The Sorority Murder (Regan Merritt, #1)(87)

“Why did she steal the Sunrise Center truck? Why not take her car?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because she didn’t think her little VW Bug could get up into the mountains. Some of those mines are really remote. She would have to park and hike in.”

That made sense. Regan asked, “What about Adele’s car in New Mexico?”

“After they put her body in the mine, they drove to Gallup and left her car there, making it seem like she’d gotten into an accident. Came back to campus as if nothing happened and left for winter break. When they heard that Adele was missing, they pretended to be shocked. I’m so sorry I never said anything before, but when Candace was killed, I was terrified that if I said anything, I would be next. I didn’t have any firsthand information or proof, and I couldn’t even swear that Adele was at Rachel’s apartment because I don’t remember anything from that night. When Candace died, I was six months pregnant, and all I could think about was my daughter being raised without me. Am I going to jail? Are they going to arrest me?”

“No,” Regan said. She highly doubted that anyone would prosecute Alexa. First, there was no proof that she had been involved, and her story was credible. She didn’t remember anything from that night and only knew about it because Candace told her three years later. Unless the police could catch Alexa in a lie, Regan didn’t think any DA would take the case.

And now, Regan knew where Candace had gone on Tuesday after she had left the library. She’d “borrowed” the Sunrise Center truck and driven to Payson. It was nearly a three-hour drive from campus. It could have taken her days to inspect all the mines in the area. Then she returned, either because she’d found proof or...didn’t find anything.

Alexa said, “She documented everything.”

“What do you mean, documented?”

“In her journal. She wrote down everything that she remembered about the night Adele died, and she wrote down everything that happened at the Spring Fling.”

“Her roommate told me about her journal, but the police never found it, and her family doesn’t have it.”

“She hid it. Rachel Wagner had become the Sigma Rho advisor that year, the year after I graduated, and Candace didn’t trust her because of what had happened to Adele. So she bought one of those prepaid flip phones, and she kept her journal in the library where no one would find it.”

Hope grew, just a little bit. “Do you know where?”

Alexa shook her head. “She never told me. Only that the chances of anyone checking out the book she had hollowed out to hide the journal were next to zero.”

Mateo spoke up. “Do these people at the sorority, the ones responsible for Adele’s death, know that Candace sought Alexa’s help? Do they know who she is? Are they going to come after her?”

“No, but they do know that Alexa was there when Adele died, and they might think she knows what happened.”

Alexa turned her head, buried it in her boyfriend’s shoulder. Mateo said, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you or Bella, honey. I promise.”

“I’d suggest that if there is a way to leave town for a couple of days, you do it. Just as a precaution.” But Regan was torn about what to do. Talk to Detective Young...or find the answers herself.

“You can’t tell anyone about me,” Alexa said. “Please don’t. I haven’t participated in Sigma Rho alumnae events since I graduated. I don’t fill out surveys. I never told them where I was working or living. If Rachel finds out...”

“Right now, I can keep your confidence, but you may need to talk to the police later. I can help with the process. I’ve worked with a lot of witnesses, and I haven’t lost one.”

“But you’re no longer a marshal,” Mateo said pointedly.

“I have lots of friends who are. I won’t reveal your name without talking to you first, okay? But I am going to look for Candace’s journal. Your name might be in it.” After tonight, Regan absolutely didn’t believe that Taylor had died of an accidental overdose. Either she killed herself out of guilt, or Rachel Wagner killed her to keep her quiet.

Maybe Rachel thought Taylor was Lucas’s anonymous letter writer, which would explain why she felt the need to kill her and why Taylor’s computer was missing.

Mateo said, “Baby, I’ll take you and Bella to my parents’ house this weekend. We’ll be safe there, and we can stay as long as we need to.” He turned to Regan. “You’ll call when you know anything, okay?”

“I will.”



Thirty-Seven


Vicky spent the entire evening trying to keep her sorority sisters happy. Now she finally understood what her mother always used to tell her: “You can’t make all the people happy all the time.”

She never liked that adage because she’d worked so hard for years to make sure that everyone was listened to, that everyone had a voice, that people were happy. And she’d done a terrific job of it.

But now people were complaining or worried.

Why would someone in the sorority disguise their voice and call in to the podcast? Why wouldn’t they bring the information to the council and let them decide as a group?

Vicky just felt sick about the whole thing. Maybe she was wrong, and she should have let Sigma Rho participate in the podcast. But she was so certain that creep had killed Candace. It made sense at the time, and it had really freaked everyone out—as well as Vicky. No one wants to see an old drunk pull out his junk and take a leak. And that’s what the police thought, too. They just couldn’t find him.