Bush fires are ringing the township of Mount Thomas and Maggie and Wayne are out evacuating farm houses in the path of the inferno, but this routine job suddenly turns dangerous when they are confronted by a masked man brandishing a shotgun. Maggie and Wayne overcome the offender and take him into custody. Back at the station he is quickly identified as one of three bandits who held up St. David's bank the previous day. The prisoner proves to be uncooperative. He refuses to give his name or those of his accomplices and in an unguarded moment, he swallows a handful of thumbtacks. Although Mt. Thomas Hospital is presently under renovations, there is still a skeleton staff there and the bandit is rushed into emergency surgery under the care of Dr. Zoe Hamilton. Wayne is duped into giving up his gun and uniform by one of the bandits posing as a hostage. Maggie goes to the hospital to discover someone else dressed in Wayne's clothes. She plays it cool and attempts to put a call through to t

A siege has developed at the Mt. Thomas hospital. While the armed and desperate Nerida Davidson and Jason Bennett hold Maggie and Wayne on the inside, the rest of the Heelers lay in wait on the outside of the building. Meanwhile, bushfires ring the township making outside help a forlorn hope. The bandits' objective is to get their compatriot, Matt, out of the hospital and away, but this is not made any easier by his gradually worsening medical condition. When captured, Matt swallowed a handful of map pins in order to get to the hospital, a soft target from which he could be more easily rescued. The situation is further complicated by the presence of mother-to-be Augusta Torrini and her emotional, hot-blooded husband, Sergio. When Wayne bravely tries to overcome the bandits he ends up pistol whipped and chained to a hospital bed. Maggie, Dr. Zoe Hamilton and Nurse Tracy Mitchell play a dangerous game of bluff to try to and get Augusta to safety. Adam, meanwhile, comes up with some disco

Cricket team rivalry, stolen meat and suspicious fingerprints. Could all this lead to the capture of a wanted criminal?

The prime suspect in a series of child murders is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Nick becomes a suspect when he shows little or no remorse. Nick is haunted by memories of his daughter's death when a child killer is discovered operating in the Mt. Thomas area.

A child killer dies while in Nick's custody. At the coroner's inquest Nick learns that he is the prime suspect in the man's death.

When the Heelers are called out to a nasty road accident they are shocked to discover that one fo the injured is Cooper. What exactly was he doing in a car that appeared to have been drag racing and what else is he hiding from them.

Plans to build a prison in the area have the locals up in arms. Tensions in the community run high and the local cops are accused of colluding with the demonstrators.

Tom encourages an elderly civic-minded school crossing supervisor and is confronted with an explosive monster.

There's a sheep killer in the area and the Mt. Thomas cops are determined to hunt it down; meanwhile Wayne continues to bond with single mother Gabe.

A violant prison escapee holds Wayne hostage, throwing the station into turmoil. But it isn't the hostage crisis that will be the most tragic event of the day...

The aftermath of Wayne's death sees each of the officers coming to terms with their grief. When a stolen watch implicates Wayne in a crime, the cops struggle to clear his name, and in doing so, find ways to pour out their feelings.

Maggie celebrates her 25th birthday but the fallout from a drug bust threatens to tear her family apart.

Tom is sent away for some retraining, leaving the station seriously understaffed. Things go from bad to worse when the computer system goes down, an old man goes missing, and a young mother's car is stolen with her baby asleep in the back seat.

The replacement police officer, Jack Woodley, finally arrives in Mt. Thomas just in time to help the cops deal with an irresponsible rodeo cowboy, and Tom deals with his daughter Anna when she reaches her ninth month of pregnancy.

PJ and Jack are at odds over how to handle the case of an elderly woman who is the victim of a vicious assault.

Officers investigate a dispute between two sheep shearers, a case which sparks a series of events leading PJ to discover the truth about his new partner Jack.

Maggie is set to prosecute the Dean Crocker case but PJ has doubts about the investigation and about the accuracy of Jack's evidence.

The Mt. Thomas Festival of the Arts causes headaches for Tom and Chris while Nick attempts to break down the fence between two feuding neighbours.

Maggie investigates a homicide on the sly, and Adam deals with a complaint from a high school principal about the circulation of pornographical material in the area.

Adam is upset after he and Nick discover the body of a teenager who has died from alcohol abuse, while Chris' summary dismissal of her cellarman results in a strike at the pub.

The new probationary Constable, Dash McKinley, arrives in Mount Thomas much to Tom's annoyance and Adam's delight. Meanwhile, a young woman turns up to confront a wealthy family with the news that she is a long-lost daughter, returned from the dead.

Tom faces a dilemma when the attempted suicide of Clancy's mother puts her intellectually disabled son in jeopardy

As the Heelers necessarily become involved with the discipline problems at the local high school, Tom realises that his own problems are nothing in comparison to the new school principal's.

PJ & Maggie have to examine the evnts of the past when a woman unleashes some powerful memories from her childhood.

Dash & Nick are called out to an old farmhouse where they discover a vandalised room, a terrified child and swinging from a light fitting, a dead lamb.

PJ and Maggie investigate the death of a young ballet dancer, but PJ is upset by Maggies pas de deux with her varsity tutor.

A paraplegic farmer is found battered and bruised and Tom suspects a travelling water diviner. Little does he know, however, that the stranger is the father of Anna's baby.

Nick is surprised by Dash's unprofessional behaviour at the scene of a fatal accident, until he learns that both the victims were friends of hers. She insists she can cope with the trauma, but Nick feels there is more to it.

PJ investigates Roman and discovers he's married.

PJ spills the beans about Roman but an investigation into the death of a clergyman's daughter leads Maggie to wonder how much he really knows.

Meanwhile, Nick and Dash attempt to look after a hairdresser and sometime witch when she is pursued by bigots.

Tom accepts the possibility that his daughter is gone for good; the team investigate baby bashing at a local creche; and Dash is very taken with PJ's replacement - Detective Johnny Kowalski.

Dash gets a humiliating rejection when she realises Johnny is interested in Maggie, a stock of premium wine goes missing and Tom hears some bad news about his missing daughter.

The Heelers investigate a domestic burgularly and Dash wins on Chris' gaming machines then gets carried away by her winning streak.

A horse endurance race presents problems for the Heelers with both a sabateur and a thief on the loose. Dash and Maggie can't escape Johnny Kowalski's womanising and the team face PJ's return with mixed feelings.

When PJ answers the phone at the station, he is surprised to find a toddler named Kanga calling to say his mummy won't wake up and his baby sister is crying. While the Heelers search for the location of Kanga's house, PJ is mortified to realise that Kanga's stepdad is playing a role in this and is trying to get into the house...

Dash and Adam wreck the hard drive of the Leap linked computer at the station while playing Doom. They have the system repaired locally and are anzious that Tom doesn't find out, but glitches soon appear, which seems to be connected to burglaries Maggie and PJ are investigating.

The return of a young criminal to Mt. Thomas stirs up painful memories for Dash. Nick and Adam are sent to a domestic in which PJ becomes the target of a family's rage against the police.

When a young mother of two is killed, a videotape of the incident appears to show that PJ cold-bloodedly shot her in the back. PJ faces tough questioning but the worst attention is that of tabloid TV journalist, Paul Carson. Maggie can see that PJ is having a harder time than he lets on, so she decides to help clear his name in the media. To do this she must prove that video pictures can lie and that Carson is a fraud. But even if she succeeds, PJ still has the Coronial Inquest ahead of him.

It's Halloween in Mt. Thomas, and when Dash and Adam are sent out to apprehend what they assume is a seasonal prank—a naked man. Dash is astonished to discover it is her brother Ian, the victim of his bucks party the night before. Ian's wedding is only two days away, and Dash is horrified to discover his fiance in bed with a German tourist. But Ian is prepared to overlook her indiscretion and ignore warnings from Dash. Can Dash change her brother's fate in time?

Nick is delighted when his old friend Gordy Muir turns up in Mt. Thomas to run a ""war games"" course for corporate clients, and thrilled when Gordy offers him a partnership in the new venture. But things quickly go sour when the observing senior partner of a law firm is injured during a mock ambush on the paint splat course, and the Heelers are called in to investigate.

PJ's career hangs in the balance when the coroners inquest into Raelene Darcy's death begins. PJ suffers a crisis of confidence and only Maggie stands between him and professional ruin.

The favourite in the Miss Mount Thomas contest tells the Heelers she is being stalked, then mysteriously disappears.

Dash's family problems reach crisis point when her mother is admitted to a Melbourne hospital. She is in desperate need of a donor kidney to save her from certain death. But when advised of a possible donor Dash's joy is short-lived—the donor is her brother Ian who has been in a motor bike accident and is not expected to live.

Panic sweeps Mt. Thomas when an outbreak of an animal disease begins to kill humans. When Maggie suddenly collapses, PJ is desperate not to let the disease, which has already claimed two lives, take his beloved Maggie.

The words Japanese Encephalitis strike fear into the heart of PJ. It's fatal, there's no cure, and it seems to be the cause of Maggie's illness. But PJ won't give up. Now the task is to prove the doctors wrong, to find a viable alternative and breath new life into his beloved Maggie. Nick's reign as acting sergeant is rapidly turning into a nightmare as he deals with Keith Purvis and a mob of panic-stricken farmers. Having decided the spate of deaths had been caused by rabies, they slate the responsibility home to a couple of English migrants and their young daughter. Nick fulfils a promise to the girl and takes the dog into protective custody. However, the farmers follow them into town and Nick soon finds the station cut off from the outside world with a highly agitated farmer, the girl, her mother and their dog. Tom had hoped to quietly recover from his heart attack, but now finds himself standing in the heat trying to negotiate with an angry mob who have the police station under sie

Dash discovers that her penchant for gossip may very well get her, and other people into hot water when she and Adam, overhear the Shire President, Roger Payne, having lunch with a woman who is definitely not his wife. While out on a surveillance operation to catch an extortionist who's been threatening to blow up a restaurant, the pair, bored with three days of sitting in the car with nothing to do except listen, finally hear something interesting. Unfortunately, while Adam and Dash are preoccupied, the real extortionists manage to get away, much to PJ's chagrin. PJ appeals to Tom to hold the investigation over longer, but the matter is out of Tom's hands-the surveillance equipment and manpower belong to another unit and he can't retain them without very good reason. PJ's worried-he's given his word that he'd solve the case, to Bluey, the frightened restaurateur, and now he may not be able to keep it. Dash is still obsessed with finding out who the mystery woman is, but is thwarted

Maggie and Nick pull up Charlie Clarke for talking on his mobile phone and are surprised to discover the caller on the other end is no other than the boss. It turns out that Charlie was on his way to do a job at Clancy's halfway house when there's a crisis. His attractive housemate Leonie, isn't feeling well and Aunty Chris takes her to the doctor, only to discover that she's pregnant! Clancy happily admits to having forced Leonie to have sex. Tom doesn't believe it for a moment but finds he has to contend with Leonie's emotional father-Chris Riley's cousin, Dominic-as he tries to prove Clancy's innocence. Tom's situation with Leonie's father is further complicated when it turns out she and Clancy are in love and the two lovers attempt to elope. Meanwhile, the Heelers are up to their top lip in excrement courtesy of an overflowing toilet in the cells. A reluctant Tom finds he needs assistance from Charlie Clarke who gives the Heelers a hard time over a toilet pedestal which has gone mi

It's raining cats and dogs in Mount Thomas and Nick and Adam are overdue back from patrol. When they arrive they are drenched through and their uniforms are in tatters. The other Heelers have no idea of the extent of their trauma until Tom asks them to explain themselves and Adam bursts into tears. While Dash attempts to draw the story out of Adam, Nick disappears to change his uniform. However, shock has taken over and he withdraws into himself, making it difficult to find out the true story. Adam explains that it all began when they attempted to rescue a young girl from a flooded stormwater drain. While Nick held onto her and attempted to stop her from being dragged away, he sent Adam for help. However Adam soon found himself in the middle of a crisis of his own involving the girl's sister and wasn't able to get back in time. Piecing the story together, the Heelers discover that exhaustion wore Nick down and he eventually let go of the girl. Now back in the station, guilt and anger l

