The first story had him drifting into the years-old unsolved case of the disappearance of Celia Norris, a local girl with a dark side. With his friend, the perpetually unemployed and well-read Mod Lewis (he spends all his time at the library to save on heating) he tracks down the culprit, collecting plenty of cuts, bumps and bruises along the way at the hands of the local thugs. At one point he is "binned" — an empty dustbin is placed over his head, pinning his arms, and the outside is then hit with pickaxe handles. He also is the object of attention of Josie Norris, Celia's sister born after Celia disappeared. Josie is in her early teens, ready to rebel against her over-protective mother and test her budding sexuality with Davies. The case breaks when Davies finds a confession, sent by registered mail to establish its origins, and unopened since it was sent, that implicates a prominent local figure.