“Because she made it so compelling that Abernathy was guilty. And the girls who spoke to me were genuine about their concerns about him. The campus police had numerous reports. I guess I wanted to believe it was him and he ran because of what he did. But I listened to Lucas’s podcast, and he brought up some good questions that I shouldn’t have easily dismissed—like how Abernathy, a known alcoholic, could have killed her and moved her body without being seen, without leaving evidence. That takes more planning than luck.”

“Did you grab the security cameras from the college?”

“By the time we knew she’d drowned in chlorinated water, the tapes were worthless. The college keeps tapes only thirty days. We had requested the tapes from the weekend of the party and still have those—I’ve gone over them several times. But there is not full coverage. Very few indoor cameras for privacy reasons. Had I known she was seen in the library, I would have requested those tapes, but no one came forward, until now.”

“Buddy, you did what you could with what you had to work with,” Brian said.

“I feel used and manipulated. I met Rachel during the murder investigation.”

Regan had been wondering about that, but didn’t comment.

“I liked her,” Steven said. “She seemed genuine, smart, kind—and I was wrong. If I can date a woman for nearly three years and not know who she really is, that doesn’t make me a good cop.”

“It makes you human,” Regan said.

He frowned.

“Three years is a long time,” Regan said. “Most people get married, move in together, or call it quits.”

“I have a nine-year-old daughter. She comes first in my life, and Rachel understood that. She said she wasn’t ready for a lifetime commitment because she was working on a full professorship and she devoted so much of her time to the sorority, as their advisor. And looking back on it now, it was convenient for me, because I didn’t want a serious relationship, and I enjoyed her company. We were both happy with the arrangement. I admired her career, that she had a life separate from me, and respected my time with Wendy. But she used me. Clear as day now.”

“Where is your daughter?” Regan asked.

“After I talked to my boss this morning, I called my dad and asked if he could take her for the weekend, and I would explain everything later. I didn’t want to call in my regular babysitter, not knowing what was going on with Rachel or what she might do. I can’t see her going after me or my daughter, but as a precaution I didn’t want Wendy in town.”

“I get that,” she said.