While highly respected P.I. Archie Miles, who even teaches at the police academy, is working on the old Danbury scalpel murder case, involving judge Lambert, for Jessica's research, he is shot in his office. His rather shady, clumsier partner Harry McGraw contacts Jessica as Archie was working on only two other cases, about allegedly adulterous contractor Ernie Santini and editor Priscilla Daniels of Femininity Magazine, who suddenly backs down on her political ambitions. Detective Lieutenant Starkey confides into Jessica the police wouldn't mourn Harry getting rid of Archie's killer, anyhow, she snoops herself, then teams up with Harry...