Nick is astonished to discover that the shooter of a young protester at the opening of the duck season is none other than his sometime admirer, Dr Zoe Hamilton. She, of course, claims it was an accident, explaining that the chief protester grabbed her gun just as she was aiming at a duck. Adam gets an admirer of his own when he assists the pretty eighteen year old daughter of one of the duck shooters after she is injured in the melee. This is Stacey Norse, whose father Ken accuses the chief protester, Matthew Prentice, of stealing one of his ducks. Troubles escalate when Ken Norse falls seriously ill while eating his specially prepared duck lunch at the Imperial Hotel. When Zoe suspects poisoning, the Heelers wonder if it might have been Matthew Prentice, but when blood tests show that Norse is actually suffering from a severe case of lead poisoning, they must rethink the case. Because this condition would have taken some 13 years to accumulate, his own children, Stacey and her sixteen

There are mixed reactions among the Heelers to Chris's plans. Tom feels that she's rushing into things, a sentiment echoed by Chris's cousin, Dominic, who doesn't approve of Sean, sure that he's just trying to cash in on the Imperial's lucrative business. As Tom does a little digging into Sean's past, he discovers there's no record of him, or his teenage son, Conor, entering Australia. Sean explains away the anomaly with a smile, but Tom isn't convinced. When Chris starts talking to Maggie about her plans for a huge wedding, Sean seems to be less than enthusiastic, and they argue about their plans. Sean storms out of the pub, but moments later, comes back and apologises-they'll talk about the wedding later. The next day, Sean hasn't returned and Chris is worried. He doesn't know anyone else in the district-where would he have gone? The Heelers try to placate her, but the mystery surrounding Sean deepens. Chris' fears for his safety are justified when the Heelers discover a body in the

A band travelling through Mt. Thomas cause a stir with the young people of the town, but Tom is worried by their presence. His fears appear to be confirmed when he discovers one of the station's vehicles defaced with images resonant of MCD. But that is only the beginning of the Heelers problems with the band. A vandalised angel in the cemetery relates to the band's signature song ""Bloodstained Angels"" and then a blazing car in the car park of the Commercial Hotel conjures up another line of lyrics from the same song. Meanwhile, a father seeks the help of the police in rescuing his son from the spell of the ""demonic band"". Tom is sympathetic, but there is only so much the local police sergeant can do, despite the gallery of death and destruction on the boy's bedroom walls. By now the peace of Mount Thomas appears to be shattering and the Heelers must determine whether they are looking for a publicity stunt, an avenging father or an adoring fan. As they look more closely at the lyrics, t

Nick and Adam are surprised when their call to a domestic dispute turns out to be at a Salvation Army women's meeting. They discover a young mother, Joanne Mason, has accused her husband Andrew of deliberately pushing her out of their car. He claims it was an accident but Joanne announces she's going to leave him anyway. Captain Ingrid Perry, the Salvation Army officer, finds the wife accommodation at a women's shelter, but the Heelers are called out again when the husband finds out where she is and turns up to talk to her. In fact it turns out that Joanne had rung him herself and invited him round, then changed her mind. She is obviously very confused about the big life decision she has just made. Meanwhile, Dash is moving into Maggie's flat. Despite the fact that they are running late for work, Dash talks Maggie into taking a detour so she can dump a bag full of unwanted clothes into the St. Steven's charity bin. Unbeknown to either of them, she accidentally throws out Maggie's fa

Adam and Dash are called to a disturbance to find a lonely farmer banging at the door of what turns out to be a dating agency. Investigations reveal the farmer has paid a fortune to the agency without ever having had a date, but his fear of exposure and humiliation make him reluctant to lay an official complaint. Adam is getting married. It's a bit fast, but his friends and colleagues are there.

Dash and Adam respond to a report of vandalism at the train yards and discover a couple of young offenders - one so fleet of foot that he's even faster than Dash. She thinks she knows the boy, Jed Russell, and discovers that Jed's been living with his father, Jim. When seemingly uncaring Jim gets involved, its Tom who recognizes a fellow Vietnam veteran who is still suffering from that war.

Maggie and PJ are in serious trouble when an investigation into a suspicious goldmine goes wrong, and they find themselves trapped. Two newcomers in town, Matt Kinsella and Jamie Burgess claim that the goldmine is theirs, but old Hec O'Farrell, who has been working the mine for as long as anyone can remember, insists that Matt and Jamie are the trespassers—and what's more, they've stolen his gold dust. Dash and Adam discover Hec's fellow prospector, Bert, bashed, and PJ is happy to assume that Hec beat up his mate and took his own gold, hoping to pin the crime on Matt and Jamie. Tom and Dash however, are not so sure—Hec's friendship with Bert is legendary and why would he risk it for such a small amount of gold? Bert is also denying that his mate had anything to do with his bashing. PJ is still sure the case begins and ends with Hec, and takes Maggie out to talk to Matt and Jamie about the license to the mine. While they are there, Matt and Jamie suddenly discover a huge gold nugget, w

Maggie and PJ are still trapped together underground, unbeknownst to the other Heelers, who are busy trying to locate Matt Kinsella, now suspected of attempting t murder his mining partner, Jamie Burgess. They discover both the men are ex-security guards from WA, who were involved in a gold bullion heist more than seven years ago during which a colleague was killed. It's only when PJ's car is discovered abandoned and carefully wiped clean of fingerprints that Tom realises something is seriously wrong. A search finally leads to the collapsed mine and mere chance and a Mintie wrapper leads to the discovery of Maggie and PJ's living tomb. The rescue is complicated when the removal of rubble causes the mine to collapse some more, but eventually PJ and Maggie are rescued—only to insist on tracking down Burgess and Kinsella who left them to die. But Burgess is in hospital with head wounds and Kinsella has disappeared. The key seems to lie with Burgess's girlfriend, Deanna, who turns out to b

When the Heelers are called in to investigate vandalised graves at the Mt. Thomas cemetery, Tom discovers that Nell's grave site is amongst the desecrated. The vandals have spray-painted an obscenity on the headstone and Tom's deep hurt, fuelled by rage, drives the Heelers to find the culprits. Father Brian Hegarty points out that only the Catholic section of the cemetery was attacked, and that the Blue Lite basketball team was thrashed by St Stephen's last night. As the coach of the Blue Liters, Nick defends his players. But then evidence gives the Heelers cause to suspect Jed Russell, one of the teenagers on the team who is a Legacy charge of Tom's and Tom rises to Jed's defence. Nick, Maggie and PJ have to work hard to persuade Tom to let down his protective guard and interrogate Jed. The following night, Father Brian takes it upon himself to do some undercover work at the cemetery and has to call on the Heelers again. This time a double grave has been desecrated, that of Alice and

Shane Thompson is a professional shooter with a volatile temper. His return to Mt. Thomas creates a rift between Tom and Nick. Tom is concerned that his return spells trouble for Shane's wife and young family while Nick has been Shane's sponsor, getting him out of town following the breakdown of his marriage, finding him work as a shooter and facilitating the exchange of letters between Shane and his oldest son. Shane is desperate to return to his family and reconcile with his estranged wife. Unfortunately, she now has a new boyfriend and will not have him back. To Tom's dismay, Nick takes a close personal interest in the situation and offers Shane temporary accommodation at the warehouse keeper's residence, his box of guns stored for safe keeping in a corner of Nick's living room. When Zoo Hamilton's gun goes missing the culprit turns out to be the son, angered by his father's broken promise to buy him a gun and disturbed by the tension and conflict between his parents. The new boyfri

As Maggie and PJ are investigating what caused five teenagers to collapse at a local nightclub, Adam and Dash are consoling a farmer's son whose goat has died under suspicious circumstances. He suspects the neighbouring farmer—the irascible Albie O'Connell—but Adam and Dash are unable to find any evidence of foul play. When a sixth teenager is found unconscious in an alleyway, the Heelers realise someone is flooding Mt. Thomas with home-made amphetamines. But who? A possible answer comes in the form of a couple of new bikers that Adam and Dash see riding into town. Perhaps they have joined forces with the local gang, the Legends, to manufacture amphetamines? A chat with the bikers reveals nothing helpful, but the Heelers remain convinced of their involvement when a newcomer to town is found beaten up by someone using chains and knuckle-dusters. Meanwhile, Adam finds he has a new best friend in the young goat owner, who comes to him in frantic distress early one morning to report that h

Dash's career is on the line when is seems she waved her new boyfriend on instead of breath-alysing him. Dash explains that it was because she saw a couple, in the car behind, changing seats. But when she pulled them over, the driver was under the limit while the passenger was clearly drunk. The only way Dash can clear her name is to find some evidence that the couple did in fact swap seats. Unfortunately, it takes a fatal accident to finally prove she was telling the truth.

A baby disappears in suspicious circumstances, but only Adam believes the mother's story when she claims the child was kidnapped. The woman's credibility is questioned when not a single picture of the infant can be found. Crime Scene call in with news of the discovery of what seems to be a shallow grave, but the only thing the Heelers find buried there is some apparatus, apparently for faking a pregnancy. As investigations continue, the mother's sister turns up at the station and tells Tom she holds grave fears for her sister's sanity. It turns out the mother was a successful journalist who had a nervous breakdown following a well publicised ""close encounter"" with alien beings. Could it be the mother has done something to the baby? Was there a baby at all? Or was it all a product of the woman's fevered imagination? Adam and Nick find themselves at odds over Adam's support for the woman. A bond forms between mother and Adam and the woman extracts a promise from the young man that he wil

When a local farmer, Jack Buckley, wins Oz lotto, the patrons at the Imperial are truly delighted for him. His family have been struggling with their farm for as long as anyone can remember, and Jack dreams of using the money to pay off the bank and keep the farm in the family for future generations. Next day, however, Jack claims his winning ticket has been stolen, and PJ becomes skeptical because there is some doubt that the ticket ever existed—the newsagent didn't sell it to him, and his family can't remember seeing it. Maybe the old man really is going senile? But Maggie takes the old man's side, and even though PJ has dismissed the case as a uniform matter, Maggie's insistence that Jack is right keeps PJ interested. If there was a ticket, who might have taken it? Jack blames the ""vultures"" who came to the farm equipment auction the day before, but thus far nobody has tried to claim the prize. One of the people at the auction was Adam, who bought an old cradle to do up for the baby

Nick hasn't shown up for the start of his shift and a worried Maggie reports to Tom that he is not at the watchhouse keeper's residence either. Later it is discovered he has been at the home of Danielle Carter, an ex-prostitute at the centre of a major criminal trial in Mount Thomas. While this draws sniggers from his uniformed colleagues, PJ fails to see the humour. It will be hard enough to get a conviction for the rape of an ex-crow without Nick's personal involvement complicating the case. Dash is appalled to receive a love letter from the crusty old farmer, Keith Purvis, only to find this is yet another of Nick Schultz's practical jokes. Nick thinks it's Dash getting her own back when he receives a note from a ""love sick secret admirer"" suggesting an assignation in the park. Nick ignores the letter only to receive a much more threatening missive; shredded underwear smeared with blood. Quite obviously, this is no practical joke, so who is stalking Nick? Maggie and PJ suspect Daniel

It's time for the annual ""Make a Wish"" Talent Quest and Nick has a vision for the Heelers... Mt. Thomas is about to enjoy the rustic poetry of Banjo Paterson in a way they'll never forget. On patrol, Adam and Dash encounter Errol the Feral walking into town with a box full of organic produce for sale. The main purpose of Erol's trip to town is to make a court appearance, on marijuana possession charges. Erol had actually turned up at the police station previously to report his marijuana plants stolen! An interstate truckdriver heading for the New South Wales border enters Mt. Thomas police station with some alarming news—his truck has been stolen along with a load of cigarettes worth nearly a million dollars. PJ is interviewing the truckdriver when Colin Ducker enters—a slick, mobile-phone-wielding Senior Investigator from the security division of the cigarette company, Fletcher-Rolfe International. Colin Ducker is there to catch the thief of the missing load pronto and insists that he

