by Alexa Steele
The women at the table looked embarrassed.
“Are you seriously implying if a kid doesn’t get into one of the best colleges they will not be successful and happy in their life?” Erika asked. “Do you seriously believe the college you go to is that important?”
“The best colleges give the best peers and contacts. That’s just the way it is. I didn’t make the rules,” Jenna said flatly.
“That’s actually a very provincial way to think about it,” replied Erika. “You clearly don’t have much confidence in your kid if you are clinging so hard to the name of a school.”
Jenna’s face revealed no emotion. She sighed as though she were exhausted.
Erika wasn’t finished. “Plenty of kids drinking their way through the best schools, Jenna. Plenty of Ivy graduates going through life divorced, broke, and medicated like the rest of the population. Plenty oozing arrogance and ego but have little to no emotional intelligence. Ever spoken to a Harvard grad? Most will mention Harvard ten times in one sit-down.”
“Whatever, Erika, I am not going to argue with you. You are way too sensitive and believe me, I can understand why.”
Jenna dropped the comment and smiled condescendingly.
Erika gave Jenna a searing look
“Where did you go to college, Jenna?” Erika blasted sarcastically. Jenna held a certificate from a two-year program in New York City and Erika seemed to know that.
Jenna smiled slowly and a look of deadly seriousness came over her face.
“I was lucky, I suppose,” was all she said. “I married right.”
Stephanie and Kim looked down at their laps as Jenna squinted her eyes and licked her lips, which had scrunched themselves into a sour expression.
Erika turned to the other two. “Jump in whenever you feel like it, girls,” she said.
The server arrived at the deadly quiet table with Bella’s croissant and milkshake, whose mountain of whipped cream cascaded down over the sides of the glass. Bella scooped it up with a spoon and devoured it, pretending to ignore the sullen faces around her.
“Jesse belongs at Vanderbilt,” Jenna said to Bella, explaining herself. “She earned it. Wanting her to get in doesn’t make me bad.”
Erika was flabbergasted. “This isn’t about Vanderbilt, Jenna.”
“Stop trying to start a fight, Erika. Oh my god, really,” Stephanie pleaded and Kim nodded. Jenna simply smiled. She was enjoying this. Bella’s eyes darted back and forth between them.
“Vanderbilt is looking at the wait list now, right, Jen? Who knows what will happen?” Stephanie said carefully, trying to appease her.
“No one will be getting off the list this year after what happened,” Erika said.
“You’re wrong. I spoke with Arlene,” said Jenna.
Erika stood her ground. “It’s not going to happen—you should be happy with her choices and let it be.”
“We shall see,” Jenna snarled, fighting to hide her contempt but no longer doing a good job. That permanent smile was gone. In its place was pure unadulterated hatred.
“Are you all referring to the two spots that opened when those girls died?” Bella played dumb. Pay dirt. This was exactly where she was hoping the conversation would go.
The table was quiet. Kim leaned in, looked over her shoulder, and whispered, “It was such a terrible tragedy. They committed suicide together. Their poor parents,” she said, shaking her head. “The only good thing to come of it is the openings, but now they are not even a sure thing.”
She looked around to make sure no one in the café heard what she said. Bella couldn’t believe her ears. Was she kidding? Bella had the distinct feeling it was time to take a different approach. Maybe shaking the tree a bit stronger would bring the nuts down to earth a bit quicker.
Bella leaned in and whispered, “I heard those girls took so much Adderall their brains fried. May have had a psychotic break.”
“Oh my god,” said Kim.
“Oh my god,” whined Stephanie.
Erika and Jenna were silent.
“Where did you hear such a thing? Are people really starting horrible rumors now?” Kim wailed.
“What is a psychotic break? What are you saying?” Stephanie looked deeply confused.
Jenna simply stared out the window. Bella’s comment seemed to have no effect on her at all.
Bella responded, “A psychotic break is what it sounds like, Stephanie. It’s one of the side effects of Adderall, a very popular drug around here apparently.”
