify Lauren? Is this something or is this something? Hey look what the wind blew in.
How you doing? You know Big Ed Kanakoa, right? You did work for him on his third divorce.
I know, he puts on luaus.
Right! So I figured, if I'm gonna throw a blowout for all my friends, who better to call than Big Ed Kanakoa, the king of the luaus, right? Why are you throwing a party? Well, there's a second storm coming in.
You do two things when a storm comes in: One, you lock your windows.
Two, you lock your doors.
Then you boogie, boogie, boogie until you drop.
Hey, Thomas, we got an extra seat over here! Why don't you come and join us? What do you want? Blue Hawaii, Chi Chi? Did you get anything on that building inspector for me? Yeah, I called a friend of mine who's in the cement business.
He called a cousin of his who is an electrical contractor Rick, I don't have a lot of time.
Now, is he on the up and up or not? Not.
Does it help you out any? I think so.
But there's something else that doesn't quite fit.
Can I use your phone? Sure.
In your office? Oh, come on, Thomas, I just spent a fortune for this blowout.
Don't tell me you're not going to stick around.
I'm sorry, Rick.
I'll catch the next one.
Honest.
I knew I was chasing down a ghost trying to find Charlie Brandon.
But I figured, while I went through the paperwork, I might as well try.
If I could even prove he was missing, that would help the case against Sam.
I figured the very least I could do was call the hotels he owned.
He wasn't at the Waverly Hotel, Bora Bora, he wasn't at the Waverly Hotel, Tokyo, and I was willing to bet odds he wasn't at the Waverly Hotel, Melbourne.
Charles Brandon, please.
One moment please.
After Australia, I only had three more hotels to go.
Yeah? Charlie Brandon? Who's calling? I'm your claims adjustor with Empire Fidelity Insurance.
We were just trying to cut through the paperwork on the Kumulani Bay thing.
I was just wondering if I could ask you a couple of quick questions, you know.
Shouldn't take but a minute.
How'd you get this number? You know, if I can get this form in by tonight, you should have the first installment on your $6,000,000 insurance benefit by tomorrow in the mail.
You're paying off on the hotel? Yeah, just as soon as I fill out this form.
You heard about the storm, I guess? Yeah.
I was wondering if you could tell me your Social Security Number.
See, I think it has been left off the application.
That's right.
Which insurance company did you say you were with? That should take care of it for us, Mr.
Brandon.
You just have a nice vacation.
I figured, if you can't bring Magnum to the party, then bring the party to Magnum.
No thanks, Ed.
Hey, I couldn't let you get away without knowing if you heard from my boss's wife? What? Sam Henderson's wife.
I mean, she told me, you know, it was on the q.
t.
, that she was looking for a private eye.
Hey, naturally, I turned her on to you.
When? Oh, I think, must have been about a week ago.
You mean, you never heard from her? Hello? The party's waiting for you.
Hello? Hello.
Thomas! I've been trying to reach you.
Where are you? It doesn't matter.
You have to come over right away.
Sam's gone to the office and Thomas, I found Charlie's body.
Thomas, are you there? Yes.
I've called the police, but you have to come over right away.
I'm so afraid Sam will get home before the police arrive.
Thomas? Are you sure it's Charlie? Of course, I'm sure.
You're not gonna start doubting me now? I need you.
Please.
Won't you come over? Yes.
Please, hurry.
And Thomas, just in case, you better bring your gun.
Hello, Lauren.
Thomas.
I wasn't sure you were coming.
You lied to me about Charlie.
No.
You didn't find his body.
What else did you lie to me about? Nothing.
You must believe me.
I did lie about seeing the body.
But I was afraid you wouldn't come over.
I knew I had to tell you something How about the truth? The truth was too complicated.
I couldn't tell you over the phone.
Look.
A quarter of a million dollars.
You remember those checks made out to cash? There must have been more of them than we ever imagined.
How'd it get here? I'm not sure.
I've been thinking about that ever since I found it.
And I think Charlie was always having money troubles.
He must've forged Sam's name on those checks to get access to some ready cash, fast.
When Sam found out some money was missing, he probably called Charlie over here.
They got into a fight over the money, then Charlie brought up the building inspector.
That's when I woke up.
Their fight got out of hand and Charlie was killed.
From there I can only guess that Sam went to Charlie's to get the money, brought it back here, put it in the safe.
It's the only thing that makes sense.