Maggie finds herself becoming personally involved when a Polish woman, Ivona, arrives at the police station, escorted by a taxi driver demanding payment. Ivona's grasp of English only extends to ""Daughter"", and Maggie realises the daughter must be in Mt. Thomas. Ivona has an address for some people by the name of McPhee, so the logical place to start the investigation is there. Maggie and PJ quickly discover the situation isn't as straight forward as it looks—Danusha, Ivona's daughter, is an exchange student, whose host family were the McPhees, but she's no longer staying there. The Heelers are directed to a new family the Barnses, who Danusha met through a school friend, Mandy. Their parents are both away, leaving Mandy's older brother, Jason in charge of the house. Both Mandy and Jason claim Danusha is staying back at the McPhee's. Trying to trace Danusha, the Heelers investigate school records, both families, and the coordinator of the student exchange program. Unfortunately, no one

Tom becomes worried when his schoolteacher daughter, Susan, fails to arrive in Mt. Thomas. She was driving up from Melbourne to take up a temporary posting at the town's primary school. Dash and Adam, discover Susan's car, abandoned on the roadside. It has been involved in an accident with another car, also abandoned. No sign of either driver. Tom's concerns deepen when the owner of the other car is discovered to be Andy Maxwell, a man accused of murder a few years before. Bryan Maxwell, Andy's older brother, comes to the police station, anxious about Andy's failure to arrive at the family farm. Tom has just about convinced himself that Andy has done Susan harm when the missing two are found—they were only hiking for help after the side-swipe accident which Susan insists was her fault. To Tom's chagrin his daughter has struck up a friendship with this dubious young man and invites him home for dinner. Bryan, the brother, comes too. Conversation after the meal takes a sinister turn when

Maggie and PJ are embroiled in a series of burglaries, which look as though they're originating from the school where Susan, Tom's daughter, is assisting as a relief teacher. PJ has analysed every possible link between the burgled houses. After eliminating the Juicy Rooster chicken delivery man he is left with no alternative but to investigate the school. While Susan has her hands full with students such as Chloe Bassetti, who stole valuable coins out of her drawers and tried to hock them, PJ is convinced that an assignment Susan set was designed to find out details of where valuables are kept. Susan isn't happy being the immediate suspect but the Heelers can't forget her somewhat chequered past. Finally she explains that it wasn't her that set the assignment, but the principal of the school, Guy Ashfield, a problem gambler who has previously been investigated for embezzling funds. Guy pleads innocence, and when a locket is found at the scene of a recent crime, it seems he's telling th

Maggie is on a private visit to the panel beater's shop when her attention is drawn to a small car sitting on top of a pile of pallets. The car belongs to Molly, the sole female employee of the shop. She is strenuously complaining about the actions of her colleagues. While the Heelers persuade the boys to return the vehicle to its owner, Maggie and Dash believe Molly has been the victim of systematic victimisation. With Tom's consent they return to the shop to warn off the foreman and his mates, but their pleas fall on deaf ears. They are soon back at the shop in answer to a fire alarm only to find a soaked Molly who has set off the sprinkler system after being locked in the changing rooms. It seems someone has stolen the boss's keys to shut her in, but were they just intending to keep Molly trapped or were they keeping her on ice for other, more sinister reasons? A description from the locksmith leads the Heelers to a young apprentice in the shop. When questioned by the Heelers, the b

PJ and Maggie are called to the U Wreck panel repair works where the foreman, Jeff Dimmock, lies injured outside—a victim of a hit-run driver. Dimmock is a feared bully with any number of enemies who must be regarded as suspects. But Dimmock himself believes the culprit to be Molly Beggs, one of two apprentices whose lives at work have been marred by the culture of torment and vicious practical jokes. While PJ and Maggie begin their investigations, another mystery surrounds one of the Heelers themselves. Adam Cooper is missing. The pressures mounting recently in Adam's married life as well as a disaster in his career give Tom Croydon and Nick Schultz some unease about whether he may have suicided. Dash McKinley does not believe Adam would suicide over the misbehaviour of his wife, Stacey. From Slender clues, Dash uses her detailed knowledge of the Mt. Thomas landscape to work out where Adam may have gone. She and Nick discover Adam in the bush, lying near death with a bullet in his che

The Heelers are called to the site of a demonstration against a proposed resort development in Widgeree. While they manage to allay the demonstrators' activities, emotions run high when the owners of the proposed development find themselves at a ""Murder Mystery"" weekend with the head of the demonstrators. The tension heightens with Maggie also attending the weekend for the hospital's Children's Wing charity, with PJ. As the plot of the Murder Mystery Weekend unravels so does the fabric of a number of the players' lives. The head of the development is attacked in the cellar of the Imperial and the site is vandalised. This leads to an investigation that brings the development's viability into question. The Heelers must discover whether it was the demonstrators who damaged the site or if there are others with a more complex motive. PJ is confronted by his past. There is something naggingly familiar about the game's coordinator. PJ discovers he was the informer that disappeared before c

Nick and Dash attend Betty Freer's funeral to pay their respects, but instead they find her two sons fighting in her grave. Alex Freer is the younger son, and has been working on Betty's free range farm for many years. When the older son returns home from America and wishes to make some changes to the farm an intense feud erupts. The fight at the funeral a symptom of the mounting tension within the family. When Mrs. Freer's bedroom is ransacked and her jewellery stolen PJ and Maggie become involved in the investigation. Was Jerry Freer simply trying to scare his brother off the land, or is it a straightforward case of theft? This is soon accompanied by the theft of two thousand dollars worth of feed. Dash manages to find a lead. The Freers neighbour Griff Hoekstra, a pig farmer, seems to have sufficient motive presenting itself in the form of forcing the Freers to sell. The plot begins to heat up when Jerry Freer's son is almost killed. PJ must make some headway soon before someone rea

When Maggie and Dash go to inform the local wowser, Bert Cole, that his shop has been vandalised, they find him dead and wearing women's clothing! His house has also been burgled and his cause of death is unknown. PJ and Maggie must determine whether Bert Cole's death was due to natural causes or if it was murder. Tony Timms gets wind of the unusual circumstances surrounding Cole's death and harasses Tom looking for a story. Meanwhile, Dash discovers a room in Cole's house full of make up and women's clothes, but in a number of sizes. It's clear that there must be others that cross dress with Cole. Maggie stumbles onto Cole's video collection during the search. The tapes feature a small boy at Kindergarten—is Cole a child molester too? PJ comes across a young man trying to sell stolen goods. He has in his possession the television removed from Cole's house and his address book. However, the burglar denies taking the video camera. PJ discovers that the man is Cole's son in law, Johnnie

Nick and Zoe are held hostage at the hospital by a bereaved father after a baby dies under suspicious circumstances.

When Nick stumbles onto the 3SD van broadcasting from the centre of Mount Thomas, the station is thrown into chaos. The disc jockey, Rod Wright, is discussing an apparent crime wave that is sweeping the town; a crime wave that as far as the Heelers are concerned has no real basis. That is until Vi Chisholm is knocked over and her bag is stolen and Greg Anderson reports that his hardware shop has been damaged. Adam is sent to investigate the disturbance at Anderson's Hardware while Maggie and Dash bring Vi Chisholm in to ask her a few questions. Upon investigating the Hardware store Adam discovers that the damage only amounts to the dislodgement of a rack of keys, the perpetrator allegedly Zac Taylor, a recently fired employee. Dean, Greg Anderson's son, claims that Zac was fired because he never did his job properly and that he had threatened to harm Greg after being fired. Deciding to question Zac himself, Adam finds him washing car windscreens at a stop sign, and brings him into the

Nick is manning the desk when a young man, Gavin Stone, comes in to report that his father's car has been stolen. This doesn't seem too out of the ordinary until a horrified Dash states that Gavin Stone is the scarecrow and his father the Troll. Elaborating on local legend, Dash explains that the Troll and his son have been feared by every child in the district for many years, even now the scarecrow gives her the creeps. Maggie encounters Gavin Stone as he is leaving the station. She looks at his car—it is falling apart as they speak. Gavin pleads with her to give him a chance to repair it, as it is now their only way of getting around. Although Maggie lets him off with a warning she is later forced to register the car unroadworthy. Meanwhile, PJ is investigating a series of car thefts from the supermarket parking lot. Each theft victim seems to have a similar description of a man that they saw loitering at the scene. Tom firmly believes that these are not isolated random thefts; they

While Dash is lending some support to the devastated Chalmers family as they are being evicted from their farm by the bank, her good friend Sam (Samantha) Chalmers alleges that Jock Hennessey, the Bank Manager, has sexually assaulted her. An outraged Dash promises to do all that she can to bring Jock to justice, but he denies the allegation, explaining he was merely trying to stop her from removing a door from the house. Tom steps in and manages to diffuse the situation without any charges being laid, but Dash is still determined to help her friend, if only with some good advice. When Tom realises that the rowdy protest against the bank in the form of Sam and her mother setting up camp in the rotunda of the Memorial park was actually a part of Dash's ""good advice"", he is not pleased. But he also has some sympathy for the dispossessed farmers, so when Jock Hennessey demands that they be removed, Tom is reluctant to step in; instead he asks Dash to try and talk some sense into her friend

Is Tom Croydon going soft? That's what Chris Riley and the Heelers think when Tom fails to reprimand a bunch of drunken louts. Even when they let a live snake go in the pub and make rather unsavoury advances towards Maggie and Dash, Tom stops PJ from charging them. The Heelers are suitably unimpressed and are left wondering why Tom would protect a bunch of ""yobbos"". Meanwhile, Maggie and Nick are investigating some strange behaviour by the Torrinis, local market gardeners, and friends of Nick's. Augusta had come into the station to speak to Nick but her husband took her out before she could say anything. Now their stall has been knocked over and Augusta has been bashed. Maggie believes that she may be the victim of domestic violence but Nick has other ideas. He suggests that both the Torrinis are the victims of harassment; perhaps at the hands of the Belfanti brothers, major market gardeners in the area. They had been the Torrinis' agents but were recently fired. Nick believes that the

What seems to be a case of petty theft turns into an investigation of a two year old kidnapping when Maggie and PJ realise that a fingerprint found on a stolen figurine bought at a local car-boot sale actually matches one found on the ransom note. In no time the wealthy parents of the missing child, Helen McMurtrie, arrive in town and start demanding action. Felicity, the mother, is particularly anxious, and when she runs into an old acquaintance, Siobhan Kennedy hairdresser and witch, she insist that the police employ her as a clairvoyant. Much to Tom's surprise, Siobhan refuses; it's not what she does. But the McMurtrie's offer of a $50,000 reward brings another clairvoyant contender into the station. This is Magda Lupescu, who introduces herself as a Romanian Gypsy. Under skeptical police supervision, Magda uses a bracelet belonging to the missing child to perform psychometry over a local map. She assures the Heelers that if they search in a particular spot, they will find evidence

PJ is on the trail of a cat burglar known as the Possum. This thief is responsible for a number of jewellery thefts in Mt. Thomas and has proven virtually impossible to catch. PJ enlists Maggie's help but she is having trouble focusing on the case as her thoughts are firmly fixed on her brother Robbie and her discovery that he is using heroin again. Maggie realises that the only way she can help her brother overcome his addiction is with the help of her family so asks their father, Sgt. Pat Doyle, up from Melbourne. Maggie and Pat face Robbie who tries to convince them that he can stop using heroin whenever he likes. Maggie and Pat realise that this is just another junkie line and explain that they will help him any way they can if he is willing to combat his addiction. Robbie suggests that with their help he can go cold turkey. Maggie and Pat decide that they will take shifts in watching Robbie while he goes through withdrawal. However, this makes it even harder for Maggie to concentr

