Not Quite Dead Yet
by Holly Jackson
Contents
Chapter 14
Overview
Jet learns the murder hammer is only sold as part of a sixty-piece toolkit, implying the attacker likely has an identifiable set. At Billy’s gig, Jet confirms from Nell Jankowski that Jet’s father plans to sell Mason Construction to Nell, not leave it to Luke, reframing the family’s future and motives around the case.
Jet and Billy grow closer as Jet admits her mother blamed her for Emily’s drowning and also blamed Billy’s father, while Billy reveals his own abandonment by his mother. Billy’s original song “For Her” and Jet’s teasing hint at complicated feelings beneath their partnership.
Summary
Back at Billy’s apartment, Jet continues researching the hammer found with her broken iPhone. Jet learns the hammer can’t be bought alone; it only comes in a black sixty-piece toolkit, meaning the attacker likely owns (or once owned) the full set. The fact the kit is mainly sold in North America doesn’t meaningfully narrow suspects, so Jet waits for Luke’s promised list of workers connected to the North Street build.
Billy prepares to perform at the bar’s live music night and invites Jet to come, offering it as a needed break. Jet agrees, changes into one of Billy’s flannel shirts, and notices her lingering injuries, including a still-dilated right pupil and numbness in one cheek.
At the crowded bar, Jet watches Billy perform and is shocked by how talented he is, enjoying the attention he gets from the room. During a break, Jet approaches Nell Jankowski, the police chief Lou’s wife, and asks directly if Jet’s father is planning to sell Mason Construction to Nell. Nell confirms it’s true, says Andrew Smith shouldn’t have told Jet, and explains she owns a home construction business and expanding into Woodstock makes business sense.
Jet presses why the company wouldn’t simply go to Luke, who has worked there for years. Nell explains Jet’s father doesn’t want to leave the company solely to Luke because Jet’s father has two children and believes it would be unfair to Jet—an irony Jet notes bitterly given Jet expects to be dead soon.
After Billy plays an original song called “For Her,” Jet and Billy talk at a table, with Jet praising him and pushing him to pursue music seriously. Their conversation shifts into old wounds: Jet admits she never finished what she started and reveals a secret she has never told anyone—Jet’s mother blamed Jet for Emily’s drowning because Jet’s parents were away at Jet’s spelling competition, and Jet’s mother also blamed Billy’s father for failing to check on the kids. Billy shares his own pain about being abandoned by his mother. Jet ends the night teasing Billy about who his love song is for, suspecting it’s someone who works at the bar, but Billy denies it.
Who Appears
- Jet MasonInvestigates the hammer’s origins, attends Billy’s gig, questions Nell, and confesses trauma about Emily.
- Billy FinneyPerforms live, bonds with Jet, shares pain about his absent mother, dodges questions about his love song.
- Nell JankowskiPolice chief’s wife; confirms plan to buy Mason Construction and explains why Jet’s dad won’t leave it to Luke.
- Lou JankowskiPolice chief; referenced as Nell’s husband and source of sympathy for Jet.
- Andrew SmithMentioned as the one who revealed the secret sale plan; still a suspected link via wig hair.
- Luke MasonReferenced as expected heir to the company; Jet waits for his list of site workers.
- Emily MasonJet’s deceased sister; her drowning and legacy shape Jet’s guilt and life choices.
- Jet’s motherRevealed to have blamed Jet for Emily’s death; pushes Jet to rest and recover.
- Billy’s motherDiscussed as having abandoned Billy, contrasting Jet’s complicated relationship with her own mother.
- Billy’s fatherBlamed by Jet’s mother for not checking on Luke and Emily the day Emily drowned.
- AllisonBilly’s boss; controls his performance nights and becomes Jet’s suspected subject of Billy’s song.
- SteveBar regular/heckler referenced by Billy during the set; part of the gig’s atmosphere.