This episode opens at a beauty salon as the clerk calls for the next appointment, "Mrs. Bradford". Two women come forward and they realize that they have the same last name. The women, Martha Bradford (Nancy Gates) and Rita Bradford (Doris Singleton), begin talking. From each other we learn that both are married to the same person Joe Bradford (Bruce Cowling) and both have keys to the very same house. (Man that is odd)
Martha leaves the place in tears and calls her husband. But he is leaving for San Diego aboard his boat named 'Mary Belle'. So Martha goes home for a night sleep.
During the night she hears someone open the front door. When she goes downstairs she sees footprints from a muddy woman's shoe. She leaves the house and the next day goes talk with Perry.
Perry and Della, with the help of Captain Noble, go out to the 'Mary Belle' and find Joe Bradford murdered. And it seems that the police find Martha's fingerprints on a candle that had been placed in a lantern at an odd angle.
So with this evidence, plus others that Hamilton Burger will present, the case goes to trial with Martha being charged with the murder of her husband, Joe.
As with any Perry episode we learn that at times we have to believe, for TV sake, some incredible set of circumstances. But this episode takes the cake. Here are just a few--
-Rita Bradford was actually married to Joe. But wait to you hear the most ridiculous story she tells about her life. She claims that she has no memory of her life for the last two years. Does not know where she lived, worked or talked with for two whole years. How the writers think the viewers would believe something so stupid is beyond me.
-When Martha is awaken by an unknown person in her house and sees muddy foot prints, instead of calling the police or running, she gets dressed up like she is going to church before leaving the house. She even takes time to look in the mirror to make sure everything looks nice before leaving.
-After the body is discovered, we learn that nearly the entire cast of the show had been on that small boat sometime that evening. However no person saw another person during the course of a few hours. These are some of the things that the writer, of this episode, feel like we will accept without question.
I liked the mystery but please have more faith in the viewers than to write mounds of unbelievable events in just one show. When the episode was over, I felt used. And not in the good way.