Brian Rider buys his first car at Marsden Motor Co. and like all young men he likes it sporty and fast. When the proud new car owner takes his vehicle for a fast spin he loses control and collides with a stone wall. His mother blames Marsden for selling her son a defective car. But it is destroyed by fire before forensics can have a look at it. And that is not Marsden's only trouble. His wife has been caught shoplifting on several occasions and it turns out that she has been beaten as well. PC Bradley thinks Marsden is behind both incidents. Greengrass has bought a couple of racing pigeons and wants everybody to buy shares. But it appears that even Greengrass does not know everything about racing pigeons.

The panda car of the police gets stolen while being serviced by Bernie. Oscar Blaketon suspects Mr. Proctor, a guest at the Aidensfield Arms who knows nothing about the birds he claims to be studying. The car is later used at a number of burglaries where the burglar poses as a police officer. Petty stuff at first, but then both the car and its "owner" are connected with a serious break-in at a jeweller's shop. Vernon Scripps organizes an art course with the famous artist Lorenzo at Ashfordly Hall. Some of the participants are interested in other things than art. Like Miss Glenister who makes several passes at poor David. Whatever the Celia Taylor and her husband are interested in it is not each other.