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“Who did you say you work for?”
“A law firm. Lancaster and Jordan.”
It was a vague answer and the girl seemed to accept it. Even if she wanted to ask more questions, Alex didn’t give her a chance.
“When was the last time you saw Laura McAllister?”
“Last week. The police already asked me about it.”
“Do you remember the day, exactly?”
“Thursday. We were working on something for The Scoop. That’s her show. She does a radio show for the student body.”
“Yes, that’s what I want to talk with you about. I’m trying to figure out how serious Laura’s story was.”
“How did you get my name?” Ashley asked.
From her discussions with Matthew, Alex knew the vibe on campus since the Chadwicks’ press conference included a sense of foreboding. And since news of Laura’s disappearance had trickled into the headlines, McCormack University had been populated with reporters and media. Alex would have to be honest about what she needed if she hoped to get this girl’s cooperation.
“My firm is representing Matthew Claymore. Do you know him?”
“Yeah, he’s Laura’s boyfriend.”
“In the work I’m doing for Matthew, I started looking into the details of Laura’s story. I know you were the one who tipped Laura off, and I need to know if Matthew was part of the story Laura was working on. If he had any involvement in the allegations of rape on McCormack’s campus.”
“Matthew? No, his name never even came up.”
A sense of relief flashed through her and tingled her fingertips. Alex had worked on cases before where the innocence of her client was less certain. It was always easier to fully commit to a case when she was confident she was working for an innocent person’s freedom.
“When you saw Laura last week, where was it?”
“At the recording studio.”
“For something with her story?”
“Yes. I was finishing the interview Laura was doing with me. She needed a few clarifications and then she said she was going to do some voice-over edits.”
“What was your role in Laura’s story? You tipped her off about what might have been going on at the Delta Chi fraternity. How much did you know?”
“A lot.”
“Do you know who was involved?”
“I know one of them, yes.”
“Who?”
Ashley paused. Alex could tell that the girl was having trouble determining how much to reveal.
“Listen, Ashley, I know I’m just some strange woman who knocked on your door. But trust me when I tell you that even though my firm is representing Matthew Claymore, I have Laura’s best interest in mind. I need to know as much as I can about Laura’s story. Anything that helps me figure out what happened to Laura will also help me make sure Matthew doesn’t get falsely accused of something he had no part of.”
There was another gap of silence.
“I need your help here, Ashley.”
“I told Laura everything I knew. She did the rest of the work to confirm it.”
“Tell me what you told Laura.”
