In einem Moor wird die Leiche des elfjährigen Andre Petri gefunden, gestorben an einer Überdosis Heroin. Waren Kyle und Andre in Drogengeschäfte verwickelt? Banks teilt sein Team auf. Er selbst recherchiert mit Annie im Umfeld von Andrés Schule. Helen geht dem Verdacht nach, dass Katy die Entführung ihres Sohnes nur erfunden hat, um demnächst dessen Vater zu erpressen, Paul Cain.
Campbell admits to kerb crawling but claims to have met Kyle in the arcade by chance and sent him home whilst the dead boy is named as Andre Petri, who died of a heroin overdose and lived near the Heaths. His sister tells Annie that she was amazed how flush he was and it turns out that the arcade was the recruiting ground for under-age drug dealers. Banks suspects the leader is Chivers, a cab driver with previous convictions, who has disappeared with a female accomplice but Helen believes that Katy is not so innocent and is involved with Chivers to get Paul to pay a ransom which he will share with her. Annie shadows Paul as he delivers the money but loses him. Eventually Banks catches up with Chivers and finds that things are not as they first appeared to be.
The body found on the moors is identified so DCI Banks and his team now have a murder enquiry to deal with. Banks finds himself dividing his time between trying to find the killer and find Kyle who is still missing.
Le corps d'un enfant de 11 ans est retrouvé et Banks se demande s'il y a un lien entre sa mort et la disparition de Kyle.
Katy Heath opsøges af en mand og en kvinde, der hævder, at de er socialarbejdere. Parret fortæller, at de er nødt til at tage hendes 11-årige søn Kyle med sig. Da Kyle ikke vender hjem igen, kontakter Katy politiet. Myndighederne kender ikke noget til det mystiske par. Kyle er tilsyneladende blevet bortført, men hvorfor? Kriminalinspektør Alan Banks går på jagt efter svaret.
