20. A Stitch in Time

Complete story — includes the ending

Debunker Garrison Boyd is killed. Boyd accused real estate developer Collin Eisley of trying to scare a woman into selling a beach house, as she was hearing unusual noises. This was actually the result of tunneling from a neighbor's house. The tunnel's target is Ruby, the world's fastest transatlantic internet cable. Ruby feeds certain investment firms. The digger is Nadim Al-Haj, an Iraqi man. Nadim eventually torches his apartment to destroy evidence and flees. Data went into a device there and came out intact, but with a delay of 4 milliseconds. Those firms had an advantage, as they received data milliseconds earlier than rivals, enough time for computer transactions. Eisley's blind trust is managed by a firm whose computer servers are not there. Eisley hired Nadim to splice in the device to flip the time advantage in favor of his investment company. After Nadim killed Boyd, Eisley paid him with a Picasso to stay quiet. The Picasso has been reported as stolen, rendering it unsellable, so Nadim will eventually make a deal with the authorities. Eisley is encouraged to do the same. Meanwhile, Hannah Gregson asks Joan to help with a case.