Jessica befriends a hobo, Ralph, who offers to do odd jobs around the house in return for a meal. She sees through his charade fairly easily and he admits that he is a former business executive who was recently forced into retirement. He's decided to see the country his way and so is off traveling. Cabot Cove Sheriff, Amos Tupper, asks for her help when four young women report that their father, wealthy industrialist Stephen Earle, was washed overboard during the violent hurricane the night before. None of the four and their various husbands or boyfriends seem to be particularly upset. When she sees Stephen Earle's photo in the local paper, she realizes it's the same man who called himself Ralph. When he's found washed up on shore, with two bullet holes in him, Jessica has a murder to solve.
—garykmcd