Page 29 of The Midnight Lock (Lincoln Rhyme 14)

Eyes open. Twenty-eight seconds.

I’m filled with indescribable warmth.

Well, Carrie, it appears that you’re going to have some company tonight.

“Friends: The Hidden have a new way to strike. The news made it all the way out here to the West Coast: in New York a vicious organized crime boss was found not guilty of murder, which there’s no doubt he committed. And how did this happen? The state’s expert witness intentionally got him off because he manipulated the evidence!

“And why? Because this criminal has ties to senior politicians and, more frightening, employees of our national security agencies.

“Yet another weapon the Hidden wield to subvert justice!

“I’ve found a classified report that states that this is the dozenth time in the last few months the police have bungled investigations or prosecutors have dropped the ball.

“But of course they haven’t ‘bungled’ anything. They’re infiltrated by the Hidden, which decides what is and is not justice.

“New York is hardly alone. In Minnesota, the Health and Human Services Division of domestic abuse shelters had been infiltrated by the Hidden and used as a cover for sex trafficking. In Orlando the Hidden haveformed alliances with gangs, paying them to riot and to burn the businesses of legitimate, hardworking Americans. And no one is ever prosecuted.

“Say your prayers and stay prepared!

“My name is Verum, Latin for ‘true.’ That is what my message is. What you do with it is up to you.”

16

Rhyme’s phone hummed. He noted the area code and exchange.

What was this about?

He shared a glance with Sachs, who turned the volume of the TV down. They’d been watching the breaking story of the Buryak verdict. The mobster in the glorious suit and colorful vest was shown walking out of court. He wasn’t smiling. His brow was furrowed, as if the trial had been an irritating distraction and he was once again concentrating on projects that lay ahead.

Rhyme ordered the phone to answer. “Yes?”

“Mr. Rhyme?” a woman’s matter-of-fact voice asked.

“That’s right.”

“Commissioner Willis would like to set up a Zoom call. Are you free?”

Another glance between the two of them.

“When?” he asked.

“Now.”

“Send me the link.” He gave his email address.

“Thank you.”

They disconnected.

“What’s up?” Cooper asked.

“No idea.”

“What do you know about Willis?” he asked them both.

Cooper shook his head. Sachs said, “Sally Willis, first deputy commissioner.”

The NYPD has two sides. One, headed by the chief of department, handles criminal investigations. It includes the detective and patrol bureaus. The other is civilian; it takes care of all non-criminal administrative matters. The first deputy commissioner heads this operation.