No one said a word.
“Am I wrong? Is there anyone at this table whose child is not taking it?”
“Perry is not,” said Erika.
“Adderall is a godsend,” Jenna said. “An absolute godsend.”
She sounded just like Weber.
“I assume you have personal experience with it,” Bella responded.
“Yes, I do,” Jenna answered, indignantly. “So does everyone at this table. So does everyone in this town. There are very few kids left anywhere who don’t take it and those who don’t are at a serious disadvantage, I’ll tell you that. It’s a wonder drug.”
“They call it the competition drug,” Kim chirped, excited she knew something.
“Have any of you heard it is being sold at your school?” Bella asked quietly.
Stephanie and Kim looked shocked. Erika shook her head sadly. Jenna’s face was unreadable. No one replied.
“Were you aware Joslyn wanted Carly to get off it?” Bella tried again.
Kim and Stephanie’s jaw dropped.
“Are you kidding me?” they both asked.
Jenna looked out the window again. Was this conversation boring her? Bella wondered.
“Stop taking Adderall?” Stephanie asked, truly perplexed. “I can’t imagine that.”
“Why not?” Erika asked. “Why is that so hard to imagine?”
“I just think she would need it more than ever at Vanderbilt,” Stephanie replied.
“I think you were given the wrong information,” Kim said with sympathy, shaking her head. “Jos would never have wanted that.”
There was a silence at the table. Bella looked at Jenna.
“What do you think, Jenna?”
Jenna gazed pointedly at Bella and replied, “Dr. Weber is the expert—she knows what she is doing. I agree with Kim—I think you were given the wrong information.”
Erika stole a glance at Bella, but Bella pretended not to notice.
“Dr. Weber, the psychiatrist?” Bella acted naïve.
“She’s the town guru,” Kim answered.
“Stop putting everyone on a pedestal, Kim,” Jenna reprimanded. “You don’t even use her.”
“You’re the one who said she was a guru,” Kim replied, clearly hurt. Jenna didn’t seem to notice or care. She brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and exhaled.
“That’s quite a compliment,” Bella said. “How did you find this doctor?”
“Jenna found her,” Kim said, without looking at Jenna.
Bella looked at Jenna.
“She’s a top psychiatrist. I forgot who recommended her. Excuse me.” Jenna hastily stood and headed for the bathroom.
“I didn’t want to start a fight with Jenna, but now that she’s not here I can say it,” Kim leaned in and whispered in a conspiratorial tone. “I really don’t like Dr. Weber at all. Jenna tried to get me to use her when my son was diagnosed with ADHD. She seemed more like a drill sergeant than a doctor. She is very intimidating. I found someone else in town. Jenna was mad at me, but I’m sorry, I just couldn’t stomach the woman. Neither could my son. I don’t get why she and Jenna are close.”
“What do you mean close?” asked Bella.
“I mean, Jenna loves her. Goes on and on about what a good doctor she is. Maybe she is, but…”
“She is a good doctor,” Stephanie confirmed.
“I saw her and Jenna one day at the diner when I stopped to get a to-go order,” Kim continued, ignorin
g Stephanie’s comment. “I was really surprised to see them together. At the diner no less! Not the cleanest place in the world.” She made a face like she would rather not think about it—even though she had been there to pick up food for herself. “I guess she needed to speak with her about Jessie. I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I didn’t even tell Jenna I saw them. I thought she’d be mad. Stephanie, don’t say anything to her!”
Stephanie looked up from texting. “OK,” she promised.
Jenna returned and picked her phone off the table. “I need to get to my hair appointment. I don’t want to be late,” she said. “I guess I’ll see you gals tomorrow? At the funeral? Ugh…so sad. Byyyeeee…..” she sang as she waved and smiled at the table. Without waiting for a reply, she walked out.
“Oh my god, she reminded me!” Kim exclaimed. “I need my hair done too! Oh my god, I gotta go. Bye, Detective, bye, Steph, bye, Erika.”
