The Sorority Murder (Regan Merritt, #1)(66)

“I don’t have a parking pass.”

She pointed to a sticker on his rear window.

“That’s just so I can park in the student lots cheaper, as a commuter student.”

“The university keeps records. Trust me, for someone who has accessed the university system, it’s not difficult to find info—especially for a staff member or student who works in one of the administrative offices.”

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Young’s number. It took him a few rings to answer.

“Young.”

“It’s Regan Merritt.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Possibly. Can I meet you at the station?”

“I’m off duty. It’s dinnertime. What’s this about?”

“Lucas Vega has received two vague warnings connected to his podcast, which the note writer wants him to stop. They are not overtly threatening, but I think you should be made aware of the situation.”

“Duly noted. Drop the notes at the station to my attention, and I’ll see if there’s anything similar in the system, do an analysis of the notes. I don’t know how fast I can get it done—are they direct threats to harm him?”

“No threat of violence, but it’s implied.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

“Thanks, Steven,” she said and ended the call. She needed to keep on his good side because she had a feeling they might need him sooner rather than later.

Regan added the note to the same large plastic envelope as the first, which was still in her truck. “I’m going to follow you to your apartment, Lucas,” she said. “Make sure everything is kosher inside, then go home. Tomorrow what time do you need to be on campus?”

“I don’t have any classes on Fridays. I’m going to the studio about an hour before the show. We air at seven on Friday.”

“I’ll pick you up at your apartment at five thirty. Can you stay inside for the day?”

“Why? I mean, these notes don’t mean anything. They just want to scare me.”

“We don’t know what they will or will not do, but you need to be cautious. Promise?”

After Regan made sure that Lucas’s apartment was secure, she dropped the notes off at the police station in a large envelope labeled with Young’s name, then left town for her dad’s house. It was nearly eight. He was listening to sports news on the television while reading a book on World War II.

“I ordered out for pizza,” he said. “Enough for both of us. Should be here in twenty, thirty minutes.”

“Late for dinner.”

“I suspect you didn’t eat.” He put his book down and smiled.

“All in a day’s work. Do you mind if I use your office for a bit?”

“You don’t have to ask.”

She felt she did. This had been her home growing up, and she still thought of it as her home, but it was mostly her dad’s place now. He had done so many things to make it his space.

She was going to have to think about finding her own place. She just didn’t know where and wasn’t even sure what she wanted: staying here, heading down to Phoenix closer to her brother JT and sister, Bri, or someplace completely different. If she didn’t know what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, and if she didn’t have a plan, how could she put down roots?

She pushed all that aside and sat at her dad’s desk. She had a laptop, but she preferred her dad’s larger screen and faster computer. Plus he had a dedicated phone line for the internet, since the Wi-Fi connection wasn’t strong.

She pulled up her email. Lucas had in fact sent her not only everything he’d found on Alexa Castillo—which wasn’t much—he also had information about Kimberly Foster, Vicky Ryan, and others.

He was right in that Alexa Castillo didn’t have any social-media profiles, but if she was a teacher, Regan knew how to dig around and find her. It took a while—her dad brought her two slices of pizza and a beer—but through a series of education links and news articles, she learned that Alexa taught second grade at one of the three elementary schools in Flagstaff. Prior, she’d done a year of student teaching in her hometown of Kingman. Which meant she would have been in Kingman when Candace was seen there three years ago.

Is that who Candace had met with?

Likely, Regan thought. Very likely.

She couldn’t find a phone number for Alexa, but she had the school name, and tomorrow was Friday. Regan would track her down at work. If Alexa could confirm their suspicions, she might also know exactly what had been going on with Candace that week.

Regan had created her own timeline of events based on what Lucas had started. She wondered why someone would leave a second note less than twenty-four hours after the first one. To make sure he got the message? To underscore the threat?

Her phone rang. She glanced at the screen: Rachel Wagner.

“Merritt.”

“Hi, Regan, it’s Rachel Wagner. I sent you a message earlier. I wanted to make sure you got it.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t respond. What time is good for you and Vicky?”

“Anytime tomorrow. I only have a class in the late morning, and I have office hours after lunch. So either before my class starts at eleven or after two.”

Regan wanted to talk to Alexa right when school got out, so she said, “Morning would be better.”