At the same time he is trying to find out who is threatening all kinds of nastiness against top athlete Zak Oto if she wins her New Year's Day race to celebrate the opening of Luton's splendid Pleasure Dome. Everybody looks suspicious, from her ex-con minder Starbright Jones, through her trainers, past and present, to her own family. And the only reassurance Joe has that he's getting warm is when someone starts trying to kill him