Panic sweeps Mt. Thomas when an outbreak of an animal disease begins to kill humans. When Maggie suddenly collapses, PJ is desperate not to let the disease, which has already claimed two lives, take his beloved Maggie.

The words Japanese Encephalitis strike fear into the heart of PJ. It's fatal, there's no cure, and it seems to be the cause of Maggie's illness. But PJ won't give up. Now the task is to prove the doctors wrong, to find a viable alternative and breath new life into his beloved Maggie. Nick's reign as acting sergeant is rapidly turning into a nightmare as he deals with Keith Purvis and a mob of panic-stricken farmers. Having decided the spate of deaths had been caused by rabies, they slate the responsibility home to a couple of English migrants and their young daughter. Nick fulfils a promise to the girl and takes the dog into protective custody. However, the farmers follow them into town and Nick soon finds the station cut off from the outside world with a highly agitated farmer, the girl, her mother and their dog. Tom had hoped to quietly recover from his heart attack, but now finds himself standing in the heat trying to negotiate with an angry mob who have the police station under sie

Dash discovers that her penchant for gossip may very well get her, and other people into hot water when she and Adam, overhear the Shire President, Roger Payne, having lunch with a woman who is definitely not his wife. While out on a surveillance operation to catch an extortionist who's been threatening to blow up a restaurant, the pair, bored with three days of sitting in the car with nothing to do except listen, finally hear something interesting. Unfortunately, while Adam and Dash are preoccupied, the real extortionists manage to get away, much to PJ's chagrin. PJ appeals to Tom to hold the investigation over longer, but the matter is out of Tom's hands-the surveillance equipment and manpower belong to another unit and he can't retain them without very good reason. PJ's worried-he's given his word that he'd solve the case, to Bluey, the frightened restaurateur, and now he may not be able to keep it. Dash is still obsessed with finding out who the mystery woman is, but is thwarted

Maggie and Nick pull up Charlie Clarke for talking on his mobile phone and are surprised to discover the caller on the other end is no other than the boss. It turns out that Charlie was on his way to do a job at Clancy's halfway house when there's a crisis. His attractive housemate Leonie, isn't feeling well and Aunty Chris takes her to the doctor, only to discover that she's pregnant! Clancy happily admits to having forced Leonie to have sex. Tom doesn't believe it for a moment but finds he has to contend with Leonie's emotional father-Chris Riley's cousin, Dominic-as he tries to prove Clancy's innocence. Tom's situation with Leonie's father is further complicated when it turns out she and Clancy are in love and the two lovers attempt to elope. Meanwhile, the Heelers are up to their top lip in excrement courtesy of an overflowing toilet in the cells. A reluctant Tom finds he needs assistance from Charlie Clarke who gives the Heelers a hard time over a toilet pedestal which has gone mi

It's raining cats and dogs in Mount Thomas and Nick and Adam are overdue back from patrol. When they arrive they are drenched through and their uniforms are in tatters. The other Heelers have no idea of the extent of their trauma until Tom asks them to explain themselves and Adam bursts into tears. While Dash attempts to draw the story out of Adam, Nick disappears to change his uniform. However, shock has taken over and he withdraws into himself, making it difficult to find out the true story. Adam explains that it all began when they attempted to rescue a young girl from a flooded stormwater drain. While Nick held onto her and attempted to stop her from being dragged away, he sent Adam for help. However Adam soon found himself in the middle of a crisis of his own involving the girl's sister and wasn't able to get back in time. Piecing the story together, the Heelers discover that exhaustion wore Nick down and he eventually let go of the girl. Now back in the station, guilt and anger l

Nick is astonished to discover that the shooter of a young protester at the opening of the duck season is none other than his sometime admirer, Dr Zoe Hamilton. She, of course, claims it was an accident, explaining that the chief protester grabbed her gun just as she was aiming at a duck. Adam gets an admirer of his own when he assists the pretty eighteen year old daughter of one of the duck shooters after she is injured in the melee. This is Stacey Norse, whose father Ken accuses the chief protester, Matthew Prentice, of stealing one of his ducks. Troubles escalate when Ken Norse falls seriously ill while eating his specially prepared duck lunch at the Imperial Hotel. When Zoe suspects poisoning, the Heelers wonder if it might have been Matthew Prentice, but when blood tests show that Norse is actually suffering from a severe case of lead poisoning, they must rethink the case. Because this condition would have taken some 13 years to accumulate, his own children, Stacey and her sixteen