During a routine school locker search for stolen money, the Heelers find a foil of heroin in a fourteen year old girl's locker. She says she was given it at a party and PJ immediately concludes it is a free sample, handed out by someone determined to expand their drug business in Mt. Thomas. Maggie is particularly concerned because of her brother Robbie's previous addiction, but is determined to believe that he is still clean in spite of his admission that he did ""borrow"" Dash's CD player. When Maggie demands it back, he first says he has lent it to his girlfriend, Anise, and then admits that she pawned it, probably to pay for drugs. Maggie is convinced Anise is a bad influence on him, and urges him to break off with her. Then Maggie finds Anise shooting up in her living room, and promptly arrests her, dragging her down to the station. PJ, however, is determined to catch suppliers, not just users, and does a deal with Anise; in return for not being charged, she is to lead them straight

PJ and Tom refuse to believe that Maggie could be leaking information to a suspected drug dealer. PJ is stymied, but before he and Tom can decide what to do, their boss, District Inspector Russell Falcon-Price, arrives demanding to know why they have not yet reported Maggie. He calls in Inspector Monica Draper, from Ethical Standards Division, who interviews Maggie—and promptly suspends her from duty. Still convinced of her innocence, PJ is frantic. When he can't get through to Maggie, he sends Tom, who is similarly unsuccessful. Maggie, it seems, just will not help herself. In stunned disbelief, the other Heelers continue with the business of trying to clean up the local hard drug scene—in spite of the previous night's failed raid on Shorty's nightclub. Nick and Dash observe young Kylie Bunton behaving suspiciously outside ‘the party palace'—another suspected drug dissemination point—and plan to mount a raid the next day. Unfortunately by then Kylie Bunton has gone missing. Her parent

It's Melbourne Cup time in Mt. Thomas and the Heelers are watching the race in the pub along with a number of other notables, such as Richo, Celia Donald and Compo Hayes. When Compo introduces them to his angry mate, Stacker Nicholl, as his best friends, the Heelers begin to get suspicious. Their suspicions are increased when they learn the TAB takings for the Cup are well down on last year's, and Tom deduces that an illegal Starting Price bookie must be in the town. Maggie and PJ are convinced that Compo is involved in some way after Chris discover that his room at the Imperial has been trashed and he has gone missing. A short search of the hotel soon finds him asleep in the cellar, but Compo's explanation satisfies no-one. When Stacker is brought in and charged, Nick is able to establish that he is a customer of the new SP bookie—even though Stacker denies all knowledge. So who could the SP be? Celia Donald is very anxious about her missing Filofax, and she is well-known to like a fl

Tom is incensed when he discovers that red paint has been thrown over the war memorial two days before Remembrance Day and gives up his day off to find the person responsible. Meanwhile Keith Purvis comes in to pay a traffic fine which turns out to be bogus; there must be a fake cop operating in the area. Tom goes to interview a suspect in the desecration case and finds him to be an old policemate from NSW who has just been forced to retire amid corruption allegations and is now looking for somewhere to retire. Could he be the fake copper? Then an angry motorist reports he is the victim of ""road rage""—a young hoon just tried to run him off the road. Tom is convinced there is some sort of link between these diverse incidents. And Dash also runs into an old friend, under suspicious circumstances also. Her old schoolmate, Rosie, has just punched Adam in the eye after he attempted to break up a fight over the darts board in the Imperial. Tom finds his link, but it's not what he thought. Ro

It is court day in Mt. Thomas and the Heelers all turn up to witness Luke Darcy's trial for the attempted murder of his father—the incident which sparked the police shooting where PJ was forced to defend himself against Luke's irate mother, Raeleen. No-one is more dismayed than PJ when Luke manages to use the system and the cutbacks in Legal Aid to have his trial deferred. He is now a free man—with a very big grudge against Detective Hasham! PJ quickly becomes irritated with the Heelers' efforts to protect him from the vengeful Luke. Then local solicitor, Sally Downie, reports that her office has been broken into and PJ is convinced that Like is behind it, because Sally has inherited the management of the Karla Darcy Fund—a public fund set up for Luke's little sister after the shooting. With the scant evidence of a partial print, PJ heads off the pick up Luke, only to find the clan matriarch, Grandma Lucy Kenny, has been bashed. Again PJ is convinced Luke is behind it, but it is agains

Maggie is telling Dash of her recurring nightmare of a dark and angry horse when Robbie brings in his new employer, Doreen Jackson, and her father, Jim Jamieson, to report that one of his paintings has been stolen- a painting of a horse. Ever since Jim was crippled by a rogue horse, it seems he paints nothing but horses- the same one, over and over again. But when Maggie and PJ go to his derelict property to investigate, they discover that the stolen painting has been replaced. Jim can't understand it , but PJ thinks that answer to the confusion lies in the empty liquor bottles on his table. Robbie heads off to his job at Doreen's service station, but is soon calling the station to report he has been robbed. Apparently two leather clad bikers held him up at knife point and stole the takings in the till. PJ is frankly skeptical, suspecting that Robbie may have staged the robbery in order to use the money to support his heroin addiction. Maggie vehemently rejects this suggestion, despera

Mt. Thomas station is full of secrets. Maggie and PJ have come back from holidays deeply in love but determined that no one, especially Tom, will find out about their new relationship. Meanwhile, Nick and Adam have intercepted Dash's Confirmation Certificate as a fully-fledged constable in order to have it framed for a special presentation, and Tom and Chris are conspiring to organise a surprise celebration for Dash's 20th birthday. Into this web of intrigue comes a very distressed Elly Winslow, asking for police protection because her ex-husband, Danny Hobson, has just been released from prison in Queensland where he was serving time for sexually molesting his own son, and she is terrified that he will come looking for them.

Dash is somewhere out there in a bus with a group of school children, their teacher and an armed gunman, and the Heelers are feeling especially bad about it because they led Dash to believe that they've forgotten her birthday. When the bus is found abandoned, the Heelers must decipher both true and false clues in order to find the missing children.

Adam's mate, Wazza Tully, is in trouble; Mandy Barnes wants him charged with sexual assault after an incident at the Imperial where a drunken Wazza tried to grabs her breasts. Tom sends Adam to ""have a few words"" with his mate and warn him to stay off the grog - especially at the footy club fund-raising function tonight. The function features Justin de Carlo, an illusionist and stage hypnotist. All the Heelers are there, and some of them even find themselves up on stage as volunteers, as does Wazza. But when Justin suggests that his hypnotised volunteers go and kiss the person they fancy the most in the room, the whole town is astounded when Wazza heads straight for Adam and kisses him full on the lips! Although Tom is inclined to play down the situation the following morning, believing the less fuss the sooner it will be forgotten, Wazza demands police action, convinced that he has been tricked and defamed.

A new resident, Bob Barker, comes in to the station to report a burglary. This seems normal enough until Maggie and PJ realise that Bob has had, not his contents, but his whole house stolen. They go out to investigate the property which Bob claims he hasn't seen for five years (since his aunt left it to him in her will) and find only the stumps on which the house sat. The Heelers tell Bob and his daughter Pippa that they will chase up the matter but it could be difficult, considering the theft could have occurred any time over the past five years. Financially strapped, Bob wonders where he can now spend the night. Tom organises for him to work a shift at the Imperial in return for a room. PJ and Maggie get on the trail of the missing house but find every lead dead. The only local house moving company in town hasn't done that sort of business for years. The other avenues the Heelers pursue, such as crooks selling off the parts for money, are equally fruitless.

When a review team arrives in Mt. Thomas to decide if the station should be down-graded, the Heelers are thrown into a panic. It doesn't help matters that Nick is the subject of a ""Day in the Life Of"" by Tony Timms, and is doing his best to show that the life of a cop is a dull one. But then a woman goes missing and Tony starts to think that Nick is having an affair with her. Maybe Tony will get a nice, juicy article out of all of this... with Nick as the subject!

PJ has just received news that an Adelaide man suspected of brutally slaying his wife has used one of his credit cards in the area, so the Heelers should be on the lookout for him. PJ organises the team to alert all businesses in the area. At the pub Klaus meets Wade Knight, the man he claims caused the accident. Klaus tries to start a fight but is dragged away by Nick. Nick brings his father and Wade into the station. PJ and Maggie discover that Wade is from Adelaide - could he be the murderer? Dash aids PJ with the investigation into Wade's true identity. As they unravel his past they uncover a credit card scam that has penetrated both Victoria and South Australia. But the reason for Wade's crime is something no one has suspected and its discovery will put Dash in a life-threatening situation. Meanwhile, Nick is starting to feel really concerned about his father. Evidence is beginning to indicate that Klaus may be responsible for the accident.

PJ is stepping out in style - back in uniform as the Acting Sergeant. But this isn't the only change at Mt. Thomas police station. A new member has arrived; acting CI Deborah Hill and none of the Heelers seems able to make a good impression on her. Deborah is currently suing another member, Sgt. Bill Parker, for sexual harassment and tensions increase when she catches the Heelers talking about it behind her back. Deborah is taking over a case from PJ; a series a warehouse burglaries. PJ believes that a local, Johnny Rossitano, is behind them. He explains to Deborah that he has spoken to Rossitano's girlfriend, April, who has told him that Johnny has teamed up with two out-of-towners, Sean and Michael Murphy. The trio are planning to hit a warehouse tonight. Deborah doesn't think much of PJ's techniques or his information. PJ and Deborah continue to clash as they prepare to stake out the warehouse that night. Tom realises that something has to be done and so tells PJ to back off.

On the pretence of continuing their investigation into a farm vandalism case, Adam and Dash spy Nick having some trouble handing Zoe a ring box. Dash and Adam strain to see whether or not she accepts the ring but their view is obstructed. Could Nick be getting married? The Heelers' speculations about the probability of coming nuptials are interrupted by a distressing call. Zoe's horse has been hit by a car. Rushing out to the scene, Zoe is beside herself, wanting to put the horse out of its misery herself. Nick convinces her to put her target pistol down and leave it to the vet. Zoe's grief over the death of her horse is amplified when she is told that during the course of the Heelers' investigation they have spoken to a man at her home who claims to be her boyfriend, a Mr. Martin Bridport. Zoe flies into a rage - Martin had no right to be at her place, and he killed her horse! Martin denies everything but Zoe is adamant; her ex-boyfriend is the culprit.

The Heelers face some harsh realities when Dash believes she has stumbled onto a case of neglect. After nearly knocking down a child in the street, Dash searches for the child's mother who turns up hours later. Dash believes that the woman's gambling addiction has led to the neglect of her son. The mother is furious at the allegations and, in the face of very little proof, Tom tries to diffuse the situation. He explains to Dash that her job is to investigate crimes not accuse mothers of neglect. Dash approaches the social worker, Tim Ryan, who promises to look into the situation. But Dash won't be satisfied until the child is out of the woman's care. Meanwhile, Clancy and Leonie Freeman, an intellectually handicapped couple, are having trouble with their baby Rachel. Friends of the Heelers, they have been tricked into handing over all their money to a photographer/con man who seems to work just within the boundaries of the law.

Movie fever has hit Mt. Thomas with the arrival of two film producers, Rip and Jake Vaughan. They are intending to make a film about the town's local legend - an 1880's bushranger named Starvation O'Flynn. Meanwhile, one of the locals, Don Sparrow, is busy making a commercial for Keith Purvis and his new bulldozer ""Big Rodney."" This piece of film-making has not, however, captured the minds and hearts of the people of Mt. Thomas the same way as the Vaughans' soon-to-be epic. PJ's detective antennae go off the minute he encounters the Vaughans. He doesn't like them at all; but is it because they could be criminals or because he doesn't appreciate them gazing into Maggie's eyes? PJ's suspicion of the Vaughans increases when petty thefts are reported on locations they have surveyed for the film. Are they using the film as a front for a burglary racket? The crimes surrounding the Vaughans become more mysterious when Big Rodney is stolen and Don Sparrow goes missing.

Maggie takes on the responsibility of an assistant crown prosecutor in a criminal trial. Tom finds himself on the side of the accused, a woman charged with the brutal murder of her husband. The case seems like an open and shut win for the prosecution...but is it?

The Heelers' fears are realised when a woman suffering from Motor Neurone Disease is found dead. Her family's past pleas for her to be euthanised make Dr. Zoe Hamilton sure it was not the disease that finally ended her suffering. The Heelers begin an investigation into the death but everyone seems to have an alibi. The answers are closer than they think.

