Witnesses all said the same thing: the lunatic who jumped in front of a moving car claimed the vehicle was a ghost. His death proved him wrong.

Why would a man do this? That's the question ace reporter Gordon Gardner asks. What started out as a basic police blotter story initially depressed Gordon. As a reporter second to none, how could a simple accident be worthy of his considerable talents? Even his pairing with a beautiful photographer didn't lighten his mood.

But when Gordon learns the truth about the crazy man's last moments, he digs deeper and zeroes in on a fundamental question: what made Victor Tompkins, a traveling salesman, leap in front of a car? The police don't care. They've already closed the case. His editor wants the piece yesterday. His rival reporter can't wait for Gordon to fail. Even his new partner, the beautiful Lucy Barnes, thinks Gordon is barking up the wrong tree. Yet Gordon Gardner didn't earn his bulldog reputation by giving up and walking away. Too many oddities exist. Why would someone break into Tompkins's house after he died? What happened to Tompkins out in the country? Who were the killers who just gunned down one of Gordon's witnesses? As the footsteps approach his position, Gordon Gardner fears he'll never uncover the real truth of the phantom automobiles.