Insurance investigator William Byfield is found gassed in his car after he has sparred with Nikki over a claim for terminally-ill suicide Sally Craven. He was also perturbed about the suspicious death of one Stephen Connelly, which leads to Leo being accused of falsifying the post mortem by William's successor, Clare Ambler. In fact Connelly's details never reached Leo and his widow, bereavement counsellor Rebecca, is not only uncooperative with Clare but is Harry's current girl-friend and overly friendly with coroner's officer David Levin. When it appears that William Byfield was murdered Harry suspects Rebecca of being involved.

Now Leo is under investigation by the police over the discrepancies in Stephen Connelly's file. He think he's found the solution when he notices similarities between the Coroner's file on Connelly and another case he had worked on. Harry is convinced that his new lover Rebecca, Connelly's widow, has nothing to do with the apparent forgeries Leo has found. He believes that the fraud is taking place at the Coroner's office and focuses on David Levin, who had access to the information. After Leo is assaulted outside his home, he is hospitalized and in a coma. On the edge of death, Nikki and Harry learn they may have a major decision to make. When the police find Leo's blood in Rebecca Connelly's home and Levin's body in the boot of her car, they are convinced they have the killer. No one however realizes the true deception that is taking place.

Harry's work colleague Justine Thompson is murdered in her house with her daughter Gemma whilst her stepson Charlie, also attacked, lies in a coma. Baby daughter Ellie, however, is unharmed. Husband Stuart is prime suspect but he has an alibi and his grief seems genuine. The post mortem shows that Gemma was pregnant and the team learns that Justine once needed a restraining order against Stuart's brother Kevin, who was obsessed with her. Mrs Barron, the lady from next door who found the bodies, finds evidence on her son Joel's computer that Gemma and Charlie were lovers as Joel rides off to see Kevin.

After Kevin dies in a motorcycle crash Harry is surprised to see Joel keeping a vigil by Charlie's hospital bed. Whilst denying murder Joel professes that he loved Gemma was shocked that she was sleeping with Charlie. Stuart's initial alibi breaks down when CCTV footage shows Kevin, not him, at the hotel in question but he admits to an affair with Mrs Barron. The murderer is eventually exposed after a shocking betrayal is revealed, leading to an horrific reaction.