When Gary's own investigation leads him to one of Scanlon's informants, he learns that at the time of Scanlon's death, the reporter was about to break a story on a murder-for-hire ring. With the help of Sun Times photographer Miguel Diaz, Gary obtains a printout of Scanlon's notes for his story that identifies six murders that were made to look like accidents. Meanwhile, Detective Brigatti uncovers some evidence of her own, which proves Gary's innocence and implicates someone with whom she works closely in the department. When Brigatti is subsequently taken hostage and about to be murdered, Gary must save her before the real killer sets him up a second time.

The former recipient of the New York paper decides to relinquish his duties by turning over the next day's news to his friend Clams, but the paper suddenly stops coming after Clams meets with a mysterious man asking questions about his satisfaction with his special subscription. When Gary is involved in a similar meeting, Clams warns him that he too could lose his paper if he makes any wrong decisions. Desperate to get his own paper back, Clams steals Gary's edition so he can convince the powers-that-be to give him another chance. But even as he tries to make amends, Clams continues to abuse the paper and winds up putting the life of a down on-his-luck computer genius in jeopardy. When Gary reads that Clams and the computer wiz will perish in a dangerous explosion, he must race to save their lives before it's too late.