Carmady is a private detective. He works alone, and there's enough crime in the city of Los Angeles to keep him busy most of the time. He makes mistakes who doesn't but all the buffers have hiissed When Kathy Horne comes into his office with a story about the long-lost Leander pearls, Carmady doesn't l silA think much of it at first. But Kathy's a friend. There's a 35,000 reward for anyone who finds the pearls, and Kathy needs some money for when her husband gets out prison. So armady goes on listening, Peder There's a guy called Peeler Mardo, Kathy says. He was in ris one time and he met the guy who stole the Non li?Ander pearls from the mail-car. And this guy, Wally sype, had too much to drink one night and told Pe where the pearls were hidden. So Carmady goes to talk to Peeler Mardo, But he's too late, as Peeler Mardo isn't going to do any more talking ever. He's already talked too much Carmady realizes, and it's a long journey, a lot of bihets, a lot of dead mushy bodies, before anyone gets near those pearls. And where do the goldfish come into the story