Bye, Lauren.
Where are you going? Thomas! Thomas! Until you pulled me out of the ocean, I didn't care whether I lived or died.
Today, when I found this money, I knew I wanted to live.
With you.
We can take the money and leave.
Now.
Before Sam comes back and kills us like he did Charlie.
Sam didn't kill Charlie.
He did.
I saw it! You must believe me! What a charming scene.
Are you here to check the security system again, Mr.
Magnum? Thomas, you must kill him.
It's our only chance.
Hardly the loving words of a devoted wife, my dear.
We can go anywhere you want.
When you think about it, it's not very gracious of you to insist that our guest commit homicide.
If you wanted me dead, you should have purchased a gun yourself.
We can't let him destroy us.
Not now.
Not only would it have been more hospitable, it would have been more pragmatic.
You see, your Mr.
Magnum doesn't have the killer instinct.
Beach boys generally don't.
That's why they stay on the beach, living off of lonely, wealthy women.
Is that the kind of life you wanted for yourself, Lauren? Thomas, shoot him.
Save your breath.
He doesn't have it in him.
Charlie isn't dead.
I talked to him.
He's in Australia.
I know.
But Sam is dead now.
That's the important thing.
You're going to take the money and run away with Charlie? Nothing nearly so obvious.
The money stays here with Sam and you.
Somehow I don't think that's going to do us much good.
No.
Probably not.
But it will help my story a great deal.
The story you've been saving for the police.
You'd like it.
It's all about a down-on-his-luck Pl who stumbled across a very wealthy contractor who'd been bribing building inspectors.
Sam.
About a contractor who wouldn't allow himself to be blackmailed by a second-rate Pl.
That's where I come in.
And about a terrible fight which escalated into a shootout, both men dead, by each other's weapons.
A routine investigation, a respectable time for mourning, and you and Charlie can live happily ever after off the empire Sam built.
I'm afraid the one thing I can't stand is long good-byes.
I emptied it before you came downstairs.
I'm sorry to have done something so obvious.
You haven't changed anything.
It's still your word against mine.
Your gun killed Sam.
Nobody ever saw us together.
Nobody will ever believe you.
I will.
Sam.
It turns out I am as big a fool as you must have thought I was when you married me.
Sam.
Please! Don't say any more.
Even a fool has limits.
You okay? Yeah.
Yeah, but I'm almost sorry you called me at the office for that little chat.
Almost.
Looks like the second storm isn't gonna hit after all.
Nothing else matters.
This is Thomas Magnum.
He's with the security company.
Nobody ever crosses Sam.
Nobody ever outsmarts him.
Anybody tries to take something that belongs to me, I take care of them myself.
I am the only one who can link him to the deaths.
He'll have to kill me.
You have to come over right away.
You better bring your gun.
There's something hypnotic about the climate in Hawaii.
Every day, it's sunny and 80 degrees.
Every day, there are gentle trade winds to take the edge off the humidity.
Every day.
Until the Kona winds come up.
The Kona winds come from the south, from somewhere in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.
And, as they travel toward the unprotected chain of islands sitting, vulnerable, in the huge expanse of water, they pick up power and speed and force, finally crashing into the scattered bits of land.
But the Kona winds do more than whip the sea into a frenzy.
They stir the blood and tear at the emotions, thrusting even temperate men into destinies they may later regret.
I've always felt drawn to the land's edge to watch the winds come in, as if I were somehow part of the drama.
I'm not even sure what happened.
Do you think it was the wind? Of course it was the wind.
What else could it have been? I might have jumped.
Did you? No.
I don't know.
I'm not sure of anything anymore.
I'm not even sure you should have saved me.
Don't ever say something like that.
My husband is going to kill me.
It's the wind.
What you're saying is Very serious.
I know.
You have some kind of proof? For some reason I woke up in the middle of the night last night.
There were voices on the patio below.
Angry voices.
At first I thought it must be the wind.
But I went to the window and I saw my husband.
His face was distorted with anger and Charlie was Charlie? His partner, his best friend.
Was yelling at him, something about inspections and bribery, that Sam was to blame.
And then Sam pulled the gun out of his pocket, and he shot him.
He killed him.
And you saw it? I might have screamed.
I don't remember.
Since that moment, I've been numb.
Shock, I guess.
Nothing seems quite real.
What did the police say? I can't call them.
