A young woman is found beaten to death in the desert along with a cryptic message. Paddy Costello must unravel a city-wide conspiracy before more victims suffer a similar demise. When Costello stumbles upon the woman's body, the police department allows him to pursue the case. The private detective senses corruption and a trail of clues unearth a prostitution ring behind the curtain of a massage parlor-a popular spot for local authorities. Two RRPD detectives are assigned to help Costello, but he believes it's to prevent him from obtaining the truth, and the more time wasted, the more the death toll could rise. "Unhappy Endings" is the second Paddy Costello short and part of Universal Butterfly's Southwest Noir collection.