Ernie Stone, reformed and repentant thanks in part to Dr. Hyatt, is paroled after serving 20 years for his role in the Christmas Eve armed robbery of a novelty store that resulted in a crippling bullet wound to the proprietor. Immediately upon his release there is an attempt on Ernie's life, and suspicion at first falls on the now-dead proprietor's unforgiving son, Chuck Ellis, who has been harassing Ernie. Checkmate, however, suspects Ernie is harboring a secret that would shed new light on why someone would want him dead.
