01x04 - Six Paintings, One Frame

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Magnum P. I.". Aired: September 2018 to present.*
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An ex-Navy Seal returns to Hawaii as a private investigator.
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01x04 - Six Paintings, One Frame

Post by bunniefuu »

16 minutes.

Not bad.

I know what you're thinking.

That was a lot of effort just to crash a party.

But there's actually a good reason why I came in this way.

And there he is.

Jack Candler.

Tech entrepreneur, big-time art collector and my latest client.

I got to say, great party, Mr. Candler.

Mr. Magnum. You got in.

It's what you hired me to do, right?

I guess my advanced security system is not as infallible as I was led to believe.

How'd you even get up here?

I took the elevator.

Granted, I was on the outside of it.

I'm sorry, you rode on top of the elevator?

Yeah, but only 'cause my buddy wouldn't let me use his chopper so I could fast-rope onto the roof. He's no fun.

Uh, this is James Chen. He runs the household.

Christophe Midi.

Pleasure. Lily Crane.

Hello. I just forced them to make a massive donation to my charitable foundation tonight.

And Thomas Magnum, my security consultant.

Very nice to meet you.

You know, if you guys will excuse us for just a moment, James and I have some business to discuss with this handsome gentleman. Of course.

We'll leave you to it, but, uh, I'm serious about the Hockney, huh?

Yeah. The number is very reasonable.

Well, Robin Masters said you were the best.

How'd you do it?

The motion sensors can be disabled using a near-infrared laser.

By dialing up the temperature in the room, I was able to bypass the thermal detection.

Because the system couldn't recognize your heat signature.

Exactly. But the good news is, is all these flaws are very addressable.

I'll make some recommendations in my security report.

You'll send that tomorrow?

First thing.

Can I ask you a question?

Why'd you pick tonight to test the system?

Would have been easier to break into an empty flat, right?

Yeah, but a night like this is when your collection's most vulnerable to theft, right?

You got a lot of people coming in and out, security, uh, waitstaff, caterers, a lot of people you probably don't even know.

Brilliant. Brilliant.

James, be sure and send a thank-you bottle of something insanely expensive to Robin to say thank you for recommending Mr. Magnum, yeah?

Of course. Thanks, Magnum.

There you are.

Sir, I'm tripping over your guests outside.

They're dying to see your collection.

Fair enough. Well, they have paid an inordinate amount of money to my charity for the privilege.

If you'll excuse us a moment.

Hi.

Tracy Hutton.

I work at the museum.

Mr. Candler hired me to appraise the artwork for insurance.

It's stunning, isn't it?

Yeah.

Yeah. It's great.

When I, uh, was growing up in Brixton, there was one gallery, not that they ever let me in, working-class boy like me, but they couldn't stop me looking through the window.

And damn if I didn't do that every chance I got.

That's how much I loved the art.

Those pieces inspired me to go out into the world and make something of myself.

And I hope the works you're about to see will inspire you to get out your checkbooks.

So that together, we can help the people on this island who need it.

Thank you for coming, and enjoy.

So, which is your favorite?

My favorite? Uh...

That one. Lady in the blue dress.

Really? Funny.

That is by far the least valuable one in here.

So what do you like about it?

Is it the brush strokes? Is it the composition?

I'm gonna say the color.

You know, the, uh, Detroit Tigers have the same blue in their uniform.

The blue is lapis lazuli.

It's a rare gemstone. It was really only used up until the Victorian era when this was painted.

After that, lapis became too expensive.

Wow, you really know your stuff.

Well, that's my cue.

Thank you for the art history lesson, Tracy.

Maybe do it again sometime?

Any time.

Thank you. Mm-hmm.

What are you doing here?

Oh, Jules and I met last spring at Robin's charity ball.

Ah.

Hold on, Jules. I got a surprise for you.

Take a butcher's.

A butcher's?

A look. A look.

Butcher's hook. A look.

And here I thought you spoke English.

Mr. Candler. Oh.

Um, can I have a copy of that?

Of course.

A shandy?

