6. Ill Tidings

Complete story — includes the ending

A chef and several patrons are poisoned after dining on foie gras containing snake venom. The diners were all members of the IAO group, the Internet's first line of defense. The sole survivor, a vegetarian, says that there are many more defenses, as well as replacements for his deceased colleagues. A video is released, claiming credit for the poisoning and threatening to target the New York Stock Exchange. The NYSE shuts down operations for a security check by outside experts, allowing the heist of three paintings worth $60 million. Sherlock has an art forger create copies of the stolen works, and their "recovery" is reported in the media. From darknet chatter claiming the recovery was faked, a robber – one of the security experts who checked the NYSE system – is identified, but turns up dead, bitten by a coastal taipan. His murderous partner is a cook who worked for the chef. The cook took the precaution of injecting himself with small doses of the venom to build up an immunity, so he could "milk" the taipan; this proved a wise move, as he was bitten, though it later proved to be his undoing as well.