Chapter 7
"Not real well," Kennedy said. "But she seemed like a really great girl. We wouldn't have given her a bid otherwise. We don't give bids to losers.”
"When was the last time Gabby was at the sorority house?” I asked.
Kennedy shrugged. "I don't know.”
"Was there a function last Friday night?”
Kennedy shifted. "You'd have to ask Rachel. She handles all of that stuff.”
"Who's Rachel?”
"The chapter president.”
"Is she here? I'd like to speak to her.”
Kennedy hesitated a moment. "Hang on. I'll see if I can find her.”
She closed the door and didn't invite us in.
JD and I exchanged a look.
Kennedy returned a few moments later and made an exaggerated frown. "She's not here right now, but I can have her call you.”
I reached into my pocket and handed her a card. "That would be great." Then I added, "Listen, do you know of anyone who might have wanted to harm Gabby?”
Her lips scrunched up. "I really don’t. Like I said, I didn't know her all that well. We had so many girls in the pledge class this year. I didn't get to spend as much time with potential new members as I would have liked.” Her eyes narrowed at Jack. “Hey, you’re that guy who plays in that band.”
Jack smiled. “I am.”
“Cool,” she said. Then the thought vanished.
I thanked her for her cooperation.
Kennedy closed the door, and we strolled the walkway back to the Porsche.
"Something's kinda funny about all this," JD muttered.
I called Isabella and asked her to track Rachel's phone. With a few taps of the keys, she told me it was at the sorority house. It was possible that Rachel could have left her phone behind while she stepped out. But it made me suspicious.
Isabella said, "There are two Austins on campus who share a class with Gabby.” She told me both their names, and I looked up their social media profiles. After I ended the call, I texted images of both men to Tiffany and asked her to tell me which one had harassed Gabby.
She messaged me back a few minutes later and picked Austin Grant. [That's him!]
[Are you sure?]
[I'm positive.]
We left the Porsche at the sorority house and walked across campus to find Joshua Morris in Pembroke Hall. He was in the middle of a lecture.
We slipped into the back of the auditorium and took a seat.
With theatrical seating, a large projection screen, and a state-of-the-art sound system, the classroom was the pinnacle of higher education.
Vanden spared no expense when it came to their AV department, and that was reflected in tuition.
The school wasn't cheap, and admission wasn't easy.
"Today we’re going to talk about social conformity," Joshua said.
"We all conform to societal norms to some degree.
But what happens when society goes off the rails?
Throughout history, we've seen tyrannical groups adopt extremist behaviors.
It seems unfathomable, but the average person probably isn't that far from becoming a tyrant.”
“Talk to my ex,” some dude shouted.
The students laughed.
“Is anyone here familiar with the Stanford Prison Experiment?” Joshua asked.
A few people raised their hands.
"In 1971, Phillip Zimbardo at Stanford recruited 24 male college students who were randomly assigned to role-play either prisoners or guards.
A mock prison was built. Inmates were given uniforms and numbers and put in cells—some in solitary confinement.
The experiment had to be stopped after only six days.
Six days," he said for emphasis. "That's how long it took for the guards to become authoritarian and abusive.
They stripped prisoners, forced them to engage in grueling exercise, kept them sleep deprived, taunted them, humiliated them, and brought the prisoners to the verge of emotional breakdown.
Prisoners became dehumanized." He paused for dramatic effect.
"These were ordinary college students. Just like you. But in the span of six days, they were capable of vile things. Why is that? What is it about group dynamics that causes people to treat others as inferior?”
A student raised his hand. "Because people suck!"
The crowd laughed again.
"We see this kind of behavior play out on campus all the time. Fraternities and sororities create exclusive groups. New members are often seen as less than human until their final initiation. Wherever there are groups, people will find a way to stratify themselves."
The bell rang, and the students sprang from their seats, ready to escape the lecture hall.
"I want you to read chapter 7 and be fully familiar with the concepts. There may be a quiz on Wednesday.” By his tone, there was definitely a quiz on Wednesday.
When the auditorium cleared, JD and I made our way down the steps to the podium. I displayed my badge as I approached. "Joshua Morris, Deputy Wild with Coconut County. This is my partner, Jack Donovan."
Concern flashed in his eyes.
"You've no doubt heard about the demise of Gabby Templeton?”