Tony Rome

Ralph Turpin, Tony Rome's former partner, asks him to take a young woman home after she is found unconscious in a Miami hotel room. Rome agrees to the assignment, treating it as a straightforward favor. This initial call pulls him into a case that will involve danger and murder.

Rudolph Kosterman, a wealthy construction magnate, hires Rome to determine why his daughter Diana is acting irrationally. He wants answers about possible influences or threats behind her erratic behavior. Rome accepts, setting the stage for a broader investigation.

Diana regains consciousness to find a diamond pin missing from her jewelry. She and her stepmother Rita hire Rome to locate the lost pin and uncover the cause of Diana's troubling behavior. The missing accessory becomes the first tangible clue in a tangle of secrets.

While pursuing leads, Rome is chloroformed and beaten by unknown thugs. When he recovers, he learns that Ralph Turpin has been murdered in his office. The violence pulls Lt. Dave Santini into the case to lead the investigation.

Lt. Dave Santini, a Miami police detective and Rome’s old friend, arrives at the scene to press for information. He demands answers from Rome and questions how the case links to Turpin’s murder. The tension between private inquiry and official investigation intensifies the case.

Rome receives help from Ann Archer, a divorcee who becomes involved in the investigation. She offers a practical perspective and assists in following leads. Together they pursue connections the case presents.

An attempt on Rudolph Kosterman's life heightens the danger surrounding the case. Around the same time, a local jeweler is found murdered, suggesting a link to the missing pin and the black market for jewels. The violence deepens the mystery.

Tony learns that Diana has been selling her stepmother Rita's jewels to fund her life and to support her biological mother, Lorna. He also discovers that the pin sent to him by Turpin is a fake, clouding the trail and raising questions about the authenticity of evidence.

Tracking a lead, Rome pursues an unknown man with a gimp leg nicknamed Catleg, who becomes a key clue. He realizes Rita was being blackmailed and had previously sold real jewels to satisfy her ex-husband's demands. The case grows more tangled as motives unfold.

The trail leads to Adam Boyd, Diana's stepfather and an abortion doctor whose license was revoked. Boyd ordered Kosterman's murder hoping Diana would inherit his estate. He also held documents proving Rita's marriage was void, which would push Diana to help her mother.

With the evidence stacking up, the plan behind Kosterman's murder comes into focus and Boyd is implicated as the mastermind. Rita's role is revealed as part of the broader motive to control the estate. The case tightens as truth surfaces.

The case is solved, and Rome invites Ann Archer to a romantic getaway aboard his boat, the Straight Pass. Ann decides to return to her husband instead. The scene closes with Tony on the water, contemplating what comes next.