The Other Path
Chapter 23
"I think I found our suspect," Rick calls across the bullpen.
"You think?" Kate queries.
"Come have a look at this Dana's entry and see what you think," Rick suggests.
Leaning on Rick's shoulder, Kate studies the image on his screen. The yearbook shot shows a picture of a student with short hair, and as far as Kate can tell, no makeup. The activities listed under the photo include the Math Team, Science Fiction Club, Computer Club, and Lunchroom Squad. "Lunchroom Squad?" Kate wonders. "Dana must have been desperate for service points."
"Or if David had lunch a different period, it might have been a chance for them to see each other," Rick speculates. "And everything else matches up perfectly. The only question is Dana Fletcher's gender. I would have expected her or him to aim for MIT or Cal Tech. But according to this, she or he got a Regents Scholarship. Using it would have meant going to college in-state. And even then, it wouldn't go very far. Offhand, I don't know which New York School has the best computer science department – or which one wouldn't break a family bank."
"Those little factoids never inserted themselves into your brain?" Kate teases.
"I never needed to know for a story and didn't even think about it when I chose a school for myself. I was more interested in who used actual working writers to teach the profession. And, of course, Alexis insisted on doing all her own research on colleges. So do you know?"
"It never came up for me either," Kate admits, "but I bet Tori would."
A flicker of a smile tugs at Tori's typically serious expression. "I'm surprised you don't know the best computer school, Castle, with Alexis going there. It's Columbia. But if someone couldn't shell out for high tuition, the best choice would be Baruch College, that's part of CUNY."
"Which would have put our mystery student in the heart of Manhattan." Rick grins at Kate. "Ready to schmooze a registrar?"
"I'll leave schmoozing to you. But we've got enough to make Dana a person of interest. If Markway's in a good mood, he'll give us a court order to access her records. At least we can find out male or female."
Kate studies a printout of Dana Lee Fletcher's record at Baruch. While her middle name isn't much of a clue, the basic data at the top of the first page is. Dana is definitely a woman and a brilliant one at that. She graduated summa cum laude with the only flaw in her GPA, a physical education class. From what Kate can tell, Dana didn't choose any easy courses either. A company like Apple or Google would have been happy to scoop her up, but the address the school has for her is in the city, not far from the Palomar building. It's very expensive real estate. To afford it, Dana must have swung a very well-paying job somewhere a lot closer than Silicon Valley. There's no Dana Fletcher on Palomar's employee roster, but the Big Apple would offer no shortage of possibilities.
Still, where Dana works is probably irrelevant. She should be easy enough to find at her home. And if she isn't there, a stakeout will be straightforward. Kate has Dana's photos both from Baruch and the DMV.
Rick checks the time on his phone. "It's midnight. At least the building is well-lit, so we can see her coming. But she could be one of those coders who works all night living on pizza and high on Mountain Dew."
"It's possible," Kate allows. "If you're tired, you should go home. But if Dana works all night, I will too. The phenotype CSU got from the DNA in the tunnel is a pretty good match to her picture and the information on her license. If she's our killer, I'm not about to take the chance of losing her."
"If you're staying, so is your faithful partner," Rick declares. "Oh, wait! Who's that going in now?"
Kate picks up a pair of folding binoculars. "I think that's her. Let's go!"
Dana is just inserting her key to the inner door in the building's entry when Kate and Rick catch up. Kate holds up her badge. "Ms. Fletcher, I need to talk to you."
The color fades from Dana's already pale face, but she squares her shoulders. "I've been working 16 hours straight, and I'm tired. Can't whatever you want to ask me wait until morning?"
"No, it can't," Kate insists.
The muscles on Dana's jaw pop. "What do you want to talk about?"
"David Palomar."
"I haven't seen David since we were at Bronx Science together. That was years ago."
"We have evidence that says otherwise," Kate insists. "Would you care to try again?"
Dana presses her lips together, staring silently ahead.
"Fine," Kate responds, grabbing her handcuffs from her waistband. "You have the right to avoid self-incrimination. But I have the right to do this. Turn around. Dana Fletcher, you are under arrest on suspicion of homicide."
Rick gazes at the 48-inch monitor displaying the interior of the Manhattan Homicide Squad Headquarters interrogation room. "This is a few steps up from a one-way mirror. But I can't knock on it to get your attention."
"Simmons isn't sure yet about letting you in on interviews here. But if something urgent pops up, you can text me," Kate suggests.
Rick watches as Dana nervously surveys her surroundings. "I'm surprised she hasn't asked for a lawyer."
"She would have had to talk to do that. And the guard on the holding cell here told me she didn't say a word all night. Apparently, the only time she opened her mouth was to get her cheek swabbed during processing. And she wasn't too pleased to do that."
"So, you think she's going to talk to you now?" Rick asks.
"I don't know. But I have to give it a shot. And if CSU matches her DNA to what they found on the handrail in the hidden staircase, we've got her, whether she says anything or not."
Kate takes a seat opposite Dana. The table is metal like the one at the 12th but with fewer scratches. The heavy chairs don't creak as much as the ones at the 12th either. But a bluish-gray substitutes for the bright blue on the walls Kate's become accustomed to. And, of course, there's no mirror. She knows Rick is watching, but it's harder to feel his presence.
Dana sits almost motionless, her eyes on empty space as if watching some inner movie. Kate looks straight into Dana's face before beginning. "It won't be long now. The lab's running your DNA. But that will only confirm what we already know. There are hidden passages throughout the Palomar building. One of them leads directly to David's office. Only two people were in it. One of them was David. The other was a woman, and I'm pretty sure that woman was you. And whoever killed David came from that passage. That leaves only one possibility. You don't have to tell me anything. But if you wait until I have conclusive proof in front of me, it will be all over.
"Now I know you and David were friends. So what could have happened? What could he have done to push you to end his life? It must have been something heartrending. If you tell me, I'll understand. I could even make a district attorney understand."
Dana's eyes flame. "You don't understand anything. No one knew how David felt – no one but me."
