Racket Squad in Action #3

A clever con man capitalizes on a customer's memory lapse—and a casual mention of coffee—to pull off a slick short-change swindle right under everyone's nose. "And Don't Forget the Coffee" shows how a little misdirection and courtesy can mask the perfect con.

A wealthy woman named Gail Shelton visits a floating gambling ship run by Mark Royal, where she meets a charming man using a supposed mathematical betting system—but the whole operation is a setup designed to compromise her. When a staged robbery goes awry and she believes she's killed someone, blackmailers move in, squeezing her for escalating payments until the pressure becomes unbearable and she finally breaks down and tells the truth to the law.

Police Inspector J. J. O'Malley sets out to stop Frisco Parry, a three-card monte hustler who's been fleecing tourists at Seaview Beach with the help of his accomplices, including the singer Roxana Dell. When a fresh victim brings his complaint straight to the inspector's office, O'Malley hatches a plan to catch the entire mob red-handed—and discovers that finding the lady means following Roxana Dell herself.

Sidney Radner, an investigator exposing crooked gamblers, tracks two con artists—Tim Agnew and Jerry Grebb—who use a deceptive "chair trick" to sabotage bowlers and rake in secret bets against them. When their scheme threatens to ruin champion bowler Hook Morgan, Radner sets a trap that brings the swindlers to justice and reveals how bowling alleys have become hunting grounds for hustlers who prey on honest competitors.

Dr. Neff, the renowned ghost-breaker and showman, joins Inspector O'Malley and Mary Quigley of the Racket Squad to expose Professor Lorenzo, a charlatan running a séance scam that bilks wealthy victims out of cash and jewels by claiming to materialize genuine spirits. As Lorenzo stages an elaborate performance with fake ghosts and mysterious disappearances, Neff uses his expert knowledge of illusion to uncover the con's machinery—hidden devices, detachable chair parts, and accomplices in disguise—and catch the crook red-handed before he can flee.