A young delivery van driver, Greg Lane, is killed when a parcel labelled "Handle With Care" falls at his feet and explodes. The only clues are a few splinters of wood, a piece of jagged metal, and some charred paper. With the help of Det. Bill Williams from Forensic, they are enough to enable the Homicide squad to track down a psychopathic killer.
Tragedy comes to Jane and Charles Hutchinson when their three-month-old baby is kidnapped during a fancy dress party at their home, which provided a perfect disguise for the kidnappers. The solitary clue police have is that two people left the party early, but there is no evidence to reveal their identities.
Shy teenager Elly Goss disappears while on her way to her first party. Detectives fear foul play and question two layabout brothers, Arnie and Joe Watson, who were seen with the girl that evening. Involved in the investigation is Gordon Allen, whose marriage is on the rocks because he treats his wife Nola more like his mother, and Nola is embittered because of it.
16-year-old Kirsty Mills, just released from a girls home, has her adjustment period made more traumatic when police inquire about her father, who is believed to be involved in a hold-up and the death of a guard. She becomes more involved when police begin to suspect her criminal friend, Ron Fisher.
Ruth Ritchie's death plunge in her car over a cliff edge, and a suicide note left at her home seems to be a straightforward case. But detectives suspect murder when they learn that she had invited a small girl from the local children's home, Sue Thomas, to spend another weekend with her - and the girl subsequently disappears.
When factory hand Denny Mullins, formerly a union representative, is murdered at work shortly after clocking on, detectives learn from fellow workers that the man who replaced him as union delegate had a reason for wanting him out of the way. Complicating matters is Denny's brother Ray, who has a dubious interest in Denny's wife Jude.
After discovering that she is short of money in the till, Margie, a popular barmaid in a Carlton hotel, goes to the police. She learns from the investigations that she has been fooled by two confidence men who demonstrated a 'magic trick' to her, using money from the till. The subsequent investigation soon becomes a possible murder case.
After discovering that she is short of money in the till, Margie, a popular barmaid in a Carlton hotel, goes to the police. She learns from the investigations that she has been fooled by two confidence men who demonstrated a 'magic trick' to her, using money from the till. The subsequent investigation soon becomes a possible murder case.