 Womanizing businessman Loring Lamont, Jr. wants one of the stenos, Arlene Ferris, to work late. He disappoints his own secretary, Edith Bristol, by giving her the night off. Junior sabotages Ferris s car, so she has to ride with him. On a pretext, he takes Arlene to his Malibu beach house. The Asian caretaker for Lamont Sr., Oolong Kim, asks Junior to repay a long overdue $2,000 loan, which the young slacker blows off. He makes a heavy move on Arlene, who runs out of the house and manages to swipe Lamont s car, hitting him into the bargain. Lamont is found stabbed to death, and Arlene is charged with murder. Perry Mason plays games with Lt. Tragg s identification witness and is accused of planting evidence.