“Lucas hasn’t implied that Candace was in any way to blame for what happened to her, and there’s no victim-shaming going on. I listened to each episode twice, and heard nothing to suggest it. If anything, he was more than a little respectful. As you probably know, too often when a woman ends up dead, it’s a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend that’s involved. The fact that Candace had two boyfriends, whether or not they knew of the other, is logical for the police to pursue.”

“See? It doesn’t do her reputation any good, and she’s not here to stand up for herself.”

“That’s not what I said, or what I meant.”

“And if she had two boyfriends, who cares?” Rachel continued as if Regan hadn’t spoken. “No one should pass moral judgment on her, but people do, even when they didn’t know her or know how wonderful she was. And the talk about the disagreement at the sorority’s spring party—it makes it sound so much worse than it actually was.”

“Were you there?”

“For a while.”

“You were the sorority advisor when Candace disappeared?”

“Yes, but I don’t live at the sorority. I was a Sigma Rho alumna, so I was thrilled to take on the role. The value of a sorority—the relationships, the support, the future connections—cannot be taken lightly. To help guide these amazing young women through college and on to the next stage of their lives, I feel both blessed and lucky.”

She sounded like she was selling the sorority to Regan, but that was probably par for the course. A lot of clubs had that rah-rah attitude. But there was a lot of truth to what she was saying: any organization that had a common, uniting element—like Greek Life—often helped graduates find jobs down the road, making connections that benefited their members.

“How well did you know Candace?”

“I—well, can I be honest with you?”

Odd question. “Of course.”

“I invited you to talk about the podcast, but I don’t want anything I say to be used on the podcast, out of respect for the young women I advise. What I really want is for you to understand how the podcast is distressing them.”

“So you said. They are upset and feel that Candace and their sorority have been treated unfairly.”

“Not so much unfairly, but bringing up negative stuff hurts the reputation of the sorority, as well as the girls emotionally. Some of them were friends with Candace, and even those who weren’t want to remember Candace in the best possible light. And there was so much good that she did in her life. You know that she regularly volunteered at a homeless shelter downtown. Yet it was that good heart that may have gotten her killed.”

“I’m aware of the situation with Mr. Abernathy.”