Paul Hassett is taken ill and dies while visiting private detective Johnny Treherne. The following the day, Treherne is visited by the police and a number suspicious characters wanting to know what he said.
Johnny Treherne discovers that Paul Hassett was being blackmailed at the time of his death. Seymour Tancred offers him the job as the Director of Sidwell Film Festival if he sells up but discovers Fred Creech dead in his office.
The file on Johnny Treherne's father's last case, investigating a protection racket in Sidwell, is stolen from his office. He later discovers a dog track owner is also caught up in it but Candy Hassett is attacked after talking to him.
Candy Hassett is found raped and murdered but not before she passed Treherne a tape recording of her husband paying off a blackmailer. Stratton's men beat up Treherne to retrieve the tape thus taking all the evidence.
Johnny Treherne is arrested for the murder of Candy Hassett. Insp. Scott manages to get him released but needs him to return to Sidwell. Insp. Spain queries why Stratton went to bed after his business partner, Hassett was killed.
Johnny Treherne is hiding out alone in a cave structure near the beach which Verity his only contact. When Seymour Tancred visits he knows Verity has betrayed him but he's double bluffed the pair with the police hearing it all.