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Ann knew her.” Her eyes bugged out as she read. “She was strangled? How terrible!”
     
    Unable to stand it any longer, I angled the stack so I could see the article.
     
Police Search for Motive in Coed’s Murder
     
On Thursday the public memorial for Kerry Stanton drew hundreds of mourners to the USC campus. The murder of this popular student and community activist has many questioning why she was targeted.
     
Stanton ’s body was found in the park adjoining the Theta Pi sorority house last Saturday morning. An autopsy confirmed she’d been sexually assaulted before she was strangled. The coroner would not confirm whether the scarf found at the scene was the murder weapon.
     
Police have not ruled out Stanton ’s acquaintances as possible suspects, but friends of the victim continue to refute this possibility. “Kerry didn’t have any enemies. She went out of her way to help everyone she met,” said Theta Pi president Janice…
     
    “Ann and Mitch went to her funeral. She was in one of Ann’s classes or something. I didn’t know she was murdered—how awful.” Beth let go of the papers and hugged herself. “Ann said she was really nice. I can’t imagine what her folks must be going through.”
     
    “That’s too bad,” I mumbled. I knew exactly what they were feeling, and bad didn’t come close to covering it. At a loss for words, I slid the papers onto the back seat.
     
    Beth buckled up. “It really is. It would’ve been nice to meet just one girl down here who wasn’t stuck on herself.”
     
    I eyed my friend. “I thought you liked Ann.”
     
    “Oh, I do,” she said quickly. “Other than her. I meant her friends. They are…less than welcoming.”
     
    The purple people eaters. I finally got her reference to the lavender-adorned bridesmaids. “Tricia and her groupies?” I guessed.
     
    Beth pointed to the right when we got to the street. “Yeah. You thought Tricia was bad when she came up to the barbecue in Santa Lucia last month? She was Hannah Montana compared to what she’s like in her natural environment. Even Ann apologized for her snotty attitude a couple of times. Just this morning I was ready to shove a bouquet down Tricia’s throat.”
     
    I had to cover my mouth. No one had been surprised Tricia didn’t get along with me, but pissing off Beth? That took some seriously bitchy talent.
     
    “Why?”
     
    Beth shook out her sweater and refolded it. “She wanted me to hold an umbrella over her between photos, for Pete’s sake. ‘The sun’s too bright. It’s making my eyes water,’” she said with a nasal whine.
     
    “Did you?” I coughed.
     
    “Absolutely not! I’m not a slave girl.”
     
    Luckily we’d stopped at an intersection, because I couldn’t hold back the laughter any longer.
     
    “It’s not funny, Melissa!”
     
    “No, it’s—” I choked on another giggle “—not.” I couldn’t avoid getting smacked on the shoulder. “ Ow !”
     
    “She makes me want to spit. To H-E-double hockey sticks with her,” Beth muttered, drawing another poorly disguised laugh from me.
     
    Rather than risk another beating, I changed the subject. “So, what did Mitch think of the note?”
     
    Beth blew her bangs out of the way. “He was more interested in your message than Ann’s, actually.” She sighed, her anger dissipating into a small smile. “Mitch really did look like he was going to be sick for a while. When I told him you were ready to put him on the ground if he didn’t pull himself together, he perked up. So did Jason, actually.”
     
    The car lurched forward. “ Jason did?” I hadn’t thought about Beth telling him who I was. Did he already know?
     
    “Oh yeah. Before I left, I heard him asking Mitch all about you—what you looked like, did you have a date, where were you staying—but Mitch completely ignored him. Jason got pretty irritated.” She shifted so she was facing me. “What was that all about?”
     
    “I have no