Strange things are happening in the Eventide Retirement Home. Valuables are going missing, one resident is found dead under mysterious circumstances and another endangers the lives of the others when he hallucinates after smoking marijuana. Are the two teenagers doing Community Service behind all the trouble? Or is there something sinister about Yvonne Dunn, the Administrator of Eventide, who seems to have a strange hold over her residents? Who's the person so desperate to get a place in Eventide that they're prepared to go to any lengths to get the existing residents to move to other Homes? As the Heelers investigate they learn that love is a powerful motivator for both young and old. But then the Heelers learn from Leila Clegg, also a resident, that there have been other thefts. Yvonne Dunn starts to look pretty suspicious herself. She claims she did not report the thefts because it unsettles the residents, and Eventide has lost several other homes recently.

When a young man, Dean Hartley, is involved in an accident following a high speed car chase secrets unravelled. Dean admits to driving the vehicle immediately after the accident but later retracts the statement. PJ had taped the conversation and brings the recorder out to show Dean, but when he pushes the play button he finds that the tape is missing. PJ begins to investigate the tape theft but when he stumbles onto the true identity of Dean's natural mother he finds a secret much more shocking.

A visiting troupe of boxers at the annual Mount Thomas Show causes headaches for the Heelers with brawling and a rash of pick-pocketing incidents. The boxers and their matriarchal manager, Bonnie Crossing, aren't the easiest people to get along with, or the most helpful. The Heelers just have to sit it out till the troupes move on. But it isn't that simple. When Adam and Dash go to talk to the boxers about the latest pick-pocketing incident, they are met with stirring and resistance. The situation culminates in Adam accepting a challenge from one of the boxers, Jimmy Cutlass, in what amounts to a grudge match. Tom is furious and forbids it. Dash and Nick, who both abhor boxing and see it as senseless and dangerous also strongly disapprove. But Maggie, PJ, Zoe and Chris can't see anything wrong with it, especially if it can be turned into a charity match to raise money for new mats for the local Blue Light Gym. Adam decides to go ahead with the match.

""Mr. Lucky"" is Enzo Fiorelli, a charming, charismatic and successful con man. Several years ago he defrauded most of Mt. Thomas' Italian community for everything they had, destroying their lives, ruining businesses and leaving a trail of grief and outrage. Enzo Fiorelli paid for his exploits with a long stretch in jail. Released, he inexplicably walked out of his witness protection program, blowing his cover forever, and returned to Mt. Thomas. The Heelers struggle to keep a lid on the community's righteous resentment for the man who caused so many of them so much pain. At first it's only hate mail, and then it's a brick through the windscreen of Enzo's expensive car… but then it's a bullet through one of his tyres. Is it the community? Is it Enzo himself, trying to get the Heelers to give him full-time protection? And why has he returned to Mt. Thomas, where there is so much hatred directed towards him.

Sally Downie, the woman in Tom's life, has been abducted and the Heelers suspect the same two violent criminals who are holding hostage the daughter of a local con man. But when the girl escapes, the Heelers realise they may have misread the situation. Sally is still in danger and Tom must lead a desperate search to save her life.

Adam and Dash find Tony Timms, intrepid reporter for the Mt. Thomas Gazette, dazed and injured on the riverbank while they are investigating a reported explosion. Tony's camera has gone but he won't say who attacked him or why he was there. But the Heelers get a clue after they attend a charity fish dinner at the Imperial, all of those who eat the fish come down with food poisoning. Could it be that the Mt. Thomas River is polluted? Sure enough, the Heelers discover some suspicious looking barrels in the river. But Doctor Zoe's tests show that the drum contents had nothing to do with the fish poisoning. Meanwhile, Chris reports that the Akubra hat containing the money collected at the charity dinner has gone missing. The suspects include Keith Purvis and his new lady love, a local pig farmer. Or was it Jeanie, the cook, resentful of the implication that she poisoned the fish? And how was Tony Timms and his keen youth trainee involved?

Dash is befriended by a stray dog, but when she brings it back to the station, it tries to attack Nick and generally causes havoc. When Tom orders her to send it to the pound, Dash defies him, becoming almost obsessively defensive of the animal. Could this attitude have something to do with the news she has just received about her medical condition? Instead of obeying Tom, Dash advertises on local radio for the owner of the dog to come forward. Unfortunately, two separate contenders appear and, judging by the dog's attitude, neither of them is the real owner. What is going on? Dog attacks have been reported in the area, and the Heelers suspect Dash's new canine friend is the culprit.

Tom is faced with a dilemma when a mother asks him to protect her son, a convicted felon who is back home after an early release. The boy was responsible for the particularly cowardly armed robbery of a local real estate office which traumatised the owner's wife so much that she later committed suicide. Her husband seems a reasonable man, but could he be harbouring feelings of revenge? Someone has to be responsible for the threatening phone calls and broken windows the family is getting. The Heelers question an old associate of the son's and, by chance, discover him to be in possession of a stolen police gun. The news almost immediately brings Detective Sergeant Ben Stewart, from Organised Crime, to Mt. Thomas. He has been on the trail of these stolen police weapons for the past two years, and is excited to have a positive lead at last. Ben Stewart fits in very well at Mt. Thomas - almost too well for PJ's liking as he takes an immediate shine to Maggie and wants to ask her out.

PJ is pressuring Maggie to get out of her date with Ben Stewart as they are driving along the road from the local tip, when they notice a car that has run off the road. As they radio for an ambulance, they discover the real cause of the accident - the driver has a bullet through his head. Ben is immediately interested, convinced the unknown gun seller from last week may have been involved. He is particularly interested in finding a bullet from the gun to see if it matches one that was used to murder a police mate of his two years ago. Unfortunately, the only available bullet is in the driver's head. But when Det. Sgt. Peppy Romano arrives from Homicide, Ben starts to act strangely. Obviously these two have a history, but it is one they are unwilling to share with the curious PJ and Maggie. Peppy almost immediately announces his chief suspect as being the new wife of the brain-dead driver, citing his reason as the large life insurance held by her husband.

When Maggie and PJ are called to a wealthy grazier's to investigate a wool theft they are greeted by a mob of naked sheep instead of the empty wool shed they expected to find. The grazier points the finger at an ex-shearer and old time rival, but Maggie and PJ discover he is not the only person with reason to dislike the grazier. Other suspects include the recently sacked manager of the property and the grazier's own daughter who has her own powerful reasons to resent her father. As they Investigate the theft, Maggie and PJ discover a secret love affair between the daughter and the son of the man he most despises, the ex-shearer. Could the two of them be planning to use the stolen wool clip to start a new life together? The boy is a talented pianist and Dash's mum, Beth McKinley, is leading a group of citizens raising money for him to study music overseas.

When a visiting detective is accused of murdering a petty criminal and drug user, Maggie and PJ find their relationship under great pressure. The dead man was a vital link in the case involving three missing police guns and the discovery of Det. Sgt. Ben Stewart crouching over his body leads to suspicion that he is the murderer. Stewart has made no secret of his feelings for Maggie and he turns to her for help. While Maggie believes in Stewart's innocence, PJ can only go on the evidence.

Nick questions his ability to continue in the police force when he is duped by a sexual abuse case, and then makes a bad call in another related case when a woman asks for an intervention order against her ex-boyfriend, but Nick merely asks the man to stay away from her. When the woman ends up in hospital with a broken neck and her estranged boyfriend attached to her spinal halo, Nick must devise a way to bring the man down without further endangering the woman.

Tom and Chris' longstanding friendship is put in jeopardy when Chris finds a fifty-year-old journal in her cellar. The journal appears to have been owned by a young woman and Chris discovers that it is the true account of a romance gone wrong and murder. Chris brings the journal to Tom, asking him to discover the identity of the murderer and bring them to justice. There are no names used in the journal, but nevertheless Tom works out that the owner is a local spinster - the last person you'd ever suspect of hiding a murder for fifty years. Now that the owner of the journal has been revealed, Chris wants the investigation dropped; she doesn't want to see this woman put behind bars. Tom isn't keen on throwing the woman in the cells either, but a murder has been committed and he has no choice but to continue with his enquiries. This puts Tom and Chris, normally allies, head to head, with Chris aggressively defending the woman and Tom bringing her in to face the murder charges.

The rest of the Heelers are puzzled when PJ starts behaving strangely after a married couple is brought back to the station following a violent domestic. Maggie is especially worried, as it begins to look very much as though PJ is having an affair with this woman, a nurse at the local hospital. But what this woman really wants is PJ's help in breaking some bad news to her husband. PJ finally reveals this news to Maggie and explains what has prompted his strange behaviour. PJ hadn't thought twice in rescuing a bloodied driver from his mangled car and this woman has told him that she has caught HIV from a needle-stick injury while treating the same man. PJ could now also be infected and therefore so could Maggie. While they start their two-week wait for the results of PJ's blood test, the man is captured on a security camera holding up a service station with a syringe full of blood.

Mt. Thomas is in the grip of fear as a serial killer stalks the area. But as police from around the state work to bring the man down in an organised sting, Adam notices a bystander behaving strangely and, acting on his instincts, brings the man into custody. In one swift move Adam ends the manhunt and makes himself a hero. As the Heelers review the event, the discussion turns to the new technique of ""profiling."" Maggie has recently learnt about it in a seminar and Adam is fascinated with its capabilities. But Nick maintain that it was old-fashioned policing that had captured the killer the day before, and it'll be the same thing that catches another killer tomorrow. Adam's interest in the issue stays keen as he helps to investigate a quick succession of fires at the local primary school.

Ben Stewart returns to a permanent posting in Mt. Thomas, but he has been demoted to Senior Constable for punching Romano. However Ben soon puts the Heelers loyalties to the test when he becomes the focus of an investigation into the death of a local woman.

Maggie has convinced PJ to join her in buying a piece of investment land in her name. But when they arrive at the solicitor's office to collect the papers they find the solicitor dead. He has a gunshot wound to the head, the gun in his hand and a note on his computer which reads, ""I'm sorry I failed you all."" It seems undeniable that the solicitor has committed suicide. Have Maggie and PJ lost their $10,000? They are both eager to begin an investigation into the matter but Tom will not allow Maggie to continue because of her personal involvement. However, PJ stays on the case, safe in the knowledge that his investment, like his relationship with Maggie, will remain a secret. PJ does not hold great hopes of getting the money back, especially when it is suggested that the solicitor had a gambling problem. But Ben is anxious to help Maggie and vows to do everything he can to return her money.

Nick is awoke in the middle of the night by a drunken tour operator who reports that one of his clients has gone missing in the National Park. The Heelers question the woman's husband and their pregnant friend, but they say the woman fell behind during an evening bushwalk and just... disappeared. While the Heelers are conducting a thorough search of the park in daylight, PJ wants a word with Aussie Andy, the tour operator, believing that his drunken carelessness may have contributed to the woman's disappearance. But when PJ and Ben are climbing up the rocky bluff where Andy is supposedly searching, PJ falls and twists his ankle badly. Unfortunately their only radio was smashed in the fall, and PJ finds himself extremely grateful for Ben's help - especially as he has insisted that they carry on. Up on the bluff, Ben finds a lost gold earring.

A spate of false security alarms is keeping the Heelers on their toes. Tom is becoming increasingly frustrated with the owner of the alarm company, Roland Halliday, and his inefficiencies. If the Heelers are constantly being called to false alarms they will have little time left to pursue real crimes. Meanwhile, Adam is involved in a more pressing matter. His mate ""Croc"" Perry has been involved in an incident at the local fast food shop. Adam keeps him out of hot water and also makes amends with the shop proprietor, earning his gratitude - Adam's burgers from now on are free. Tom is unimpressed with Adam for exercising poor professional judgment by associating with the likes of Croc. Tom's disaffection worsens when Adam brings in free hamburgers for all the Heelers. In Tom's view accepting ""gifts"", no matter how small, is skating a little too close to corruption; nothing is free in this world.

Ben fights for the life of a suicidal teenager who has been in trouble with the law too many times. Ben believes that the boy's crimes, like the suicide attempt, are really cries for help and when the Heelers find him in a terrifying situation with his estranged father, Ben realises that the boy's life rests in his hands.

