Dian Hunter, the controlling partner of a men's magazine, disappears. She was supposed to fly to England to sell her interest to a U.K. businessman, Sir Harry Matthews. That will mean the end for Sean Brantley, the Hugh Hefner-like front man for the magazine, who owns only 49 percent. Columbo is on the case and quickly zeroes in on Brantley as his main suspect, finding a number of inconsistencies in Brantley's story. The dogged detective bears down on Brantley but, for once, he has been fooled. Brantley's partner turns up alive -- it was all a planned publicity stunt. However, the partner now plans to sell her interest in the magazine to Sir Harry for even more than before. Brantley can't permit that and, when Dian turns up missing a second time, Columbo faces a problem. He's like the boy who cried wolf, making it very difficult to nail Brantley.
—Bill Koenig