Gracie frowns. “He had a scholarship?”
I shrug, realizing it was Jay who told me about the scholarship, so I’m not supposed to know about it. “Yeah, at the party, Bailey said some racist crap about Jay’s mother being an immigrant, and then said Taylor said Jay did have privilege. Said he didn’t even have to pay tuition. Do you know if Jay’s family has money?”
“No, he told me that he and his mom lived in his uncle’s house ... with six other people.”
He hadn’t told me that. “I need to learn more about the Hoque family. There’s something off there. Why haven’t they said anything for months? Why won’t Manal speak to us?”
“I met Jay’s mother once,” Gracie says. “She was here visiting Jay. She wasyoung. Gorgeous too. Like, I’d guess a decade younger than my mother.”
“So, like, a teen mom, you think?” Jay never mentioned how old his mother was when she had him. Only that she lived in Scarborough, and his father wasn’t in the picture.
Gracie nods. “I’d believe it. We chatted a bit. Jay’s mom asked me about my hometown, and I remember her saying she still lived in the neighborhood she grew up in.”
“I wonder what’s the story with his father,” I say. “Maybe he grew up in the same area?” I know Jay won’t want me searching for him, but I need to know more about his father.
“We could look at yearbooks from the high schools in the area. Maybe Jay’s dad went to the same school as his mom,” Gracie suggests.
It’s not a bad idea, but I hate doing something that could upset Jay, even if it’s for his benefit. “Can’t hurt. I’ll see if they’re online. I’ll do some digging about her job too. I wish his cousin would talk to us. Did she ever respond to your DM?”
Gracie shakes her head. “She didn’t block me, though. I’ll try again.” When she opens the account on her phone, Manal’s art again takes my breath away. I watch Gracie leave her a second message, saying she was Jay’s next-door neighbor and has some of Jay’s things. She offers to drop them off for her.
It’s not a bad strategy. Maybe the rich kids and the Birdwatcher have nothing to do with Jay’s death, and we’re barking up the wrong tree. I open my notebook and addJay’sfamilyto the suspect list.
Jay messages me the second I’m back in the room. He’s clearly still weirded out by the news that his phone and jacket were found, and he’s now presumed to be dead.
Jay:The more I think about it, the more I think Taylor might be the Birdwatcher.
Aleeza:Why? Did you ever get the feeling that she had a thing for you?
Jay:No, not really. When I was with Lance, she was always around. I thought she was kind of mean-girl-ish ... like she was subtly making fun of me.
Aleeza:She’s like that with me too. I’ll try and talk to her. Maybe she’ll give something away.
Jay:Who else are you looking into now?
I can’t tell him that Gracie and I are planning to investigate his family.
Aleeza:Jack. He was so cryptic at the party. And also when I went to get my sweatshirt from him. I get the feeling that he knows a lot more than he lets on. I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows who the Birdwatcher is.
Jay:Maybe. But Jack never makes any sense when he’s high.
He certainly wasn’t making sense at the party. Jack said tofollow the money. Which brings me back to Taylor’s comment about Jay not paying his own tuition. I know I should ask Jay about that, but it feels like money and family are the two things that he is uncomfortable talking about.
Aleeza:Hey, question, at the party Bailey said Taylor told her you don’t pay your own tuition. Does your scholarship cover everything?
Jay:Yeah, most of my fees and living expenses. My mom’s paying the rest. She never wanted me to take student loans, so she’s been saving a long time.
Aleeza:Academic scholarship?
Jay:No. Well, yes and no. They looked at my grades, but the scholarship is also needs based. It’s from an organization that my mom’s boss is affiliated with. She sponsored my application.
Aleeza:What’s the organization?
Jay:Why does that matter?
Aleeza:I have no idea what matters and what doesn’t. Who knows? This might be important.
Jay:The Bright-Knowles Award.
