A rich man is murdered, and his man-servant is the prime suspect, until a talkative Mynah bird appears which may just have the solution to the whole case on the tip of his tongue.

Victoria Ironside, the Chief's aunt, is a member of the Tuesday Afternoon Bridge Club. When a fellow member disappears, Aunt Victoria turns to the Chief for help, but what he uncovers turns out to be a very strange and sorry tale.

An old friend of Mark's calls him to ask for a meeting, but she is kidnapped before he can reach her. It soon transpires that her disappearance is tied to that of movie star Gloria James, who appears to have died or been murdered. The Chief naturally digs further, and finds a tale of heartache and sorrow which leads to the front door of a local mobster.