When Jessica bumps into an old friend in Boston — an old friend whose wife insists he died two weeks ago — she enlists Harry McGraw to help her get to the bottom of the case.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Calling the Cops on the FBI: The government takes an interest in the case because John Winslow had testified against his crooked employer shortly before his faked death, and someone had made attempts on his life even during the trial itself. This comes in handy when Jessica enlists the FBI to bust the crooked Lt. Quinlan, and the agency even reinstates Harry's private eye license in gratitude.
- Caught on Tape: Harry sets up a secret meeting between himself and Lt. Quinlan, supposedly to offer his silence about the murder in exchange for his P.I. license back. Quinlan recognizes that Harry must have a tape recorder hidden in his coat and tries to shoot him, only for the police and Jessica to turn up.
- Dirty Cop: Harry caught Lt. Quinlan taking a bribe to conceal felony assault at least once before, and he turns out to have committed the murder of the episode.
- Faking the Dead: John, his wife, and his brother-in-law faked his death to protect him after he testified against his employer and came under attack. Unfortunately, it isn't enough to fool Jessica or the killers.
- Friend on the Force: Harry asks Sergeant Howard Sternhagen for information about the case.
- I Have to Go Iron My Dog: When Gladys invites him on a home date Saturday, Harry spins an obviously fake story about testifying at a trial across the country on that day.
- Invulnerable Knuckles: Harry clutches his hand after punching Lt. Quinlan.
- The Stool Pigeon: John was a more heroic example; he testified against his crooked employer in a government trial despite knowing the risk it could pose to him.
- You Would Do the Same for Me: When Jessica brings up the risk in falsifying a death certificate, John's brother-in-law says John would have taken the same risk for him.
