The Sorority Murder (Regan Merritt, #1)(67)

“Ten? Is that good? My office. I’ll ask Vicky to meet us there.”

“Ten. Thanks.”

She ended the call, put her work aside, and went out to the kitchen to finish her pizza with her dad. They ate in silence for a few minutes. They’d eaten a lot of pizza in their lives, but Regan never grew tired of it.

“Lucas got another note today, almost identical to the first,” she said as she grabbed her third slice. Her dad was like her: they both loved their pizza loaded. All the meat, all the veggies, the more toppings the better. Made it messy, but there was nothing better.

“Did you talk to Young?”

“Yes. I dropped off the threatening notes at the station on my way home.”

“If the notes are from the killer, it means he is within listening distance of the station.”

“Not necessarily,” she said. “He could be streaming or listening to the podcasts after the fact.”

“Except that someone personally delivered the notes.”

True, she thought.

“I wonder if he’s tipping his hand,” her dad continued. “Since he’s remained at large all this time, silence would be the smarter move.”

“Criminals are not always smart. And the notes may not be from the killer.”

“Then, why would they want to shut Lucas up? Whoever is trying to intimidate him doesn’t want the truth to come out.”

“That, or someone in the sorority doesn’t like the podcast because she thinks it makes them look bad, or someone’s messing with him.”

“Do you believe that? It’s a joke?”

“No. I think—well, I don’t know, to be honest. I was leaning toward someone at Sigma Rho. The current sorority as a whole doesn’t want the podcast aired. They closed ranks and won’t talk to him. I had that confirmed by an alumna who got a message from the sorority suggesting that no one speak to him, and from a current sister who wanted to give us information but not use her name. But I’m meeting with the president tomorrow, and I’m hoping to get more answers. The veiled threat feels more like someone who isn’t going to act on it, but I can’t be certain.”

“Any idea who wrote the anonymous letter?”

“No. I have an idea, but I need to confirm it. It was someone who attended the party, an alumna. They want the truth exposed, but don’t want to be the one who talks.”

“Loyalty in Greek Life is both good and bad, same with us in law enforcement.”

She drained her beer and got up to retrieve a water bottle. The sausage on the pizza was spicy, just the way she liked it.

“I’ll listen to the podcast tomorrow, see what you come up with.”

“Do that. And if you think I need to go in a different direction, text me.”

“I’ve been thinking,” her dad said.

She started to clean up. She didn’t want to know what her dad was thinking, not with the tone he had.

“Listen,” he said.

“Dad—”

“No, listen, Regan Marie. You’re a grown woman, and you can make your own decisions. I understand not wanting to go back to the Marshals Service. And I like having you around. We’re both adults, and I know you don’t want to live under my roof forever. I want you to consider Granddad’s apartment, above the barn. It’s structurally sound and wouldn’t take too much money to remodel the space, put in new appliances, paint it, do whatever you want. If you live there for a few months or for years, I don’t care, but you’d have your own space. For you—not so much for me. Like I said, I like having you here.”

That was the last thing she’d expected from him. She thought he was going to push the security job with his friend, or encourage her to apply for the sheriff’s department or something...but the apartment?

“I like being here,” she admitted. “Can I think about it?”

“Of course. No rush. Just wanted you to know that it’s there if you want it.”

She finished cleaning up and put the last two pieces of pizza in a baggie for breakfast.

Then she sat back down and said, “I think Lucas has a personal reason for pursuing this podcast. I just can’t figure out what it is. It was just an odd comment he made the other day that I’ve been twisting around in my mind.”

“Have you looked at his background? Didn’t you say his brother was in the police academy?”

“Phoenix. I know a bit about his family. He hasn’t lost anyone to violence. Two sisters in high school, older brother, single mom. I had the sense that the father just left or they divorced and he doesn’t see his dad. Mom is a nurse, which might be a psychological reason for Lucas’s obsession with the Candace Swain murder.” She paused, considered maybe a friend...extended family...neighbors. She asked her dad, “Do you remember any other murders on campus?”

“NAU is pretty safe,” said the retired sheriff. “There was a tragic shooting—alcohol-related—that ended up with a plea deal and manslaughter charge. It started off campus. Rape is the number-one violent crime, and my guess is that the majority of those cases involve alcohol.”

“That doesn’t make it justified.”

“No,” he said, “but it makes it a lot harder to get a clean prosecution.”