Chapter 16
CHAPTER
Jordyn
Present
BY THE TIME Jordyn rejoined the book club members at Congress Park, the festive atmosphere had kicked up a notch.
The group congregated in a cobblestone area around one of the park’s fountains.
Kaitlin and Destiny were engaged in a friendly argument over the correct moves for some kind of line dance, while Brad monopolized Mei’s attention as he related the long and convoluted storyline of a sci-fi thriller he’d just finished.
Fatima and Sophie were discussing the odds their daughters’ lacrosse team would make it to the state finals, while also critiquing which of the student athletes had the most difficult parents.
If Jordyn hadn’t had an agenda tonight, she would have joined the dance discussion since she happened to have watched a handful of TikTok videos on that very subject last spring.
But single-minded in her mission, she joined Sophie and Fatima instead.
Sophie had proven the most difficult book club member to get to know.
And no matter that Gina Vallot had pulled into the front runner position in Jordyn’s suspicions about Tara’s death, Sophie remained high on her list too.
That meant Jordyn had work to do.
“When does the lacrosse season start?” she asked, hoping to insert herself into the discussion.
The Witch Walk revelers were thinning out in the park, but a small group held a drum circle nearby, providing a backdrop of thumping and chanting.
“The season never stops,” Fatima informed her at the same time Sophie said, “Late winter.”
“Ah. I’m not much of an athlete, so I give them a lot of credit for keeping up with a sport.
” Jordyn tugged her black scarf closer as a cold breeze chilled her.
“But I’ve been meaning to ask you about the next book club.
Do guests typically bring dishes to share? Or should I just come armed with wine?”
Sophie waved to someone walking past before answering. Jordyn wondered if it was another parent of school-aged kids, since Fatima stepped away to speak to the couple.
“No need to contribute anything at all. I’ll have everything covered. The costume assignments were all generated at random by the company that created the murder mystery game. Even I won’t know who is coming as what character.”
“Oh really?” Jordyn had opened the email with her costume assignment two days before and had spent half an hour trying to find the right clothes for her character, who was described as a “nerdy scientist.” “I’ve never played a game like this.”
“This will be a first for me, too.” Sophie gestured with her hands, spreading her fingers in a show of innocence. “I wasn’t sure how it would go over with the book club, but everyone is excited about the idea.”
“I am, too,” Jordyn enthused, even as she privately marveled at the way women like Sophie seemed to take praise and admiration as their due.
Jordyn hadn’t really dealt with a Queen Bee personality since her days in the occasional foster group home where the reigning characters were tough and streetwise as opposed to wealthy and privileged.
Yet there were similarities. Both liked having their egos stroked.
But Jordyn wasn’t here for that. “You’re not worried that the murder aspect will be triggering for some of the members?
What with Halloween being the anniversary of your friend’s death? ”
Sophie’s attention was focused on the couple still speaking to Fatima, so Jordyn didn’t have the benefit of witnessing her reaction head-on. But even in profile view, she could see the slight narrowing of Sophie’s gaze before her expression cleared. Then she turned to face Jordyn.
“I think it will be an act of self-care for us to spend the evening together, distracting one another from our grief.” The woman seemed to take Jordyn’s measure anew, reassessing her.
Wondering, perhaps, if she could disinvite her?
Jordyn decided to dial it back.
“I’m sure you’re right. As an only child, I didn’t have anyone to grieve with when my mom passed. I’ll bet it is comforting to have a friend group to share memories with.”
If she had feared Sophie might ask her questions about her mother or her personal background, she needn’t have worried, because Sophie merely gave an imperious nod. Affirming Jordyn’s opinion while maintaining distance.
“I should probably find Luke—” Sophie began.
“What was she like?” Jordyn blurted over the other woman’s words, unwilling to end the interaction just yet. “Your friend Tara?”
Sophie peered at her silently, as if trying to decide whether or not to dignify the question with an answer.
In the quiet between them, Jordyn heard the drum circle slowing their rhythm.
Nearby, an event tram rolled to a stop to ferry pedestrians back to parking lots.
Closer to them, Destiny and Kaitlin were now demonstrating line dance moves for Brad and Mei, who clapped their approval.
“She was a beautiful soul,” Sophie said finally, holding Jordyn’s gaze. “That rare friend who has a generous heart and absolutely no agenda.”
The words sounded so sincere, so truly reflective of Tara’s character, that for a moment Jordyn couldn’t even reply. A pang of loss clutched at her chest.
“I had a friend like that once. I felt fortunate to have her in my life, even though it was only for a short time,” she said, her throat closing with grief.
She felt a pain she couldn’t quite push through.
Regardless, Jordyn suspected she wouldn’t obtain any more information from Sophie this evening.
Clearly, she wasn’t the sort of woman who shared confidences more easily after a few drinks.
Sophie Durand exuded icy control at a time Jordyn struggled to blink away the threat of tears.
A burst of laughter interrupted their strange stare-off, and Kaitlin ambled over to link an arm through Sophie’s.
“Are you ready to head back, Soph?” Kaitlin had pulled off the red wig she’d been wearing earlier, and she spun it on one finger like a top, her movements loose and a little wobbly. “Mei said Nikolai will be our designated driver. He’s just up the street.”
“That sounds good since Luke seems to have disappeared.” Sophie’s face remained a mask. Her tone even.
