BooksBarbecue
Back The Sorority Murder Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Dedication
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. From the Missing Journal of Candace Swain
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. From the Missing Journal of Candace Swain
  18. Thirteen
  19. Fourteen
  20. Fifteen
  21. From the Missing Journal of Candace Swain
  22. Sixteen
  23. Seventeen
  24. Eighteen
  25. Nineteen
  26. Twenty
  27. Twenty-One
  28. From the Missing Journal of Candace Swain
  29. Twenty-Two
  30. Twenty-Three
  31. Twenty-Four
  32. Twenty-Five
  33. Twenty-Six
  34. Twenty-Seven
  35. Twenty-Eight
  36. Twenty-Nine
  37. Thirty
  38. Thirty-One
  39. Thirty-Two
  40. Thirty-Three
  41. Thirty-Four
  42. From the Missing Journal of Candace Swain
  43. Thirty-Five
  44. Thirty-Six
  45. Thirty-Seven
  46. Thirty-Eight
  47. From the Journal of Candace Swain
  48. Thirty-Nine
  49. Forty
  50. Forty-One
  51. Forty-Two
  52. Forty-Three
  53. Forty-Four
  54. Forty-Five
  55. Forty-Six
  56. Forty-Seven
  57. Letter Found in the Journal of Candace Swain
  58. Forty-Eight
  59. Acknowledgments
  60. Booklist
  61. Excerpt

“I’m Regan Merritt. This is Lucas Vega. We’re looking into the death of Candace Swain for a podcast.”

Her face paled. Alexa would never be able to play poker. As soon as she said her name, Alexa knew who Regan was. She’d clearly listened to the podcast.

Alexa stepped back, cleared her throat. “I—um—yes? I don’t know how I can help you.”

“We’d like to talk to you about Candace Swain from NAU. You knew her.”

“Yes.”

Lucas said, “Were you at the party when Candace disappeared?”

“I don’t understand what you want from me.” Alexa was nervous, her eyes darting, as if looking for an escape. Guilt? Fear? Both?

“May we come in?” Lucas asked. “You’d probably like to sit down.”

“No, I’m sorry, this is my classroom. I can’t have personal business here,” she said firmly.

“Ms. Castillo,” Lucas said, “Regan has been helping me retrace Candace’s steps from after the party until she was found dead. We know she was in Kingman that weekend—her boyfriend said that she often visited a sorority sister who had already graduated. I narrowed down the possibilities, and you’re the most likely from that list. Did you see Candace that weekend?”

“Why?”

“Because I think you know why she disappeared and what she was doing. That will help us figure out what happened to her.”

“I can’t talk to you.”

Regan was watching Alexa carefully as Lucas questioned her. His words were straightforward, and his tone matter-of-fact, not confrontational. But the more questions he asked, the more agitated she became.

“You mean, you won’t talk to us,” Lucas said.

“I don’t know what you want, I don’t know why you’re here, I want you to leave. I’ll call security.”

She hadn’t denied seeing Candace.

Regan said, “Do you know that Taylor James died of an overdose Wednesday night?”

Her eyes widened. She hadn’t known, and she looked terrified.

“Go away. Please. I have nothing to say to you. Nothing. Do not come here again. This is where I work.”

A teacher walking through the courtyard had slowed and was watching them, perhaps picking up on the panic in Alexa’s voice.

Lucas said quietly, “You really need to talk to us, Alexa. I know you’ve listened to the podcast, and my guess is that you’re the one who sent me the anonymous letter about the argument between Taylor and Candace. You gave us Kimberly Foster’s name. We also know that you volunteered with Candace at Sunrise Center. Anyone else we need to talk to? Do you know who killed Candace or just suspect someone other than Abernathy?”