Uncooperative Characters

What is an author to do when their characters won’t cooperate? When do they do when they get to the end of Chapter Three, and instead of deciding to investigate the theft, agreeing to take the One Ring to Rivendell, heading off in search of the cattle rustlers, or signing on to the team that is searching for the plague cure, the main character turns to the police detective/wizard/sheriff/medical research expert and says “That’s your job”?

The author has at least five basic options here; the...