“And you’re here now because…?” Fred asked quietly.

Joe smiled despite himself. “Because my squad already knows all this, because I just met with James Hendrix but had nothing to tell him, and because I wanted you to know that I’m still fighting the fight.”

“Joe,” Fred said. “We got Trevor Buttner for Angie. Your guy Kunkle tied the bow on that. It was a job well done and totally justifies creating the task force, which is not that big a deal anyhow. Not only that, but you’ve brought Scooter’s very cold case a little closer to the heat, regardless of where it leads. From my perspective, from ICAC’s perspective, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Some success is better than none, and most sex cases in my experience are dicey to start with. More often than not, there’s always a lack of proof early on.”

Joe sat back down. “Thanks.”

“So why else are you here?” Fred continued. “Sure as hell nobody has ever confused me with a wailing wall. I’m not that good a listener.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Joe argued, admitting, “but you are right. I want to talk about Seamus Kyle.”

“What about him?”

“That’s my question,” Joe replied, producing a copy of the picture snapped of Kyle on Shaw’s doorstep. “Who is he? Where did he come from? How long has he been associated with Shaw? If we’re right about Shaw’s popping up everywhere not being pure coincidence, then I’m thinking he can’t be acting alone. Lucy was either a co-conspirator or a witness, theoretically. Now she’s gone and we suddenly have Kyle. A replacement for Lucy? A benchwarmer who’s been moved into Lucy’s spot?

“Here’s what’s rattling around my head,” Joe kept going. “If you’re up to no good, the best way to beat nosy people like us is to create good camouflage. You set up phony alibis, you create false identities, you hire people off the books to work for you. You do not commit a crime and then cover it up. You reverse the pattern—you only commit the crime once the cover’s been created.”

“Until you get surprised by something out of left field,” Fred said, studying the photo. “Like Kalfus stealing your car.”

“Or a witness thinking he saw Shaw grab a kid in Boston,” Joe agreed. “But here’s the catch: you make a habit of this sleight of hand. Whether you’re up to something or not, you’ve always got a fallback story. All the time. You make it a norm.”

That caught Fred’s attention. “What’re you saying?”

“The strip club. If Shaw’s into kidnapping boys of a certain age and making them disappear, what’s he doing staring at third-ranked adult female strippers in rural New England? What’s that do for a dedicated pedophile?”

“You’re saying he’s been laying down a false trail all along,” Fred stated.

“Believable, wouldn’t you say?” Joe responded. “You hear about men with multiple families, like that CBS reporter who broadcast from the road all the time, or Charles Lindbergh. Why not someone with a secret criminal life? He moves back and forth between them, each one having a complete cover story.”