The quiet town of Pigeon Fork, where the last crime was committed in ancient times, is shocked by a bloody crime: a harmless old woman and her pets - a parrot and a cat - were killed. The police are at a loss, and Haskell Blevins, the only private detective in the entire town, gets down to business. Solving this sinister crime promises him fame and long lines of clients. But everything is not so simple. Not only does the simple-minded, freckled Haskell himself not really look like a detective, but everyone who is not too lazy puts a spoke in the wheels. Underfoot is the dog Rip, who believes that the owner is needed only to drag him up and down the stairs (Rip suffers from an exotic disease - fear of stairs); the faithful secretary Melba, instead of, as usual, idle from morning to evening, suddenly decided to become a great detective; some old woman, obsessed with spies, is in a hurry to help with advice... And then there’s a new crime, and no less mysterious! In a word, conducting an investigation in such conditions is a nervous and thankless task, but Haskell overcomes the difficult situation with honor, and the “nervous” investigation ends in complete triumph