Well, you know, I wasn't sure a toff like you would enjoy it.

Chav like you would.

Okay, now you guys are just making up words.

A shandy: half beer, half lemonade.

It's a working-class drink, not that she'd know anything about it.

Oh.

Jules.

I'm afraid duty calls. Mr. Magnum.

Thanks again. Pleasure.

Nice guy.

I didn't realize that your security audit was this evening.

I'm surmising from your grin that you were successful?

Mm. Let me hazard a guess.

Elevator shaft, and then the electrical tunnel, or was it... air vent?

How did you know?

It's how I would've done it.

Okay. Good talk.

I got to go. What's your hurry?

Tigers are playing the Angels.

If I hustle out, I can make the last couple innings on the radio.

You actually never cease to amaze me, Magnum.

I mean, Jack's collection could be in the Louvre.

And here you want to scurry off and listen to some sportsball on the radio.

Baseball. And when it comes to art, I'm more of a "dogs playing poker" kind of guy.

Of course you are. Enjoy your game.

Wait. Wait.

On the inside... swung on. Oh!

That's the life of a private investigator.

One day, you're hiding in the bushes looking to catch some jerk cheating on his wife; the next, you're breaking into a billionaire's penthouse and watching a ballgame while eating mini hot dogs.

You can't b*at that.

_

When I was a kid, Dad put a rowing machine in the basement.

He used it every morning, rowing on a cold, concrete floor in Virginia.

I remember he'd close his eyes, maybe imagining he was paddling across mighty rivers, great oceans.

Places he wanted to visit someday, but never did.

I think about Dad a lot when I'm out here.

Along with rooting for the Tigers, this is how I stay connected to him.

Magnum.

Detective Katsumoto.

What's wrong?

Jack Candler was m*rder*d last night, in his penthouse.

What? There was a theft of the paintings.

Jack must have gotten in the way.

He was sh*t, close contact.

And from what we can tell, the k*ller got in through the air vent, then disabled the security measures in the gallery.

How?

Same way you did. Same methods.

Now, you know what this means, don't you, Magnum?

Someone must have gotten a hold of my report.

Yeah. And they just used it to k*ll a man, steal a fortune in art.

Katsumoto had stopped short of saying I had blood on my hands.

He was thinking it, though.

Can't say I blame him.

Can't blame anyone for thinking it.

33rd floor.

You have five minutes.

You don't have to be here.

We have to find out who else had access to your report, correct?

Yes.

Then let's go find Chen.

I'll call you back.

I really don't think you should be here.

Listen, I... Mr. Masters assured Jack this man could be discreet.

He's dead now because Masters was wrong.

Look, I know you're upset.

I am, too, but you shouldn't blame Magnum for this.

What else am I supposed to think?

That there are two ways the k*ller could have gotten a hold of my report... from me or from Candler... and I gave it to no one.

I also had Mr. Masters' I.T. personnel scrub every byte in the computer that Magnum used to upload the analysis.

There was no breach.

Which means that the k*ller must have laid eyes on Jack's copy.

Jack wouldn't even show it to me.

What about the insurance company?

I don't know. You should ask them.

Look, I'm sorry.

This is hard.

Yes.

If you'll excuse me, I have funeral arrangements to make.

I'm gonna find out who did this.

This is a police matter, Magnum.

Detective Katsumoto won't appreciate your interference.

You saying I should stay out of it?

I'm saying don't get caught.

And whatever you need, I'll help.

I-I know Candler... Jack... was special to you, so...

Just let me know what you need.

What I need right now is to find those paintings.

Find the art, find the k*ller.

But to do that, I'm gonna need some help.

Okay, so... here's what I'm thinking. Rick, talk to your friends.

See if you can get a lead on the stolen paintings.

TC, I want you to try to figure out how someone would move high-end stolen merch off the island.

In the meantime, I'm gonna try to find out who leaked my report.

What?

Listen, Thomas, I'm sorry about what happened with this Candler guy, but I'm booked solid today. And I got a club to run.

So what are you saying?

We can't always drop what we're doing to help you with a case.

