An ace shot by a tennis star blows up in his face at a charity event, after one of his tennis balls has been loaded with explosives. Burke scours the local country club for clues while trying to avoid the "help" of an eager ball boy, who claims he can solve the case for Burke. The victim's pessimistic manager, his fiancee and her jealous sister (a dentist), his ex-wife, and a tennis rival all had access to the club room and could have tampered with the equipment. Finally, a nightclub singer who knew the victim well gives Tim some valuable information. When Burke figures out the relevance of a casual bit of trivia, he corners the killer, who still has a few "bomb balls" to spare. The case comes to an explosive finish.