“Wait, I’ll go with you,” Stephanie said, as she eagerly jumped up from her chair. “I have so many errands. Bye, guys,” and she followed Kim out the door.
Bella and Erika were left at the table.
“What did I tell you?” Erika said, with resignation in her voice. “Did I describe them well or what?”
The server came over with the check. In their mad rush to leave they had all forgotten to leave money.
“Forty-seven dollars??” Erika exclaimed incredulously, as she looked at the check. “For what?”
“Never mind that. I got it. Listen, Erika, I have a few hours until I need to be somewhere. I need a favor.”
CHAPTER 22
The four girls crammed around Erika’s small kitchen table wolfing down pizza, munchkins, and chips. Bella stood near the counter a safe distance away, cup of coffee in hand, surveying them. Ashley and Savannah had their arms clasped through one another’s. Jessie watched them from across the table and looked annoyed. Or was she sad? Bella couldn’t tell. Perry, Erika’s daughter, sat with both feet curled up under her eating one chip at a time, slowly, as though contemplating.
It had taken a while for Erika to round up this crew. The formal school day had been cancelled as a result of the murder, but a school wide assembly had been held that morning. The girls had scattered afterwards, their normal Friday routine blown to pieces, so Bella had spent a few hours at the station house reading the deceased girl’s files until she got word from Erika to come over. Bella had not heard from Mack all day. He had planned to spend the day at the high school, that much she knew, but she had texted him twice and had yet to hear back.
After the girls devoured most of the food in front of them and seemed to take a pause in their non- stop conversation, Bella sat down at the table and asked if it would be OK if she talked to them. It didn’t take long for her to see how impressive these girls were. She had never spent time with teenagers like these—educated, articulate, confident. The girls were interested in Bella and her work, and asked many questions about sex crimes, genuinely captivated when she described the conditions and lives of most of the young girls she knew. They discussed the epidemic of crime against women globally: the black market sex trade in Europe, the plight of African girls subjected to mutilation, the rampant rape and murder of Arabic girls who dare to disobey the men in their lives—even domestic violence against women in America.
“I guess violence found its way to our town as well,” Perry said sadly. The table became quiet. Bella broke the silence.
“Listen, girls, I really appreciate your meeting me here and keeping this between ourselves, for now.”
The girls looked serious, and sad.
“I need your help,” Bella said bluntly. “Our investigation has uncovered a drug ring at your school. I am wondering if any of you have heard anything about it.”
The girls looked at Bella then at one another nervously.
“When I say drugs I mean prescription meds, like Adderall,” Bella hastily added.
The girls still said nothing.
“I know you might feel nervous to talk to me about this. I want to ensure you I am not interested in getting anyone here in trouble. What you tell me stays with me. I give you my word. I didn’t come to Greenvale for this, as you know. I came here to investigate Mrs. Freed’s murder. But at this point, my trail is leading to your school and to the possibility that Adderall is being sold there. Mrs. Freed may have known about it.”
Each girl’s face radiated fear and Bella noticed most of the eyes at the table darted briefly toward Jessie, whose gaze remained on the floor.
“I’ve heard there’s a guy you can go to, if you need some Adderall, ya know, to help you study,” Perry faltered. “I don’t know who he is though,” she added very quickly.
“OK,” said Bella softly, looking at the others. “Do any of you girls know him?”
Savannah and Ashley shook their heads. Jessie still looked down.
“Do you know whether Carly ever bought Adderall from him?” Bella asked point-blank.
This time all three girls looked at Jessie at the same time. It was pretty clear she knew something.
“Me and Car once bought one pill from him. That’s all. It was during finals,” Jessie answered quietly. She was calm, unlike Perry, who looked really nervous.
“You OK, Perry?” Bella asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just don’t like the idea of buying drugs from some guy at school. It, like, freaks me out,” she explained as she put her hair behind her ears.
“We didn’t buy drugs, Perry,” Jessie admonished. “Car needed some extra Adderall and I went with her so she wouldn’t have to go alone. It was during finals.”
