Flying home from a friend's wedding in Minneapolis, Desiree is seated alongside an attorney traveling to New York for a funeral. It seems his beloved aunt Bessie died from a fall down the basement steps. Before long, however, the man begins to suspect that the accidental tumble wasn't any accident, and he prevails upon Manhattan's most warmhearted and weighty PI to uncover the truth.

Desiree learns that a number of people might have been eager for Aunt Bessie to rest in peace: her son; his conniving, butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth fiancee; a dishonest dry cleaner with a grudge and a temper; a greedy real estate developer who wants to get his hands on Aunt Bessie's beachfront property; and a seventyish cousin, who may or may not be harboring a bizarre secret. But it isn't only a crafty killer Desiree's hoping to reel in. There's also her neighbor Nick, whose tepid relationship with Desiree finally starts to simmer....