After her husband received a head injury during a robbery, Mrs. Mayhew hired the Townsend Agency to investigate a theft that had her bewildered. It seemed that the Kingsbrook real estate agency, which had previously been investigated by the police for similar crimes, had absent-mindedly forgotten to arm the Mayhew's house alarm system after an open house. This allowed some thieves to hide in the house, assault the Mayhews, and escape with some specific rare items on display. Mrs. Mayhew assured the Townsend Agency that the Kingsbrook Agency was completely innocent.