Adventures in Funeral Crashing (Complete Novel)

Chapter 18: Suspecting

Finally! I thought. I was right about her and Kyle. But what if Suzie was a murderer? I couldn't let Kyle date her then. I could barely believe I was saying Suzie and murderer in the same sentence.

And then something dawned on me, "Suzie, the girl you work with at the animal shelter, Jenna? What's her last name?"

Suzie looked confused for a moment. "Jenna Martin. Do you know her?"

Yes, I knew her, but I only had a few minutes until the bell was going to ring or before Kyle showed up, and took up all Suzie's attention, "She knew Liz too?"

"Yeah," Suzie said, wondering where I was going.

Funny, Jenna hadn't mentioned that. Although, Ethan and I hadn't thought to ask her either, mostly because we had just assumed she didn't.

"And she introduced you to Olivia Reynolds?" I continued.

"Well, yeah, for the sewing class," Suzie was getting distracted, looking toward the doorway for Kyle. "Why?"

My brain was spinning. Jenna knew at least three of the victims. She had been around Suzie and her books. And, now the most important question...

"Do you know if she knew Troy Matthews?" I had to ask.

Suzie frowned, "Liz's boyfriend? I don't know. He was at the shelter that one day. Jenna might have been there. Uh..."

Suzie thought for a moment. My mind was racing. This was the most important detail.

Suzie nodded, "You know, now that I think about it, Jenna didn't meet him that day because she had a girl emergency or something. You know, her period. I leant her a tampon."

I still couldn't be sure Jenna didn't know Troy. Maybe she faked the emergency so she didn't have to see him because she did know him. I couldn't be sure. Then again, to be fair, even Suzie knew a fair amount of the people involved in all of this and I really doubted she was a murderer despite the coincidence in books. It was all so involved and confusing. Why couldn't investigating a murder be simple and straightforward?

Still, it sure sounded like Jenna, in addition to Troy, knew all of the murder victims – from Liz to Vanessa to Olivia. The only person I couldn't be sure that Jenna knew was Melissa Kent. Jenna knew about just as many people as Troy did. Jenna was easily up for grabs as the murderer now. But what was her motive? Why would she kill her sister or any of the other girls? Was it about Troy? Was she just crazy?

Suzie was looking at me, puzzled. "Why do you want to know about Jenna?"

I shook my head, "I just realized I know her too."

"Oh. Do you think she has something to do with..." Suzie left the question open ended.

I smiled, "I don't know, but there's some weird coincidences."

Suzie thought for a moment, "Uh, well, I don't know if this is important, but Jenna was there that day too, at the Animal Shelter Adoption in the park."

I felt my blood run cold, "She was?"

Suzie nodded. That put Jenna in the right place to have gone after Liz.

I thought for a moment and then said, "But you said Liz left alone? And, that she was going to see Troy?"

"Yeah," Suzie said.

"Where was Jenna at that time?" I asked.

"I don't know. Wait, she left early. She said she had to go home," Suzie said and then added, "She and Liz did talk before that, though. I saw them, but Liz seemed totally fine. I saw them hug and Liz was smiling, so I don't think they had a fight or anything."