What if they don't believe me? When Sam came to bed, I pretended I was asleep.
But every time he looks at me, I'm sure he knows.
And I'm sure he's going to kill me, too.
Magnum! That's not the wind.
It's Higgins.
He lives here.
You won't tell him about me.
Magnum, where are you? If Sam didn't see me, I made a terrible mistake in confiding in you.
No, you haven't.
Look, I'm just going to find out what Higgins wants.
I'll be right back.
You're safe here.
With the most extensive Higgins! damage on the outer islands, several resort hotels were flooded by the storm surge, which smashed 30-foot waves We have 24 hours.
Meanwhile, tropical storm Po'ipe is brewing less than 300 miles off the north shore of Oahu.
It is expected that Po'ipe will unleash four times the destructive force Put these on and follow me.
We don't have a moment to spare.
But Higgins! We'll need to put masking tape on every window on the estate because in the event we're struck with Well, yeah, but before we do that A drastic step, to be sure, but one far preferable to having giant shards of glass flying throughout the house.
I estimate we'll need a dozen rolls, two-inch width, Additionally, we will need three or four five-gallon containers of bottled water, four hurricane lamps, six dozen candles, an assortment of batteries and a can opener.
A can opener? Will you slow down? I need to talk to you.
Take a look at this.
The engine which operates the estate's generator system, our only source of power should a blackout occur.
It sounds like it needs a tune-up.
Precisely.
If you don't have the skills to attend to it personally, hire a mechanic.
Everything must be in top-notch condition if we're gonna have any chance of beating the storm.
You sound like you're addressing the troops.
There's only one way to approach these matters, Magnum.
Head on.
Meet aggression with aggression.
Whether the enemy is man or nature, the battle goes to the one who is prepared.
I shall expect nothing less from you than full-scale cooperation.
Wait.
Wait a second, will you? There's plenty of time.
According to the weather report, 23 hours and Fifty-five minutes.
And counting.
I just need a minute! Look, Higgins, earlier today I came across someone who'd had an accident.
It was a woman.
Higgins, now She almost drowned.
And she's in trouble and she's scared.
And I told her this would be a safe place for her to stay.
Then I suggest you set out immediately to ensure that it is.
It's another beautiful day in paradise.
It's hard to imagine that with such blue skies and clear water that tropical storm Po'ipe is brewing up trouble only a couple of hundred miles away.
Meantime, clean-up operations have begun on the outer islands.
Medical and food supplies are being flown in by helicopter, and work will begin today restoring electrical service She didn't even tell you her name? Well, she's in trouble.
She's scared.
Maybe she doesn't trust me.
Now, I wouldn't be surprised if she felt like she couldn't trust anybody.
Boy! You should have seen her yesterday, T.
C.
There's something about her, I don't know.
That makes you want to take care of her? Makes you want to do whatever you have to do to find her and make sure everything's all right for her? Look, she's practically a prisoner in her own house.
She's married to a man who spends most of his time building a real estate empire.
His whole life is controlling and manipulating other people.
She's no match for a guy like that.
If he is going to do something to hurt her, how's she going to protect herself? I thought you said she didn't even tell you her name.
She didn't.
You know all this stuff about someone who doesn't even tell you her name? Well, I am a private investigator, T.
C.
I did a little investigating.
I ran a check on her license plate from her car.
You ran a check through DMV? Well, Rick did.
But the point is, the car is registered to Sam Henderson.
Sam Henderson? Yeah, wife's name is Lauren.
Yeah, he owns one of the hotels that got wiped out in the storm last night in Kumulani Bay.
He owns hotels on all the islands, T.
C.
So where does it all lead to? I don't know.
She ran away.
Maybe she doesn't even want my help.
But maybe she needs it anyway.
Well, thanks a lot for the blankets.
There's people on that island who will really be needing these tonight.
You think that second storm's going to turn and miss us? I don't know.
But you can't worry about that, Thomas.
You sure can't change the course of the storm.
You sure can't get out of its way if it's gonna roll over you.
In fact, all you can do is, kind of, roll along with it and hope you don't get too banged up in the process.
You know, that's the thing about nature.
It doesn't set out to intentionally hurt you.
But you can't say the same thing about people.
T.
C.
All right, I'll see what I can find out about Henderson while I'm over there.
Hello, you have reached Thomas Magnum.
Please wait for the tone You found me.
My husband just left for Kumulani Bay.
