“Candace was our most reliable and dedicated volunteer,” Willa—by her voice, older—said. “We are a low-overhead organization that relies on volunteers and donations for much of what we do. She served food, talked to our guests as people, not problems. She assisted our volunteer doctor in our weekly clinic. Her murder hit us all hard. The world is poorer without Candace in it.”

Lucas said, “Candace Swain had everything going for her. Education, a commitment to public service, family, friends. She was on the verge of graduation when she disappeared shortly after midnight as the Sigma Rho Spring Fling was winding down.

“No one realized Candace was missing, until her roommate, Annie, called campus police late Monday afternoon.”

Regan half expected audio of Annie at that point, but instead, Lucas continued.

“According to the police report, the last person who spoke to Candace was her fellow sorority sister Taylor James. Several people reported that Candace and Taylor had been arguing, but according to Taylor, they were having ‘a stupid disagreement’ and it wasn’t an ‘actual argument.’ She said to police, and I quote, ‘Candace got angry and stormed off. She did that sometimes when she was losing an argument, but she never held grudges. Neither do I. I expected to see her later.’

“Taylor and a small group of people she was with were the last to see Candace alive as the Spring Fling was breaking up. Just over a week later, on the morning of Sunday, April 19, Candace’s body was found in Hope Springs Lake, a man-made lake in the middle of Hope Centennial Golf Course.”

John said, “Over a week? That’s a long time.”

Regan concurred. “It’s the primary reason I agreed to listen to the podcast and consider going on his program. According to Lucas, she was dead less than twenty-four hours. That should be easy information to verify.”

“Hmm.”

Her dad was thinking. He was one of the smartest cops she knew.

Chrissy’s voice came back. “My mom called me Tuesday. She said not to worry, it was likely a misunderstanding, but Candace left campus Friday night and hadn’t returned. She asked if Candy had called me. She hadn’t.”

Lucas said, “When Annie returned to campus late Sunday night, she didn’t think twice about Candace not being in the room because she often stayed out late or over with a boyfriend. It wasn’t until Monday afternoon when Annie came back from class and tried to call her roommate that she found her phone in their dorm room, on the charger, with dozens of missed calls. That is when she called NAUPD, the campus police.”

Regan thought that Lucas did a decent job recounting the initial missing-person investigation, from Annie’s growing concern to contacting campus police to the delayed call to Flagstaff PD when campus police determined she hadn’t returned home—something that often happened in the college experience.