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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

“According to media reports that came out the week Candace was missing,” Lucas said, “the police were looking for a homeless transient named Joseph Abernathy because of accusations by the sorority—not just Sigma Rho, but several other sororities that shared the Mountain View dorms—that Abernathy had been hanging around the dorm harassing the women and making them uncomfortable. According to the NAUPD crime reports, campus police removed an unnamed homeless man twice, once for loitering and once for public urination.

“If you were at the party, did you see Mr. Abernathy or anyone who fits his description? He is described in the press as an ‘unkempt forty-eight-year-old transient with long graying dark hair and untrimmed beard.’ He is six feet four inches tall and approximately one hundred eighty pounds.”

Lucas paused, as if waiting to take a call, but there was no call, and he continued. “Taylor James, the Sigma Rho president, told police that Candace had confronted Joseph Abernathy outside the dorm at the beginning of the party and asked him to leave. According to Taylor, their later argument was in part about whether they should have called the police on him. Adam Carroll, the community relations officer for NAUPD, explains what students should do in these situations.”

A male voice came on. “Our department recommends that if anyone on campus makes you uncomfortable, to call the office or use one of the blue-light emergency phones that have a direct line to our dispatch. One of the strengths of NAU is that we are an open campus in the middle of town, and we welcome community members to share our resources and trails and to attend our concerts and sporting events. But this can also become a drawback because some people don’t obey the rules. It is better to be safe and contact us than try and deal with a potentially violent individual on your own.”

Lucas said, “Officer Carroll also confirmed, because NAUPD makes all reports public, that there had been multiple complaints about Mr. Abernathy, and after the last time he was removed, he was told he would be arrested if he returned.

“We need your help to retrace Candace Swain’s steps. She disappeared Friday night, just after midnight, at the Spring Fling party three years ago. She was last seen talking to Taylor James when she walked off, apparently angry. Did you see her that night? Did you see Candace at any time in the days before her body was found? Did you see her Sunday night, late, in the dorms when her card key was used? Call in and share what you know.”

Chrissy’s voice came back on. “I just want to know what happened to my sister. I want to know who killed her. I want to know why.”

Lucas said, “If we can re-create Candace Swain’s steps, we might just solve the Sorority Murder.”

Five