There are mixed reactions among the Heelers to Chris's plans. Tom feels that she's rushing into things, a sentiment echoed by Chris's cousin, Dominic, who doesn't approve of Sean, sure that he's just trying to cash in on the Imperial's lucrative business. As Tom does a little digging into Sean's past, he discovers there's no record of him, or his teenage son, Conor, entering Australia. Sean explains away the anomaly with a smile, but Tom isn't convinced. When Chris starts talking to Maggie about her plans for a huge wedding, Sean seems to be less than enthusiastic, and they argue about their plans. Sean storms out of the pub, but moments later, comes back and apologises-they'll talk about the wedding later. The next day, Sean hasn't returned and Chris is worried. He doesn't know anyone else in the district-where would he have gone? The Heelers try to placate her, but the mystery surrounding Sean deepens. Chris' fears for his safety are justified when the Heelers discover a body in the

A band travelling through Mt. Thomas cause a stir with the young people of the town, but Tom is worried by their presence. His fears appear to be confirmed when he discovers one of the station's vehicles defaced with images resonant of MCD. But that is only the beginning of the Heelers problems with the band. A vandalised angel in the cemetery relates to the band's signature song ""Bloodstained Angels"" and then a blazing car in the car park of the Commercial Hotel conjures up another line of lyrics from the same song. Meanwhile, a father seeks the help of the police in rescuing his son from the spell of the ""demonic band"". Tom is sympathetic, but there is only so much the local police sergeant can do, despite the gallery of death and destruction on the boy's bedroom walls. By now the peace of Mount Thomas appears to be shattering and the Heelers must determine whether they are looking for a publicity stunt, an avenging father or an adoring fan. As they look more closely at the lyrics, t

Nick and Adam are surprised when their call to a domestic dispute turns out to be at a Salvation Army women's meeting. They discover a young mother, Joanne Mason, has accused her husband Andrew of deliberately pushing her out of their car. He claims it was an accident but Joanne announces she's going to leave him anyway. Captain Ingrid Perry, the Salvation Army officer, finds the wife accommodation at a women's shelter, but the Heelers are called out again when the husband finds out where she is and turns up to talk to her. In fact it turns out that Joanne had rung him herself and invited him round, then changed her mind. She is obviously very confused about the big life decision she has just made. Meanwhile, Dash is moving into Maggie's flat. Despite the fact that they are running late for work, Dash talks Maggie into taking a detour so she can dump a bag full of unwanted clothes into the St. Steven's charity bin. Unbeknown to either of them, she accidentally throws out Maggie's fa

Adam and Dash are called to a disturbance to find a lonely farmer banging at the door of what turns out to be a dating agency. Investigations reveal the farmer has paid a fortune to the agency without ever having had a date, but his fear of exposure and humiliation make him reluctant to lay an official complaint. Adam is getting married. It's a bit fast, but his friends and colleagues are there.

Dash and Adam respond to a report of vandalism at the train yards and discover a couple of young offenders - one so fleet of foot that he's even faster than Dash. She thinks she knows the boy, Jed Russell, and discovers that Jed's been living with his father, Jim. When seemingly uncaring Jim gets involved, its Tom who recognizes a fellow Vietnam veteran who is still suffering from that war.

Maggie and PJ are in serious trouble when an investigation into a suspicious goldmine goes wrong, and they find themselves trapped. Two newcomers in town, Matt Kinsella and Jamie Burgess claim that the goldmine is theirs, but old Hec O'Farrell, who has been working the mine for as long as anyone can remember, insists that Matt and Jamie are the trespassers—and what's more, they've stolen his gold dust. Dash and Adam discover Hec's fellow prospector, Bert, bashed, and PJ is happy to assume that Hec beat up his mate and took his own gold, hoping to pin the crime on Matt and Jamie. Tom and Dash however, are not so sure—Hec's friendship with Bert is legendary and why would he risk it for such a small amount of gold? Bert is also denying that his mate had anything to do with his bashing. PJ is still sure the case begins and ends with Hec, and takes Maggie out to talk to Matt and Jamie about the license to the mine. While they are there, Matt and Jamie suddenly discover a huge gold nugget, w

Maggie and PJ are still trapped together underground, unbeknownst to the other Heelers, who are busy trying to locate Matt Kinsella, now suspected of attempting t murder his mining partner, Jamie Burgess. They discover both the men are ex-security guards from WA, who were involved in a gold bullion heist more than seven years ago during which a colleague was killed. It's only when PJ's car is discovered abandoned and carefully wiped clean of fingerprints that Tom realises something is seriously wrong. A search finally leads to the collapsed mine and mere chance and a Mintie wrapper leads to the discovery of Maggie and PJ's living tomb. The rescue is complicated when the removal of rubble causes the mine to collapse some more, but eventually PJ and Maggie are rescued—only to insist on tracking down Burgess and Kinsella who left them to die. But Burgess is in hospital with head wounds and Kinsella has disappeared. The key seems to lie with Burgess's girlfriend, Deanna, who turns out to b

