Plot

Mannix finds a woman's husband was murdered in prison and another man killed shortly after visiting her, is connected with a 6 million dollar robbery.

A recently paroled ex-con is killed by a hit-and-run driver. The man had a matchbook with Mannix's phone number in it. Mannix tries to find out why the ex-con was killed. As his investigation, proceeds, Mannix discovers a plot -- and the detective may be its next victim.—Bill Koenig

Mannix is called to the morgue as a deceased hit and run victim, recently released ex-con Michael O'Farrell, who Mannix ends up not knowing, had Mannix's name and telephone number written on a customized matchbook in his pocket when he died. Despite not having a personal stake in the matter, Mannix cannot help but be intrigued why O'Farrell would have wanted to contact him upon meeting O'Farrell's struggling widow, who characterizes her husband as a big dreamer whose plans always went awry. Investigating on his own dime, Mannix discovers that the matchbook is that of Betsy Carroll, the ex-wife of O'Farrell's last cellmate, Al Charnick, who was recently murdered in prison. Like Mrs. O'Farrell talks about her husband, Besty classifies her ex-husband as a lovable loser, his nature about which she only found out after they married. She also says the only time she met O'Farrell was the day he died when he came to see her to pay his respects about Al. With O'Farrell and Charnick's deaths too coincidental, Mannix knows something is going on when someone shoots at him and Betsy, he fearing both Betsy and Mrs. O'Farrell's lives in danger from whatever "big" O'Farrell and Charnick were involved in.—Huggo