Billy and Timmy earn a little extra pocket money by collecting golf balls. One day Billy finds his friend assaulted in the woods by the golf course. Jimmy says he was attacked by a man sitting in a grey Jaguar with another man and a lot of papers. He even identifies the man from a photograph that PC Rowan has borrowed from the club secretary Harry Fell. Severe stomach pains prevent Greengrass from placing a bet for a "friend", and the old scoundrel wishes he could disappear. Changes are on the way within the police and Inspector Barry commandeers sergeant Blaketon's office while he makes his report. Blaketon fears for his position and starts looking for another job.

Harvey Cottrell buys furniture at almost stealing prizes. He shows great interest in Alice Stanton's Greek figurine and the next day it is gone. The same thing happens to an old mirror belonging to John Salter, and Cottrell turned really nasty when she would not sell him that. The villagers of Aidensfield have to elect either Oscar Blaketon or Joyce Jowett as the parish representative for the counsel and the candidates do everything they can to outdo and discredit each other. Many villagers find it hard to get to the village hall to vote and Blaketon offers to take them there in David's taxi. Dr. Summerbee thinks that exercise will improve general health in Aidensfield and organizes a fitness class. But fitness may not be too good to herself because she collapses after the class.

Miss Stanton complains about an obnoxious odour, a stench which pervades her cottage. It comes from the neighbouring ground, where Mr. Manley is building a new home for himself and his family. Vernon Scripps has bought some of the top soil from the building site for his latest venture, potting compost. It is delivered on the forecourt of Bernie's garage. He is told to remove it, but both Bernie and David are occupied so he has to do it himself. It gives him a severe rash and makes him very ill. Dead cows are found at the building site as well. Phil Bellamy is desperate, because he has not heard from Gina in days and she does not return his phone calls.

PC Mason discovers that being a village bobby does not always have something to do with police work when he gives Nurse Cassidy a ride to a farm and the farmer asks him to help getting a cow out of the mud. But he also gets some real cases when somebody nicks 12 shillings from the collection in the village church and a photograph goes missing from Ashfordly Hall. Young Charlie Prentice asks for directions to Ashfordly Estate telling Oscar Blaketon that she is looking for her father and she is convinced he is Lord Ashfordly. David Stockwell decides to make a will because he is afraid to leave a mess when he dies. Maybe that was not such a good idea after all.

There has been three break-ins within a week already and the fourth item on the burglars' "shopping list" is the Aidensfield Arms. Nothing but money was taken, and the police are without a clue until Aunt Peggy and other old people receive an anonymous envelope with 20 pounds each. Money that comes from the break-ins. Furthermore Carol Cassidy saw a car in Aidensfield at the time of the break-in at the pub with a man and a woman in it. PC Mason readily admits that he was the man, but to Carol's great annoyance he does not say anything about who the woman was. Douglas Philpot asks Oscar Blaketon and Alf Ventress to look for his son Ian, whom he and his wife Mary have not heard from for three months. A colleague of his also saw him at a night club in Whitby, but that is all. The two sleuths have a feeling though that Mary Philpot knows more than she is willing to say with her husband present.