When the Heelers are called in to investigate vandalised graves at the Mt. Thomas cemetery, Tom discovers that Nell's grave site is amongst the desecrated. The vandals have spray-painted an obscenity on the headstone and Tom's deep hurt, fuelled by rage, drives the Heelers to find the culprits. Father Brian Hegarty points out that only the Catholic section of the cemetery was attacked, and that the Blue Lite basketball team was thrashed by St Stephen's last night. As the coach of the Blue Liters, Nick defends his players. But then evidence gives the Heelers cause to suspect Jed Russell, one of the teenagers on the team who is a Legacy charge of Tom's and Tom rises to Jed's defence. Nick, Maggie and PJ have to work hard to persuade Tom to let down his protective guard and interrogate Jed. The following night, Father Brian takes it upon himself to do some undercover work at the cemetery and has to call on the Heelers again. This time a double grave has been desecrated, that of Alice and

Shane Thompson is a professional shooter with a volatile temper. His return to Mt. Thomas creates a rift between Tom and Nick. Tom is concerned that his return spells trouble for Shane's wife and young family while Nick has been Shane's sponsor, getting him out of town following the breakdown of his marriage, finding him work as a shooter and facilitating the exchange of letters between Shane and his oldest son. Shane is desperate to return to his family and reconcile with his estranged wife. Unfortunately, she now has a new boyfriend and will not have him back. To Tom's dismay, Nick takes a close personal interest in the situation and offers Shane temporary accommodation at the warehouse keeper's residence, his box of guns stored for safe keeping in a corner of Nick's living room. When Zoo Hamilton's gun goes missing the culprit turns out to be the son, angered by his father's broken promise to buy him a gun and disturbed by the tension and conflict between his parents. The new boyfri

As Maggie and PJ are investigating what caused five teenagers to collapse at a local nightclub, Adam and Dash are consoling a farmer's son whose goat has died under suspicious circumstances. He suspects the neighbouring farmer—the irascible Albie O'Connell—but Adam and Dash are unable to find any evidence of foul play. When a sixth teenager is found unconscious in an alleyway, the Heelers realise someone is flooding Mt. Thomas with home-made amphetamines. But who? A possible answer comes in the form of a couple of new bikers that Adam and Dash see riding into town. Perhaps they have joined forces with the local gang, the Legends, to manufacture amphetamines? A chat with the bikers reveals nothing helpful, but the Heelers remain convinced of their involvement when a newcomer to town is found beaten up by someone using chains and knuckle-dusters. Meanwhile, Adam finds he has a new best friend in the young goat owner, who comes to him in frantic distress early one morning to report that h

Dash's career is on the line when is seems she waved her new boyfriend on instead of breath-alysing him. Dash explains that it was because she saw a couple, in the car behind, changing seats. But when she pulled them over, the driver was under the limit while the passenger was clearly drunk. The only way Dash can clear her name is to find some evidence that the couple did in fact swap seats. Unfortunately, it takes a fatal accident to finally prove she was telling the truth.

A baby disappears in suspicious circumstances, but only Adam believes the mother's story when she claims the child was kidnapped. The woman's credibility is questioned when not a single picture of the infant can be found. Crime Scene call in with news of the discovery of what seems to be a shallow grave, but the only thing the Heelers find buried there is some apparatus, apparently for faking a pregnancy. As investigations continue, the mother's sister turns up at the station and tells Tom she holds grave fears for her sister's sanity. It turns out the mother was a successful journalist who had a nervous breakdown following a well publicised ""close encounter"" with alien beings. Could it be the mother has done something to the baby? Was there a baby at all? Or was it all a product of the woman's fevered imagination? Adam and Nick find themselves at odds over Adam's support for the woman. A bond forms between mother and Adam and the woman extracts a promise from the young man that he wil

When a local farmer, Jack Buckley, wins Oz lotto, the patrons at the Imperial are truly delighted for him. His family have been struggling with their farm for as long as anyone can remember, and Jack dreams of using the money to pay off the bank and keep the farm in the family for future generations. Next day, however, Jack claims his winning ticket has been stolen, and PJ becomes skeptical because there is some doubt that the ticket ever existed—the newsagent didn't sell it to him, and his family can't remember seeing it. Maybe the old man really is going senile? But Maggie takes the old man's side, and even though PJ has dismissed the case as a uniform matter, Maggie's insistence that Jack is right keeps PJ interested. If there was a ticket, who might have taken it? Jack blames the ""vultures"" who came to the farm equipment auction the day before, but thus far nobody has tried to claim the prize. One of the people at the auction was Adam, who bought an old cradle to do up for the baby

