Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a city auditor who appears to have killed his family and then himself.
Nevertheless, an analysis of the crime scene suggests a different scenario. When Goren and Eames learn the dead man uncovered a pensions scandal involving retired cops, the trail leads them to corruption within the force. The apparent murder-suicide takes a turn when an audit of the school district's security system is found.
Then, the detectives toward law enforcement personnel when they learn that the dead accountant was investigating the illegal public employee practice of double-dipping, shaking down drug dealers, or getting paid two salaries at once. Evidence points toward a handful of former cops, particularly a tough safety officer with an urgent need for money to keep her daughters in an expensive private school.