The Ugly Girls' Club: A Murder Mystery Thriller

by C. A. Wittman

  “So,” Emma ventured, changing the subject. “You and Donovan hook up sometimes?”

  “I go both ways,” Blue said, her gaze locking with Emma’s. “I saw you and Donovan checking each other out at that graduation party. You think he’s a snack, don’t you?”

  Emma’s eyes skipped away from Blue.

  “He’s kind of old to be dating girls our age,” Emma mumbled.

  “Oh, come on, Emma,” Blue smirked. “You know he’s the perfect age for us. Why are you pretending to be so innocent? You’re a full-on bully in bed. I know you’ve been around.”

  “I haven’t,” Emma whispered.

  The smirk vanished from Blue’s lips. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I’ve never done this before.”

  “Have sex?” Blue looked incredulous.

  “I’ve never even kissed anyone.”

  Blue gave her a little shove. “No way.”

  Emma said nothing.

  “Oh my god, you’re serious. Then how…”

  Emma swallowed. “I-I’ve never told anyone this.”

  Blue’s brows rose as she waited to hear what Emma would say.

  Emma licked her lips, her palms suddenly clammy. “I watch porn sometimes,” she said in a low voice.

  Blue threw her head back and laughed. “For a second I thought you were going to tell me something freaky from the look on your face. Emma. Everyone watches porn. Like. Every. One.” She emphasized each word with a clap of her hand.

  “I know,” Emma said defensively. “I know everyone watches it. It’s just, I watch it a lot.”

  Blue placed the palms of her hands on her hips. “Me, too. We should watch it together.”

  The screen on Emma’s phone lit up. It was Jill. Emma read the text.

  I’m still waiting to hear from you, Emma, and I’m not happy about it.

  She quickly shot a reply back to her mom.

  At a friend’s.

  Immediately, Jill replied.

  I was worried. No one knew where you were.

  Emma frowned.

  Sorry. She texted back.

  When will you be home?

  Not sure. Can I get back to you?

  What friend are you visiting? I’ve been in contact with all your friends.

  She’s a new friend. Blue

  Blue?

  Emma chewed her lip and felt gross for writing the next thing.

  She’s the sister of one of Oliver’s friends. We’re in Westwood at her place

  Send a picture.

  “What?” Blue asked.

  “It’s my mom. She wants proof that I’m here with you.

  “Can’t she just track your phone?”

  “Yeah, but that only shows that I’m in Westwood. I could be with anyone.”

  Blue threw on the dress she was going to wear earlier, and the two walked out to the living room where Emma took a picture of her leaning against the sofa and waving. She sent it to her mom and waited.

  Be home by eight, Jill texted back.

  “Can I stay over?” Emma called out to Blue, who had gone back into her room.

  She reemerged with her vape pen. “That’d be nice,” Blue said with a slow smile.

  Can I stay the night? She texted her mom.

  I’d like to talk with Blue’s parents.

  They’re out of town

  No, you may not stay the night. Be home by eight.

  Emma sighed.

  Can I invite Blue over?

  Now? I’ll be feeding the twins their dinner. You know that, Emma.

  No. Later, to spend the night. We’re having fun.

  Emma’s phone rang. It was her mom.

  “Hey,” Emma said.

  “Where are Blue’s parents?”

  Emma decided to tell the truth.

  “She lives with her older sister. Her parents live in Napa.”

  “So they are not visiting out of town. They live out of town,” Jill said.

  “Yes.”

  “And Blue’s sister is Oliver’s friend?”

  “Yes.”

  There was a tick of silence.

  “How does Oliver know Blue’s sister?”

  “Um, I don’t know. But Blue used to go to my middle school, and she was at the little graduation sleepover at my dad’s last month.”

  “What is her last name?” Emma’s heart sank. Jill was already looking her up.

  “Mars,” she said softly.

  Blue gave her a look.

  “And the sister?”

  “Mia.”

  Jill was quiet, inputting the information on her end.

  “Ah. Here. Found them. Mia is very young. Is Oliver dating Mia?” Her mom knew the drill.

