Ed Barron from Tri-state Life and Casualty Insurance of New York calls Johnny to tell him his friend, Tommy Hargrave, has died in a car accident near his summer lodge. He had a significant amount of insurance, and his wife was the beneficiary. Johnny asks "did Tommy and his wife get along alright?" Ed says "no, not really, however, I'm sure that this should just be a routine investigation. Please, just go up there and help her. The place is called Shadow Hill, near the town of Bethel, New York". When Johnny arrived at Shadow Hill, it turned out to be a beautiful summer lodge, sitting high on a hill near a private lake. On the narrow, winding road down to the lake, he found the place where a car took a corner too quickly, and rolled over on its side. Johnny stopped his car to look, when an older man jumped out from a hidden car nearby and pointed an old 30-30 rifle at him!