The hotel he and Charlie were arguing about, it's been completely destroyed.
I know.
People were killed.
Nobody knew about the deaths until a couple of hours ago.
If it wasn't the storm, if it was what Charlie said, bad construction He could be charged with wrongful death.
He's gone to make sure there isn't any evidence left to To implicate him.
I don't want to drag you into this, but I don't know where else to turn.
Once Sam comes back, I am the only one who can implicate him with the deaths.
He'll have to kill me.
No, he won't.
It doesn't matter, now.
You came after me.
You found me.
Nothing else matters.
Lauren, wait I'm sorry.
I'm gonna take you to the police.
There's nothing they can do.
I want you to tell them what you told me.
That my husband killed his partner, but I don't know where the body is? No body, no crime.
Isn't that how that goes? He's missing.
It's a place to start.
His secretary said he was on vacation, but she doesn't know where.
I called.
Lauren, are you sure? If you don't believe me, nobody will.
I believe you.
I do.
I believe you.
Come here.
Sit down, sit down The police are gonna believe you, too, if we come up with enough evidence.
Now, all we have to do is prove that he had the motive and the opportunity.
How do we do that? Well, we'll start with the inspector that Sam bribed.
If Sam finds out we're looking into this, he'll kill us.
That's a risk we're gonna have to take.
Now you can't just sit here waiting for him to come back.
What about his office? They close up the office at 5:00 on the dot.
Here's the connection.
Greg Frazier, the site inspector.
He also inspected the grating, the cement work, the framing, plumbing, electrical How'd they get away with this? Is that unusual? Well, unless he's an expert in every one of these fields, which is highly unlikely.
But not impossible.
Well, I'm sure that's what Mr.
Frazier will tell us.
Unless we can put this together with a record of payment.
That's not exactly something Sam would keep on file.
Put that light out.
It's okay.
Suppose you're Sam.
You pay this guy a lot of money, but you want to make sure he doesn't blackmail you for more.
I mean, wouldn't you want to keep a record of it around to show this guy that he's implicated? That's exactly how Sam would think.
Where does he keep his check registers? Anything he'd want to keep hidden would be in his office.
He told me he kept his private papers in here.
But where? Is there a safe? Of course.
How like Sam to use this picture to hide the safe.
Do you have any idea what the combination might be? His Social Security number? That's too many numbers.
Try, 10-7-40, that's his birthday.
Well, that's one down and two to go.
What do you mean? Well, this kind of electronic lock gives you three chances, then it freezes for 24 hours and sets off an alarm.
Try 6-18-81.
The photograph.
Our wedding day.
Here's something, $2,500.
It's made out to cash.
Yeah, but it was written the same date the first permit was signed off.
And it's endorsed by Greg Frazier.
If we can find more of these checks for the same amount for these other dates It's a security guard.
Must be time for rounds.
Is there another way out of here? That way.
The only question that remains is, how soon will she hit and how much damage will she do? Thanks, Bill, if there's anything we don't need, it's a second storm.
Let's all keep our fingers crossed.
On the lighter side, the Honolulu Sam's going to find out we broke in.
No, the guard didn't see us.
We have to go over the papers.
Yeah, we'll go back to my place.
No! There are other people there.
We can't take another chance on being seen together.
No one will have to see us.
I think we should go to my house.
Sam won't be back until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, but if he should call and I'm not there Do you feel that? It almost feels as if the air is alive.
It's the Kona winds.
Do you realize what you're doing? You idiot.
I was very sheltered and protected all my life.
An only child.
My mother died when I was three.
My father was remote, distant.
He passed away when I was in college, leaving me no resources to survive on my own.
I guess, I saw the Islands as a retreat from a frightening world.
I started working in one of Sam's hotels.
The minute he saw me, he started a campaign to own me.
He never gave me a chance to think about what was happening.
He wanted an ornament.
He got one.
My marriage ended on our wedding day.
He locked me away in this house and made sure I could never leave.
I had no money, no friends, no family.
The one time I told him I was unhappy and wanted to leave, he knocked me across the room.
Nobody ever crosses Sam.
Nobody ever outsmarts him.
Maybe they do.
He left a pretty good trail between him and Inspector Frazier.
Not good enough to take to the police? No, it's not good enough by itself.
But if he left that trail, he's bound to have left something else somewhere.
I want you to go to Robin's Nest.