Jessie apparently didn’t like Perry’s characterization of Adderall as a drug.
“What’s his name?” Bella looked at Jessie.
“JJ,” she replied.
“Who is he?” Bella wanted to know.
“Just some guy at school. He always has stuff. He’s like a kid. He’s in tenth grade.” Jessie said this as though that made it better.
“What’s his real name?” Bella inquired.
“I don’t know. Everyone calls him JJ.”
“How much did she buy? Exactly?” asked Bella.
“I told you. One pill.” Jessie looked unhappy having to answer.
Bella doubted her answer was truthful.
“What dose?” Bella prodded.
“I don’t remember,” Jessie replied sheepishly.
“How much did she spend?”
Jessie looked embarrassed and shrugged. “I don’t know, like forty bucks?”
“Do any of you know whether Mrs. Freed knew about it? Confronted him? Made any kind of trouble? Anything like that?”
“Carly told me her mom was really upset she was taking it and wanted her off it. But she didn’t say anything about her knowing she bought it from JJ,” Ashley said.
“What did exactly did she say about her mom?” Bella asked.
“She said her mom was freaking out. That she thought it may have been the reason why Sam and Sophie killed themselves.”
She looked sad. All the girls did.
“I don’t understand why Carly went to JJ,” Perry remarked. “She has a psychiatrist.”
“I don’t know,” Jessie said in an off hand manner.
“Do you guys know Dr. Weber?” Bella asked.
“I go to someone else,” answered Sav, which was what her friends called her.
“I use her,” answered Ashley.
“Me too,” added Jessie.
Perry shook her head no.
“What do you think of her?”
“She’s not the warmest woman in the world,” Ashley answered. They all giggled nervously. “But she gets you in and out.”
“Have you ever asked her to raise your dose?” Bella asked Ashley and Jessie.
“Once,” Ashley answered. “It was the week before my ACTs.” Ashley looked embarrassed for a moment. “But she gave me only like a week’s worth.”
“So Dr. Weber prob
ably would have increased Carly’s prescription if she asked, no? Why do you think Carly didn’t just ask her? Why go to JJ?” Bella directed this question at Jessie.
There was silence.
“You’d have to ask her,” Jessie answered, twirling her hair. At that moment she looked and sounded just like her mom, Bella thought.
“What about Sam and Sophie? Did you guys know them?” Bella continued.
“Yeah, we knew them. OMG—craaaaazy story,” Sav remarked. They all echoed her.
“What do you think happened?” Bella was curious to see what they thought.
They all started speaking at once, over one another, as they told Bella that Sam and Sophie had been super-smart softball stars who applied to Vandy ED together, got in, and then afterwards came out with the news they were gay.
“As if no one knew,” Ashley added.
“Did they get shit for it at school?” Bella asked, though she knew they had. She had read their files. It seems the girl’s varsity soccer team hung a banner in the gym calling them dykes. Two girls had been suspended.
“Yeah, there was a lot of drama, but not like every day. There were a few kids who teased them, but nothing crazy. Their team was cool with them.”
“Yeah, because the rest of their team is gay too,” Jessie said sarcastically.
“So? Who cares? All the more reason why they wouldn’t kill themselves over it,” said Perry.
“Made no sense at all. Pretty messed up,” Sav added.
“Yeah, what’s also messed up is that they locked up two spots at Vanderbilt. Suicide is selfish enough,” Jessie added.
“That’s soooo mean, Jessie,” Perry said, clearly turned off by the comment. “I mean, are you kidding?”
“Yeah, that’s lame, Jessie. You sound like a psycho,” Sav echoed.
“You know you’re gonna end up there anyway,” added Ashley.
“I’m only kidding.” Jessie smiled disingenuously. “Chill, guys.”
Perry looked uncomfortable. Bella looked at Jessie and, again, felt like she was sitting with a mini version of Jenna. She liked her least of all of them. No surprise.
“Do you guys have your own opinions about why they may have taken their own lives?” Bella asked.