It-it's about boundaries, Thomas.

Look, I get it. And-and you're probably right, but Candler was a friend of Robin's.

He's-he's even flying in for the funeral.

And Higgins was close to him, too.

Uh...

Why didn't you start with that?

The man doesn't know how to tell a story.

No kidding. You start with that.

We're-we're in. Whatever you need.

Thank you. Now... tell me again, what is it that you want me to do?

I wasn't listening before.

So who's your contact?

Uh, it's not mine. It's a friend of a friend.

Supposedly, she's some uber-fancy art dealer.

Word on the street is she's got ties to the black market.

Got to say though, she can't be that fancy if she's working in this neighborhood.

What do you mean?

Come on, man, look around you. All I see is graffiti.

Brother, this is Kaka'ako.

Place has the best street artists on the island.

I mean, murals like this sell for six figures.

Yeah, it's not such a bad neighborhood.

Oh, wow.

This is beautiful.

You see how the negative space draws the eye?

And the sfumato.

Reminds me of early Renaissance artists.

It's practically a Titian.

Since when do you know about art?

I minored in art history.

Oh, I'm sorry, hang on, hang on.

Did you say you minored in art history?

Yeah, so?

I mean, I couldn't get into art school, so I studied art history.

How am I just finding this out now?

Because I figured your little brain couldn't handle your boy having all that culture in him.

See, I'd have blew your mind.

I-I just didn't figure you for, uh, an art nerd.

I mean, a supersized art nerd, sure, but, uh nevertheless.

That her?

Uh...

Madison.

Hey. Hi. Madison?

Which one of you is Rick?

He is, but you can call him Orville.

I'm TC.

You can call me Rick. Okay.

Let's just get one thing straight up front.

Only reason we're talking is 'cause you're a friend of Icepick.

Understood.

So, you want to know about some artwork that was recently stolen.

Yeah. Can you tell us anything?

Well, no one's approached me, but I've heard whispers.

Word is there's about a half a dozen pieces looking for a new home.

Any way you can ask around, maybe give us the seller's name?

Okay.

I find something out, I'll give you a shout.

Aloha.

Aloha.

Wait, wait, wait. I want to get back to this art thing.

Shut up. Uh, no, I... no, no, I just, h-hear me out: 18 months and 11 days in a P.O.W. camp.

How am I just now hearing about this?

Thomas, I assure you, RTX Insurance didn't leak your report.

But Candler did give you a copy of it.

Yes, but only to me.

And it was only on my laptop, which is heavily encrypted, so unless you think I'm an art thief...

Allie, you are many things, but... thief is not one of them.

I don't know. It just doesn't make sense.

How would the k*ller have gotten access to it?

I don't know. But I'll tell you something: you need to figure it out fast.

Because if people start blaming you for what happened, or worse, think that you had something to do with it, no one's gonna hire you.

Hey, Rick.

Hey, we're at your place. Where are you?

He better not be hitting up Kim's barbecue truck while we do all the work.

No. No, I'm not.

What do you got?

Uh, well, we might have a lead for you, buddy.

We don't have a name yet, but the guy who's supposedly pushing Candler's art is, uh, European... uh, possibly French... shaved head, 40s.

Uh, wait, hold up. I-I saw a guy at Candler's party with a shaved head... French guy.

You remember his name, Thomas?

Christopher or Christophe something.

Christophe Midi?

Yeah. Yeah, you know him?

Yeah, and he's definitely shady.

Hey, is that Allie?

What's up, girl?

Don't call me "girl" unless you want me calling you "Orville."

Ooh, burn.

Okay, uh, good work, guys.

I owe you one.

Orville.

It's okay. She can call me that.

She... It's fine. Orville.

According to Allie, Christophe Midi is a respected art dealer whose buyers just happen to include Russian oligarchs and South American drug lords.

I'm thinking someone who swims in that cesspool would k*ll to get what they want.

One of the great things about being a private investigator is you don't need a warrant, just a firm and unyielding desire to catch a k*ller.

And for Robin, for Higgins, that I got.

