There are a number of burglaries in the area recently which all have a connection, the thief tidies the house before leaving with the loot, which is usually silver. Nick checks around the local auction houses to see if anything has been passed on. He also begins to suspect local do-gooder, Penelope Stirling of being involved in the burglaries when he sees her buying incomplete sets of antiques. Meanwhile the police warn the local residents, including Lord Ashfordly to be on the look out for the thief and advise them to hide valuables which can be seen from the windows. The police catch the thief however when he burgles Ashfordly Hall where he straightens a picture which is wired to an alarm at the police station. Stirling turns out to be stealing antiques which are part of sets. She then buys the rest of the collection when the old people who the sets belong to die for a fraction of there true value. Then she sells the complete collections for the full price. Nick however can't prove i
