The Other Path Chapter 88

"You want to get lunch?" Rick asks as Kate's students move on to their next class.

"I thought you'd want to check on Cronut. Are you going to call the new sitter?"

Rick displays the screen of his phone. "No need, doggy cam. He's fine. I checked while you were winding up with your students."

"Does the sitter know she's on camera, Babe?"

"I warned her. I figure the warning would make sure she behaved whether I turned the cameras on or not. But she knows there aren't any cameras in the bathrooms. Her privacy is preserved. So she said she didn't mind. I imagine that cameras can do as much to protect her from false complaints as they could to protect her clients' furry friends. And ours will work just as well as nanny cams when the baby needs a sitter. If Mother had something like that when I was growing up I would have had a very different childhood. But on the other hand, I probably wouldn't have watched the episodes of General Hospital that springboarded the plot for my first book. So I suppose there was something to be said for the woman who spent her time on the couch dividing her attention between the screen and the bottle in her paper bag."

"Do you remember who she was?" Kate inquires.

"You would think I'd have blocked it out, but I do. She's an actress who ended up detoxing or whatever they called it then. After she got her act together she won a Tony. Mother was more than a little jealous. They're still competing for parts. Mother aced her out for Mama Rose."

"That explains the party Martha talked you into throwing at the loft when she got the role."

"There will be no more of that once the baby's born, at least not until we're past the total exhaustion stage."

"And when does that happen?"

"With Alexis, it was when she was about three and in preschool. I could at least catch a nap if I needed one. But then again, I was alone. Husband number two hadn't stolen Mother's savings yet. Still, you and I are a team. We can spell each other. But anyway, you didn't answer my question. Do you want to go to lunch?"

"Yeah. But we should make it fast. I need to get back to the precinct. I got a text while you were entrancing my class. Robbery pulled in a suspect on the brownstone robberies."

"Pet daycare?"

"Daycare and boarding. But you made a good guess. It's the guy who runs Kompleet Kennels. According to the victims, he knew exactly when they would be gone."

"Oh, wow! That's one of the places I researched when I was looking for care for Cronut. It got four and a half stars. But the human to animal ratio was too low. Cronut loves personal attention."

"Much like the man who decided we should adopt him."

"Very true," Rick accepts. "But the pooch's preferences may have allowed us to dodge a bullet. But about lunch. When do you have to be at the 12th?"

"Two o'clock."

"Less than sufficient time for fine dining but excessive for patronizing a drive-thru. How about a sit-down meal at Remy's?"

Kate's tongue rounds her lips. "Sounds perfect."


Personal Assistant Cynthia Toomey knocks lightly on Lymon Cyrus' door before walking in. She holds up her cellphone. "Mr. Cyrus, have you seen this?"

Cyrus looks up from his desk. "I don't have much time to spend with Twitter, Ms. Toomey."

"I don't either, Sir. But I set an alert in case your name or something related to a case comes up. Usually, it goes off a few times a day and it's some crank sounding off. But it's been going off all morning and it's all about the same thing. Someone's accusing you of insider trading."

"Insider trading of what? The few investments I have are in a blind trust. I couldn't indulge in insider trading if I wanted to."

"The poster is claiming to have documentary evidence. And the post's been retweeted thousands of times. Bloggers have picked it up too."

"Who made the original post?"

"Some group calling itself 'Justice System Honesty.'"

Cyrus shakes his head. "That could be anyone, probably a bot."

"You want me to ask Cybercrimes to trace it down?"

"No. This is a personal attack. I can't use public resources to combat it. But I'll give them a call and ask for a referral to a private consultant."


Boxey Kilcannon inhales deeply as he waits at a back table at Taste of Old Sod. The spicy smell of bread pudding reminds him of his grandmother. She could turn almost any leftovers into mouthwatering food. He doubts that the restaurant will produce a product up to her standards, but at least the coffee is good. That's a step in the right direction. He checks his watch. Lymon Cyrus set their meeting for seven pm. That's one minute away. Boxey glances toward the door.

A man with white hair and eyebrows strides in, his eyes immediately searching the dining area. Boxey meets his gaze. "Mr. Kilcannon?" Cyrus inquires approaching the table.

As Boxey nods, Cyrus slides into the seat opposite him. A server approaches and the men quickly put in their orders. Cyrus watches to make sure the server is out of earshot. "Mr. Kilcannon. You come highly recommended. I'm hoping you can investigate a social media attack aimed at me. I need to know who's behind it and neutralize it before it gets out of hand."

"You're referring to the accusations of insider trading?" Boxey assumes.

"Yes," Cyrus confirms. "They're totally untrue."

"As far as spreading through the media, that's irrelevant. It's worse than irrelevant. Lies always move faster than truth. And those lies have been in motion all day. They're already out of hand. They spread to Facebook and to all the fringe groups. Mainstream news sources will note that they're unverified when they repeat them, but they'll repeat them anyway."

Cyrus wishes he'd ordered something stronger than a beer. "So what can I do?"

"You? Now? Probably nothing. Actually, nothing would be the best thing you could do. Anything you say will amplify the blast as the accusations are repeated with your statement."

"So what can you do?"

"I can trace the origin of the original tweet. Then, once I know the source, we can launch counter-measures. From what I've seen so far, I suspect the attack comes out of China. I'll have to confirm that. But then you can go with the whole question of why a foreign power would want to attack a public servant doing his job. You ask who's behind the assault and what they're trying to cover up. Once the bigger scandal starts flying, the original accusations will be buried in the noise. But I'm curious, Cyrus. Why would China want to smear you?"

"It wouldn't," Cyrus replies thoughtfully. "But I can think of someone with well-known Chinese connections who would. Find out as much as you can as quickly as you can, Mr. Kilcannon. The attack could be about a lot more than going after a local D.A. And I have a suspicion I know what triggered it."

The server returns with Cyrus's beer and Boxey's coffee refill. Boxey takes an appreciative sip. "Around now is the beginning of my usual workday. I should have something for you by morning."