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.