One night Ari Hazelle is called to the home of his boss, Mayor Richard Kendrick. When he arrives he is shocked to find the body of Richard's wife Suzanne lying at the bottom of the stairs. Richard tells Ari she fell down them in a drunken stupor. Immediately Ari smells a rat but he goes along with it out of loyalty to his employer. Richard orders Ari to come up with a situation which doesn't look as incriminating and eventually Ari hatches a plan to stage the events as a suicide. Ari and Richard intend to lay low and let things blow over but a reporter named Sid Cooper who has had many battles with Ari in the past intervenes. Sid comes to Ari with a tape recording of a conversation between him and a flustered Mrs. Kendrick. Mrs. Kendrick told Sid she had something important to tell him about her husband but hangs up before she can say exactly what. Now both Sid and Ari are intrigued as to what exactly got her killed.