Part 11 (1/2)

JoJo said 'sorry? OMG, when did she learn that word? Did she even know what it meant?

Meanwhile Jade continued to screech, which turned out to be a good thing, because it brought Macey charging down the stairs.

'Whats the big deal? Willows looking for her bag! Macey explained. 'Seth told me youd come to look for it, she added, glaring at me pointedly.

Of course. Such a simple explanation. 'Thats right. Looking for my bag.

Jades eyes narrowed. 'And that would explain why youre holding my Juicy Couture? Theres nothing else like it on the bed, so why would you think its yours?

Good question. My eyes flew back to Macey, who gave me the 'do I have to do all the thinking? look which I promptly answered with the 'well, h.e.l.l yeah! look.

Clomping down the last two steps, Macey sighed. 'Because shes got one just like it at home and she thought for a minute that it was hers. Right?

I looked at Jade then realised that the 'right had been directed at me. 'Oh yeah, right. I, um, I thought it was mine.

Maybe Jade was smarter than Id ever given her credit for, because she then looked me up and down, slowly. 'And youre teaming this hot-pink Juicy Couture designer handbag with a lime-green off-the-rack top?

Busted.

Or maybe not . . . It was Maceys turn to narrow her eyes. 'Of course she was! My G.o.d, you do know that matchy-matchy is so out. Dont you read Vogue? She shrugged. 'For crying out loud! It was an honest mistake, she continued as she reached out and took the bag. 'But she knew immediately it wasnt hers. Willow would never be caught dead with a knock-off JC, would you, Wills? In fact she was just trying to cope with the shock when you walked in.

Jades face flamed. 'This is so a real designer bag! How dare y- Macey made some sort of tsking sound. 'With that clasp? I dont think so.

Okay, at this point I feared that Jade was going to explode. What I couldnt work out was whether it was from exasperation or embarra.s.sment, because I didnt have a clue whether the bag was genuine or not. She grabbed the bag and spun, obviously intending to storm back upstairs, bag real or not tucked under her arm, but at the last minute she turned to Macey. 'This bag is genuine! And if you dont believe me, I have just two words for you: Goo-gle!

'Google? Is that with three 'gs or four?

All Jade could offer was a blank stare that morphed into a confused blink before she raced back up the stairs.

I slumped against the cabin doorframe. Okay, yes, it was funny, and yes we could have laughed, but to be honest, right then I needed to wallow in the relief was.h.i.+ng through me. The big picture was closing in fast. 'We have to get out of here. If Jade starts blabbing up there, we could be in some hot water.

Macey shook her head. 'She wont. That bag really is a knock-off. Its a high-quality one, but its a fake and theres no way in the world shes going to let that slip to those babes up there.

An idea was forming. 'All that stuff is big to the Angels, yes?

Macey nodded.

'So, could that be a reason to blackmail someone? Like if maybe they werent quite who they were pretending to be?

'Well, I guess if you wanted to fit in like if it was really important to you to fit in . . .

'And Jades dad had hit some hard times, according to Seth. I shook my head. 'JoJo was such a b.i.t.c.h.

'Speaking of the b.i.t.c.h, you told me that she was your lookout.

'Shes had some kind of fade-out. Power drain. Battery overload. I dunno. One minute she was there and the next she was fading to white. That was the stuff we were reading about in that Wiki entry, remember?

'Oh yeah . . . I did a bit more research last night. I think it has to do with the energy it takes for them to move about. I suppose its too much to hope sh.e.l.l end up somewhere else?

'Way too much. I figure shes just back at my place. Thats where her centre is; kind of like her energy source. I think shes recharging.

Macey threw an arm over my shoulder. 'Epanied the words. Kristie. She and Jade were the Angels I knew least, and that was saying a lot because I didnt really know any of them very well. She sidled up and perched herself on a teeny edge of the sun-lounge Seth and I shared, in a strategic position that placed her b.o.o.bs almost in Seths face.

He sighed and shuffled slightly sideways to back off. I guess the poor guy needed breathing room. 'Youve had too much to drink, Kris.

She giggled again.

She took another sip from her Cruiser bottle and I remembered I hadnt seen her without one in her hand all day. With her practically in my face, I took the opportunity to study her, but strangely after a couple of seconds I had more questions than answers. Unlike Macey, I wasnt a fas.h.i.+on expert, but even I could tell this gal had applied her makeup in a hurry. And there was something about those nails. Salon quality? I didnt think so . . .

Even if I was a fas.h.i.+onista, I wouldnt have been able to tell if her bikini was designer, because there wasnt enough fabric to make an accurate identification. I bet there wasnt even enough room for the label. Or maybe she was wearing the label? That was the one thing I knew about Kristie that she always seemed to wear the skimpiest clothes. Hey, I was no saint, but there was always something about Kristie that made me think she was trying waaay too hard.

Shed now been sitting on the lounge for about two minutes and hadnt uttered another word. Just sitting there grinning a vacuous grin.

'So, whats happening? Seth finally said.

Kristie leaned forward and went to grab Seths knee, only to slip and almost lose her balance. 'Oopsh. Need to be s . . . sserious. Shethy? I need your help. Like, why is everyone so uptight? Her head swayed. 'You know? Like its like theres thish big sssecret? You know? Whatss goin on, Shethy?

I leaned back quietly, waiting for 'Shethy to reply. Against my back I felt his heart pick up speed and I was fairly certain it had nothing to do with her hand on his leg, or the almost-there bikini. In truth, my own heartbeat was echoing his; this could be a breakthrough.

Seth chose his words carefully. 'Not sure, Kris. What do you thinks going on?

'Everyonesh afraid. She took another long guzzle, then tilted her head closer to his, like I wasnt there. 'People are shaying that Willows doing some bad shtuff, you know? She leaned closer and dropped her voice to a sloshy whisper. 'Is she, Shethy? You can tell me. I wont tell annnyonnnne . . . She finished by putting her finger to her lips in a shoos.h.i.+ng motion.