After a well known horror writer is shot dead one night at her son-in-law's house, her killer simply disappeared. As Jonathan is somewhat uninterested in the case, Maddy investigates for herself.
A friend of Maddy's asks Jonathan and her to discover what her husband has been up to after reliable independent witnesses place him on both sides of the Atlantic only minutes apart.
Jonathan and Maddy investigate the mysterious disappearance of an El Greco painting from the home of theatre critic Sylvester Le Fley and his wife Lady Theresa Cutler. Jonathan is loath to solve it, as Le Fley once panned his magic show.