The Sorority Murder (Regan Merritt, #1)(25)

“This is a roundabout way of saying that the evidence is only as good as the questions the police ask—and who they ask. I would suggest your listeners look at their calendars, schedules, social-media posts from the week of April 12 three years ago. It’s easy to check your memories, see what you posted, who you were with. What were you doing? Do you recall seeing Candace? If so, when and where? In the age of social media where people document their lives online, it’s likely someone saw Candace and just didn’t think anything of it.”

Lucas asked, “In your experience, knowing what you know about this case—that Candace didn’t go to classes, that no one in the sorority saw her, that she left her phone and her car behind—would she be able to avoid detection?”

“In the short term? Yes. Is eight days short-term? I would say probably yes. In the case of a private citizen, not wanted by law enforcement, it’s easier to disappear for a few days. Human beings are complex, but they are also predictable. Most people can’t go completely off the grid for longer than a week. People need people. They also need shelter, food. It’s possible to disappear, but it’s rare for both psychological and practical reasons.”

Lucas said, “Two people have come forward to say that they saw Candace after she left the party. Two people who were not interviewed by the police, so the police were unable to fully trace her steps and—maybe—find out what happened to her.”

Regan replied, “People lie to the police all the time for a variety of reasons. Sometimes lack of trust in authorities, sometimes because they’re hiding something. But unless someone lied to police, if they know something, they should come forward now with confidence that they won’t get in trouble. Someone killed Candace Swain. Her family deserves to know what happened.”

“Someone killed Candace,” Lucas repeated. “And someone also moved her body.”

He let that sit there for a moment, then said, “As I reported on the first two podcast episodes, Candace Swain was strangled, but her cause of death was by drowning. She was found in Hope Springs Lake on the Hope Centennial Golf Course.

“The autopsy was thorough, and full toxicology screens were taken. This means Candace’s body was tested for both legal and illegal drugs, the contents of her stomach were analyzed, as was the water in her lungs. The water she drowned in was highly chlorinated. The golf maintenance staff told me that the lake is not chlorinated. My theory is that Candace drowned in a swimming pool, and her body was dumped in the lake to destroy evidence.”

Regan didn’t say anything. Lucas motioned to Lizzy through the window, then said, “Chrissy Swain wants to know what happened to her sister.”

Chrissy’s voice came through the speakers. “The police told me that Candace drowned. They said her body may have been moved to the lake, and they were investigating all possible scenarios. Then silence. Nothing. I called at first every week and then monthly and...well, it just got to be so frustrating to hear they had no new information. Her boyfriends were cleared, they had alibis, and the police believed that a homeless man killed her, panicked, and just...just threw her body in the lake. He disappeared, and they have been looking for him. But after nearly three years, they haven’t found him? It makes no sense.”

Lucas said, “One theory posited by the local media, and not discounted by the Flagstaff Police Department, is that Candace disappeared for a reason completely unrelated to her murder. What do you think about that theory, Ms. Merritt?”

“I don’t have all the information that the police have, but I think it would be unusual—definitely coincidental, if true. She left, but she didn’t take her car? It seems odd—unless someone else was with her, someone who hasn’t come forward.”

Lizzy signaled that there was a caller.

“We have a caller,” Lucas said as he pressed a button on the phone. “This is Lucas Vega with Regan Merritt. You have a comment? Did you see Candace?”

“I’m not comfortable giving my name,” said a male voice. He sounded like he was trying to disguise his voice by talking soft and low. “Candace wasn’t a saint. Maybe you should look into her other life. Her lies and manipulation and sneaking around.”

The caller hung up.

Lucas seemed surprised. When he didn’t immediately speak, Regan said, “It’s difficult to take a caller seriously when they drop a bombshell about a double life without providing details or context as to why they believe that a victim might have had secrets. It reeks of slander and sour grapes.”

“Still,” Lucas said, “is it possible Candace was involved in something unethical or illegal?”

“That is conjecture as well,” Regan said. “Nothing in any report indicates that Candace was involved in anything illegal.”

“Nothing in the public police reports,” Lucas countered.

The way the anonymous caller had spoken, the fact that he was male, the bitterness he couldn’t hide... Regan suspected he might have been in a relationship with Candace. Richie Traverton? Tyler Diaz? An unknown third boyfriend? Definitely possible.

Maybe the killer.

No, she was fairly certain whoever killed Candace wouldn’t call in to the podcast. He’d gotten away with murder for three years. He might not be in town, might not even know about the podcast. If he was listening, the only reason he would call would be if Lucas had stumbled onto something close to the truth and the killer wanted to obfuscate the situation. Still, Regan thought that was unlikely. Someone who thought he was free and clear wasn’t going to do anything to rock the boat. And a podcast couldn’t arrest them and send them to prison.