Nichola Peterson has been promoted to Detective Inspector and, with her new young partner in tow,is assigned to investigate a new murder case: that of a scientist who worked for a top pharmaceutical company. But as she probes deeper, she encounters hostility and intrigue. Her investigation and her love-life become increasingly chaotic. And to cap it all: the mysterious Magus re-appears and reveals he was working with the murder-victim on a top-secret project