Cover of Not Quite Dead Yet

Not Quite Dead Yet

by Holly Jackson


Genre
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime
Year
2025
Pages
417
Contents

Chapter 11

Overview

Jet and Billy pressure Owen Clay into letting them comb through his Halloween Fair photos for the red-wig clue tied to Jet’s attacker. The images show both JJ Lim and Andrew Smith wearing what appears to be the same synthetic red wig, narrowing the suspect pool while giving Jet a direct next target: Andrew.

Jet also realizes Luke lied about his injured hands, because a Friday-night photo shows his knuckles unmarked, adding fresh doubt around her brother’s story. With time running out, Jet and Billy leave to track Andrew down, and Jet’s reckless streak shows when she rips up a parking ticket she no longer cares about.

Summary

Jet and Billy visit Gerry Clay’s house on Pleasant Street to access photos Gerry’s son Owen took at the Halloween Fair. Jet, increasingly pressed for time and showing a worrying symptom (a markedly dilated pupil), pushes past the awkward introductions so they can search the images for clues.

In Owen’s bedroom, Jet and Billy scroll through hundreds of unedited fair photos, looking specifically for anyone wearing a red wig like the synthetic hair found in Jet’s blood. They find a clear shot of JJ Lim with his younger brother Henry, JJ wearing a brassy red wig that appears to match the forensic hair.

As they continue, Jet notices a photo of Luke holding baby Cameron on Friday evening; Luke’s hands are clean and uninjured. This conflicts with Luke’s claim that he hurt his knuckles at a work site on Friday morning, making Jet suspect Luke lied about when—or how—he got his later injuries, even though Luke and Sophia insist they were together during Jet’s attack.

Billy then spots another key photo: Andrew Smith in the background, drunk at the fair and also wearing what looks like the same red wig as JJ. Jet and Billy compare the images side by side and conclude the wigs are effectively identical, meaning the red-wig clue now points to either JJ or Andrew (likely purchased from the same place). With JJ unavailable to question, Jet decides they need to find Andrew, and Billy believes he knows where Andrew will be.

Leaving, Jet intimidates Owen into silence and then finds a parking ticket on her truck. Feeling untouchable because of her looming death, Jet tears the ticket up and drops the pieces onto the ground, refusing to pay it.

Who Appears

  • Jet Mason
    Injured investigator; pressures Owen for photos, suspects Luke’s lie, and targets Andrew next.
  • Billy
    Helps search photos, spots key images, and claims he knows where to find Andrew.
  • Owen Clay
    Teen photographer; reluctantly provides Halloween Fair photo files for Jet’s investigation.
  • Gerry Clay
    Owen’s father; lets Jet and Billy in, then leaves them to review photos.
  • Andrew Smith
    Seen in a fair photo wearing a red wig; becomes Jet’s immediate suspect to confront.
  • JJ Lim
    Fair photo shows him wearing a red wig matching the forensic hair clue.
  • Luke Mason
    Jet’s brother; a photo contradicts his story about when his knuckles were injured.
  • Sophia
    Luke’s partner; appears in photos, and her strained history with Jet is referenced.
  • Henry Lim
    JJ’s younger brother; appears in the photo beside JJ at the fair.
  • Lou Jankowski
    Chief of Police; appears in a fair photo alongside Gerry Clay.
  • Jack Finney
    Police officer; appears in a fair photo with Gerry Clay and Chief Lou.
  • Cameron
    Luke and Sophia’s baby; appears in a fair photo that triggers Jet’s realization.
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