Before he can leave the ship, he is robbed and strangled by ex-con Cueball, who was alerted to Abbott's arrival by two accomplices, Simon Little and Mona Clyde, who work for Sparkle.

Little and Clyde have arranged with crooked antique dealer Percival Priceless to pay Cueball a few thousand dollars and then resell the stolen gems for a fortune, splitting the proceeds three ways.

Unsatisfied, Tracy enlists his friend, the aged thespian Vitamin Flintheart, to visit the shop the next day and observe any suspicious activity.

Posing as a customer, Flintheart sees Clyde enter and leave, but is unable to overhear her conversation with Priceless, who learns from her that Little (whose intended role in the scheme was to recut the gems) is an unreliable partner.

Hoping to lure him out of hiding, Tracy allows his girlfriend Tess Trueheart to meet with Little and Clyde on the pretense of being a wealthy customer seeking diamonds.