Page 169 of Not Quite Dead Yet

‘Jet, stop!’ He was crying now too.

She couldn’t stop. One thing led to another, sliding into place. Drums when she blinked, harder, faster.

‘You knew about the foundations going in the next morning, because Sophia told you about it at the fair. Told you how important this project was to Luke. You knew about the concrete.’

‘Please, Jet, you know me,’ he cried. ‘I didn’t know about that hammer, that it came from here. I swear to you. We can work this out together.’

‘We already did that, this whole week! And you were probably pushing me to look at anybody else but you!’

‘Jet, stop! I would never hurt you, you know that, you do. Why would I hurt you?’

Jet cried, trapped it inside her hand, closed her eyes and listened to the drums.

‘Because … because you knew my dad wasn’t going toleave the company to Luke, if I was alive. You live next door to Andrew; he could have told you about Nell Jankowski anytime. And if Luke had the company, then you could extort him for money –’

‘– Jet, stop! None of this is true! You know me. It’s me, Billy!’

‘Because you knew that Luke killed Emily when we were kids. You’re the one who told me about it. You already knew, just pretended you only half remembered. If Luke had the company, you could threaten him about Emily, get whatever you wanted.’

‘Jet!’

Billy stepped forward and Jet stepped back, toward the coffee table.

‘Or maybe you did it because you knew it was me who made your mom go away. Maybe that’s why.’

‘Jet, please!’

‘Or maybe it’s because I don’t – didn’t – because I didn’t –’

– A thunderclap.

Not in the sky, in her head, out of nowhere, now everywhere.

A pain worse than hellfire and cracking skulls.

Everything else just practice, for this moment here.

A hurt beyond words, beyond nightmares.

Jet screamed.

She screamed.

One hand to her head but what could that do – it was all coming undone.

She screamed.

‘Jet!’

She bent double, all that pain, too much to hold up, her neck stiffening.

‘No!’ she screamed. ‘It’s too soon!’

The world tilted, finally threw her off.

Jet’s legs gave way, too weak.

She crashed sideways into the coffee table, caught herself.