And now, thanks to Rick and TC, I also have a pretty good lead in the form of Christophe Midi.

Correction: I had a good lead.

Lock up a two-block radius, start canvassing the neighbors, and don't come back until you find a witness. Go.

Yeah.

Touch anything?

Not my first crime scene. Not an answer.

Back door, front door...

Oh, and the fridge.

Hey.

Tell the lab to have a set of Magnum's prints on hand for elimination purposes.

You know, I-I have a contact that said this guy Midi was trying to move Candler's paintings.

Now, I'm not sure if he was doing the stealing and the k*lling, but I did see him at Candler's party.

I'm assuming he was doing recon.

Midi wasn't the thief. All the guests had alibis the night of the robbery, including him.

Okay, then he had a partner.

Yeah, one who turned on him, from what it looks like.

You guys have any suspects? Not yet.

But there is someone on our radar.

You got to be kidding.

Your report was used to break in.

Now you're the one finding Midi dead.

I can't exactly rule you out.

I was following a lead on some missing art to see who leaked my report. That's all.

Wh-What, you gonna take me in?

No. You're free to go.

But let's be clear on something: your involvement in this case is now over.

Any more interference, and I'll charge you.

Understood, Detective.

I agree with Katsumoto's theory.

Not the part about me being involved; the part where Christophe Midi was double-crossed by a partner.

And I'm hoping the identity of that partner is right here in Midi's cell phone.

Okay, in my own defense, I lifted the phone before Katsumoto told me to stay out of the case.

Terrific.

Fingerprint I.D.

I don't suppose I can go back and unzip the body bag to get Midi's print.

Tell me you got something.

Sorry, brother.

If someone's trying to move those paintings off the island, no one's talking. Great.

There is a piece of news that I've been dying to share.

Uh, our very own Theodore Calvin is an art freak.

I hate you.

Uh, wait, what?

I know, right? It turns out our boy minored in art history after being rejected from... wait for it... art school.

Okay, okay, settle down.

Art school? Come on, TC, tell me that's not true.

Come on, tell him.

Tell him. Yeah.

It's true. When I was little, there was this cool art studio right down the street from my dance class...

Dance class? ...and that is...

...became an art...

Oh, my God, I am so happy right now.

Oh, my God, we spent 18 months and 11 days in a P.O.W. camp together.

How did this never come up?

Right?

I mean, why wouldn't you share that?

Yeah, come on, Thomas is right, Theodore.

You have deprived us of years of ragging on you.

That is not cool, man.

Guys, as much as I am thoroughly enjoying this pointless conversation, can we just table it until the case is solved?

That's cool with me. I got to go back to work anyway.

I figured you would say that.

Bye.

Uh, three, four, five.

Three, four, five.

You want me to do what?

cr*ck Midi's cell phone. If you can help with that, then maybe we can get a lead on who his partner was.

If you think it will assist in finding Jack's m*rder*r, of course.

Thank you.

Hey, uh, for what it's worth, and I'm not trying to pry, but if you want to talk, I know what it's like to lose someone you care about.

Jack and I weren't lovers, Magnum.

Yeah, but I can tell there was something special there, so...

He was my friend.

And I don't have too many of those on this island.

Having a fellow Brit,

someone I could talk to, just...

Well, it made being this far from home a little bit easier.

Kumu.

We'll-we'll be right there.

Is something wrong?

You could say that, yes.

First, I'm calling my cousin, Captain Gary Kawena at Major Crimes, then my sister-in-law in the City Council, then my late tutu's neighbor at the D.A.'s office.

Ma'am, if you don't calm down...

"Ma'am"? Don't "ma'am" me.

Kumu.

The Gestapo here says they're looking for that stolen art.

Claim they have a warrant.

We do have a warrant.

Yeah? You can't honestly believe that I have those paintings.

What I believe is none of your business.

What matters is the D.A. thinks you do.

Is this for the main house as well? The judge agreed the paintings could be anywhere on the compound.


Except they're not, because I don't have them.

I'm just doing my job, Magnum. All right, don't get in the way.

