The Other Path

Chapter 45

"Do you know if Sherrie gave anyone a key?" Kate asks.

Chelsea emphatically shakes her head. "She didn't even want the super to have one. She only agreed because our lease requires it."

"How about boyfriends? Was she dating anyone she might have let in?"

"Not dating exactly, but she liked a new guy at work. They had coffee together a couple of times. But I don't think they went out or anything."

"Where did Sherrie work?"

"At the Ledger. She wanted to move up but was doing the back pages stories, the stuff hardly anyone reads."

"Anything she might have been investigating?" Kate queries.

"Maybe, but nothing big. She was writing about minor court cases. You know, people claiming someone ripped them off, and some neighborhood stuff."

"Did she ever write her articles from the apartment, maybe at night?"

"Not articles. But she was trying to write a book. She said she was basing it on a case that the paper ignored. I don't think she got very far, but when she had time, she was using the Ledger's archives for research."

"Maybe she found something," Kate murmurs. "Besides you, who knew she was researching a book?"

"No one I know of. Sherrie said she was keeping quiet about it. She didn't want to embarrass herself if her research didn't pan out."

"But could someone at work have known? How about the guy she was having coffee with?" Kate presses.

"I don't know," Chelsea admits. "I sell clothes in a boutique. Except for the fashion section, I don't know how things work at the Ledger."

"Do you know the name of Sherrie's coffee guy?"

"Sherrie talked about a Duncan. I'm sorry, I don't know his last name."

"That's OK. You've given me a place to start." Kate takes a card from her jacket pocket. "If you remember anything else, give me a call, day or night."

"All right," Chelsea agrees. "I will."


At hearing Kate's ringtone, Rick grabs for his cell phone. "How goes the hunt for justice?"

"Just starting. Feel like a visit to the Ledger? The victim worked there. You know more members of the press than I do, and journalists might be more inclined to talk to a writer than a cop."

"They'd probably be happier talking to my journalist alter-ego than a writer that one of the Ledger's reviewers described as pure pulp. But still, I do have a few acquaintances there from my bachelor days. I will be happy to assist in any way I can."

"Great. I'll swing by and pick you up in ten minutes."

"I await your appearance."


"So, who's the victim?" Rick asks, settling into the passenger seat of Kate's unit.

"Her name is Sherrie Green."

"Sherrie, really?"

"You know her?"

"Yeah, we've bumped into each other a couple of times at the library. She was also into researching political corruption. At one point, we requested the same source."

"Do you remember what it was?"

Rick's eyebrows rise as he fixes Kate with a look. "Really? You are talking about your husband's factoid-filled brain. Do you think I'd forget a juicy book?"

"OK, so what was it?"

"New York's Criminal Bosses by Stephen Caldwell. Among other things, Caldwell's rumored to be Martin Scorsese's favorite consultant. He worked with Mario Puzo too. The man knows crime."

"So, who got the book?" Kate inquires.

"We both did. But ever the gentleman, I let Sherrie have the Main's copy. I bought one of my own at the used book store in the East Village."

"So you still have it?"

"Sure, it's in my office. You want me to go up and get it?"

"No. Let's visit the Ledger first. But I might need it later."


Metro Chief Kelly Maris' eyes widen in shock. "Sherrie's dead? What happened?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Kate responds.

"Do you know if she was working on anything that would piss someone off?" Rick queries.

"Everything in the paper, even the comics, pisses someone off. But Sherrie wasn't assigned to anything hot button. An electronics store was looking to expand. She was checking out the possible impact on businesses in the area. But as far as I know, most of the neighborhood was in favor of the project."

"How about something she might have been working on for herself?" Rick asks.

"She didn't tell me about anything, but we didn't talk about much except her assignments."

"I understand that she might have talked to someone named Duncan. Do you know who that would be?" Kate inquires.

"Sure, Duncan Fairborough, aka Dunc the Hunk. He's new, an ex-football player turned writer, sports mostly." Kelly points across a sea of desks. "That's him."

With Rick behind her, Kate strides across the cavernous room. "Duncan Fairborough?"

A large blond man with a grin not reaching his eyes, pops from his chair. "That's me. How can I help you?"

"Mr. Fairborough, I'm Detective Beckett. This is Mr. Castle. I understand that you're acquainted with Sherrie Green."

Duncan's gaze darkens almost imperceptively. "Yeah, I know Sherrie. What's the problem? Did she get too many parking tickets?"

"If she did, she won't have to pay them," Rick interjects.

"I'm sorry to have to inform you, Mr. Fairborough, Sherrie's dead," Kate replies softly.

Duncan sinks back in his chair. "Dead. What happened? An accident?"

"I'm afraid she was murdered," Kate answers. "And I believe you're one of the few people she might have talked to about what led to her death."

"Detective, whoever told you that misled you. The only thing Sherrie and I talked about was getting our articles in on time. I've been having a little problem with the submission system around here. She was helping me out. That's all."

"So you don't know anything about a book she was writing?" Rick questions.

"I'm sorry, not a thing."

"What do you think?" Kate asks when she and Rick are out of Duncan's earshot.

"I think he's lying through his implants." Rick declares. "And he's certainly strong enough to have killed Sherrie the way you described."

"But what would be his motive?" Kate wonders.

"I'm willing to bet it was in whatever was on that empty document you said was on Sherrie's computer."

"Well, I've got Tech working on that. And I've got Ryan and Espo trying to track down Sherrie's next of kin. Her roommate Chelsea didn't know anything about Sherrie's family, and Sherrie's emergency contact was Chelsea."

"Which leaves looking more deeply into Duncan Fairborough," Rick concludes.

"And questioning more of Sherrie's co-workers. She might have talked to someone Chelsea or Kelly Maris didn't know about."

"Tell you what," Rick proposes. "I can catch the subway back to the loft. I'll dig into Duncan. Hmm, that has a ring to it. Dig into Duncan. But anyway, I'll check out the jock while you make the rounds here."

"OK," Kate agrees. "Call me if you come up with something."

"Roger that."


Rick puts his feet on his desk with his laptop across his legs. "If you were a halfway decent player, Dunc the Hunk," Rick murmurs, "you should generate plenty of hits. The trick will be getting past your machinations on the field to the interesting stuff." Rick opens his favorite private search engine. "And Castle takes the field. His fingers fly. And he hits! He scores!"