While out on a job Nick decides to give Ben the experience of one of Mt. Thomas's many fine restaurants - the Demirs' kebab shop. They walk in on a dispute between the owners and are shocked to learn that the conflict is over the arranged marriage of their seventeen-year-old daughter, Deniz. Nick is concerned that Deniz has been coerced into the marriage, but she assures him that she's happy to be marrying an older man she has never met. The Heelers are also investigating reports of a prowler peeking into ladies' windows and disappearing with items from their backyards. When Maggie and PJ arrest him, they discover that he is a Turkish national, an illegal immigrant who speaks no English. Deniz is brought in to translate and it is revealed that he is also party to an arranged marriage, but this one seems to be a marriage scam.

When Ben and Dash visit a farm to enquire about a spate of thefts in the district, they discover that those pillars of the community, the Frasers, are involved in a violent argument. Ben tries to resolve the dispute between father and son but is hampered by the Frasers' belief that what happens in the family should stay in the family. When Ben spots a black eye on Mrs Fraser he fears the situation may be more serious than he first thought. However, Tom refuses to believe that Mr Fraser would be capable of beating his wife. The conflict over this issue creates a tense situation for Ben and Tom as they begin to clash over issues of operational responsibility and initiative. As the war of words continues, Nick, as Sergeant, is brought into the argument. Ben wonders why many of Nick's jobs are done by Tom - does the Boss have reservations about Nick's competence or is he just holding onto the reins too tightly?

Chris Riley finds herself the target of big business when a representative of a large development group comes to town. He wants to demolish the Imperial and replace it with a huge shopping mall and is offering a very generous sum of money to have his way. Chris has her reservations but will the financial reward be too much for her to ignore? Meanwhile, Adam finds himself attracted to a Glamour photographer that he pulls over during a traffic blitz.

When Adam discovers that a car he has just purchased is part of a stolen car racket, his loyalty to his job and friends hang in the balance. Adam has to make a decision; should he own up and lose risking his money, or just keep his mouth shut? Some harsh treatment from Tom about Adam's handling of a spate of shoplifting incidents adds pressure to Adam's eventual decision.

Unexpected news from Zoe leads Nick to spring a surprise of his own - his resignation from the Victoria Police. In typical Nick style, he refuses to provide a reason for his resignation, hampering Tom's attempts to talk sense into him. But as the Heelers try to discover the real motives for Nick's strange behaviour an angry dispute over a parking ticket leads to the arrest of a chook farmer, the death of some chickens and the disappearance of a parking inspector. The chook farmer becomes the prime suspect, but investigations unearth a secret life and plenty of people with good reason to hate the officious inspector. When a wedding celebrant visits and Nick is sprung baking a wedding cake, the Heelers finally put two and two together to discover the truth.

Ben clashes with Tom when he finds himself championing the cause of Maureen Ritchie and her three foster children - in particular the two boys Scott and Jason. Ben's involvement with Maureen is made more intense because he is missing his own three kids and has concerns about his son's upcoming birthday. Ben is warned by Tom and Maggie not to get in too deep, but he is enraged when Maureen's neighbour, Herbert Fisher, is robbed and the finger is pointed at the two boys. There have been several incidents of vandalism in the street and Herbert has been waging a campaign against the boys; Ben is sure that he is trying to set them up to get them removed from Maureen's care. Herbert Fisher has made it clear several times that he wants the boys gone. But Ben and Maggie then discover that Maureen's estranged husband, Joe, also has reason to want to get rid of the boys.

Maggie's life is turned upside down when her brother, Robbie, shows up after having escaped from gaol. When she can't give him the help he expects, he takes off and the Heelers begin an extensive search. However, what appears to be a simple job turns into a frightening chain of events - a speed boat show goes terribly wrong and Maggie finds herself in a struggle to save the life of a five year old boy from the hands of a determined killer.

While she waits for the final test results of her cancer, Dash becomes drawn into a case involving one of her old and trusted school teachers. A surveillance camera catches Karen attempting to smother her baby girl, and when the video tape goes missing, Dash is immediately a suspect. When Adam is seen with the woman's husband, he is also placed under suspicion. As they fear for the jobs and worry about the upcoming doctor's appointment, Adam and Dash find comfort in each other's arms.

When a vital piece of evidence goes missing from the station, Tom has to face the unpleasant prospect that one of his team might be corrupt. As the accusations fly, Monica Draper arrives to conduct an investigation. Both Adam and Dash comes under scrutiny - both have a connection to the case and both had the means and opportunity. The stolen evidence, a videotape, incriminates Dash's ex-teacher - a woman who had a profound influence on Dash and convinced her to join the force.

Adam has left the force, and Mt. Thomas, and Probationary Constable Jack Lawson has barely arrived in Mt. Thomas before he is in trouble with the police. Jack's misdemeanours are small ones and quickly forgiven as his unassuming charm disarms Maggie and Dash. Even Tom can't find fault with the new recruit, whose initiative and enthusiasm for menial tasks prove an immediate asset. But Jack's sunny welcome to Mt. Thomas is clouded by a report of sexual assault at the local retirement home. This one requires a woman's touch. Maggie and Dash visit the home to discover the alleged victim is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. She claims her assailant is the devil. Maggie is not prepared to dismiss the report and neither is Dash, who finds the devil alive and well in the Mt. Thomas video store in the form of a plastic mask. As the new kid on the beat, Jack is ready for some action. PJ and Ben aren't about to let him shine all day long and dispatch him on a wild goose chase around the

After her attack, Maggie refuses to play victim as PJ and Ben battle to unmask the devil. Maggie recovers from the assault by the devil who has the women of Mt. Thomas terrified. Always the copper, Maggie refuses to be treated like a victim but she's got her work cut out for her with PJ and Ben fighting to protect this reluctant damsel in distress. PJ and Ben's theory on a prime suspect collapses when a witness leads them to the local reverend who runs a group for troubled men. They are certain he is protecting one of them. But when Maggie receives a threatening tape and pornographic magazines are found in the reverend's car, the Heelers drag in the man of the cloth to air his dirty laundry. Media reports whip the town into a frenzy. Anxiety turns to anger when the Heelers release their prime suspect, then the mother of the young victim takes matters into her own hands and shadows the Heelers, looking for clues to nail the suspect. Tom decides to hold a public meeting to calm things do

Jack is the only competition for Dash and her athletic brother, Alec, in the Heritage Day Races, and the McKinleys aren't about to let a boy from the bush swallow their odds. The Heelers lay their bets on Jack, which only spurs Dash on. Alec has returned to Mt. Thomas as the new physical education teacher with high hopes of coaching the girls' hockey team and his two best players to stardom. For Alec the game is to win, at any cost. Dash is proud of her big brother but at a loss to defend him when she sees his star hockey player slap him hard across the face. What could he have done to deserve that? A rejected schoolgirl crush? Maggie discovers Alec was accused of sexual interference with a student at his last school, then catches him hugging another student. Dash, protective in her disbelief, goes on the defensive. Maggie seems determined to nab her brother and Dash is none too pleased about it. Two young hockey players claim Alec coaches them in more than hockey, and when Alec gets c

Maggie and PJ are caught in the crossfire of a jealous husband spying on his wife and her lover at Govet's Leap. Determined to expose the philandering louse, the husband takes a video tape of them before settling the score with his fists. PJ springs to the defence—but who's going to defend him, when the tape submitted for evidence exposes Maggie and PJ canoodling? The Boss won't have a bar of this. Their jobs and their relationship are on the line. Dash is having her own clandestine affair on the Internet with a knight called Lancelot whose romantic handle masks a more deviant agenda. Jack reckons she should get a life. Romance on the Internet seems safe, until it seeps into the real world and Dash's virtual buddy becomes a living nightmare. When a young girl with a reputation as the town bikey is found drugged and raped after an evening at the nightclub, Dash has a hard time finding sympathy. Letting her personal opinion of a victim get in the way of her job is unprofessional, but thi

While checking out a routine disturbance, Dash and Jack witness a freak double fatality involving two popular young locals. Dash's upset turns to anger when she discovers the car accident was caused by a boy with a crush on one of the victims. Between Dash's fury and the victim's distraught brother, he'll be lucky to walk away with just his crash injuries. Jack sees a different side to the culprit, who is a country boy like himself and appears genuinely distressed. The only way Jack can deal with this senseless waste of young life is to understand what went wrong. Is this guy really capable of a twisted lover's revenge or was the vehicle somehow responsible? The bereaved families aren't asking questions. They want a head on a stake—an eye for an eye. With the council election just days away, Chris's campaign manager jumps onto the tragedy as a fine platform for youth issues and government spending. If kids had something better to do, proper entertainment facilities, they wouldn't be ho

Cupid comes to Mt. Thomas in the form of Ben's mischievous daughter, Emma. Dressed in a fairy costume and armed with magic dust, Emma's wish on this visit is to find her dad a new wife… and Maggie is the fairy godmother of her dreams. Police work and parenting without a babysitter are an impossible combination in the busy Mt. Thomas station. While Emma schemes and tiny Josh adds to his vocabulary of naughty words, Maddy watches silently and sullenly. That's one troubled little girl. Jack is also troubled after his routine roadworthy check of a semi-trailer puts its owner/driver off the road and out of a job. Where's he going to find $20,000 to fix his rig by the morning? If only Jack had the answer. But when two new tractors are reported stolen and carted off in a semi, Jack's dilemma appears resolved. If only the solution hadn't dropped from the back of a truck. It is only when the luckless truckie becomes the victim of a hit and run that the Heelers detect a frame gone wrong… and tha

After a vicious attack on an elderly woman, Jack runs down a prime suspect near the crime scene and he's one nasty piece of work. Cocky, confident and preying on vulnerable women, Troy is the kind of gutless crim who enjoys the sport of making a cop's blood boil. He is an antagonist who intends to wind PJ up like a taut guitar string. With scant evidence and Sally Downie as his legal advisor, the Heelers are going to have a hard time nabbing Troy. Their only hope of an ally is his hapless girlfriend, who is intimidated into silence. When a terrified victim dies of a heart attack and a brazen Troy threatens Maggie, PJ's frustration reaches breaking point. He would give anything to lose his badge, just for a moment. Tom lets Sally know he's more than a little concerned about her defending a man with a record of violence against women, but she will not be cowed by Tom Croydon! This is the not the first time she and Tom have clashed over ethical obligations but it could be their last. Afte

Seeds of a greener lifestyle are planted in Mt. Thomas. Councillor Chris Riley has concerns about a proposal for an abattoire by the river but the locals won't hear of any opposition. They need jobs for their kids—forget environmental concerns! The Heelers can't ignore the matter when the pub's beer delivery is smashed by some dangerous stunt driving that nearly takes Jack out as well. When Tom's ex-army and retired policeman buddy, Bob, decides to grow organic herbs, his crop-spraying neighbour is furious. He reckons Bob is growing weeds, but if he sprays his own land Bob's patch will be contaminated. Tom finds himself planted firmly in the middle of two men who have a right to their livelihood, but at grave cost to each other. Loyalties to an old mate must be put aside. This becomes far easier when Bob hires Tom's sweetheart, Sally Downie, to sort things out and begins to romance her after hours. Tom is confounded when cannabis plants are found on his mate's property. He's an ex-copp

Out alone on a routine call, Jack confronts a dangerous driver who threatens him with what Jack thinks is a sawn-off shotgun. Jack panics and shoots. No one is hurt; however, the driver—a local troublemaker—plans to play the situation for all it is worth. He cries attempted murder, and claims Jack has also stolen some money from his glove box. He doesn't like the ""pigs""—""always harrasin' somebody"". Inspector Falcon Price arrives to conduct a full investigation and is greeted by a fine melee. Darren Dawson, the troublemaker, is whipping up a protest in the station for the benefit of anyone who will listen. When a young graffiti artist brought in for questioning accuses Jack of beating him, Dawson takes up his case—it's police harassment and it's all ""Shooter's"" fault! Falcon Price is most unimpressed. Tom comes under pressure to prove he has a handle on his newest member and that the police's reputation in Mt. Thomas remains upstanding. After Falcon Price's car is stolen from outside th

