Plot

A health and fitness franchiser who sells supplies to his franchisees at exorbitant prices murders one of them after they discovered his criminal business practices. Lt. Columbo has to outsmart the crafty killer to solve this one.

Milo Janus owns a chain of health clubs, but one of his franchisees discovers the man is cheating him--and can prove it to the authorities. Janus responds by murdering his partner and making it look as if he had accidentally killed himself trying to lift a barbell that was too heavy for him. Janus creates a would-be perfect alibi for himself involving a tape-recording of his victim's voice, a phone that doesn't light up, a sexy secretary, a party for friends at his house, and a pornographic horror movie. But no alibi is perfect when the rumpled Lt. Columbo is on the case.—J. Spurlin

The owner of a chain of gymnasiums takes evasive action when he learns that one of his franchisees plans to expose his embezzlement of company funds to the IRS. He tries to make it look like the franchisee had died by a weight falling on top of him during a workout.

Milo Janus is the charismatic owner of a chain of health spas, but his charm isn't enough to calm the anger of business partner Gene Stafford, who's figured out Milo's scheme to overcharge his own corporation for equipment and supplies, depositing the profits in offshore bank accounts. When Gene turns up dead, the victim of an "accident," no one could suspect Milo, especially since he has a perfect alibi for the time of the death. But someone does: an out-of-shape police lieutenant named Columbo, who smells a very large rat under Milo's fit exterior.—Leaper