There was never anything between Linda Brand and Ted Croven except just a one-night stand. Or rather, thats the way things would have been if, as Linda crept out the morning after without waking her fleeting date, she hadnt pocketed a packet of cigarettes of his, which just happened to be lying around in his apartment. The fact is that theres something hidden in that packet, something two ugly mugs like Steve and Randall are so determined to get their hands on they wouldnt have any scruples about killing for it. First Croven, then his business partner Larry, and after that a certain Douglas, an employee of Lower & Smith Merchant Bank, which has business relations with Crovens IT company. In other words, Nick Raider and Marvin Brown soon find themselves faced with the usual macabre array of stiffs. But whats at stake now, apart from figuring out the truth, is the life of poor Linda, whos totally unaware what dreadful damage her smoking habit can inflict on her