‘I could help,’ I reply.
‘Actually, Whit, can you hang back? I need to talk to you. Just book stuff,’ JJ says.
‘Erm, yeah, okay,’ I say. ‘I’ll catch you up, Jake.’
‘What’s up?’ I ask JJ when we’re alone. ‘Book stuff?’
‘Nope, it’s about Cordelia,’ she says eagerly, but in hushed tones.
‘What about her?’ I ask, leaning closer.
‘I pulled favours,’ she says. ‘I made calls. I asked people who owe me things. Plus I listened to her on the phone earlier. And I solved the case.’
‘I didn’t realise it was a case,’ I tease.
‘I know everything,’ she says, ignoring me. ‘Or enough of it.’
‘And?’
‘She’s still married,’ JJ blurts.
It feels like the world stops turning for a few seconds.
‘What?’
‘Cordelia,’ she clarifies. ‘She is still legally married. Or her divorce isn’t final. Or it’s caught up in paperwork she hasn’t cleared. That’s what she’s making calls about. The point is: she shouldn’t be marrying Andy. I don’t even think she’s told him – he can’t know, can he?’
‘That’s… that’s a huge thing,’ I manage to reply. ‘It’s illegal, for one.’
‘I know,’ she replies. ‘But that’s not all. She’s in debt, Whit. A lot of it. Legal fees, loans – the works. I think she can’t afford to finish the divorce, which is why she’s been obsessing over timelines and trying to get it sorted. That’s why she’s whispering on the phone. That’s why she’s freaking out – and she knows we’re on to her; that’s why she’s being a cow. Plus, she’s been married before…’
‘You said “you think”…’ I point out. ‘Are you certain?’
‘I’ve put all of the pieces of the puzzle together,’ she says with a confidence I’m not sure she should have.
‘I think you’re running with the bits and bobs you’ve picked up and you’re painting your own picture,’ I tell her.
‘Oh, am I?’ she replies. ‘Come on, Whit, it all makes perfect sense now.’
I mean, I guess it does, but we don’t have solid facts or concrete proof. It would just be our word against hers. It’s not like it’s something that can be proved either way, not before the wedding, not unless Cordelia wants to hand herself in.
‘Whatever the truth is, she hasn’t been honest,’ JJ says, her voice quieter now but sharper for it. ‘And Andy deserves to know that before he legally ties himself to someone who hasn’t told him the truth. And this could be your chance, Whit, to get him.’
Her words echo in my head.
‘JJ, no,’ I insist. ‘I don’t want to “get him” – and I definitely don’t want to win him by playing dirty.’
‘Well, if I didn’t tell you now, you’d find out later and blame yourself for not seeing it sooner,’ she points out. ‘And whether you want Andy or not, you don’t want to see him get hurt, do you?’
‘We can’t get involved,’ I insist.
‘Why not?’ she replies.
‘Because it’s not our secret,’ I remind her. ‘And because Andy has to be allowed to choose freely.’
JJ laughs.
‘Freely? Whit, he’s about to marry someone who hasn’t told him the truth,’ she says.
