Not Quite Dead Yet
by Holly Jackson
Contents
Chapter 13
Overview
Jet and Billy investigate the North Street construction site and realize fresh foundations could conceal evidence from Jet’s attack. Jet impulsively destroys part of the poured concrete, and she and Billy uncover Jet’s buried iPhone and the hammer used to strike Jet, wrapped in a Mason dish towel.
Police arrive, and Detective Ecker warns that Jet’s actions may compromise chain of custody while also explaining that the red wig hair evidence could be indirect transfer, expanding the suspect pool. Jet pivots to a new strategy by demanding a full list of everyone connected to the site who could have known the concrete schedule.
Summary
Jet and Billy drive to North Street, where Jet’s phone last pinged, and find Mason Construction vans and an active building site. They push through the open gate and question Jimmy, the foreman, about security and timing. Jimmy confirms there are no cameras and that concrete for the foundations began Saturday morning around 8 a.m., after trenches were completed Friday afternoon.
Jet connects the timeline to the attempted murder and realizes poured concrete could have hidden both Jet’s missing phone and the weapon. Refusing to wait for warrants, Jet orders an unofficial “break,” grabs a sledgehammer from a worker, and starts smashing the newly poured concrete while Billy blocks Jimmy from stopping Jet. Billy initially hesitates, then returns with his own sledgehammer and joins Jet, widening a three-foot-deep opening to reach the mud below as workers watch.
Luke arrives furious and tries to stop Jet, threatening to call Scott and the police, while Jimmy has already called the cops. Jet and Billy keep breaking sections and probing the soil with a spade, working closer to the road where the killer likely approached. In the exposed mud, Jet hits something wrapped in a familiar Mason kitchen dish towel patterned with cartoon oranges.
Using a resealable sandwich bag as a makeshift glove, Jet carefully opens the dish towel as police sirens approach. Inside are Jet’s shattered iPhone and a small black-handled hammer with possible hair caught on it, which Jet identifies as the murder weapon. Before officers fully secure the scene, Jet photographs the phone and hammer, including the tool’s “Coleby” branding.
Detective Ecker arrives and reprimands Jet for contaminating evidence and risking chain-of-custody issues, even as Jet argues she has made more progress than the police. Jet pushes Ecker to reconsider suspects, noting Andrew Smith’s connection to the site and his matching red wig, but Ecker explains the wig hair could have transferred indirectly, widening possibilities. Jet refuses to go home despite her mother’s pleas and demands that Scott and Luke compile a complete list of employees, contractors, and subcontractors who knew about the North Street work and could have buried the evidence.
Who Appears
- Jet MasonDetermined investigator; smashes foundations to find buried evidence; pushes police and family for leads.
- Billy FinneyJet’s helper; blocks the foreman, then joins Jet smashing concrete and supports her with police.
- JimmyNorth Street site foreman; answers questions, tries to remove Jet, calls police.
- Luke MasonJet’s brother and project lead; arrives furious, calls Scott and threatens police; must compile worker list.
- Detective EckerLead detective; secures scene, scolds Jet for contamination, explains hair-transfer logic, keeps suspects open.
- Scott MasonJet’s father; confirms hammer brand not standard order; agrees to provide employee/contractor information.
- Dianne MasonJet’s mother; distressed by Jet’s condition, urges her to come home and rest.
- Jack FinneySergeant; present with family at scene and called aside by Ecker, implied source of leaked evidence detail.
- Andrew SmithDiscussed as a suspect with a site connection and matching red wig; not present.
- JJEarlier prime suspect; referenced as wig wearer and possible source of transferred red synthetic hair.
- Creepy-eyed builderYoung worker whose sledgehammer and sandwich bag Jet borrows to break concrete and handle evidence.