Not Quite Dead Yet
by Holly Jackson
Contents
Chapter 26
Overview
Jet and Billy break into Andrew Smith’s apartment and recover Nina Smith’s MacBook, then use Nina’s logged-in Gmail to reset her Facebook password and access her Messenger history. In the old messages with Emily Mason, they find hints that Emily planned to talk to Billy’s mother and had overheard something involving Luke. The discovery reframes “Emily’s secret” as potentially tied to Luke, raising the possibility that Emily’s death connects to what she learned.
Summary
Billy steals Andrew Smith’s apartment keys from Andrew’s jacket at Dr Mandrake’s Dive Bar and gives them to Jet Mason. Jet heads upstairs while Billy distracts Andrew by keeping him drinking, buying Jet a few minutes to search the apartment.
Inside Andrew’s cluttered, alcohol-soaked flat, Jet notices a happier old family photo of Andrew with Nina and Nina’s mother, then searches for Nina’s devices. In a closet, Jet finds a box labeled with Nina’s name containing personal items, photos, and a rose-gold MacBook Air; the photos include Nina with Jet’s sister Emily Mason.
Billy joins Jet in the apartment as Jet powers up the MacBook. Facebook isn’t logged in, but Nina’s Gmail is open, so Jet and Billy use it to reset Nina’s Facebook password and set a new one: “Emily Mason.” They successfully gain access to Nina’s account and open Messenger.
After scrolling back through years of messages, they find the thread with Emily. Nina’s last message—sent after Emily’s funeral—promises she will name a future daughter after Emily, underscoring how close they were and how abruptly Emily’s life ended.
Reading Emily’s final pre-death messages, Jet and Billy discover Emily intended to talk to “Mrs Finney” (Billy’s mother) and that Emily had overheard something “about Luke.” Billy and Jet suspect this could be the “secret” Nina referenced, and they note the timing: Emily planned to tell Nina at school and then died that Saturday. Jet pushes back, insisting Emily’s death was an accident despite the ominous coincidence.
Who Appears
- Jet MasonBreaks into Andrew’s apartment, retrieves Nina’s MacBook, and reads Emily’s old messages.
- BillySteals Andrew’s keys, distracts him at the bar, helps reset Nina’s Facebook and scroll messages.
- Andrew SmithNina’s father; drunk at the bar while Jet searches his apartment for Nina’s belongings.
- Nina SmithDeceased; her laptop, email, and Messenger messages provide new leads about Emily and Luke.
- Emily MasonJet’s dead sister; Messenger thread suggests she uncovered a secret about Luke before she died.
- LukeNamed in Emily’s message as the subject of something she overheard, hinting at a hidden secret.
- Mrs FinneyBilly’s mother; Emily planned to speak to her shortly before Emily’s death.