Jay:North Toronto Yacht Club. Stupidly named because it’s in the south end of the city. Bunch of others also had family boats there.
Aleeza:The marina is open until 3:00 a.m.?
When Jack was high, I remember him mentioning swamps and water lilies. Clearly water is important. I look up the yacht club on Google, and it’s about ten kilometers from Woodbine Beach, where Jay’s things were found.
Jay:No, but security took one look at Jack and just waved him in. He stays overnight there a lot. Jack took us out to see the most amazing view of the Toronto skyline at night.
Aleeza:Did anything strange happen to you there? Maybe you went on Jack’s boat again that night.
Jay:I guess it’s possible. Nothing strange happened last time. It was nice. I really got to know Jack that night ... he wasn’t drinking. He said he always stays sober while sailing.
Aleeza:What’s Jack’s sailboat called?
Jay:Wanderlust. I remember the name clearly because Jack and I talked about it that night. I told him all about the traveling I want to do, and he said the same. It’s why he named the boat that.
Shit. There it is.
Aleeza:That’s it.
Jay:What?
Aleeza:That night at Jack’s party ... he said “Wanderlust shouldn’t kill anyone. It’s a gift.” I thought he was talking about traveling ... but he was talking about his boat.
Jay:Holy shit. Maybe I’m going to be on his boat Sunday night.
Aleeza:The more I think about it, the more I think Jack knows a lot that he’s not saying. He’s probably the Birdwatcher. He was so cryptic at that party. Aster told me he used to have a secret Instagram where he aired dirty laundry about his wealthy peers.
Jay:Yep. He got into a lot of trouble for that. Did you know the old Birdwatcher Tumblr claimed I was the one who exposed Jack as being the person behind that secret Instagram? Of course, I didn’t do it. A few days ago, Birdwatcher Instagram repeated the accusation.
Aleeza:Wow. Why did the Birdwatcher think it was you?
Jay:No clue. I told Jack that it wasn’t me. I’ve never even seen his secret Instagram. He said he believed me. All the trouble slid off him, anyway. Rich people get away with everything.
Maybe with murder. If Jack thought Jay exposed his secret Instagram, that could be motive.
Aleeza:If Jack is behind the Birdwatcher Instagram, then him reposting that accusation a few days ago tells us that he hasn’t really forgiven you. This grudge has been festering for a year now. It’s ready to blow. Someone said he’s been drinking since Halloween, and he said after that. You disappeared a few days after Halloween. Maybe he was so traumatized by what he did that he’s been on a bender since then. I need to talk to him.
Jay:Be careful.
Aleeza:Yeah, I know. I will. Let’s hope Jack has some answers for me.
TWENTY
The next day, after I tell Gracie about Jack’s boat,Wanderlust, she agrees to come with me to talk to him. But that proves harder than we expected. The Instagram account he messaged me from about my sweatshirt strangely no longer exists. And neither Gracie nor I have his phone number. We can’t exactly show up at his mom and dad’s house asking for his number because we think he murdered his classmate. Gracie finally asks Aster to call him, but he doesn’t answer his phone or texts from her. Aster even calls Nat, and she doesn’t know where he is. Nat laughs it off and says Jack always turns up eventually.
“Perfect,” I say, curling my legs under me on Jay’s bed. We just finished recording the third episode of the podcast, and I admit, we both kind of half-assed it. We’re a little too preoccupied with the actual mystery to put enough attention on the mystery podcast. “People I want to talk to keep dropping off the face of the earth,” I say. First Salma, and now Jack.
“He’s probably on another bender,” Gracie says, unplugging the microphone from my computer.
“He’s apparently been on a bender since fall.” The more I think about it, the more I’m sure Jack is our culprit. Jay even said he didn’t trust him. I decide to see what else Jay knows about his so-called friend. It’s strange to be able to text Jay with Gracie here, but it certainly makes things easier.
Aleeza:What do you know about Jack’s family?
Jay:Not much. I’ve never met them. They’re rich.
I google the Gormley name and end up finding a lot. Gracie sits next to me on the bed and takes my phone to type out what I find for Jay.
Jack’s father, Victor Gormley, is in real estate. He apparently owns a company that manages several commercial buildings. His mother’s name is Kate, and as far as I can tell, her job is to be a professional wealthy person. She sits on boards and goes to galas, and she looks like she should be onReal Housewives of Toronto. I find an older picture of Victor and Kate together, and it mentions Kate’s maiden name.
