The Steel Kiss (Lincoln Rhyme 12)

Sachs explained about her clandestine meeting with the reporter, who broke the story that some companies were hesitant, for financial reasons, to go offline to upgrade their cloud servers with the new CIR security updates.

Sellitto gave a sour look. "Whatever. But that ain't it. Sorry, Amelia. It's Madino."

Rhyme recalled. The captain from the 84th Precinct, who'd convened the Shooting Team after Sachs had shot a round into the escalator motor to save Greg Frommer's life.

"Turns out

there were some reporters got on the case."

"And he told me they went away."

"Well, they didn't go very far. It's a big deal now, police firing weapons."

"At unarmed kids, yeah," Rhyme snapped. "Not at industrial machinery."

Sellitto held up two palms. "Please, Linc. I'm the messenger is all."

Rhyme recalled his exchange with Sachs a few days ago.

As long as there're no reporters trying to make their careers with stories on cops shooting guns in malls, I'll be cool.

I don't think that's much of a journalistic subspecialty...

It had seemed funny at the time.

Sachs said, "Go on."

"The reporters, they kept at him about what happened, who was involved. They threatened to go over his head."

She smirked. "And he was afraid that'd jeopardize his plush new office in One PP if he didn't throw me to the wolves."

"In a nutshell, yep."

"Bottom line?" she muttered.

"Three months, no pay. Sorry, Amelia. I gotta do the weapon and shield thing. Just like the fucking movies." He appeared genuinely disgusted by the whole affair.

A sigh, then she handed them over. "I'll fight it. Talk to the PBA lawyer."

"You can. Sure." His tone was like quicksand.

She eyed him closely. "But?"

"My advice. Take the wrist slap and move on. Madino could make it bad for you."

"I'll make it bad for him."

Silence for a moment. Then the reality of NYPD politics--well, every governmental body's politics--appeared to seep in, and a look of resignation stilled her face.

Sellitto continued, "Everybody'll forget about it in a few months. You'll be back on track. You fight, it'll drag out. Make more press. They do not want that. Could sideline you for a long time. You know how the system works, Amelia."

Rhyme said contemptuously, "This is bullshit, Lon."

"I know it, you know it, they know it. The difference is they don't care."

She said, "But we've got the Griffith/Morgan case to wrap up."

"Effective immediately."