Nobody told Trudy that her favorite aunt was even sick, but when Trudy flies up to New York City to see her, she finds that Jo is dead, poisoned. Suspicion falls on Jo's sister-in-law, but Trudy doesn't believe it. This is the same woman who saved Trudy's uncle during their escape from Communist-held Hungary after WWII. Although suspiciously eager to sell the antique cabinet Jo left her, she's not the only one with a motive. Jo's lawyer may have drained her assets--how else to explain what little money is left? Trudy's uncle, badly scarred after being shot during the escape, underwent an operation that Jo's doctor friend was supposed to have performed. However, he let an intern operate and now fears the consequences to his reputation should it become known. A neighbor held checks for people at the bank where she worked instead of returning them. No one was supposed to know, but Jo knew and might have been tempted to tell in order to stop the neighbor's harassing her. Finally, Jo was seeing a married man who wrote letters he's desperate to get back.