You're already under a cloud.

He's right, Magnum.

Just let them do their search.

Come on, Thomas. Let's go.

Yeah, Perez, what do you got?

They trashed the flowerbeds.

Savages.

They'll be gone soon. Don't worry.

This is insane. The paintings aren't here.

You're right. They're not.

Turns out they're in a storage locker in Wahiawa.

Well, that's good news. Not for you.

Detective Perez tells me your name is on the lease.

Detective, that's absurd.

This is a setup. Come on.

You need to come with us, Magnum.

Put him in the car.

No visible damage.

What about the Chagall?

It's fine.

All things considered, they're in great shape.

Mahalo, Ms. Hutton.

Ms. Mahelona, an officer will see you out.

I don't think he did it.

Sorry?

Thomas Magnum. I met him the other night.

A four-year-old knows more about art than he does.

She's right.

And how did you even find the storage locker?

An anonymous tip?

You got to be kidding me. That doesn't scream "setup"?

Fine, then let's talk about your alibi.

I told you, I was home. Can anyone verify that?

No. I was alone.

Look, Detective, you're too smart to think that I actually did this, or do you think I'm dumb enough that I'd put the lease under my own name?

I don't know you, Magnum, so I don't know how dumb you are.

What I do know is that every P.I. I've ever met is a bottom-feeder who can't be trusted.

For instance, Christophe Midi's cell phone was missing from the crime scene.

You know anything about that?

Okay, this has been really fun, but, uh, I think I'm done.

See you.

Hey, you think you can just walk out of here?

Yes, I do.

You know why?

No cuffs. I'm not under arrest, which means this is a voluntary interview, and under the laws of the great state of Hawaii, I'm free to go.

I think you stole evidence from a crime scene.

How about I arrest you for that?

Then I'll lawyer up, and you'll have done nothing but waste time.

Look, Detective, I don't know you, either, but being who Candler was, I'm sure you're under a lot of pressure to make an arrest.

The problem is, is I don't think you like me for this.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you think I'm being framed.

So you have a decision to make, charge me or release me.

What's it gonna be?

Higgy.

Thanks for showing. Appreciate the moral support.

I have information, Magnum.

Please tell me you got into Midi's phone.

Yes. Thank heavens for superglue.

Superglue? Using the fumes, I was able to lift Midi's thumbprint off the screen.

Made a copy and used that to unlock the phone.

Okay, one: that's really cool.

You're absolutely gonna have to show me how to do that.

And two: did you find anything?

Perhaps.

James. What are you doing here?

Came here to take possession of Mr. Candler's property on behalf of his estate.

He would've wanted his art seen by the masses, not consigned to some dark room in a police department basement.

It's evidence. Cops aren't gonna give it to you.

Well, these are some of the best lawyers on the island, so we'll see.

Hey, you may want to ask if they handle criminal defense.

James. I know how it looks, but Magnum had nothing to do with any of this.

Really? 'Cause here's how it looks to me: he got to do a dry run, test Jack's security, identify weak spots and then break in again for real before we had a chance to address the problems.

Then he teamed up with Christophe to sell the art, and I can only assume Christophe tried to screw you in the deal, so you k*lled him. None of that is true.

James, Magnum is many things.

He's an uncultured man-child, a lazy freeloader, a terrible driver, but he is not a thief, and he is definitely not a k*ller.

Well, you'll forgive me, but given everything I've been told, I'm finding that very hard to believe.

What?

"Lazy freeloader, uncultured man-child"?

I was defending you.

It's all true, by the way.

What'd you find on the phone?

Something rather curious. Over the last week, Midi was in contact with a man named Wendell Kratten.

Okay. So who's Wendell Kratten?

According to the California Bureau of Prisons, he was a convicted art forger.

Art forger?

I found a text Midi sent to Kratten last week.

He said that he was gonna be brokering a large, under-the-table sale and that someone involved had asked if he knew any art forgers.

He told Kratten that that person would be reaching out to him.

Okay, so that large under-the-table deal must be the Candler job.

Agreed. I just don't know how the art forger figures into it.

