The Other Path

Chapter 15

"Detective Beckett, Castle, you wandered into the wrong lab," Perlmutter asserts. "I'm conducting an autopsy for the Manhattan Borough Homicide Squad."

"We're in the right lab. Kate is now assisting the squad in its investigations," Rick announces proudly.

"That accounts for her presence. What are you doing here?" Perlmutter questions.

"An additional association cannot rend our team asunder," Rick throws back. "I continue as her consultant."

"Which makes two policing organizations showing bad judgment," Perlmutter retorts. "However, we might as well get on with it. Meredith Ramirez was strangled from behind. The killer had large hands and was strong enough to crush the hyoid bone. If his height corresponded with the size of his hands, there's a good chance he would have been breathing on the top of her head. I've sampled her hair for foreign DNA. I've also swabbed her neck. He might have left sweat behind. The partial imprint of a ring suggests he wasn't gloved. When I'm finished with the autopsy, I'll attempt to fume her neck for prints."

"What about the blood on the floor of the garage?" Rick asks.

"It may have come from the killer or be unrelated to the crime," Perlmutter replies. "CSU is analyzing it now."

"Anything about the angle at which she was strangled or the pressure of individual fingers?" Kate inquires. "And can you get anything more on the ring?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary about the fingers. But I may be able to enhance the imprint of the ring."

"Do you have a picture?" Rick asks.

Perlmutter trudges over to his computer and brings up an image. "There. I don't know what you expect to see at this point."

Rick stares at the screen. "You keep saying he. Are you sure the killer's a male?"

"The size and strength of the hands would suggest it. But without DNA, I can't be 100% sure," Perlmutter admits. "Why?"

Rick points. "Do you see what looks like a tiny little star at the corner of the imprint? I think I've seen that before on a ring one of Alexis' girlfriends, Rebecca, wore. She belonged to the Daughters of the North Star. It's a youth group associated with a lodge that believes in some pretty unsettling values. Alexis argued about them with her a lot."

"Values like what?" Kate asks.

"A woman's place is in the home, submission to men, that kind of thing."

"Barefoot and pregnant?" Kate queries.

"I don't think Rebecca was into the barefoot part. She and Alexis went shoe shopping together. As I recall, Alexis brought home quite a haul, although nothing to challenge your collection. Rebecca wasn't empty-handed either. But the pregnant part maybe – after marriage. I suspect that she came from a large family. As I recall, when her mother came to pick Alexis up one time, she drove a ten-seater van."

"Meredith Ramirez was into giving women a step up. If her killer did come from a background like Rebecca's, that could have been a motive," Kate realizes. "According to Roper, the security chief from her company turned over some threatening emails. Supposedly they also went to the FBI. But with the Feebies' backlog, they might still be sitting in a 'to-be-investigated' pile. Or they might have decided to ignore them entirely. Given the possible connection to the North Star, we should get a look at them." Kate pulls out her phone. "I'll get Roper to send them now."


Rick shakes his head over printouts of the emails. "You know, Mother was offered the part of the matriarch in a family that believed in this kind of sh*t. She turned it down, said she couldn't stand having the words come out of her mouth. There's a lot of anger here. Listen. 'You could have been the woman among women, rejoicing in service to men. You had the chance but crushed it under your heel. You don't deserve the life you were granted.' This sounds like someone mad because they can't get laid."

Kate's eyes flash. "Meredith Ramirez may be dead because of feelings like this. They're not funny, Babe."

"I didn't mean to imply that they were. And I'm as serious as you are. So, let's put together what we have. Perlmutter assumed the killer was male because of the size and strength of the hands. We won't know otherwise for sure without DNA results. But the ring suggests a woman, perhaps one with masculine characteristics like big hands. When it comes to choosing a mate, men from North Star would be looking for the conventionally feminine, a mold the killer wouldn't fit. Combined with cultish beliefs, that could spark real fury – enough to kill Ms. Ramirez with her bare hands. But even if our killer is a guy, he could go after her for similar reasons. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to check out the membership of The North Star."

"No, it wouldn't," Kate agrees. "Do you know where we can find them?"

"I don't remember Rebecca mentioning a specific place. But she did show Alexis a website." Rick pulls out his cell. "Googling the North Star excluding its present incarnation as Polaris. Here we go! Lodge of The North Star. It's in the same neighborhood as Heights Software, 177th Street, and Fort Washington. I get the feeling we're going to be spending a lot of time in The Heights."

Kate nudges him with her knee. "I thought we already do."


Rick studies the dome and arched windows of the stone meeting hall. "The North Star built itself quite an impressive edifice. Are you planning to just knock on the door or what?"

"Given their belief system, I don't think I'd receive a positive response. Let's watch the place for a while," Kate suggests, "and see what the traffic in and out looks like."

Rick glances around. "I don't see any nearby parking on the street. But we could see what's going on from an outdoor table at a café I spotted around the corner on our way here."

"You always spot the restaurants," Kate teases.

"I spot potential restrooms. Believe me, as a parent, it becomes second nature. But knowing the location of a good meal doesn't hurt either. So, care to sample the cuisine?"

"Lead the way."

"This is excellent guacamole," Rick judges as he loads a freshly fried tortilla chip. "But I haven't seen anyone come in or out of the North Star Lodge yet. Have you?"

Kate picks up a chip of her own. "No, I haven't. Maybe they use another entrance."

"There's probably one around back," Rick guesses. "I can see a few cars parked there. Wait, it looks like one is pulling in now. What the hell?"

Kate springs off her bench so she can see better. "Those men are dragging that woman out of a car and forcing her towards the building. Let's go!"

"Probable cause if I've ever seen it." Rick slips a twenty-dollar bill under a plate on the table before catching up to Kate. Unfortunately, by the time they make it to the rear entrance, the men and their captive are already inside.

Kate bangs on the locked door. "Police, open up!"

A scowling man in a long robe finally appears. "This is a private fellowship. We don't allow visitors."

"I'm not a visitor," Kate argues. "I saw a woman who appeared to be kidnapped being brought in here. I need to take a look inside."

"The robe-wearer bars her entry with his body. "Unless you have a warrant, you're not coming in."

"Yes, I am," Kate argues. "Any judge in the country would consider what I saw as probable cause."

"I can testify that I saw it too," Rick adds.

"And unless you want me to call in a tactical unit to surround your little club," Kate warns, "I'm coming in now."