A short story about a short detective, Sean NMI Sean, and his adventure chasing a drug-smuggling murderer through the horse barn at the great Minnesota State Fair.

A dead man on the floor of his office in Minneapolis won't lead P.I. Sean Sean to journey to Yap Island to protect his new client. Bombs in lawyers' cars only jostle him. This short investigator knows the value of research and asking questions in the right places. World War II, Asian diamonds and concrete in Des Moines combine to almost destroy a Minnesota family. In the end, Sean detects flaws in the plans and brings down a criminal enterprise.

When an American Army unit arrived at the end of the war, some soldiers appropriated items in what appeared to be abandoned circumstances. A small painting by a mid-level Polish painter is used by an ex-GI to float a bank loan which results in the founding of a manufacturing firm in Minneapolis. Now the painting and the ledger become the center of murderous attempts by the descendants of the veteran to conceal the painting's journey. World-wide efforts at repatriation of stolen art from WWII is a major ongoing effort and the story links to that effort as international operatives descend on the Twin Cities. Enter private detective Sean Sean. He is a short but effective operative who, unlike many PIs of the modern era, doesn't sleep around, doesn't shoot people unnecessarily, and has many friends among various local law enforcement agencies.