Let's ask him.

Great. Probably pin this on me, too.

Head injury.

Yeah, just like Midi.

Probably the same k*ller.

What is it?

You see this-this blue under the fingernails?

It's made from lapis lazuli. That's a rare gemstone.

You-you just don't see this color much past the Victorian era.

Suddenly Thomas Magnum has art knowledge.

Surely it's a sign of the apocalypse.

Perhaps I should pray.

There it is. You see that?

Detroit Tiger blue.

Remember the painting of the, uh, Victorian lady?

It had that same color blue in it.

Midi's partner must have had Kratten forge it.

But if you're right, that makes one wonder whether HPD has the original or the fake.

Six paintings stolen, six paintings recovered.

In between, one of those paintings was secretly forged.

Meanwhile, whoever's behind this still has the original.

But Jack said that it was by far the least valuable in the collection.

Why go through that trouble?

Maybe it's more valuable than anybody realizes.

I mean, that's the only answer that fits.

You're not gonna go through the trouble of stealing something if it's not valuable.

But how could it be valuable?

I don't know.

But I know who would know.

Art appraiser.

You honestly believe Tracy Hutton is capable of m*rder?

Two, actually.

The guy in there and Christophe Midi.

Both were blunt-force trauma to the head.

What about Jack?

I'm not sure. He was k*lled with a g*n.

It's a different M.O., which makes me think there was a second person involved.

I'm gonna fill in Katsumoto and tell him to meet me at Tracy's.

I'll stay here and wait for HPD.

Keys.

Be careful.

She's an art appraiser. I think I can handle her.

Everyone's been assuming the thief knew how to defeat Candler's security because of my report.

Hell, I even worried about it.

But you know who else could've beaten that security?

An insider.

Looks like James Chen is that insider.

I hate it when my little voice is right.

I hope *** Chandler ***

Okay, come on, come on!

So let me guess. Chen's trying to k*ll you because you gave the paintings to the cops.

Look, I-I don't know what you think is going on...

I'll tell you what I think is going on.

I think you got Chen to steal the paintings, but you didn't tell him that you were only interested in one: the Victorian.

And I don't know how, but somehow Christophe figured it out, so you k*lled him.

Then you took out the forger to close the loop.

If you lie to me, I'm going to hand you over to him.

I had no choice.

Christophe said he'd go to the cops if he didn't get a cut.

Look, the Victorian's worth a fortune.

We can split it.

No.

Stop.

In here.

Tracy conned you, Chen.

She got you to k*ll a good man.

How's that feel?

He came home early.

It wasn't my fault.

Really?

You're late.

Okay, Tracy. Time to talk.

Apparently I was right.

This thing's worth a mint.

Turns out there's another painting underneath it.

There it is.

Looks like an old master.

Oh, look at you with your art knowledge.

And yeah, it's a Rembrandt.

Guess the guy who did the top layer thought he was just reusing an old canvas.

Had no idea he was painting over a masterpiece.

Tracy figured it out. Yeah.

But unfortunately for her, Christophe Midi got onto it, too.

So she had to get her hands dirty.

Yeah. Once the bodies started piling up, she knew you guys would need someone to point the finger at.

Well, good thing I didn't fall for it.

Not entirely.

This newly discovered Rembrandt has caused a sensation in the art world.

Plans are now in the works for it to be permanently displayed at the Honolulu Museum of Art.

The painting's owner, the late Jack Candler, will be laid to rest later today.

You seen Higgins?

She's been in the study all morning.

TC's two minutes out.

Robin's always early, isn't he?

I know it's not a... a shandy, but...

I thought maybe...

Thank you, Magnum.

To Jack.

To Jack.

He's here.

Lost your clip-on tie, did you?

Funny.

Tell Robin I'll be a few minutes.

Sounds wildly optimistic.

This is pathetic.

Please go.

Enough already. May I?

You're enjoying this, aren't you?

More than you know.

Lovely. That's a little tight.

It's perfect.

Touch it again, and you won't get your lollipop.

Now, come along.

Leave it.
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