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“Alex Armstrong. I work for Lancaster and Jordan. Jacqueline Jordan asked that I work with you on a few things before you and Jacqueline meet with the police later this week.”
“Yeah, come on in,” Matthew said.
Alex walked into the small, college-esque apartment, which was made up of two bedrooms, a living area, and a kitchen. She set the folder she was carrying onto the kitchen table and sat down.
“You want something to drink?” Matthew asked. “Coffee’s still hot.”
Alex glanced at the coffeemaker, a standard Mr. Coffee drip brewer whose glass pot was stained a filthy brown.
“I’m good, thanks.”
Matthew sat across from her.
“A girl named Laura McAllister is missing,” Alex said. “The police want to know if you’re involved.”
Matthew nodded. “Yeah.”
“You and Laura were dating?”
“Yeah.”
“First things first. Did you have anything to do with Laura’s disappearance?”
“No.”
“We’re going to be diving into some specific details about the weekend. If you’re lying it’s going to hinder Lancaster and Jordan’s ability to defend you.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Okay,” Alex said. “My job is to prove it.”
“How do you do that?”
“Lots of ways. The first thing we have to do is produce a rock-solid alibi, and then confirm that alibi with proof.”
Alex opened the brief Jacqueline Jordan had given her. It contained the details of “The Matthew Claymore Case,” as it was now referred to at the offices of Lancaster & Jordan.
“First, you’re going to tell me about Laura. Here’s what I know,” Alex said. “Laura McAllister was reported missing by her parents on Sunday afternoon. According to our sources, the last time anyone saw her was Friday evening. That person was Laura’s roommate, who told police that Laura was on her way to the university’s recording studio to finish a project she’d been working on. No one’s seen her since. Does this match what you know?”
Matthew nodded. “Yeah.”
“Did Laura have enemies? Is it reasonable to think that something has happened to her, or is it more likely she up and left for some reason?”
Matthew bobbed his head back and forth. “I mean, I guess either is possible. Laura was getting ready to drop an episode for her show, and there was a lot of controversy around it. Did Ms. Jordan tell you about it?”
“The Scoop. Yes, it’s in the brief.”
Alex knew all about Laura McAllister, her radio program, and her social medial platform that boasted over a million followers. Jacqueline had briefed her on the situation and Alex had spent an hour poring through the details of the preliminary file her boss had put together.
“Okay,” Matthew continued. “So even though Laura was trying to keep a lid on the rape story she was working on, rumors started going around campus. And then, you know, after the press conference by Duncan Chadwick’s dad, things have been really crazy around school for the last week or so.”
“Crazy how?”
“Crazy with rumors about what Laura was about to reveal. Rumors about who the girls were who were raped and which fraternity members were involved. People were freaking out. Also, Laura told me that the school was putting pressure on her.”
“The school?” Alex asked.
“McCormack University is . . . well, the school is prestigious. It’s sort of the alternative to the Ivy Leagues, and it attracts students whose parents are wealthy and powerful. Laura, from what little she told me about her investigation, had confirmed that a fraternity had used a date-rape drug at one of their parties. There’s a police record filed by one of the girls who was raped. Laura’s story was not only going to highlight this one incidence of sexual abuse, but point to past issues that the university had swept under the rug. Laura said McCormack was more interested in maintaining its pristine reputation and keeping its alumni happy and proud so the steady stream of donations continued to pour in each year. The school has an endowment that rivals Harvard’s, and Laura was going to accuse McCormack of taking any and all measures to protect it, including keeping a story about rape on its campus quiet.”
