Meanwhile, Tom is surprised to hear from his attorney that his house has exploded. His girlfriend, Katie, is married to a violently jealous circuit court judge named Arthur Battenkill, Jr., who sent his law clerk Champ Powell to burn down Tom's house. The clerk accidentally ignited the fire with himself inside, and his charred remains are similar enough to Tom's for the coroner to declare Tom dead. Unknown to Tom, his lawyer plans to use the situation to his client's advantage: his estranged wife, Mary Andrea, has gone to absurd lengths to avoid being served with divorce papers, including assuming false names and traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada. Tom's lawyer predicts that Mary Andrea, an actress, will attempt to capitalize on the publicity surrounding his "death", and return to Florida long enough for her to be served.