Much-loved Calleshire research chemist Derek Tridgell has been ill for some time On his deathbed his incessant but unintelligible mutterings culminate in a very clear cry of foul murder Detective Inspector Sloan & Detective Constable Crosby are brought in to investigate whether these are just the ramblings of a man at death's door or a real confession at the final hour Their enquiries uncover three tragic deaths that may or may not be linked to the deceased's last words an accidental drowning at a rival chemist manufacturer; an old friend of Derek's killed in a caving expedition whose body was never retrieved; Derek's son Paul walking away unscathed from a fatal car accident that killed one & left others irrevocably injured With a tight-lipped Paul knowing more than he's letting on Sloan & Crosby have their work cut out if they're going to untangle this complex case