The Other Path

Chapter 17

Kate points to a woman with a hat covering much of her face, pulling weeds from a patch of tomato plants. "That must be Ahira. From what Leah said about North Star's attitude about women talking to men, I should probably approach her alone."

I'll take a walk," Rick responds, "but you could keep your phone on."

"Yes, I could," Kate agrees. "See you in a bit."

Smiling, Kate approaches the crouching weeder. "Excuse me. I'm looking for Ahira Jones."

Ahira looks up apprehensively. "I'm Ahira. What do you want?"

Kate points to the badge on her belt. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett. Your sister Leah was kidnapped yesterday. I was wondering if you could explain the reasons why North Star felt they had to take her."

As Ahira gets stiffly to her large feet, Kate notices that she also has unusually big hands as well as exaggerated facial features. "They didn't take her. They were trying to shepherd her back to the path of God's will. The police shouldn't have interfered. Was that you? Were you the one who took her from Lot?"

"Your sister was being unlawfully detained. It was my duty to get her out of there," Kate explains. "It would have been the duty of any police officer."

The brim of Ahira's hat bobs as she shakes her head. "We all have a greater duty to God. You damned Leah. And you may have damned yourself as well."

"Leah doesn't think so. She wants to follow her own path."

"Leah was deceived by demons. They whispered in her ear, turned her from the righteous road."

"Are you talking about Meredith Ramirez?" Kate probes.

"She is one of the possessed. But the voice of the demon is silenced. God could still forgive Leah if she finds her way back."

"Ahira, did you kill Meredith Ramirez?" Kate asks.

Ahira's eyes widen as her thickened jaw drops. "Kill her? No! Thou shalt not murder! I keep God's law. I ended the call of the evil one."

Kate drops her voice to a near whisper. "Ahira, Meredith Ramirez is dead."

As Ahira sinks to the ground, Kate takes out her cuffs. "Ahira Jones, You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as I've explained them to you?"

Pain fills Ahira's eyes. "God has already judged me."


"What now?" Rick asks as uniformed officers load Ahira into the back of a squad car.

"I don't know," Kate admits. "After she's booked, we'll get someone in to do a psych eval. She'll need a physical examination too. Leah said her sister was afflicted. There's something wrong with her. Maybe that's part of it. The doctors will have to tell us. And you heard what she said through my phone. I believe she didn't know she killed Meredith Ramirez. I have no idea how the court will handle that. I'm also still waiting for DNA results. Whatever she said to me before I gave her the Miranda could be thrown out. This case could go any which way. Right now, I need to talk to Chief Simmons before the press picks up on any of this."

"They'll be on it fast." Rick figures. "Murder, religion, perhaps with a tinge of sex will be chum for the sharks. Ahira will be under the watchful eyes of the NYPD or the medical establishment. But we'll need to keep Jaws away from Leah, too."

"Right," Kate agrees, "she should be fine in the loft. But at some point, she'll have to testify. Her name will be a matter of public record."

"You know," Rick muses, "Leah may not have been the only kidnapping. Forced weddings have probably been going on for a long time, most likely more than enough for a series on The Learning Channel. And Ahira might not have been the only one who thought she was going after demons. This can of worms could be more like a tank car."

"If there were other murders tied to North Star, that's the kind of thing homicide squads are about," Kate realizes. "But let's get the details of Meredith Ramirez's case tied up. Chief Simmons may decide where we go from there."


Rick's unlocking the door to the loft as a text dings on Kate's cell. "What have you got?"

"DNA results. DNA gathered from Meredith Ramirez's body matches Ahira Jones. So does the blood on the floor. Ahira had a gouge on the front of her leg. A backward kick must have been Meredith's dying defense. I don't know why, but it makes me feel better knowing she tried to fight back."

"She spent her life fighting back," Rick notes. "I doubt she could have gone out any other way. I hope others will keep up that fight."

Kate steps ahead of him into the loft. "Yeah, so do I."

"I made dinner," Leah announces as Rick and Kate walk in.

Rick sniffs. " Brisket? You didn't have to do that. You're our guest. That means we feed you."

"You are. Everything was already here from your Goldstein order. Anyway, I needed to stay busy. I didn't want to think about – anything."

"I can understand that. Many is the time I've buried myself in the kitchen for a respite from the outside world," Rick admits. "But you know, you have help out there. I spoke to someone I know on the board of Heights Software. The company is carrying through with Meredith Ramirez's mission. She already had a scholarship for you on the books. And when you get your degree, you'll still have a job waiting."

"What about my sister?" Leah questions. "What's going to happen to her? She didn't ask to be born into North Star anymore than I did."

"She'll be spending some time at Belleview Hospital," Kate explains. "They'll treat her physically and mentally. The rest will be up to the court. But there's an organization called Compassionate Rescue that helps former cult members. It's already offered her legal representation. So she should get a fair hearing."

Leah sinks shakily into a chair. "I'll still need to live somewhere. And I should get a job for now."

"We'll help you deal with that," Rick promises. "But you've made a great dinner. We should all take the time to enjoy it."

"And then you should get some rest," Kate adds. "It's always easier to see solutions with fresh eyes.


Rick props himself up on his elbow as Kate changes position for the third time in five minutes. "Always easier to see solutions with fresh eyes?"

"That's assuming you can get to sleep first."

"You closed a murder case, your first one with the Homicide Squad. And you exposed an abusive cult. So what's the problem? Too keyed up?"

"Maybe. It's just that there are too many loose ends. If there were other murders as a consequence of the actions of North Star or some other group like it, how do we identify them?"

Rick sits up against the backboard. If I were writing the story – which I won't because I promised Chief Simmons – it would be some of Rook's Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism. He would look into victims' deaths, probably women, who were extending a helping hand to promising young ladies. His first step would be to determine if there were actually any of them out there."

"That would be the first step," Kate agrees. "And since we've solved Meredith's murder, I may have some time to do the research."

"I wonder if the Homicide Squad has a cold case file," Rick ponders.

Kate punches her pillow into shape. "First thing in the morning, I'm going to find out."