Checkmate is hired by a woman to protect her husband, Stephen Jordan, who publishes a newspaper opposed to a referendum on legalized gambling in the city of Midvale. He has been receiving death threats and, thanks to Dr. Hyatt, survived an attempt to kill him by poisoning. The culprit at first is thought to be a supporter of the referendum, but there may be something in Jordan's past that could shed light on a different motive.