  Emma rolled her eyes.

  “Yes. Something like that.”

  “Something like that?” Jill echoed. “So she is not a friend, but a girlfriend?”

  “Mom, you should probably ask Dad about his love life.”

  “There are a few things that concern me, Emma. Three, to be exact,” Jill said. “First, you did not answer your phone for hours, and no one knew where you were. That is not like you. Second, you told me Blue’s parents were out of town, then included the additional information that they actually live out of town. Third, you told me that Mia and Oliver are friends when, in fact, they are dating. Your unusual behavior and half-truths signify that you are hiding something. I want you home by eight, and, no, Blue may not come over. I’d like to know more about the Mars family before you spend any more time there.”

  “Mom, you’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

  “I am not making a big deal out of nothing. I am being a responsible parent, something that is not Oliver’s strength, no matter how fun or interesting he may be as a person. I must go now. The twins are due to eat in ten minutes. Goodbye.”

  The call ended and Emma sighed again. She ignored the rest of the texts from Cat and Cassandra.

  “I can’t stay,” she said. “My mom’s triggered because she couldn’t get a hold of me for, like, three hours.” She rolled her eyes and Blue made a pouty face.

  “Maybe we could get a burger,” Emma said.

  “I love burgers.” Blue’s phone vibrated and she stared down at the screen, then laughed. “So funny. Suri and Valentina are going to a little fashion show that Sam and her friends are giving at their studio in Santa Monica. Looks like fun.” She glanced up at Emma. “Too bad you can’t come.”

  “I didn’t know Sam had a studio. Actually, why would I know that? It’s not like we ever talk.”

  Blue gave her an odd look. “Sam and her friends have been subletting that place for months now. It’s near to where Wren was found,” she added in a more subdued tone.

  “Is that why Wren chose that spot? Did she know them?”

  “What do you mean? Like, stopped by to visit and then offed herself at the beach?”

  Emma nodded.

  Blue gazed in thought at her phone. “I don’t think she knew them. She mostly hung with Posie and Poppy. Plus, didn’t she kill herself in the morning?”

  “She was an influencer, though. Maybe she had some sort of connection with them that way,” Emma said, the thought of the serial killer poster on Sam’s wall flashing through her mind.

  Blue shook her head. “It’s a coincidence.”

  Chapter 25

  Emma trailed her fingers along the surface of the pool water, half-listening to Valentina talk about a club she’d gone to the other night.

  “The bitch at the door was totally scrutinizing my ID for, like, five minutes. If it had been a dude, I’d have breezed right in. God, I hate women bouncers.”

  Emma had been lying out at the pool for hours with Blue, Valentina, and Suri on the Mezzanine level of Blue’s apartment building, sipping on plastic cups of cranberry juice and vodka, dipping in and out of the water, and lounging on the pool chairs while getting drunk, the sun roasting her skin. Her sunscreen had worn off two hours ago. She squinted at the ligh
t reflecting off the ripples of water, too out of it to pay proper attention to what anyone was saying. Being drunk was only part of the problem. Emma found Blue’s friends kind of boring. If they weren’t talking about parties or clubs, then they were talking about shopping, dieting, or what someone said or did on TikTok or Instagram.

  “Can you go out tonight?” Valentina asked Suri.

  Suri made a face. “Maybe. I have to go to another wedding tomorrow, and my aunt might make a big deal about me not being home in the morning, even though the wedding is at five in the evening.”

  “Who’s getting married?” Blue asked.

  “A friend of a cousin whose dad is our family’s dentist.”

  Emma glanced at Suri, trying to connect the dots of how the relationship led back to her. It was often like that, talking to Suri, Emma noticed. She lived with extended family, an aunt and uncle and two grade-school cousins, and her older brother, a student at UCLA who still lived at home. “I have, like, a hundred relatives in LA, and most of them live in Westwood. I swear, I go to a wedding every month, a birthday party every weekend, or some social obligation at someone’s house, and it’s mostly because of my aunt. She’s, like, in everyone’s business and says yes for me whenever we’re invited to parties. It’s so annoying,” Suri had complained once to Emma. Another time, she’d said, “More than likely, I’ll go to one of the UCs or Loyola Marymount and live at home through college. Persians never leave home until they marry, and sometimes not even then.” Although her family was much stricter than Valentina’s or Blue’s, she got around it by using Valentina’s house as the home base whenever she spent the night out. Valentina’s parents were older, Brenda’s age, but they still worked insane schedules. Her mother was the CEO of a snack company, and her dad was a family law attorney. Valentina was the youngest of three, a distant eighteen years behind the middle sibling.

