Tim's mother is in town for a visit and provides several vital clues that solve the murder of April Adams. Tracking the victim to a carhop-style restaurant, Burke narrows the suspects to April's erratic brother, her cousin, her psychiatrist, the drive-in restaurant's manager, and a hockey star and his wife. Empty sugar packets from the drive-in and several bankbooks provide Burke with the link to a drug deal.

When Annie Foran's body is discovered in the back seat of a car parked at a fashionable night spot, suspicion falls on baseball star Eddie Dineen. As evidence mounts against the man, Burke wonders if Eddie is really guilty. Perhaps he should pay more attention to the slimy gossip columnist and his assistant, the wealthy socialite who has more than a passing interest in Eddie, the ball club manager, or the shifty hotel clerk. One thing is for sure, the nervous owner of the car in which the body was found is not the killer.

Someone seems to be systematically killing a group of individuals on a list. One name on the list - Amos Burke. What is the connection between these people? One possible suspect (who's name also appears on the list) is badly beaten, and Burke finally discovers that the solution comes from a case many years ago when he was just starting out on the police force. Can he trap the killer before he becomes the next victim? After one attempt on his life fails, Burke is kidnapped, but leaves his phone line open to the station so that Les and Tim can track where he's being taken. The case ends with a fight in an abandoned mine shaft.