You'll be safe there with Higgins.
It's better that I stay here.
Keep Sam thinking I'm not onto him yet.
You'll stay right by the phone? I'll call you just as soon as I find something out.
Sam, you're home early.
Everything all right? No.
Everything's a mess.
This is Thomas Magnum.
He's with the security company.
He's been out to check the house.
Nice car, Thomas Magnum.
Thank you.
Some kind of trouble? Well, the winds seem to have knocked out some of the systems at your neighbors' houses, but yours is working just fine.
Well, can't be too careful.
Well, I've got to file my reports.
You checked the whole house, did you? I think we covered everything.
Oh That's very thoughtful of you, dear.
We have an elaborate system here, Mr.
Magnum.
It's quite good.
I'm real proud of it.
I'd like to show you a special feature of the system.
It's something that I added myself.
Mr.
Magnum.
This is the heart of the system, Mr.
Magnum.
But you've already seen it, haven't you? I believe in strong security, Mr.
Magnum.
But I also believe that you have to let would-be intruders know that you mean business.
I don't think you'll have any trouble with that.
Any system can let you down.
But I have a backup that's absolutely foolproof.
Anybody tries to take something that belongs to me, I take care of them myself.
Looks like the second storm is coming.
The encounter with Sam Henderson had left me with the sobering realization that events were happening too quickly and I was losing control.
I know, some people say we don't really have anything more than the illusion of control, anyway.
But I was losing even that.
And it was unsettling.
For some reason, fixing the generator gave me a feeling that I did have some influence over my universe, at least until the second storm arrived.
Then, I knew, everything would be up for grabs.
Higgins? Higgins! What are you doing? I am clearing away the last painful remnants of a battle lost.
Battle lost? A glaring reminder of previous defeat is bad for morale.
I admit the winds yesterday caught me a bit off guard.
The surprise element left us wide open.
The carefully maintained order with which this estate is run was turned into utter and complete chaos.
That will not happen again.
If the storm should attack this part of the island, we shall be ready to do battle and we shall prevail.
This isn't a war, you know.
I mean, once nature sets its course, you can't do anything to stop it.
You can if you're British! If I had paid attention to the way the storm was affecting everyone around me, I might have noticed that it was brewing up some intense feelings in me.
Although T.
C.
seemed philosophical enough about it, Higgins was flailing around for control.
And when I called Rick to ask for his help, he sounded distracted, almost giddy.
And if I'd really paid attention, I would have noticed that I was being driven by forces I couldn't quite identify and taking chances I wouldn't ordinarily take.
With winds gusting up to 75 miles an hour, the Coast Guard has issued small-craft advisories.
The National Weather Service is predicting that tropical storm Po'ipe will turn into Hi.
I'm sorry.
Henderson and Brandon? Yes.
Hi.
Hi.
I'm with the Superior Mutual Insurance Group.
We carry the coverage on the Kumulani Bay operation.
Oh, why does everything always happen at once? Listen, Mr.
Henderson, he's not in right now.
But he's supposed to be back pretty soon because he needs to talk to the police, so you're welcome to wait, if you like.
What? The police are involved in the Kumulani Bay problem? What? No, not at all.
It's about the break-in last night.
What? You know what? I probably shouldn't be telling you any of this.
Why don't you just wait for Mr.
Henderson? That's a shame.
I mean, I kind of wanted to wrap all this up before the end of the work day in LA.
I mean, you know how slow they can be in issuing checks from the home office.
I'll tell you what? Is Mr.
Brandon around? No, I'm sorry, but he's on vacation.
Oh, gee! You know, I just don't need that much to get my paperwork done.
See, the home office wasn't able to telex me my copy of the insurance policy, so it would really help me out if I could take a look at yours.
Well, I Well, all right.
I guess that'd be okay.
Great, great.
I'll also need copies of the purchase orders of all your building materials, you know, just to verify replacement cost, that sort of thing.
You want to know what I'm going to do as soon as Mr.
Henderson gets back here? What? Leave.
The last place I want to be is in the 12th floor of this building when that storm hits.
Oh, yeah.
I'll bet Mr.
Brandon Charlie, is it? Yeah.
Yeah, well, I'll bet you he's glad he's on vacation, what with all the weather trouble here and everything.
Yeah, well, I really wouldn't know because I haven't talked to him.
Do you know where I can reach him? I mean, in case I need his signature for anything? No, I don't.
