The Other Path

Chapter 35

"What are you doing?" Kate asks as Rick scrolls through entries on his phone.

"Checking the more gossipy political blogs. If someone has a very personal grudge against Menkin, it may pop up in these somewhere. Even a privacy-obsessed senator can't get around without someone snapping pictures, listening in, or both. The more some official gets caught with his pants down, the more eager advertisers are to support this sludge."

"Finding anything?"

"Not yet, but we won't be back in the city for an hour. It gives me plenty of time to look. Oh my!"

"Menkin?"

"No. But this one is funny in a sad kind of way. Remember the congressman who launched a tirade all over the media against same-sex marriage?"

"Vaguely. I don't have time to pay attention to that stuff."

"And there are ways I'd much rather waste my time. But for this blog writer, it's bread and butter. And he dug up some old video of congressman tight-ass stumping on the issue." Rick's eyebrows jump. "Well, it turns out that the pol's ass isn't so tight. He rented a hotel room with a young man who was supposedly cleaning his pool. Then the idiot was dumb enough to have his credit card bill come to the house where his wife could see it. She's filed for divorce. The whole affair will probably hit the mainstream media by tonight."

"So what's that got to do with Menkin?" Kate asks.

"Maybe nothing. But he had a yacht with no cameras. And he went to fancy fundraising parties on other yachts. If ever there was an opportunity for hanky panky, that would have been it. You should talk to the grieving widow."

"But she's in DC, isn't she?"

Rick's fingers fly over his phone. "No. According to the latest news feed, she's in New York making arrangements to have his body released. I'm guessing the ME's office will know how to reach her. Want to pull over and call Lanie?"

"Next exit."

"Outstanding! Ooh, there's a Steaky Shakey there. 'You deserve a shake today,' Rick warbles.

Kate giggles. "Yeah. Sure. All right."


Rick hands Kate a large strawberry shake. "Could Lanie tell you anything?"

"She didn't know much for sure. The chief medical examiner's taken over Menkin's case. But she said that security in the building is being upped for later this afternoon. That means a VIP visitor. And Menkin's body is the only one in a drawer that would attract one. If Marion Menkin shows up, we can intercept her."


Leitch barely knocks before entering Loch's office. "I've got the whole campaign laid out. By the time we're through with Noyce, there's no way Lynch will be able to appoint him. And Lynch will be too busy protecting his own ass to do it anyway."

Loch fills two snifters from a brandy decanter and gives one to his visitor. "What are we doing?"

"It's beautiful! The nine o'clock host on FIX, Buck Paulson, will be claiming he has a secret source saying that Noyce was behind Menkin's murder. And he'll have Lana Graham on to speculate that Lynch was in on it because he wanted to replace Menkin. All our regular outlets will pick it up and play clips. And we already have social media accounts in place to echo what Paulson says and build the conspiracy. Then, in a couple of days, Paulson will announce his personal pick for Menkin's seat. He'll challenge Lynch to appoint him to prove he wasn't involved in Menkin's death. The lesbian bitch on MSKKB is going to whine that Paulson made the whole thing up. But none of our people will believe what she spouts anyway. We've got this knocked."

Loch snips the ends off of two cigars and hands one to Leitch. So who is Paulson backing?"

Leitch smirks. "Who do you think?"

"Phizbin?"

"You know it. He's been one of the faithful from the start. Two-thirds of his portfolio is in petroleum. The rest is agribusiness. And the environmentalists gave him a D minus."

"They gave Menkin an F."

"Yeah, Phizbin has a wind turbine on some farmland he owns so he can run off the grid. They gave him credit for that. But he's one of ours all the way. And he'll need our backing to win a special election to stay in his seat. We'll hold all the cards."

"So when is Paulson making his announcement?"

"He's going to do a tribute to Menkin first. Marion's in New York, and he wants to get the widow on the set. But as soon as he's finished with that, he'll slam Noyce and Lynch."

Loch touches his bulbous glass to Leitch's. "That's a show I'll enjoy."


Kate and Rick wait in Lanie's office until the clatter of footsteps heralds the approach of Marion Menkin's entourage. Kate carefully opens the door just as Marion is about to pass. She drops her voice to be as low and gentle as possible. "Excuse me for intruding on you at this time, Ms. Menkin. I'm Detective Kate Beckett. I'm very sorry for your loss, and I'm investigating your husband's murder. I wonder if we could have a few private words?"

Marion looks around nervously. "I suppose we should. I'll help in any way I can. Joe's murderer should get what's coming to him."

"We all want that to happen," Kate agrees. She indicates the door to Lanie's office. "If you don't mind, we can talk in here." As she leads Marion in, Kate nods toward Rick. "This is Mr. Castle. He's a civilian consultant assisting on the case." The three of them take seats around the table Lanie usually uses to suck down Jamba Juice.

"How can I help you, Detective?" Marion inquires.

"I've gathered that your husband was a very private person," Kate explains. "Unfortunately, that means there were no cameras to catch what happened in his final hours. We've checked. His staff kept a schedule of his Senate-related appearances. But we have no record of what he did or who he might have met with during his off-hours. Other than your family, we don't have a handle on who was close to him. So do you have any idea who would have known he'd be on his yacht at the club?"

Marion crosses her arms and leans away from Kate, the tips of her pumps pointing toward the door. "His crew, of course. They always have to know where he's going. And Brian Palfrey. He and Joe went to law school together. They used to meet whenever Joe was in New York. And Joe might have had appointments with supporters. I don't know."

"According to his staff, he didn't," Kate replies gently. "But you've been very helpful, Ms. Menkin. And once again, I'm very sorry for your loss. I'll take you back to your escort now."

So, what do you think?" Rick inquires when Kate returns. "Did she do it?"

"I don't know. But Marion's body language screamed liar. Whether she had anything to do with her husband's death or not, she's hiding something. We need to look deeper into her and her marriage. And we need to check out Brian Palfrey."

"I have an idea about the first part. One of my fellow authors at Black Pawn, Marc Feldshuh, is a political junkie. He researches all kinds of details, including the dirty stuff. Some of them he uses to craft his stories. And I think he digs up others because he enjoys playing in the mud. But either way, if anyone can tell us about the Menkins' private lives, it's Marc."

Kate drums her fingers on the table. "Call him."

A/N I use a book by Pamela Meyer called "Liespotting" for descriptions of deceptive behavior. It's a bit repetitive but helpful.