While Bea Abbot worries that she's lost control of her domestic agency, she's asked to find some domestic help for an eccentric musician falsely accused of murder. She doesn't realize how dangerous this might be until Jeremy--fleeing from attempts on his life--lands on her doorstep.

Attending a birthday celebration for two young girls, Bea Abbot tries not to let superstition get the better of her when she realizes they are thirteen at dinner. What she doesn't anticipate is that the evening will end in sudden, violent death. Suddenly a dining room curtain goes up in flames. While two members of the host family are rushed to hospital, Bea and a fellow guest search for the birthday girls in a house which has been plunged into darkness....

"Wealthy Marcia Tredgold and her daughter, Charlotte, want Bea Abbot to find them replacements for staff who have left under a cloud. Bea discovers that all those dismissed were close to Marcia Tredgold, and senses that something is not right. Were they framed, and if so by whom - and why? Even more curiously, when Marcia Tredgold gets Bea alone, she asks her to find out who killed her two cats. Bea resists becoming involved in the strange goings-on...

"Bea Abbot overhears three men plotting a murder outside her garage, only to discover the intended victim - a young man who appears to be a rough sleeper - has been left there to die in freezing weather. Somewhat reluctantly, she gives him sanctuary but finds him unwilling to disclose his name or talk about his ordeal. Who is determined to kill the stranger, and why? As he begins to reveal his identity and the events that led to his being left for...