Now, here are the copies of those purchase orders you needed.
Oh, I really appreciate this.
Let's see Oh, here it is.
This is the insurance Yeah, this is it.
This is the insurance file on the Kumulani Bay Hotel.
Thank you.
You know confidentially, I mean, just between you and me, I don't blame you for not wanting to stay up here.
I mean, the storm has got everybody so nervous.
Well, you know what? It's not just that.
It's just I don't know, but things are just so weird around here lately.
Yeah, I'd noticed that myself.
You did? Yes.
No, really, did you know Yes! Did you know that Charlie took off and never even told me where he was going? I mean, I I don't know what I'm supposed to do about all his luncheon appointments this week.
Plus, we have the inspection on the Waverly Waikiki Hotel.
And you know, Charlie, he always meets with the inspectors.
And Mr.
Henderson Please! Mr.
Henderson is not about to meet with those inspectors.
And then last night, I don't know if you Did you hear about this? We had a break-in in here last night.
Yeah, I hope he calls in.
I really do, because I'm going to tell him.
I'm just going to tell him what I think of this little disappearing act of his.
Listen to me.
I'm going on and on about my problems, and those poor people of the Kumulani I'm sorry.
You know what? Don't pay any attention to me, okay? It's all right.
It's the storm.
Yeah, oh well.
Anyway, look it, here are those Social Security Numbers, and You know, I really think that's just about everything you need.
Your other hotel? Oh, yeah.
These are Well, if you need anything else, really, Mr.
Henderson should be back this afternoon.
Thanks, uh Oh, Cindy.
My name is Cindy.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
The National Weather Bureau has advised travelers to stay off the roads.
Stay tuned for emergency centers An uneasy feeling began creeping around the back of my mind.
If Charlie always met with the inspectors, how was it he didn't know about Sam paying one of them off? Was it possible, that Sam was, for some reason I couldn't quite put together, concocting some elaborate scheme to terrify Lauren? Is this something or is this something? Hey look what the wind blew in.
How you doing? You know Big Ed Kanakoa, right? You did work for him on his third divorce.
I know, he puts on luaus.
Right! So I figured, if I'm gonna throw a blowout for all my friends, who better to call than Big Ed Kanakoa, the king of the luaus, right? Why are you throwing a party? Well, there's a second storm coming in.
You do two things when a storm comes in: One, you lock your windows.
Two, you lock your doors.
Then you boogie, boogie, boogie until you drop.
Hey, Thomas, we got an extra seat over here! Why don't you come and join us? What do you want? Blue Hawaii, Chi Chi? Did you get anything on that building inspector for me? Yeah, I called a friend of mine who's in the cement business.
He called a cousin of his who is an electrical contractor Rick, I don't have a lot of time.
Now, is he on the up and up or not? Not.
Does it help you out any? I think so.
But there's something else that doesn't quite fit.
Can I use your phone? Sure.
In your office? Oh, come on, Thomas, I just spent a fortune for this blowout.
Don't tell me you're not going to stick around.
I'm sorry, Rick.
I'll catch the next one.
Honest.
I knew I was chasing down a ghost trying to find Charlie Brandon.
But I figured, while I went through the paperwork, I might as well try.
If I could even prove he was missing, that would help the case against Sam.
I figured the very least I could do was call the hotels he owned.
He wasn't at the Waverly Hotel, Bora Bora, he wasn't at the Waverly Hotel, Tokyo, and I was willing to bet odds he wasn't at the Waverly Hotel, Melbourne.
Charles Brandon, please.
One moment please.
After Australia, I only had three more hotels to go.
Yeah? Charlie Brandon? Who's calling? I'm your claims adjustor with Empire Fidelity Insurance.
We were just trying to cut through the paperwork on the Kumulani Bay thing.
I was just wondering if I could ask you a couple of quick questions, you know.
Shouldn't take but a minute.
How'd you get this number? You know, if I can get this form in by tonight, you should have the first installment on your $6,000,000 insurance benefit by tomorrow in the mail.
You're paying off on the hotel? Yeah, just as soon as I fill out this form.
You heard about the storm, I guess? Yeah.
I was wondering if you could tell me your Social Security Number.
See, I think it has been left off the application.
That's right.
Which insurance company did you say you were with? That should take care of it for us, Mr.
Brandon.
You just have a nice vacation.
I figured, if you can't bring Magnum to the party, then bring the party to Magnum.
