At the manor of Alonso Linden, the butler's body lies on the floor. A man looks at it for a moment, and then opens a hidden safe. A police car pulls up and the intruder ducks out the back as the two arriving officers go spot him. They go after him and fire, and the man runs... and trips over a sprinkler. They discover that it's Mike.
At Britt's office, Scanlon gets word of the arrest and tells Britt that the butler didn't pull through and it's now first degree murder. Britt insists that Mike is innocent, but Scanlon points out that Mike was doing an article with Alonso, the owner of the manor. Mike interviewed Alonso several times and Scanlon figures that Mike used the information he gathered to case the place and break in.
Later, Britt meets Mike in jail and demands answers. Mike says that he figured the Linden manor was next in a series of robberies. He didn't get inside the manor, and tells Britt that his photographer Aldis Ralston, is clean. The reporter finally gives up Aldis' name, and explains that after her father died, he took her under his wing.
Aldis is at home kissing a man, Yale Barton. She objects that they used Mike in the robberies and Yale said that no one would get hurt. Yale promises that he'll get Mike off the hook before they leave town if it's a problem with her.
Later, Hornet and Kato break into Aldis' apartment and discover that she's gone and taken her things with her. The phone rings and Hornet answers it. The caller, Joe Tubbs, assumes that Hornet is Yale and says that he has to see him. Tubbs soon realizes that it isn't Yale, and Hornet hangs up. Hornet remembers that Tubbs is a fence and figures that they can find some answers.
Yale and Aldis drive to his express air service at the airport with two of Yale's men. Tubbs calls Yale at his hangar office and warns him that someone answered at Aldis' apartment. The fence worries that the cops will find out that Yale was involved, and Yale orders him to fence the jewelry and hangs up. Yale then calls in his men Aldo and Murf and tells them to take care of Tubbs.
Hornet blasts into Tubbs' shop and demands information. If Tubbs doesn't talk, Hornet threatens to tip the police off to him. As Tubbs denies everything, Hornet secretly plants a bug and then says that he'll be back. Outside in Black Beauty, Hornet and Kato listen as Tubbs calls Yale and says that Hornet was there. Yale says that he's leaving town, and Murf and Aldo come in and kill Tubbs.
When they hear the shots, Hornet and Kato run in but the killers have escaped. Hornet figures that they have to make sure Yale and his men don’t' leave town, and drive back to the penthouse. They listen to a recording of the phone conversation, and Britt realizes that the phone dialing sound is significant.
At the hangar, Murf and Aldo tell Yale that they took care of Tubbs.
Britt works out the phone number from the length of the wheel turns and calls the number. The telephone operator at the answering service tells them that he called is an express air service at the airport. Satisfied, Hornet and Kato drive there.
Yale tells his men that he's going to file a phony flight plan. Meanwhile, Hornet breaks into the hangar and finds some of the stolen loot. He continues on and the two thugs jump him, knocking the Hornet out of his hand. Yale joins in and the three men soon overwhelm Hornet. They knock him out and leave, locking the door behind him. Aldis comes in and says that she heard on the radio that Tubbs is dead. As she argues with Yale, Hornet wakes up and listens from the next room. Yale admits that he lied to her, and tells his thugs to put Aldis in the plane.
As the men take Aldis to the plane, Hornet summons Kato via radio. As the plane takes off, Kato finds the Sting and blasts the door open. They drive after the plane in Black Beauty, pull in front of it, and Hornet activates the smoke screen. Blinded, Murf cuts the engine rather than rash. Hornet and Kato jump them when they get out, and soon knock the three crooks out. As the police arrive, the heroes quickly depart.
Later, Scanlon releases a statement that Aldis has confessed to Scanlon and Mike was exonerated. Mike, Britt, and Lenore are listening to the radio broadcast, and Mike complains that Scanlon told him that a "bee" gave him a line on Yale. The reporter says that he has a new line on Hornet, and will soon unmask Hornet. Britt leaves for a lunch appointment, and Mike complains to Lenore about how Britt humors him when it comes to Hornet.
Written by Gadfly on Jul 19, 2017