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

“Call me Rachel, please. I hope you don’t mind that I tracked you down. Henry Clarkson kindly gave me your contact information.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I was hoping we could meet?”

“About?”

“Lucas Vega’s podcast, of course. I listened last night and was surprised that you agreed to talk to that student. I want to share with you how his project is affecting the girls here at Sigma Rho and my growing frustration with Lucas. I won’t take much of your time.”

“I’m happy to meet.” She wanted to talk to Taylor first. “Later this afternoon?”

“I’m an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and am done with class at four this afternoon. Can you do four thirty, my office? I’ll text you the location. Or I can meet you somewhere else if you like.”

“Your office is fine,” she said. “I’ll see you then.”

That was fortuitous. She wanted to talk to the sorority advisor, and now she had an appointment. Rachel Wagner’s assessment of these girls would be helpful. According to the notes that Regan had reviewed last night at Lucas’s place, Rachel had taken over as faculty advisor the fall before Candace’s murder.

Regan hoped she could convince Rachel to encourage the girls to call in to the podcast, especially those who had known Candace, but she would approach the subject carefully. She understood the need to protect the sorority, but she would not tolerate protecting it over bringing Candace’s killer to justice.

Fifteen

Taylor James lived in a run-down neighborhood not far off Highway 17 south of Flagstaff, distinguished by winding streets and tall pines. Some of the small, mostly prefab homes were caged in by sagging chain-link fencing, but most were separated from their neighbors by trees rather than fences. Several of these dilapidated houses sat right on the road, others were far back, hidden behind overgrown brush and trees—a fire hazard waiting to happen. RVs and campers proliferated, unused and sagging alongside rusted cars in front yards as well as backyards. A few homeowners kept their houses up, bright spots in a depressed neighborhood.

Taylor’s rented house was tiny with a sloping roof and peeling paint. Clearly, the landlord hadn’t put any money into the place recently. Tall pines grew out front, almost obscuring the door. No sidewalk and no lawn, just packed earth littered with pine needles. An older sedan was parked behind the house in a detached carport. Taylor’s closest neighbor had a truck up on jacks in the driveway, but based on the weeds growing underneath, it looked like it had been out of commission for a while.

Regan parked kitty-corner to Taylor’s house and crossed the quiet street. While the neighborhood might be struggling, she inhaled fresh, crisp air, reminding Regan of everything she loved about northern Arizona.