A businessman is beaten to death on his morning jog. The man was newly arrived from Brisbane, coming down to oversee a corporate takeover of a marine salvage company. The small business is short on employees but long on people with motives: a secretary with claims of sexually harassment, an owner worried for his job, and someone responsible for embezzling thousands of dollars from the company.

A groom is shoot by a masked gunman at a lavish wedding reception, but despite all the guests, the detective's efforts are frustrated when no one will admit to seeing anything. Further complicating matters is an accusation that a police officer stole a large sum of money intended for the newlyweds — and evidence points towards Shane. Joe's receives an emotional blow when he learns his first wife has decided to move to Queensland to be with her new boyfriend, taking their daughter Ruby with her. To add to his woes, the seriousness of Nicole's relationship with Shane hits home when she tells him Shane has proposed. A friendly poker game yields a key clue in solving one of the crimes.

A series of poisonings are linked to a local supermarket chain. Products at the store are being tampered with and demands have been made by an extortionist. The detectives' efforts to solve the case are hampered by the store's management who hope to keep the story out of the media, but it soon becomes too much for Joe who goes to the press to warn the public. Nicole rejoins her colleagues at Kingsway as Constable Brown.