  “They don’t have time to worry about me,” she’d said the other day. “My older brothers got all the discipline, strict curfews, and pressure to be good students, go to Ivy League colleges, the whole, we’re-going-to-mold-you-if-it-kills-us treatment, and with me, they're like, meh, I’m over it.” She’d grinned. “Apparently, I’m spoiled,” she said with a lift of a brow. “At least that’s what Geo says.”

  “What do your brothers do?” Emma had asked her.

  “Geo’s a dentist and Javier is a heart surgeon.”

  “Wow!”

  “I know,” Valentina had said with another lift of her brow. “Maybe I’ll just be a housewife since all I want to do is shop and go to the gym. I haven’t found my passion yet.”

  “Your passion is shopping,” Suri had said, and Blue added, “Nobody wants to be a housewife anymore, except alt-right women promoting back-to-the-land cottage core Little House BS, and no man’s going to want to marry your lazy ass so you can burn all his money on shopping and Pilates classes.”

  “Hah, says the girl whose sister gets paid good money to do just that. I’m offering this sweet little ass for a bargain.” She’d pointed at her ring finger, “opening price, big glam wedding.” They’d laughed, but Emma didn’t really think it was funny. “Besides, I’ll be a hot commodity,” Valentina had continued. “While the feminists and gender-fluid bitches are busting their balls to prove they can do it all, I’ll just take it all. Men will be lining up. We’re becoming a rare breed, us lil ultra-feminine women who want to be cared for.” She’d batted her eyelashes.

  Blue had blushed, and Emma had thought to herself that Valentina would never say that shit on social media. It was like she was privately giving the finger to the PC movement.

  “Looking after the home is a lot of work, especially when you have kids.” Emma had told her, thinking of her mom and the twins.

  “Who says I’m having kids?” Valentina had shot back and then grinned at Emma. “Let other women breed themselves into oblivion.”

  “Well, I know what my choices are,” Suri had said with a sigh. “I’m Persian, so it’s one of three professions: engineer, doctor, or attorney.”

  They’d laughed again.

  Emma sat up and reached for her phone to check the time. It was two in the afternoon. She’d arrived at ten, the doorman swiping her into the elevator, clearing her for the eighth floor. Blue had greeted her in the foyer bleary-eyed and barely awake. They’d gone to her bedroom, ravishing each other for an hour before Suri and Valentina arrived.

  It was Emma’s third day in a row at Blue’s. Jill had loosened up about letting her visit, but she wasn’t allowed to spend the night and she had to be home by eight. They had the apartment to themselves because Mia’s client had extended her time with him for another two weeks. She was in the Maldives and making bucket loads of money, according to Blue. This particular client had several sugar babies, so Mia didn’t see him often. But when she did, she earned enough to pay her tuition for half a semester at UCLA.

  “When’s Donovan coming by?” Valentina asked, tracing the outer part of her thigh with a watery finger.

  “Soon,” Blue said. Her eyes were bloodshot and she turned onto her belly, laying her cheek against her towel and putting her sun hat over her face. Suri climbed back into the pool, dunking her head under the water. For the moment, they had the pool to themselves.

  “What do you think of Donovan?” Valentina asked Emma.

  “She’s got the hots for him,” Blue said from under her hat.

  Emma gave her a nudge with her big toe.

  “You do?” Valentina said in a lower voice.

  “I mean, he’s fit,” Emma said, taking a sip of her drink. Her tongue felt fuzzy and there was a sour taste in her mouth. She stood on swaying feet to walk to her towel, lying down.

  “You’re wasted,” Valentina said.

