When a young woman is found dead in a locked room, three friends search for a missing figurine--and find a killer.
The Morpheum: a small hotel located on the edge of society. When the heroin-induced death of a young woman in her locked room is ruled a misadventure, three friends—a mentally limited young man at loose ends, a retired military officer, and the victim’s cat—follow a twisted trail of clues in search of a missing figurine.
The Colonel--formerly a top-level undercover operative--emerges from retirement to head the investigation. His young friend Willy casts a dragnet over The Morpheum, interviewing a rogues gallery of eccentric suspects. The victim’s cat Mr. Winkley enters and exits locked rooms, evading Elsie the landlady as he prowls the dark corridors of The Morpheum in search of his lost mistress.
Evidence that seems to incriminate Willy shocks the Colonel into an unresponsive catatonic state. With his mentor now out of commission, Willy puzzles over the curious circumstances of the missing figurine and Mr. Winkley’s mysterious comings and goings, and finds a connection that makes the seemingly impossible crime possible. Evidence points to the door of a fearsome and seductive killer, whom Willy must confront and defeat in order to avenge his friend Nancy’s death and restore the Colonel’s confidence.