A sudden spate of vicious attacks on lone women has the Homicide team racing time to catch a killer on a campaign of vengeance. Descriptions of the killer match that of a middle aged woman - and with each killing, a number is painted at the scene, counting back from 88. In the course of their investigations, detectives come across the Phelby-Thomas mansion, and an assortment of characters living there, including an 80 year old pensioner, a houseboy, and a German chauffer. Further inquiries reveal that Phelby-Thomas is a retired actor, whose programme ran for 88 episodes, and whose specialty was disguises - the various people at the house, plus the 'Jill The Ripper' character, all being Phelby-Thomas in make-up.
Notes: John Krummel portrayed several separate roles, all as Phelby-Thomas in various disguises. Crawfords sought advice from an American make-up expert who read the script and told them no way - it could not be done. Undaunted, Crawfords own make-up lady Jan Gash performed the task herself, and did an excellent job.