Out alone on a routine call, Jack confronts a dangerous driver who threatens him with what Jack thinks is a sawn-off shotgun. Jack panics and shoots. No one is hurt; however, the driver—a local troublemaker—plans to play the situation for all it is worth. He cries attempted murder, and claims Jack has also stolen some money from his glove box. He doesn't like the ""pigs""—""always harrasin' somebody"". Inspector Falcon Price arrives to conduct a full investigation and is greeted by a fine melee. Darren Dawson, the troublemaker, is whipping up a protest in the station for the benefit of anyone who will listen. When a young graffiti artist brought in for questioning accuses Jack of beating him, Dawson takes up his case—it's police harassment and it's all ""Shooter's"" fault! Falcon Price is most unimpressed. Tom comes under pressure to prove he has a handle on his newest member and that the police's reputation in Mt. Thomas remains upstanding. After Falcon Price's car is stolen from outside th

Ben becomes the knight in shining armour for a victim of domestic violence after she misconstrues his offers of support for affection. While Ben is blind to Vanessa's growing attraction, Dash and Tom try to warn him of the danger of caring beyond the call of duty. As Vanessa preys on Ben's responsiveness to her calls for help, Ben's professional boundaries invade his private life. His wife, Rachel, arrives in town unexpectedly, seeking a reconciliation. She quickly finds that little has changed: Ben is still married to the job, except that now she has another rival for his affections—and it is not the abused woman. Both women can sense there's something special between Ben and ""that blonde policewoman"", and he becomes the apex of an impossible emotional triangle involving Rachel, Vanessa and Maggie. Maggie is angry at PJ's unwillingness to help clear her father's name in a murder investigation and pressures Ben for some useful contacts. With an irate PJ on his back to keep her out of t

The Heelers call a full-scale investigation when Maggie goes missing after delving into the drug ring that killed her brother Robbie. Warned against trying to break the syndicate, Maggie refused to listen. Now she is in real danger. PJ's fears for Maggie's safety escalate when the body of a young boy is found. They learn he had hoped to become the syndicate's local dealer and had made contact with Maggie. Overwrought, PJ blames Ben for giving Maggie the leads to investigate the ring. The tension between them mounts as they struggle to find her. When St. Davids sends reinforcements, Inspector Draper and Detective Sergeant Craig, PJ is suspended from the case. It is all too apparent to the Heelers and his district superiors that PJ's relationship with Maggie goes far beyond the professional. Even Tom can hide his knowledge no longer. Unable to pursue her trail officially, PJ teams with up with her father Pat to find Maggie. Pat is way ahead on his own enquiries and tells PJ that the forc

Jack scores a place on the Mudlarks football team when its star player is killed in a suspicious road accident. It's not quite the way he planned to earn his guernsey. PJ recalls the dead boy was a troublemaker and suspects he was drunk at the time. However, Senior Constable Robyn Taylor from Melbourne's accident investigation squad has sharper ideas and gives PJ a run for his money on the investigation. He's feeling pretty poorly without Maggie around. Whether PJ likes it or not, Robyn will be his partner in crime until Maggie returns from the witness protection program. She's just moved to Mt. Thomas with her husband, Jeff, and baby daughter, Lucy. After a quiet wake for the Mudlarks' star player, Jack and a few of the team head off to enjoy a more appropriate celebration. The drinking gets out of control and Jack's new mate, Matt, entertains the group with some dangerous driving. Afraid someone will get hurt, Jack brings them into line, but pulling rank on mates only earns him their

Dash's career prospects look bright when Inspector Monica Draper arrives for the monthly inspection and recommends she undertake the CIB training program. A McKinley as a detective? Tom has his doubts, and PJ takes Dash on board with reluctant good grace. Dash's first case presses her to overlook good character when $10,000 goes missing from the local Catholic school's safe. The only suspects are the school's new principal, Deborah Williams, and Father Brian. As Dash and PJ investigate, it becomes clear that both principal and priest have opportunity, means and motive to steal the money. Dash's faith in authority figures waivers as she pressures suspects with unshakeable profiles within the Mt. Thomas community. The scales tip in Father Brian's favour when the Heelers learn that the financially strapped Deborah is also being blackmailed—ten grand or her career is over. How would St. Brigid's Catholic School like to know it has a lesbian as its principal? Trapped and looking guilty, Deb

When Jack and Dash are called out to the local high school, Jack becomes the victim of a schoolgirl prank. It seems that some of the girls have a large crush on Mt. Thomas's most handsome constable. Determined to make more than his professional acquaintance, the girls misconstrue Jack's awkward attempts to fend them off as the shy response of a sincere copper. Unluckily for Jack, he's even more adorable than they imagined. While PJ and Ben enjoy ribbing the new ""Don Juan"" of Mt. Thomas, the Boss sees trouble brewing. As a father, Tom knows how unchecked fantasies can turn the minds of teenage girls, and Lawson must learn to wear the uniform without his heart on his sleeve. With Tom's disapproval apparent, Jack turns to the newly arrived recruit, Constable Greg Mason, for advice. Mason is a former teacher with a degree in schoolyard psychology, and he warns Jack to stay well clear of schoolgirl affections. The advice comes too late for Jack, who has unwittingly become the man to lean

Written by Jenny Lewis, Directed by Grant Brown Seven a.m. The phone rings. One by one the Heelers receive a devastating wake-up call. One of their own lies shot dead on a country road. Half an hour earlier, Constable Greg Mason took a bullet through the head. By the looks of the crime scene, he never had a chance. It is a crisp day and Jack enjoys an early morning horse ride until he finds Greg sprawled across the front seat of his vehicle, gun safely in its holster and the letters P.E. penned on his blood-spattered clipboard. The scene is enough to make the young constable sick to his heart and to his stomach. PJ and Robyn Taylor arrive to relieve a shaken Jack but Robyn cannot hide her emotion… This was supposed to be her shift. She pressured Greg into a swap the night before. Guilt overwhelms Robyn as the Boss tries to piece her back together. PJ handles initial enquiries with purpose and directs a willing but sombre team. A robbery of $20,000 reported the same morning and a loca

Jack's deer hunting plans go happily awry when his girlfriend arrives unexpectedly in Mt. Thomas with his cousin. Jack and Craig have made plans to go hunting but Molly has come as a surprise. Since Jack left Molly behind in Swift's Creek, the long-distance relationship has taken its toll on her. Jack doesn't realise this yet, but he's about to find out. As deer season arrives, the Heelers go on alert. The blood sport always brings a squadron of men to town with an armoury of weapons. It seems inevitable that trouble is nigh. When two deer go missing from a hobby farm, the urbane owner claims he's become an easy target for unsuccessful hunters seeking trophies. One of the animals is a prize stag worth $25,000. While the Heelers' evidence points to a nearby farmer, town prejudice prefers to prey on stray hunters. In particular, Dash can't bear the high-spirited machismo that follows a day's deer stalking. The Imperial seems to be full of men with more bravado than brains as Jack collars

The Heelers provide protection for the local vet, who orders inspections of all sheep properties after an outbreak of a highly infectious disease. Johne's disease threatens to kill every sheep in Mt. Thomas, and ""Dr Death""—as the vet becomes known—is not popular. Farmers demand a scapegoat as they succumb to the inspections. Somebody must be responsible for carrying this blight to the district, and the only new sheep in town belong to Senior Constable Robyn Taylor. Robyn, with her husband Jeff, escaped the city to reap the good life in Mt. Thomas. Jeff decides a few sheep might supplement their income while they establish a vineyard. The local farmers have little respect for these dabblers and immediately suspect the Taylors are responsible for the Johne's outbreak. When one of Robyn's sheep dies, the town's worst fears are confirmed. Ben and PJ investigate and find that Jeff has forged a deed of sale and that he bought the sheep via the Internet. How could he be so gullible? the

Paternal instincts and police work conflict for Ben when he is drawn to a sick girl and a hardworking father in trouble. Rosie needs a new kidney and time is running out. When George's car is stolen, Ben offers them a lift to hospital for her weekly treatment. The problem is, George's car was used in an armed robbery. Ben hopes, for Rosie's sake, that her father was not involved. PJ is distracted from the investigation when Maggie returns from six weeks in the safety house program. After the rushed and fractured parting, PJ is desperate to know whether they still have a relationship. With Dash busily organising welcome home drinks and dinners, PJ can barely find a second with his golden girl. And when he does, it is clear that Maggie has doubts about their future together. The Heelers begin to suspect Rosie's father when his ex-wife, Carol, shows up in town and displays some mysterious hold over him. Carol skips the pub without paying her bill and demands that George settle the mat

Tom and Sally's relationship goes on trial when Sally defends a drunk driver responsible for killing Tom's friend.

Tom's day brightens when he learns his favourite actress is in town visiting relatives. A woman to be reckoned with, Audrey Roper wastes no time in introducing herself to Mt. Thomas's most senior police member. Tom is chuffed to make Audrey's acquaintance as she as she demands he reprimand and punish her 17-year-old grand-daughter for buying cigarettes. The Heelers are policing a crackdown on under-age smoking in conjunction with the council. Dissatisfied with their progress, the militant Audrey intends to supervise their operation personally. Maggie learns that Audrey is on a crusade to save her grand-daughter—and all who come in contact with her—from the ills of smoking. Tom and Maggie wonder whether her end justifies her means. The law presents no boundaries to this woman whose protests keep the Heelers and cigarette retailers of Mt. Thomas on their toes. Maggie takes a liking to the feisty older woman and offers counsel to Audrey's grand-daughter. In spite of Maggie's attempts

Dash treads a thin line when social worker Tim Ryan convinces her the overloaded welfare system can no longer protect abused children. The Heelers and Department of Human Services take a dim view of Tim's attitude. His obvious frustration in applying band-aid solutions to violent domestic situations is bound to lead to trouble. Trouble begins when Dash arrives to break up a violent argument between old family friends. The father appears to be strangling his son, who retaliates by stabbing him. While in hospital, the boy confides that his father regularly bashes him. Soon after he returns home, the boy disappears and the Heelers struggle to find a lead. Dash suspects Tim knows more about the boy's disappearance than he is willing to divulge when two missing children are found in his care. Tim passionately defends his actions. Someone's got to look after these kids when the system fails them! Dash admires Tim's determination to put their welfare before his own, even if it does mean b

For months Dash has shadowed PJ on the job to prove she is worthy detective material, and her efforts are rewarded when she makes the short list for a job in Criminal Investigation in Melbourne. Dash is hurt to learn that, while Tom supports her endeavours, he does not believe she is ready for the job. PJ certainly never took her seriously. At least her mother, Beth, believes in her and accompanies Dash to Melbourne for the final interview and a spot of shopping. They have a close relationship and Dash's promotion is a proud moment for her hard-working mother. The moment is all too brief, however. When Dash returns to Mt. Thomas, she and Ben are called out to a hit and run accident. On the road nearby is a clutch of shopping bags belonging to the victim. Dash recognises them, and in one afternoon her dreams of a new start are shattered. The victim is Beth. The Heelers close ranks around their distraught mate, but Dash shifts into auto and works maniacally to ward off the grief th

An overnight trip to Melbourne turns stormy for Maggie and Chris when they stumble into an armed holdup at a service station. Prison escapees, the McKenzie brothers, are on the run when they confront Chris paying for petrol with Maggie's purse. Maggie returns from the bathroom and manages to raise the alarm but receives a bashing for her trouble. Tyrone starts to squeeze the trigger as the Heelers arrive, raised by the alarm. Maggie is overwhelmed with guilt and blames herself for the incident as she watches Chris breakdown, unable to cope. Maggie attempts to overcome her own trauma by throwing herself into the investigation. Under the watchful eye of Tom and PJ, she struggles to maintain her facade and stubbornly refuses to take time off in spite of a bad head injury. The only person privy to Maggie's distress is her father Pat who arrives as soon as he hears the news. Pat loves his daughter above all else but offers more cause for concern when Maggie realises he has a drinking pr

