Plot

Reed goes to visit the bank when his credit rating is incorrect. He and Malloy stop a liquor store robbery, return two kids that ran away from home, and resolve a mystery fender bender all the while Jim gets his bank records fixed.

Reed's wife was told her credit rating was no longer good when she went to buy a new washer so Reed visits the credit agency to find out why. They are called to a parking lot where a woman says her car was hit by another car but the driver left. She provides a description and license number of the car. The officers look up the owner of the offending vehicle but she denies being involved even though her car has been in an accident. Reed returns to the agency to learn he has a very poor payment history. A store owner reports that two small boys broke into his basement storage area and stole camping gear. A another man spots the boys hitchhiking and turns them over to the officers. When they respond to a liquor store robbery, they mistakenly arrest the store manager who is chasing the robber with a gun. Reed learns that his name was confused with another James Reed with a different middle initial. Reed realizes mistakes can be made and decides to make further checks on the license number of the hit and run accident turning up the real culprit.—Anonymous

Adam-12's first call takes them to a store parking lot where a Mrs. Dwight reports a hit and run on her car. She says the woman driver of the other car knew what she did and took off anyway. Mrs. Dwight is able to provide a general description of the car, the license plate and the driver. With this information, Malloy and Reed are able to find the car and driver, Ellen Tomley, who vehemently denies that she hit anyone. In part because of the voracity of Mrs. Tomley's denial, Reed decides to play a hunch. Next they are called to a sporting goods store, where the owner, Mr. Gatlin, reports a burglary of some camping equipment stored in his basement, the perpetrator(s) crawling through a very small space to get inside. Gatlin is pretty certain that the thieves are two boys new to the neighborhood, the boys who he does not know. Malloy and Reed are able to track the generally good boys down and get their story. Then, Malloy and Reed are called to a burglary in progress at a liquor store. Malloy and Reed are able to corner the burglar as he is trying to get away... or is he. During the few days of these calls, Reed has something else personal on his mind: his bad credit rating. He went to the credit agency to find out why his credit rating is so bad despite being diligent about paying bills and the like. Reed is incensed that the manager of the company, Henry Carruthers, implies that he is the bad guy and that their computers and investigators are rarely wrong. After haranguing Carruthers time and time again, Reed eventually learns if he or the credit rating company are in the right.—Huggo