Investigating an ex-cop's death, Hastings gets drawn into a family conspiracy. It was just after he made lieutenant that Frank Hastings told Charlie Quade to resign. They had known each other at the academy, and Quade was a rotten cop from day one. Dogged by rumors of corruption, Quade left without protest, eking out a living doing security work. When Hastings hears Quade has been shot dead, he doesn't blink. The only surprise is the place the ex-cop died. Alexander Guest is one of the wealthiest lawyers in the city, and Hastings can't understand why he would hire a thug like Quade to protect his grandson from the father-in-law who wants to kidnap him. When Quade's body is found, the grandson is long gone, and the father-in-law is the natural suspect. But Hastings knows better than to trust the rich, and he refuses to accept the easy answer.