The series was very lucky to have Shelley Fabares guest star in this episode, playing Susan. Shelley literally grew up on tv and was very much in demand, also holding the distinction of appearing with Elvis in three of his films. We all wondered for years if they would ever get maried.
Joel Murcott wrote this adventure, possibly based on real life incidents. It's all about a friend of Susan's, also a fellow airline stewardess, who is the unknowing pawn in smuggling heroin in her makeup bag. It's a tried and true story in the history of most every airline. She's toast and the creeps make it look like she was an addict and died of an overdose.
This is also a rare episode where Barnaby actually KNOWS the victim. In this case, she is the daughter of the building janitor, who subsequently hires Barnaby. That bit was always a gamble for writers, as how many detectives actually knew victims, even in real life situations. It does, however, play out well here.
Out for revenge, Susan tries to fake out the druggies and nearly gets herself killed in the process. This part of the story has shades of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, and where we see Shelley Fabares at her best.
Murcott did some fine writing here, credited for having written many classic tv episodes for ALFRED HITCHCOCK.
Excellent supporting cast with Tracy Reed as Rachel. Tracy at the time made several appearances on MCCLOUD. Popular actor Carl Franklin plays Mark.
10 STARS.
From SEASON 4 EPISODE 7 remastered CBS dvd box set.