The Last Invitation (63)

“I actually am.” Gabby turned to face Jessa then, thinking a confrontation, small as this was, might make her shut up.

“Right. You live off your dead ex’s money and don’t work, so—”

“You seem obsessed with my ex-husband. Should we talk about that?”

Jessa didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “Why are you here?”

“It’s a good cause.” The adrenaline racing through Gabby slowed. She could do this. A party like this, being among the people possibly manipulating behind the scenes to rip her family apart, demanded all her control and acting ability. Lucky for her, pretending and tolerating were the two things she excelled at lately.

Jessa’s smile widened. “There’s a rumor in my office that your brother-in-law was questioned in Baines’s death.”

One hard smack. That’s all it would take to knock that satisfied grin off her face. Gabby really thought about entertaining the crowd and doing it, but Liam needed her. He didn’t know it and certainly didn’t believe it, but he did. “Did you start that rumor, Jessa?”

Jessa drained her glass and picked a second glass off a passing tray. “You’re exhausting.”

The slight dip in her voice. Gabby heard it and dove in. Hate Jessa or not, Gabby had to try. Had to push and, maybe, save Jessa from her terrible choices . . . this time. “This group you’re in or trying to get in with is very dangerous.”

Jessa’s saccharine smile finally slipped. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s a charity. Nothing more.”

“For someone who habitually lies, you’re not very good at it.”

Jessa’s fingers tightened around the thin glass stem. “You should stop this.”

Not as collected and in control as she pretended to be. Gabby saw that truth and noted it, not sure what that meant about how deep Jessa had gone into the darkness. “Define ‘this.’”

“Poking around. Buying into outrageous conspiracy theories.”

People walked around them. A few said hello, but no one tried to get in the middle of their conversation. Jessa thrummed with a strange sensation. Gabby thought it might be panic, but maybe that was wishful thinking. Jessa lacked that little voice that warned about going too far. About crossing a line.

If this group’s activities shook Jessa, Gabby feared for Liam and Kennedy. The only option might be to work with Jessa, which sounded almost too daunting to be possible.

Gabby lowered her already soft voice to a whisper. “Tell me why the police are going after Liam.”

“Ask the police.”

“What is your group afraid I’ll find? Bigger question, why did Baines need to die?” Gabby watched the swagger drain from Jessa. “If you don’t know, tell me how I can find out.”

“You’re insane.” Jessa’s fingers clenched and unclenched around the glass as she talked.

She’d found a weak spot. Gabby didn’t know why or what had Jessa spooked, but she leaned into it. “This group has killed people. Mostly men. Mostly shitty men. That doesn’t make killing okay, but it does explain why no one is questioning the deaths. They view the loss of life as a benefit to the community, which is how I assume you justify murdering people.”

“You should stop drinking.”

Gabby hadn’t taken a sip, and they both knew it. “I have a list of names. Men who have died under suspicious circumstances.”

Jessa stepped back and ran right into one of the many men in navy suits walking around the room. They both apologized before Jessa turned her anger back on Gabby. “Maybe you need a hobby.”

Unraveling. Gabby saw it and heard it. With anyone else, she might have used more care, but she knew this was a temporary opening. Jessa’s defenses would rise again, and she would rally. Gabby had a limited amount of time to get through.

Loretta and her husband watched from across the room, so Gabby sped up. “Baines made mistakes—some big ones—but he wasn’t a pedophile or a rapist. He didn’t attack women, which makes me think making him a target was a mistake.”

“You’re talking in circles.”

Jessa seemed to be staring at Loretta, so Gabby moved, blocking Jessa’s view of the room, and forcing eye contact. “Imagine thinking you have the right to decide who lives and who dies. That you’re entitled to hold that much power. Now imagine what happens when it all blows up.”

Energy wound up inside Gabby. She was on the right track. Rob hadn’t been wrong. He’d predicted Jessa was a new member. The ties to Retta, the sudden law partnership, and the uncharacteristic lack of crowing about the accomplishment made Gabby believe.

Jessa looked at the floor. “I’m going to mingle.”

“You can’t control this or lie your way out of it, but you can help me get to the truth.”

Jessa’s head snapped up. “We’re not friends.”

The air changed in a flash. The charge running between them and around them vanished. Gabby didn’t know how she’d lost it. She made one last try to reach Jessa. “For your sake, I hope you realize when it comes to this group you need an ally. Let me be that for you.”

“I’ll pass.” Jessa shoved her empty glass into Gabby’s free hand and walked away.