Did she have any clue what her husband got up to when he vanished on occasions like this?
“Gina never came back either,” Brad remarked blithely, tugging off his David Bowie glitter wig. He ran his fingers through his own hair before he winked at Jordyn as if they shared a secret. “I wonder why?”
His musings could have been lost in a sudden exchange of hugs as the group broke up for the night. But Jordyn hadn’t missed the words, and she would bet that Sophie hadn’t either.
Clearly Brad got his jabs in where he could.
“Did you need a ride?” Brad asked Jordyn, while the rest of them followed Mei toward her husband’s waiting vehicle.
Traffic was already thinning out on the access road around the park. They’d stayed later than most of the revelers, or maybe the hardcore partiers had moved onto the bars.
“No thanks. I’m in the parking garage. How about you?”
“I rode my bicycle.” He pointed in the opposite direction of where she was headed. “But I’m happy to walk with you—”
“That’s okay. I’ll be fine.” She would keep one eye out for sightings of Gina or Luke on her way back. “I’ll see you at book club?”
He was already backing away toward the bike stand. “I wouldn’t miss it. Something tells me this next meeting is going to be full of fireworks.”
Was it her imagination or had his grin seemed momentarily vengeful?
Alone again, Jordyn was glad for the time to think through what she’d learned tonight as she retraced her steps back up Broadway. Brad had more of an edge than she’d realized. If he still nursed a grudge against Sophie, had he been equally angry with Tara?
As for Sophie, no matter what glowing admiration the woman expressed about Tara, her aspect hadn’t matched the words. Maybe that had more to do with the fact that she hadn’t appreciated Jordyn asking questions about her friend than any old resentments she had toward her one-time business partner.
A partner she no longer had to worry about.
How much had Sophie’s net worth increased when she went from owning half of The Clean Break to the whole thing?
Reaching the intersection where she’d witnessed Gina and Luke kissing like the survival of the human race depended on their immediate coupling, Jordyn saw the Sideris Enterprises building remained dark. No sign of Sophie’s husband or his mistress on the street either.
She continued toward the parking garage, keeping pace with the other pedestrians headed in the same general direction.
She withdrew her phone from her pocket to keep her occupied while she walked behind a couple of older witch-women.
They each used canes, but they were dressed to the nines for the event.
One of them wore black satin pants with wide swathes of purple fabric sewn around her calves in decorative flounces.
Jordyn hoped she dressed that well when she was their age.
Scrolling through her messages, she ignored two new ones from Ezra before she spotted a voicemail from the probate attorney.
Finally.
She brought her phone to her ear to hear the message privately.
“Hello, Jordyn; it’s Emily. We can talk more tomorrow, but I knew you were anxious to learn as much as you could about Tara’s estate.
Her assets have been frozen while the investigation into her death continues, which you already knew.
But I learned definitively that a portion of The Clean Break was not included in the list of her assets.
Most of her income came from a trust fund that paid out monthly, with the payments halting on her death.
She didn’t own a home, so a couple of cash accounts represent the bulk of her estate.
I’m sending you a secure link to access my notes.
Call me in the morning if you want clarification on anything. ”
She still couldn’t conceive how Sophie had wrested full ownership of the business away from Tara right before her death.
Or had it been right after?
She needed to research partnerships more to understand the legalities better.
The street had cleared by the time she neared the parking garage, and she played the second voicemail message from a number she didn’t recognize.
“Jordyn, it’s Lauren Hughes,” a low feminine voice began.
“I’m in Manhattan for three days with Randall.
If you still wish to speak, you can call this number to set up a time to meet when my husband is out.
I’m not comfortable speaking over the phone.
He wants no part of what you’re doing, so this would be strictly confidential.
” There was a protracted pause. “As in, I’ll deny ever having spoken to you. ”
The message ended abruptly.
Tara’s adoptive mother was ready to talk?
Jordyn would be on the first train to the city tomorrow if it meant an audience with one of Tara’s tight-lipped parents.
By the time Jordyn arrived back at the parking garage, she was still guessing what kind of information Lauren might have about her daughter’s death.
Jordyn climbed the deserted stairwell up to the top level where she’d parked her vehicle.
As her footsteps echoed in the dark, she momentarily wished she’d accepted Brad’s offer to accompany her to the car.
Because her little silver coupe sat all by itself, half of it in shadow, the security light busted out. It definitely hadn’t been like that when she’d parked earlier. She would have noticed the glass on the concrete, especially since it fanned closer to her driver’s side tires.
Anxiety skittered up her spine.
Mindful of her surroundings, she dropped her phone back into her pocket and retrieved her keys.
She adjusted her hold on them, sliding a key between each of her fingers so that she had a makeshift set of spikey brass knuckles if someone approached her.
It wasn’t much protection, but it was something.
She walked carefully around as many of the shards as she could but in the end had to step on some of them to open the driver’s side door.
Old survival instincts kicking in, she grabbed her phone again to turn on the flashlight feature and peered into the backseat.
Empty. Her heart still raced even as she breathed a sigh of relief.
She bolted into her small coupe and locked the doors behind her.
Only then did she notice the piece of paper stuck under the windshield wiper. The torn scrap was pinned facing her so that she could see the writing in black sharpie.
Go home before you end up like her.