I raise a brow. It’s quite a leap to assume someone standing near a tree is clearly doing something wrong.
“I think I have enough,” I say, turning off the voice recorder. I really don’t want to spend any more time with this girl. “Here’s my number.” I write it on a Post-It note. “Call or text me if you want to add anything. Thanks for talking to us.”
Emma pouts a little, then pulls some sunglasses out of her bag and puts them on. They are aviator-style, like Aster’s eyeglasses, but there is no Gucci label on them. Emma says goodbye to Aster and walks away. Gracie and I barely get a nod from her. I have no idea why Emma looks so disappointed. What was she expecting from this meeting that she didn’t get?
Gracie grins once Emma is gone. “She told us a ton, didn’t she? I kept hearing about Birdwatcher—I had no idea it was a secret Instagram account.” She picks up her phone. After a few seconds, she frowns. “I can’t find it.”
I try again on my own phone, searching the wordsBirdwatcher + Jay Hoqueon the app. I find plenty of hits with pictures of birds. It would take me a while to find the right one. “I wonder if it’s been deleted like the Tumblr.” I shake my head. “She basically admitted that every evil thing she thinks about Jay is from that account.” I look up Jay’s name alone on Instagram and find his personal account, but it hasn’t been updated in a while. And there are no birds on it.
“Doesn’t surprise me,” Aster says. “Emma Coffey doesn’t have an original thought in her head.”
After searching a few more seconds, I put my phone down. This would be easier on my computer later. It’s strange. My gut feeling is still that Jay is more trustworthy than Emma, but at the same time, I’ve lost some respect for him now that I know he dated her. Or hooked up with her. Or whatever. She seems so ... I don’t know. Not like him. I don’t know why I care, but I do. “Okay, so what do we do now?” I ask.
“I’ll see if Bailey will talk to you,” Aster says. “Warning, though ... I’d take everything Bailey Cressman says with a grain of salt. She cares more aboutstatusthan anything else.”
I frown at Aster. Status. Emma seemed pretty status obsessed too. The comments she made about Jay’s family left such a bad taste in my mouth.
I still can’t figure out why Emma was acting weird about Aster, though. What’s the deal there? I could just ask Aster. “I got a weird vibefrom Emma. Like she wanted to impress you or something. Were you two ... a thing or something?”
Aster snorts incredulously. “Yeah,absolutely not. I have no interest inpick-mestraight girls.”
Gracie laughs. “You’re right, though. Emma definitely wants to impress Aster. She wants a ticket into Aster’s world. Like everyone else does.”
“Except you,” Aster deadpans, looking right at Gracie.
Gracie looks away awkwardly. So, even if Gracie and Aster aren’t girlfriends, there’s something between them. I think Aster is into Gracie, but I can’t read what Gracie feels for Aster.
And why does everyone (except Gracie, apparently) want a ticket into Aster’s world?
Gracie finally explains. “Did you notice that Emma talked about Bailey the same way? She would love her name to be used in the same breath as Aster and Bailey. Because they’re ... rich.”
That explains Aster’s expensive glasses. “Emma wants to be friends with you because you have money?”
Gracie shakes her head. “These people aren’t just wealthy; they’re like ...stinking wealthy. Like, one percenters. Socialites. Actual trust-fund kids. Aster here included.”
“Yes, but you know that I’m a socialist hippie deep down.” Aster gives Gracie a look of pure admiration. Yeah, she’s totally into Gracie.
Gracie doesn’t say anything to that. “Bailey’s friends are all snooty as hell. Emma wouldkillto be one of them. Hell, I’ll bet she only hooked up with Jay to get closer to them.”
That surprises me. “Wait ... Jay’s rich too?” Nothing he told me about his family made me think they had extreme wealth.
Gracie shakes her head. “No, not that I know of.”
“But he was friends with some of that crew,” Aster says. “I used to see him at parties all the time last year. Not sure why. Anyway, I wouldn’t put it past Emma to hook up with him to get into those parties. And then she lost interest when she realized he wasn’t reallypartying with them much anymore.” Aster looks at her smartwatch. “Shit. That’s my mom.” She looks at Gracie. “It’s my weekly pilgrimage to the Bridle Path for Sunday dinner.”
Wow. They weren’t kidding about extreme wealth. The Bridle Path is the wealthiest neighborhood in the city. Actually, it’s the wealthiest in all of Canada.
“I guess I’ll start transcribing that interview,” I say. “Thanks a bunch. Both of you.” I know there is no way I would have gotten this far without them. But also, I don’t feel any closer to learning what actually happened to Jay.
“No problem,” Aster says, grinning. “I’d love to come along if you interview someone else. Oooh, should I get a lapel microphone?”
“Are you two ...,” I stutter. “I mean, do you want tokeephelping me?”
Gracie nods. “Yeah, I’m game. Jay deserves justice. I can also help with your podcast. I’m doing a documentary on the history of Toronto’s Koreatown for my media project but working on yours, too, will look good on my résumé.”
“Yeah, absolutely, that would be cool,” I say. “And I can help you, too, if you need ... anything.”
“I’ve always wanted to be in a Scooby gang,” Aster says. “I’m going to buy detective gear. Give me your number. I’ll let you know what Bailey says.”
