“Rachel simply confirmed what we have already been told, then went on to say she should have called the police on Abernathy, and Candace may still be alive. Rachel and Vicky believe he’s guilty. They don’t even question it. Though Rachel said something interesting, that she wouldn’t be surprised if she learned that Taylor had hurt Candace.”

“Hurt? Like, her feelings?”

“Her tone said killed. She just didn’t use the word.”

“Wow.”

“I don’t know what to think, but someone in that sorority knows exactly what happened to Candace Swain, and I’m at the point where I’m more than a little irritated. At the people keeping secrets and at the cops for not digging deeper. Abernathy looks good on the surface, but it doesn’t make sense when you look at everything else.”

Cars started easing up from the front of the school as parents and caregivers picked up the children. When the second of three buses pulled away, Regan and Lucas walked to the school.

If Taylor had lied to the police—or intentionally misled them about the argument—she could have lied about anything. She might have seen Candace during the time she was missing. She might have loaned her a car or money or even driven her somewhere. But why? And when she turned up dead, why wouldn’t Taylor have spoken up? Would someone at the sorority cover up a murder? An accidental death? What would be the motive for remaining silent?

Based on what they knew, Candace’s disappearance was voluntary. She had a prepaid phone and didn’t use her regular cell, which didn’t make sense. Maybe Candace didn’t want anyone to find her.

According to the police report, the phone left in the dorm had contained no information about Candace’s plans.

Regan pushed her questions aside as she and Lucas approached the main entrance. While schools had pretty tight security these days, and visitors had to go through the office to access any of the classrooms, once school was out for the day, the gates were often left open. That was the case here.

It was pretty easy to find Ms. Castillo’s classroom: the rooms were grouped by grade with teacher names on the door. Helpful arrows pointed her to the wing that housed grades one through three. Alexa Castillo’s room was in the far corner.

Through the windows, Regan saw Alexa working at her desk in the empty room. The door was locked so she knocked.

Alexa opened the door but stayed a step back, clearly telling Regan not to invade her space. She was an attractive young woman. Twenty-six, but she looked older, her hair up in a bun, wearing sensible pants and a blouse that was a generation too old for her. Little makeup, with blemish-free light brown skin and long lashes.

“May I help you?” she asked, smiling at first Regan, then at Lucas.