“What do you mean?”
“Well, the victim volunteered there, and the suspect often stayed there. If I were planning a murder, having a guy with a habit of stalking sorority girls take the fall for me would be a big plus.”
And that was one reason she loved her dad. He thought anyone was capable of a crime, under the right circumstances. She hadn’t even considered the idea that someone at Sunrise might be involved, but it might explain why Abernathy had disappeared.
Still, it seemed far-fetched. Why would the director cooperate with Lucas for his podcast if she had something to do with Candace’s murder? It seemed...odd.
Yet, people often behaved in ways that confused Regan.
It was definitely something to think about.
Regan’s dad had already left when Lucas arrived.
“I really like your place here,” he said, looking out the picture windows at the trees and Humphreys Peak looming in the north. “You’re, like, in the middle of nowhere, but only twenty minutes from downtown.”
“Best of all worlds,” she said. Peaceful. Beautiful. Now that she was back she didn’t know if she would leave again.
“Only thing I don’t like about this area is the snow,” he said.
“It doesn’t snow that much.”
“More than enough.”
“I hope you don’t have to miss a class,” she said. “I know the last semester can be demanding.”
“I only have two classes this semester, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and they’re both pretty easy, to be honest. My capstone is taking most of my time.”
The capstone for a Criminology and Criminal Justice degree didn’t involve any physical classes, but a lot of research, writing, and regular meetings with an advisor were required. If you didn’t do it, or slacked off, it could mean the difference between graduating or not. But most advisors worked hard with their seniors to ensure they at least passed.
“I can’t believe you convinced Annie to speak to us.”
“To me,” Regan corrected. “I appealed to her desire for justice, but she made it clear that she was irritated that you’d repeatedly called her. She mentioned harassment.”
“I called too many times, I know, but I really wanted to talk to her. She was Candace’s roommate. I had Chrissy on board, and the Sunrise director, and even the campus police talked to me. I thought that having that support would convince her. Every time I got another interview, I called her. I shouldn’t have.”
“Live and learn,” she said.
They went into her dad’s office—a room he’d built on after she had moved to the East Coast. A wall of windows, built-in bookshelves, a potbellied stove in the corner, and her grandfather’s antique desk that her dad had refinished. A couple of leather chairs and a small table completed the comfortable room. Lucas looked around and his eyes widened when he saw the stuffed black bear in the corner. “Is that real?”
“It is.” In addition to the bear, there was the head of a pronghorn mounted on one wall, and the largest fish her dad had ever caught, a forty-two-pound rainbow trout, above his desk. Not world-record size, but close. A mountain lion head, a javelina head—they were nasty creatures. “Don’t let them intimidate you. There’s a story behind each one. My brother and dad go hunting every year, if they can get tags. I prefer pheasant to big game, but I was with my dad when he caught that fish. I don’t know if I ever saw him more excited in my life.”
She sat at the desk and motioned for Lucas to take one of the chairs. “I’ll put her on speaker, but don’t talk, okay?” she said. “If you have anything you want me to ask, write it down. I think we’ll get more information this way.”
Lucas agreed.
Regan called Annie at their prearranged time. She answered on the second ring. “Hello, Annie Johnston? This is Regan Merritt.”
“Yes. I’ve been waiting—but you’re right on time. I guess I’m nervous.”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” Regan assured her. “As I told you in my message yesterday, I graduated from NAU, and as a favor to my college advisor, I’m helping Lucas Vega with his podcast, which seeks to solve the murder of Candace Swain.”
“After you reached out yesterday, my boyfriend and I listened to all the episodes. I guess—well, I didn’t believe Lucas when he told me he had Candace’s sister helping. I thought he was lying to get me to talk to him. But I still don’t want to call into the podcast. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing.”
“That’s okay. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me now. You should know that I plan to share whatever you tell me with Lucas,” Regan said, glancing over at him as he sat rigid in the chair across from her.
“I’m fine with that. Sigma Rho, my sorority, sent out an email six, seven weeks ago telling all alumnae that a student was doing a podcast about Candace and her murder and that they had voted not to participate. It made sense when I read it—the idea that the podcast would sensationalize her murder, that we didn’t know whether Candace’s name would be dragged through the mud, or the sorority itself, and the idea that this is better a matter for the police. But then, when I listened to the podcast, while a few things seemed a little over the top, I thought he did a good job being fair to both the sorority and Candace.”