  “No,” Emma tried to argue.

  Blue’s phone buzzed. She picked it up. “It’s him,” she said. “Em, can you meet him? I’m too wiped out.” Her arm shot out with the keycard in her hand and Emma took it, rising to her feet again and fumbling to put her towel around her waist two different times.

  She took the elevator down to the lobby. Donovan grinned when he saw her, and Emma felt her stomach drop.

  “Blue sent me,” she blurted out as he stepped into the elevator.

  “I see that,” he said, his smile growing wider, eyes locking with hers. Emma felt emboldened to hold his gaze.

  His hand reached toward hers and she froze, wondering what he was going to do. He took the keycard out of her hand and scanned it for the Mezzanine.

  “Your ID should be ready in a few days,” he said, handing the card back.

  “Thank you,” Emma said loudly and grimaced. “I mean, thank you,” she said in a lower voice.

  “No problem,” he said with a lift of his chin. “It’ll open up a whole other world for you.”

  The elevator doors opened and they stepped out.

  “How’s Posie?” Emma asked as they walked across the courtyard to the pool.

  “She’s, you know, coping.” He ran a hand through his dark hair. “It’s been a blow, losing her friends. They’ve been running around together since they were, like, six or seven.”

  “God,” Emma said, feeling a lump form in her throat. “It’s so shitty, what happened.”

  “I know,” he muttered.

  Emma stumbled and Donovan grabbed her wrist to steady her.

  “You okay?”

  Emma nodded.

  “Donovan,” Suri called from the pool and waved.

  Blue lifted her hat and propped herself up on her elbow just as Valentina skipped-ran in their direction, throwing herself in his arms, smushing her bikini-clad body against his while trying to kiss his lips. He moved his face and her kiss landed on his ear.

  “Hi,” she said.

  He pried her arms from around his neck. “Jesus. You girls are wasted. What have you been drinking?”

  “I made vodka cranberry,” Blue called out. “Want one?”

  He shook his head no and
made his way over to her.

  “Emma, your toe is bleeding!” Valentina yelled.

  Emma glanced down. Sure enough, blood welled up from a cut under the nail of her big toe.

  “Why don’t we all go inside?” Donovan said. “You girls need to sober up.”

  “Says the patriarchy.” The words flew out of Emma’s mouth before she could think of what she was saying.

  “What?” Donovan’s brow wrinkled.

  “Nothing. A joke.” Emma’s eyes dropped back to her bloody toe and then she burst out laughing.

  Donovan took her arm. “Blue,” he said, “grab your witch’s brew and let’s get you girls upstairs.”

  Blue got up. Other than her red eyes, she held her liquor well. She picked up the towels and pitcher, Suri getting out of the pool and helping her.

  In the apartment, Blue tossed the towels in the washing machine and went in search of Band-Aids for Emma while Donovan made coffee.

  “I need to rinse this pool water off,” Suri said.

  “Go for it. You know where the towels are.” Blue glided past her, handing Emma a Band-Aid, and went to stand next to Donovan, slipping an arm around his waist. Emma watched his arm cross over her back, his hand sweeping over her left cheek before he leaned in and planted a lingering kiss on her partially open lips.

  Flustered at the show of affection, Emma sat on one of the kitchen chairs to bandage her toe, her mind a flurry of emotions.

  Before they’d gone to the pool, she’d watched with a stab of jealousy as Valentina curled up next to Blue on the sofa, Blue batting playfully at her hair. In a private moment with Blue, Emma asked her if something was going on with her and Valentina.

  “We mess around sometimes,” Blue had said.

  When Blue handed Emma her first drink, she’d downed it in one go, trying to shake the jealous feelings off. Blue’s admission was crushing. But, she’d reasoned with herself, she was the outsider.

  “Jesus, get a room,” Valentina said to Blue and Donovan.

  Donovan gave a quiet little laugh, and Blue came to sit next to Emma, winking at her.

  “How’s your toe?”

  “It’s fine.” She gathered her hair up, swooping it to one side for something to do, feeling shy under Blue’s and Valentina’s scrutiny.