Maddie's school fees are due, she needs a new flute and Ben's pay cheque falls short. As Ben's ex-wife begins her new life with another man, Ben feels doubly under pressure to fulfil his duties as a father and provider for his children. Aware of his financial problems, the Heelers become concerned when Ben shows interest in a pyramid game that has surfaced in Mt. Thomas. Leila Clegg has won $16,000 on the Angel Cruise and the citizens of Mt. Thomas are keen to clamber aboard the next ship to set sail. Before Tom has a chance to make inquiries, the assertive organiser of the game, Natalie Roberts, pays him a visit. Mt. Thomas has nothing to fear from Angel Cruise, a forthright Natalie explains. The game is perfectly legal and has been vetted by a Queen's Counsel. Tom can lay his fears to rest, she insists. Ben tries to keep an open mind about Angel Cruise. What's wrong with taking the gamble if it is legal? Sure, some people lose, but some people win and that's the name of any game,

Tom can't believe his eyes when his old mate Max Arnold arrives at the bank with a hefty cheque written on the side of a cow. It's legal tender, snorts Max, and if the bank is so determined to milk him for mortgage payments, well let them learn how—milk this! Country life has changed. There was a time when a bank manager would cut some slack to catch up on a missed payment. Not any more. Tom goes to see bank manager Kevin Sutton to discuss Max's difficulty but Sutton remains steadfast. Tom returns to find the station empty and the phone ringing. It is a struggle coping one member down and no replacement for Dash in sight. When the Heelers learn from St David's that staffing levels are under review, tempers become short. Are they really expected to continue like this? More bad news when Chris arrives to see Tom. Has he heard that the Vic Bank is closing down? What are they to do without a bank? Tom wonders whether his beloved Mt. Thomas is about to suffer the same downward spiral

Ben becomes the victim of anti-gay slurs when his hairdresser friend, Tony, arrives in town. Prejudice builds however, when Tony's popularity wilts the opposition and happy clients confide their closest secrets to him. Someone it seems, confided too much, and Ben finds Tony dead in the salon stabbed in the neck with a pair of scissors.

Trouble magnet, Constable Jo Parrish, lands in Mt. Thomas, provoking both a civil suit and a stalker.

Jo oversteps the line when she protects a charming gypsy who operates on the wrong side of the law.

Maggie threatens her career when she charges a pro-police politician with assault.

The Heelers are drawn into a hostile domestic situation when a distraught man arrives in Mt. Thomas to find his missing lover, who is terminally ill. Robert is sure his long-time partner, Peter Jones, has returned to make amends with his parents, whom he hasn't seen for 8 years. As Peter is not officially missing, Jack can do nothing to help him and is assaulted by an overwrought Robert. Behind the station counter, emotions are on a short leash as Ben and Maggie struggle to come to terms with their impassioned kiss at Ben's birthday bash. A few drinks, some silly games, a fine time had by all and then, somehow, it just happened. What now? Ben longs to pursue the matter with Maggie, who avoids him, unable to admit her true feelings. Although he seems genuine, Robert skirts some incriminating details of his relationship with Peter. The Heelers learn that theirs was a tumultuous household and that Peter has a history of prostitution. Could Peter be hiding from a violent domestic situa

Tom joins Chris on a board of upstanding citizens preparing to set up the new community bank. His position is compromised, however, when both he and Pat Doyle are named in a parliamentary committee investigating bent coppers. The Heelers rally round to support Tom but Jo finds herself on the outer when she suggests Tom might well have been on the take. Small gratuities, a little cash on the side—it was the way things were done back then. Though concerned for Tom, Maggie breathes a small sigh of relief. At least her father is retired and unlikely to suffer any fallout from the inquiry. At first, Tom refuses to worry—his conscience is clear. But word spreads throughout the town and the bank board requests his immediate resignation. The citizens of Mt. Thomas have lost confidence in their Senior Sergeant. After her contrary attitude to Tom's dilemma, Jo is left grappling for allies when her own friend, school teacher Selina Harvey, is accused of supplying dope to, and having a sexual

A mystery unfolds on night patrol when Jack and Jo stumble across a troubled stranger who carries a message for the Heelers that they won't forget. When Jack and Jo draw the short straw, night patrol finds them embroiled in a case that involves an abandoned suitcase and a mysterious stranger. Throughout the night, each of the Heelers stumble across the stranger at different times, but when dawn arrives, he reveals a reason for his visit that deeply affects them all.

Maggie takes Ben's daughter Emma off his hands for a day on a mushrooming expedition, but the event has nasty repercussions for Emma when they come across a tourist who dies from eating field mushrooms. Ben and Maggie head out to inform the local community of the potential danger of mushrooming and come across an idyll commune called Paradise. The inhabitants—three women, a cluster of kids and a charismatic, gentle man called Rod Cathcart—present an alternative lifestyle that appeals to them both. Enchanted by the mood of the place, Ben and Maggie find themselves drawn to each other once again. Rod invites Maggie and Ben to return for lunch the following day, but their rapturous account of Paradise makes PJ resentful of their common fondness for a country lifestyle, PJ is also wary of Emma's open scheming to bring Ben and Maggie together. Conscious of PJ's annoyance, Ben tries to placate PJ by pulling out of the lunch date. Tom detects the growing tension between PJ, Ben and Ma

It's Grand Final week in Mt. Thomas and the money is on Awesome Lawson to win the cup—and the town's honour—from the St. Davids football team. Jack finds it hard to focus on work with footy fever upon him, until Marnie Sommers yanks him to attention with yet another incident of petty crime. Jack is tiring of Marnie's brushes with the law and her open antagonism toward him. Marnie resents the blind worship the town affords footy players like Jack and her husband, Harro, who is serving time for armed robbery. As far as Marnie's concerned, footy heroes are all the same—good for nothing. When Marnie's husband returns to town, she demands an intervention order against him, claiming he is violent, but her troublesome reputation makes the Heelers wonder if Harro is a threat at all. He seems a nice enough bloke to Jack. Besides, he's a fellow footy player! Harro's done his time, now he just wants his wife and his kids back. When a report of stolen CD players comes in, Jack suspects Marni

Tom pursues a local troublemaker in a high-speed chase when the boy's car veers off the road, crashing into Rabbit Creek. It's a devastating scene for Tom who has known Tim Sullivan all his life. As he watches the boy slip away, Tom prays to God to absolve Tim of his sins. Ten minutes later, the ambulance arrives to take the body away. But before Tom can cover the boy's face, Tim coughs and sits bolt upright; he's alive! At first, the Heelers enjoy a few jokes at Tom's expense, but for Catholics, Tom and Maggie, the event inspires a deep questioning of their faith and is a cause for spiritual upheaval. They deal with life and death every day, but this time it is Tom who has been God's servant. John's declaration that Tom has performed a miracle has the town's faithful out in search of answers and the sacred site. Is their Senior Sergeant blessed? Falcon Price, would certainly like to know. Young Tim has had a hard time coping with his second chance. It feels more like a sentence

Jo's blossoming romance with out-of-towner Travis Williams is cut short when PJ reveals Travis is a dangerous criminal put way for murdering his girlfriends. The vicious crime haunts PJ who arrested Travis and is immediately suspicious of his return to Mt. Thomas. Tom warns Jo to dump the romance before she becomes too involved and jeopardises her job. He can't have a constable going out with a criminal, even if he is reformed. When a spate of vicious armed robberies against women are reported, PJ believes Travis is involved. Mindful of Jo's broken heart, Maggie provides a shoulder but counsels Jo to leave him. The promise of a new love never felt so lonely. PJ keeps tabs on Travis who seems contrite and is certainly cooperative. He has returned to Mt. Thomas to start afresh and find work but PJ makes it clear—he expects Travis to leave town. Tom becomes uneasy with PJ's relentless pursuit of Travis and warns him to go by the book. Jo struggles with her decision. She wants to bel

The prospect of the Racing Club Carnival dance has the Heelers in a frenzy to find partners.There is little to celebrate when an armed robbery of the race takings leaves a security guard seriously wounded. The only clues, a Mudlark's Grand Final Pin is found at the scene of the crime. Could one of Jack's fellow football team be responsible? The Heelers call in football coach, Ian Waldron, to find out which Mudlarks's players have pins but the carnival atmosphere fades for all when Ian tells them that his son Matt, Jack's good friend, is dying from a brain tumour. Ian has spent his company's fortune trying trying to find a cure for Matt in Brazil and must close his factory. There is little chance Matt will survive to see his wife deliver their first child. Jack finds it difficult to confirm the alibis of his football buddies for the time of the robbery and is puzzled by the behaviour of his mate Scott who has been acting strangely since Matt returned from Brazil. Jack is certain som

Jack receives unsettling news when his ex-girlfriend Molly calls with plans to visit Mt. Thomas to try and repair their broken relationship. Jack is not sure whether he is ready or willing to recover his shredded emotions after Molly's infidelity. The Heelers investigate the death of a drug dealer whose burnt body is found in the ashen remains of a house used for the manufacture of amphetamines. They believe a man called Graeme Palmer is involved and when Maggie and Ben spy Palmer's car on the road they give chase. Ben reports to Tom via radio that the pursuit is reaching dangerous speeds and they are about to terminate, when Ben yells a warning to Maggie and the radio cuts dead. The Heelers are left hanging until a shaken Maggie calls to say both vehicles are trashed and a passenger bus that swerved to avoid collision has crashed on its side. The situation is serious. The Heelers and emergency services arrive to a scene of confusion and devastation. They break into the bus to fi

Ben is troubled to learn that his daughter's tutor, Amy Fordham, is struggling through the maelstrom of her parents' marriage breakdown. Concerned for her welfare, Ben drops Amy off at home, arriving in the middle of an explosive fight during which Amy gets hurt. Unwilling to leave Amy to deal with the aftermath of their anger, Ben brings her back to the Watchhouse, determined to alert the department of Human Services to Amy's plight. Tom cautions him to attempt a reconciliation with the parents fist. The Fordhams agree to behave themselves and though Ben is not convinced, he sends Amy home and promises her that she can depend on him at all times. Ben's troubles multiply when Maggie returns shaken from an internal enquiry into a bus crash. Although the enquiry clears her of reckless driving, it leaves her overwhelmed with remorse for those killed. She finds comfort in Ben's arms... and PJ walks in on the moment. PJ's patience for their intimate friendship is waning but both he and

Ben's divorce finally comes through, but it's hard news for his daughter Emma who must return to her mother in Melbourne. In anger and frustration, Emma trashes the station. Tom has patiently watched Ben struggle with single parenthood and his duties as a cop but warns him that this interference with work must stop. The Heelers discover $20.00 missing from petty cash and Emma seems the likely suspect, but Ben's troubles boil over when he learns Emma has run away and a teacher confides that she frequently skips school with a friend. Ben finds Emma at her friend's grandmother's house. They seem to be in good hands and after reassurance from Nanny Nora, Ben realises his daughter has found comfort he has been unable to provide. Back at the station, the Heelers puzzle over a series of house burglaries in which odd trinkets of valuable electrical goods are stolen. The crimes seem unrelated but are taking place in the same area. Jo and Ben attend a report at an older woman's home and fi

With the turn of the millennium just weeks away, Inspector Falcon Price pulls an impromptu blackout at the station to test the Heelers' preparedness for potential Year 2000 problems. There can be no cause for alarm if the police force and emergency services are ready for every situation. Jack finds Gary Scully dangling in a net up a tree on the Janssen property, the victim of a crude but effective man trap and saves him. Ben's daughter Emma returns to the Watchhouse after a stint in hospital but her presence is a painful reminder for PJ of Ben and Maggie's vigil over Emma's sickbed. They make a picture perfect family. PJ tells Ben he can no longer stand in the way of Maggie's happiness and asks her to consider Ben as her future partner. Now Maggie must choose between her troublesome love for PJ and growing intimacy with Ben. The Heelers talk to the Jenssens about the mantrap and learn the family has been zealous in their Y2K preparations. The family expects the worst case scenari