When a freelance journalist is poisoned, the CSIs must figure out if her murder was provoked by a story she was doing on Miami Councilman Randall Stafford. After Stafford's DNA is found at her apartment, his attorneys, Darren Vogel and Gabrielle Wade, are able to dismiss the evidence on grounds of tampering. The team begins suspecting the journalist was actually doing a story on Vogel, not Stafford, after discovering that Stafford helped cover up a murder committed by another of Vogel's clients. It turns out that Vogel is blackmailing his clients to facilitate his firm, and he likely had Denise killed after discovering she was on to him through Stafford. Before they can arrest Vogel, Gabrielle admits to being the sole instigator of the firm's criminality, even though Horatio suspects Vogel is blackmailing her into being his scapegoat. And Calleigh reveals to Eric that she is thinking of adopting Austin and Patty North.