Not Quite Dead Yet
by Holly Jackson
Contents
Chapter 31
Overview
Jet is released from jail after Billy provides a corroborating statement, and the two reconcile emotionally as partners facing her short remaining time. They confront Luke at the burned Mason Construction site, where Jet forces a confession that Luke drowned Emily years ago and recently set the fire to stop and frame Jet. Luke also admits he is not a Mason by blood and says his real father warned him to hide company wrongdoing, pointing Jet toward a deeper conspiracy behind both the fraud and Jet’s attack.
Summary
Jet wakes in her cell to Mr Finney opening the door and telling her she is free to go because a witness has corroborated her story; charges are delayed while the state attorney investigates. Jet retrieves her pen and her folded goodbye letters, taunts the chief as she leaves, and steps into the night outside the station.
Billy is waiting by Jet’s truck, having received Jet’s long voicemail. They awkwardly acknowledge how much they see and need each other, then hug, apologize, and agree to stop trying to “prove” things. In the truck, Jet learns Billy got her released by telling police they were together in the truck, “screwing like teenagers,” and Billy admits he was ready to sell his guitar—and even Jet’s truck—to pay bail.
Jet and Billy decide their next move is Luke: if Luke photographed Jet’s truck at the fire, Luke was likely the arsonist framing her. Jet calls Luke and orders him to stay put; Luke says he is at the burned Mason Construction site. Jet takes Henry Lim’s gun from the glove compartment “just in case,” and they drive there, singing loudly to the radio to push through fear.
At the taped-off ruins, Jet confronts Luke about the fraud and the fire and realizes Luke knew she and Billy were inside when he lit it. Jet then forces the real question—Emily—accusing Luke of drowning her; when Luke laughs it off, Jet points the gun at him and fires near his feet. Terrified, Luke confesses he held Emily’s head under water, claiming he lost his temper after Emily said Luke wasn’t really a Mason and their dad wasn’t Luke’s real father.
Jet presses Luke to confirm the truth and connects it to her own illness risk: Luke admits Dad is not his father, and says his real father told him on Wednesday and warned him to hide anything Jet might uncover. Luke refuses to name the man and implies he “looked out” for Luke, possibly even after Emily’s death. Jet puts the gun away, then peels a small black square off Billy’s guitar case and drops it into Luke’s pocket, telling Luke she thinks he might be why she is dead; as Jet returns to the truck, they hear another sharp crack in the night and Jet tells Billy to drive her home.
Who Appears
- Jet MasonReleased from custody; confronts Luke with a gun, forces Emily confession, and pursues the larger truth.
- Billy FinneyGets Jet freed with an alibi claim; reconciles with Jet and drives her to confront Luke.
- Luke MasonAt burned site; admits arson framing Jet and confesses to drowning Emily; reveals he isn’t Dad’s biological son.
- Mr Finney (Jack)Officer who releases Jet from her cell and explains a witness corroborated her story.
- The ChiefWatches Jet leave the station; remains hostile and silent as she is released.
- EmilyDeceased sister; Luke admits he murdered her after an argument about his parentage.
- Henry LimReferenced as Luke’s Halloween alibi and as the owner of the gun Jet carries.
- Jet’s momMentioned as having blamed Jet for Emily’s death after the funeral.
- Jet’s dadCentral to Luke’s parentage revelation; not Luke’s biological father.
- NinaMentioned in Jet’s reasoning about Emily’s overheard secret and past threats involving it.