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But he never mentioned a girlfriend.
“So you think he somehow had the time to go to the Inaugural Ball, kill both Lucy and JP, but only have time to hide Lucy’s body? And that somehow that evidence is hidden in Denali House with the Elite, because… they are covering it up?” Saying it out loud makes it sound even crazier. “Syn’s family was pushing for the death penalty. Don’t you think a double homicide would have helped that?”
“You seem to think the Elite—a society that both JP and Syn are a part of—is responsible for JP’s death and not your brother,” Dr. Wright says, in a tone that implies he thinks I’m twelve.
“Actually, I thought Cole was taking the blame for someone. That someone could be Lucy, and the reason she’s gone missing is because she’s in hiding. Maybe you want to try looking in Mexico or some South American country where there are no extradition laws.”
In an instant, Dr. Wright is gripping each arm of my chair, his face inches from mine. “Lucy would never kill anyone.”
“And neither would Cole.” My heart is pounding so hard, it’s echoing in my ears, but somehow, my voice is calm.
Dr. Wright glares at me, and I can see a vein pulsing at his temple. Then he stands upright, shoving the chair as he does. It rolls backwards into the bookcase behind. “Get out,” he snarls.
“With pleasure.” I get to my feet and grab my jacket, but I pause before leaving. “I’m going to find evidence that my brother is protecting the real murderer—Lucy Barnes.”
As I shut the door behind me, something slams against it.
“You know what gets me?” Penny asks.
While I’m sitting back against her pile of hot pink pillows, she’s lying on her stomach and her laptop is in front of her. After leaving Dr. Wright’s office, I went back to the house to make sure Syn had nothing planned for me, grabbed my laptop, and went straight to Penny’s room.
“That there hasn’t been a Netflix documentary series on this yet.”
“Let’s put a proposal together and send it off to Netflix then,” I mutter. Ranting at Penny hasn’t made me feel any better.
“No, I’m serious.” Penny pushes herself upright and crosses her legs in front of her. “Look at who JP’s father is. Rich, powerful. If everything had gone to plan, JP would be president someday, but now that falls on Syn. And JP was hot. Everyone is always sympathetic to a good-looking victim. Your brother is hot, and so are you. I mean, look at Ted Bundy. He was hot. And then they had Zac Efron playing him, and everyone wanted to bone the serial killer.”
I frown, rubbing my temple. “I can’t wait to see where you’re going with this, Penny.”
Penny waves her hand as though there’s a mosquito buzzing around her face. “There’s murder, mystery, money, and mother-fucking hot people. The four M’s to a great show. But nope. Nothing.”
“The whole thing was barely reported,” I say with a shrug. “Hence why I’m here. If I can’t find a detailed news report, how on earth would Netflix hear about this story, unless I send in a suggestion. Which might be what I need to get people to stand up and question things too, but I’m sure the Keyingham’s would squash a show before it even got to the mailroom.”
“Exactly.” As I roll my eyes, Penny leans forward, resting her wrists on her knees. “No, hear me out.”
“What do you think I’m doing?”
“I think you’re on to something with that Lucy Barnes woman being the murder suspect. What if she’s the one who killed JP, and your brother confessed to keep her safe, and she’s in hiding. In Cuba.”
“Sipping a mojito while smoking a cigar?” I close the laptop lid with a sigh and set it aside. “That’s pretty much what I’ve already said.”
“Yes, but what if she was the one that took that video of JP, and she was blackmailing him, and then something went wrong and boom, JP is dead.” She tilts her head. “Headwound. Probably wasn’t a boom, but more of a bang.”
Frowning, I lean over to the far side of the bed and pick up her mug, before sniffing it. “Did you make your hot chocolate with water or vodka?”
Penny’s mouth drops open. “Rude.”
I set the cup back down and then sit upright. “Much as it pains me to say this, that’s a motive that could theoretically work for my brother, too. The fact that I know him and that he wanted to be the damn Attorney General makes it impossible to believe it could happen, but also, that he could date someone like that too. But let’s say she did do it, and he didn’t—or did—know about it, what does this have to do with Netflix?”
“Because the second there’s a show, the truth about JP, his sexuality, and his kinks? That’s all being aired. Not only will the Keyinghams not want their name tarnished, but they also bumped Syn into the replacement presidential path.”
I’m about to point out that this is starting to venture into crazy, and there are more missing pieces than there are loose connections, but Penny leaps off the bed and starts pacing her room.
“No, but think about it, because it makes sense.”
“Does it?” I’m not sure Penny even hears my question.
“Say the Keyinghams knew that Cole didn’t do it, but he took the blame. They push the whole thing through the courts, just to get him in prison, and everything wrapped up. Hell, they were probably hoping for a death sentence, and then the secret goes to the grave. But maybe they do know about Lucy. If she had that video, she could have used it to blackmail them, and then they paid her an obscene amount of money to disappear. Arthur knew something was up, and suddenly, he’s kicked out of school.”
