Ned is handed the case that changes his life forever. His childhood sweetheart, Charlotte "Chuck" Charles, is murdered on a cruise ship under strange circumstances.
Ned feels there is there is a lot more to the story of the hit-and-run accident victim, especially after he finds out the deceased was an automotive expert who worked for a company that was about to launch an experimental car. Meanwhile, Chuck wants some answers about how Ned brought her back to life.
Ned is lead back to the scene where he brought Chuck back to life when there is another strange death at the Schatz Funeral Home. Olive unwittingly becomes the messenger in Chuck's plan to bring a little sunshine into the lives of Aunts Lily and Vivian via some anti-depressant laced pies.
A plane crashes into an apartment building leaving the trio to determine if the pilot was trying to commit suicide. Chuck finds herself drawn to the man who appears to be the sole survivor, much to Ned's distress. Meanwhile, Olive takes a wounded messenger pigeon to the Aunts for help.
When jockeys start turning up trampled to death, supposedly by the ghost of a long dead rider and his spooky horse, Olive -- a jockey in her life before the Pie Hole -- hires Ned and the team to investigate. Meanwhile, Ned finds himself haunted by the ghosts of his own past as Halloween nears.
When a dog breeder who may have bred the world's most perfect pooch is found dead, Ned and company try to figure out who exactly did the deed, especially after they learn the deceased was a polygamist who left four grieving widows.
The assistant to renowned scent expert Napoleon LeNez is found dead after a scratch 'n' sniff book explodes. Ned, Chuck and Emerson investigate whom the deadly missive was intended for. Meanwhile, Olive continues her campaign to get Aunts Lily and Vivian back in the swim of things.
A vindictive taffy shop owner sets up shop down the street from The Pie Hole, determined to drive Ned out of business by any means necessary.
After a shocking turn of events, Ned tries to make peace with Chuck. Meanwhile, Emerson tries to get him to concentrate on their latest case, an insurance adjustor found frozen solid. And scent expert Oscar Vibenius returns, trying to figure out what's so different about Chuck and Digby.