Det. Chief Supt. Barlow gets a tip off that bank robber James Perkins is hiding out in a remote farm land in Wyvern. Perkins killed a man in a botched robbery so D.C. Box needs the help of a small child to pinpoint his hide out.
After a number lorry hijacks, in the Wyvern area, D.C Dwyer goes undercover as a hippie hitchhiker. On the road, he spots a lorry that was hijacked and never found, repainted and being used, now, to steal loads direct from depots.
Jailbird George Milton has been grooming Janice, the schoolgirl daughter of an old friend. On Christmas Eve the pair run off together but Milton's name is also linked to John Cassidy and a possible platinum raid.
Charlie Barlow's former boss Det. Chief Supt. Robins invites him to return North to re-investigate the murder of Mary Bradshaw, eight years before. Her missing bag has been found during redevelopment opening several new leads.