Nick hasn't shown up for the start of his shift and a worried Maggie reports to Tom that he is not at the watchhouse keeper's residence either. Later it is discovered he has been at the home of Danielle Carter, an ex-prostitute at the centre of a major criminal trial in Mount Thomas. While this draws sniggers from his uniformed colleagues, PJ fails to see the humour. It will be hard enough to get a conviction for the rape of an ex-crow without Nick's personal involvement complicating the case. Dash is appalled to receive a love letter from the crusty old farmer, Keith Purvis, only to find this is yet another of Nick Schultz's practical jokes. Nick thinks it's Dash getting her own back when he receives a note from a ""love sick secret admirer"" suggesting an assignation in the park. Nick ignores the letter only to receive a much more threatening missive; shredded underwear smeared with blood. Quite obviously, this is no practical joke, so who is stalking Nick? Maggie and PJ suspect Daniel

It's time for the annual ""Make a Wish"" Talent Quest and Nick has a vision for the Heelers... Mt. Thomas is about to enjoy the rustic poetry of Banjo Paterson in a way they'll never forget. On patrol, Adam and Dash encounter Errol the Feral walking into town with a box full of organic produce for sale. The main purpose of Erol's trip to town is to make a court appearance, on marijuana possession charges. Erol had actually turned up at the police station previously to report his marijuana plants stolen! An interstate truckdriver heading for the New South Wales border enters Mt. Thomas police station with some alarming news—his truck has been stolen along with a load of cigarettes worth nearly a million dollars. PJ is interviewing the truckdriver when Colin Ducker enters—a slick, mobile-phone-wielding Senior Investigator from the security division of the cigarette company, Fletcher-Rolfe International. Colin Ducker is there to catch the thief of the missing load pronto and insists that he

Maggie finds herself becoming personally involved when a Polish woman, Ivona, arrives at the police station, escorted by a taxi driver demanding payment. Ivona's grasp of English only extends to ""Daughter"", and Maggie realises the daughter must be in Mt. Thomas. Ivona has an address for some people by the name of McPhee, so the logical place to start the investigation is there. Maggie and PJ quickly discover the situation isn't as straight forward as it looks—Danusha, Ivona's daughter, is an exchange student, whose host family were the McPhees, but she's no longer staying there. The Heelers are directed to a new family the Barnses, who Danusha met through a school friend, Mandy. Their parents are both away, leaving Mandy's older brother, Jason in charge of the house. Both Mandy and Jason claim Danusha is staying back at the McPhee's. Trying to trace Danusha, the Heelers investigate school records, both families, and the coordinator of the student exchange program. Unfortunately, no one

Tom becomes worried when his schoolteacher daughter, Susan, fails to arrive in Mt. Thomas. She was driving up from Melbourne to take up a temporary posting at the town's primary school. Dash and Adam, discover Susan's car, abandoned on the roadside. It has been involved in an accident with another car, also abandoned. No sign of either driver. Tom's concerns deepen when the owner of the other car is discovered to be Andy Maxwell, a man accused of murder a few years before. Bryan Maxwell, Andy's older brother, comes to the police station, anxious about Andy's failure to arrive at the family farm. Tom has just about convinced himself that Andy has done Susan harm when the missing two are found—they were only hiking for help after the side-swipe accident which Susan insists was her fault. To Tom's chagrin his daughter has struck up a friendship with this dubious young man and invites him home for dinner. Bryan, the brother, comes too. Conversation after the meal takes a sinister turn when

Maggie and PJ are embroiled in a series of burglaries, which look as though they're originating from the school where Susan, Tom's daughter, is assisting as a relief teacher. PJ has analysed every possible link between the burgled houses. After eliminating the Juicy Rooster chicken delivery man he is left with no alternative but to investigate the school. While Susan has her hands full with students such as Chloe Bassetti, who stole valuable coins out of her drawers and tried to hock them, PJ is convinced that an assignment Susan set was designed to find out details of where valuables are kept. Susan isn't happy being the immediate suspect but the Heelers can't forget her somewhat chequered past. Finally she explains that it wasn't her that set the assignment, but the principal of the school, Guy Ashfield, a problem gambler who has previously been investigated for embezzling funds. Guy pleads innocence, and when a locket is found at the scene of a recent crime, it seems he's telling th

Maggie is on a private visit to the panel beater's shop when her attention is drawn to a small car sitting on top of a pile of pallets. The car belongs to Molly, the sole female employee of the shop. She is strenuously complaining about the actions of her colleagues. While the Heelers persuade the boys to return the vehicle to its owner, Maggie and Dash believe Molly has been the victim of systematic victimisation. With Tom's consent they return to the shop to warn off the foreman and his mates, but their pleas fall on deaf ears. They are soon back at the shop in answer to a fire alarm only to find a soaked Molly who has set off the sprinkler system after being locked in the changing rooms. It seems someone has stolen the boss's keys to shut her in, but were they just intending to keep Molly trapped or were they keeping her on ice for other, more sinister reasons? A description from the locksmith leads the Heelers to a young apprentice in the shop. When questioned by the Heelers, the b