No thanks, Ed.
Hey, I couldn't let you get away without knowing if you heard from my boss's wife? What? Sam Henderson's wife.
I mean, she told me, you know, it was on the q.
t.
, that she was looking for a private eye.
Hey, naturally, I turned her on to you.
When? Oh, I think, must have been about a week ago.
You mean, you never heard from her? Hello? The party's waiting for you.
Hello? Hello.
Thomas! I've been trying to reach you.
Where are you? It doesn't matter.
You have to come over right away.
Sam's gone to the office and Thomas, I found Charlie's body.
Thomas, are you there? Yes.
I've called the police, but you have to come over right away.
I'm so afraid Sam will get home before the police arrive.
Thomas? Are you sure it's Charlie? Of course, I'm sure.
You're not gonna start doubting me now? I need you.
Please.
Won't you come over? Yes.
Please, hurry.
And Thomas, just in case, you better bring your gun.
Hello, Lauren.
Thomas.
I wasn't sure you were coming.
You lied to me about Charlie.
No.
You didn't find his body.
What else did you lie to me about? Nothing.
You must believe me.
I did lie about seeing the body.
But I was afraid you wouldn't come over.
I knew I had to tell you something How about the truth? The truth was too complicated.
I couldn't tell you over the phone.
Look.
A quarter of a million dollars.
You remember those checks made out to cash? There must have been more of them than we ever imagined.
How'd it get here? I'm not sure.
I've been thinking about that ever since I found it.
And I think Charlie was always having money troubles.
He must've forged Sam's name on those checks to get access to some ready cash, fast.
When Sam found out some money was missing, he probably called Charlie over here.
They got into a fight over the money, then Charlie brought up the building inspector.
That's when I woke up.
Their fight got out of hand and Charlie was killed.
From there I can only guess that Sam went to Charlie's to get the money, brought it back here, put it in the safe.
It's the only thing that makes sense.
Bye, Lauren.
Where are you going? Thomas! Thomas! Until you pulled me out of the ocean, I didn't care whether I lived or died.
Today, when I found this money, I knew I wanted to live.
With you.
We can take the money and leave.
Now.
Before Sam comes back and kills us like he did Charlie.
Sam didn't kill Charlie.
He did.
I saw it! You must believe me! What a charming scene.
Are you here to check the security system again, Mr.
Magnum? Thomas, you must kill him.
It's our only chance.
Hardly the loving words of a devoted wife, my dear.
We can go anywhere you want.
When you think about it, it's not very gracious of you to insist that our guest commit homicide.
If you wanted me dead, you should have purchased a gun yourself.
We can't let him destroy us.
Not now.
Not only would it have been more hospitable, it would have been more pragmatic.
You see, your Mr.
Magnum doesn't have the killer instinct.
Beach boys generally don't.
That's why they stay on the beach, living off of lonely, wealthy women.
Is that the kind of life you wanted for yourself, Lauren? Thomas, shoot him.
Save your breath.
He doesn't have it in him.
Charlie isn't dead.
I talked to him.
He's in Australia.
I know.
But Sam is dead now.
That's the important thing.
You're going to take the money and run away with Charlie? Nothing nearly so obvious.
The money stays here with Sam and you.
Somehow I don't think that's going to do us much good.
No.
Probably not.
But it will help my story a great deal.
The story you've been saving for the police.
You'd like it.
It's all about a down-on-his-luck Pl who stumbled across a very wealthy contractor who'd been bribing building inspectors.
Sam.
About a contractor who wouldn't allow himself to be blackmailed by a second-rate Pl.
That's where I come in.
And about a terrible fight which escalated into a shootout, both men dead, by each other's weapons.
A routine investigation, a respectable time for mourning, and you and Charlie can live happily ever after off the empire Sam built.
I'm afraid the one thing I can't stand is long good-byes.
I emptied it before you came downstairs.
I'm sorry to have done something so obvious.
You haven't changed anything.
It's still your word against mine.
Your gun killed Sam.
Nobody ever saw us together.
Nobody will ever believe you.
I will.
Sam.
It turns out I am as big a fool as you must have thought I was when you married me.
Sam.
Please! Don't say any more.
Even a fool has limits.
You okay? Yeah.
Yeah, but I'm almost sorry you called me at the office for that little chat.
Almost.
Looks like the second storm isn't gonna hit after all.