Deborah Findlay

A visit to his convalescent aunt prompts Barnaby to investigate a series of suspicious deaths at the nursing home where she is staying.

When Susan Harrow (Sian Martin) fails to return home from work, her mother Bibi (Mona Hammond) reports her missing. Six days later her body is discovered on a waste ground at the back of a nightclub. She has been mutilated and sexually assaulted with an arrow-head weapon. A murder case is launched and an AMIP squad, headed by Detective Superintendent Walker (David Hayman) is called in to investigate. The only lead they have is a witness, Shiree Moyer (Nicola Hughes), who saw Susan on the night she went missing talking to a man in a white van.

The suicide of a young member of a religious sect raises questions about it. Known as The Garden, suspicions change when more murders take place connected to it.

Pub landlady Hannah Altman is crushed to death by a giant Perspex box during a magic show by famous illusionist Gideon Latimer.

As the police begin their enquiry, Marilyn Spark (Linda Henry), a prostitute, is found half dead in an alleyway in Kings Cross. She has been badly beaten, sexually assaulted and one of her breasts has been slashed. Her injuries are almost identical to Susan Harrow's. Marilyn is unable to speak but manages to communicate to the police that she was attacked by one man. She gives a description of him including the fact that he was wearing a red, blue and greed hooded sweater. She also describes a white van with distinctive markings across the rear doors.