Page 121 of Not Quite Dead Yet

‘He was the one who called me, in the middle of the night,’ Dad said, a yellow tinge to his skin but gray under the eyes, betraying his lack of sleep. ‘He won’t leave the scene. Been there all night. Your mom took him some breakfast, but he won’t leave. Just staring at it.’

‘Don’t know why,’ Dianne sniffed, a self-conscious glance back at Billy and Gerry, at the non-Masons in earshot.

‘I do,’ Jet said, taking Luke’s side, even though she couldn’t remember the last time he took hers. ‘All his dreams, gone up in smoke. Literally.’

Jet studied her dad’s face for any sign of the truth. Because the company was never going to be Luke’s anyway, whether it burned down or not.

He didn’t react, only Dianne did, pressing her fingers to her temples. ‘I’ve got such a headache.’

Jet rolled her eyes. ‘I’m sure it’s worse than mine too.’

‘What did they ask you?’ Dad hissed, hand to his kidneys again. ‘Is it related? Was it something to do with JJ? He has a brother, doesn’t he? Do you think –’

‘– I don’t know anything,’ Jet cut across him. ‘Maybe it was the same person who killed me, maybe it was someone else.’

‘Well, Gerry might be able to help with that,’ Dianne said curtly, bringing him in.

Gerry rose to his feet, Jet’s eyes snapping to him. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked the room, waiting for the answer, because it was a waiting room after all.

‘Don’t know about that.’ Gerry shuffled over. ‘It’s justOwen. He was flying his drone last night. Heard the sirens, got curious.’

Fuck, ithadbeen a drone Jet saw, against the whirling column of smoke. But had the drone seen them back? Jet caught Billy again, over Gerry’s shoulder.

‘Oh,’ she said, that mock-surprise back in her eyes, plastered over the shock. ‘Did he manage to record anything?’

Gerry inhaled. ‘The building was already collapsed by the time he got it there, only just beat the fire department. Couldn’t see a lot through the smoke.’ He paused. ‘We’ve watched it a few times, can’t see anything important, nobody coming or going. But maybe the police will spot something we can’t see. I’ve got the footage, thought it might be helpful.’

Toofucking helpful, fuck sake, Gerry.

‘Thank you,’ Jet said, clearing her throat. ‘But the footage doesn’t show anybody, right? Who might have started the fire?’

‘Not that I can see.’

So, Billy and Jet were in the clear, but so was whoever tried to burn them to death, and no leads as to who it could have been. Only JJ was ruled out, and the two of them.

‘I know,’ Gerry said. He must have read her face as disappointment. ‘But I think I know who did this.’

Everyone in the room turned to him, waiting again.

Jet and Billy waited a little harder.

‘Yes?’ Jet snapped, spooling her left hand impatiently.

Gerry glanced over at Dianne.

‘Dianne, did you tell the cops? About the cat thing?’

Dianne sparked back into life, running a hand through her hair, taking her right arm for granted.

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ she said, almost a laugh, but it hissed too much around the edges. ‘Nothing to do with that.’

‘You sure?’ Gerry asked. ‘Someone says they hate MasonConstruction, and your family. Threatens you. And now the premises get burned down.’

‘That was a long time ago, Gerry. It was just a prank. It’s not relevant.’

‘What’s he talking about?’ Jet’s eyes zeroed in on her mom. ‘Mom?’

‘Oh, it’s nothing, Jet.’