‘The Internet.’
I laughed. For the briefest moment, a smile flashed across his otherwise serious face, but then it was gone. ‘I’ll talk to you soon,’ he said.
I stepped out into the street, where twice as many people were milling about now. My bag was heavy with the weight of the file. I folded the list and put it in there too, then made my way towards Grafton Street. I planned to go back to Hannah’s, hang with her for a little while, then get the bus to Avarna. I was glad that I’d met up with Matt Lawlor. I wasn’t nervous any more; there wasn’t room for nerves. I had to stay focused. I had a case to solve.
Chapter 3
‘How attached are you to your second kidney?’ asked Colin. He was sprawled across my bed, on my laptop, as I sat on the floor finishing off a new song.
‘Very attached,’ I said, between strums.
Colin had come over to my house as soon as I got back from Dublin. I’d had an idea for a new song during the three-hour bus ride, and wanted to get the melody down before I forgot it. Colin was used to me randomly working on music and scribbling lyrics, so he didn’t mind that I wasn’t giving him my full attention. Besides, he was busy scheming. I’d told him it was pointless, but he wouldn’t listen.
‘It says here that you can get five thousand dollars for one on the black market.’
I rolled my eyes.
‘Jacki, you’re going to have to be a bit more flexible,’ he said. ‘Desperate times and all that.’
‘Let’s face it,’ I sighed. ‘I’m not going to New York.’
‘I’m maid of honour,’ said Colin, so seriously that I had to force myself not to giggle. ‘It’s my job to make sure all of Lydia’s favourite people are there.’
‘Well then, tell her to get married in Avarna!’ I said, playing louder.
Lydia and I had become pretty good friends over the past year. She’s a designer and owns a shop that sells clothes and accessories in the village, so we share a love of fashion. Colin had introduced us. Even though she is technically Colin’s aunt, I guess they’re more like friends too, hence he got the job of chief bridesmaid. Lydia had met her American piano-player fiance, Seth, when he came into her shop last year. He was touring Ireland with his band and wanted to buy something to take home to his mum. They got talking about the Josh Ritter CD Lydia was playing on her stereo, and he’d left the shop with a turquoise suede clutch bag and Lydia’s phone number. Six months later there was a wedding invitation in my mailbox. Ever since they’d met, I’d noticed a change in her – it was like she’d learned to trust again. Most people in the village thought the entire thing was very sudden and a little bit crazy, but I thought it was wonderfully romantic. Like Seth had said – when you find someone as awesome as Lydia, you don’t wait around. They were getting married in New York, as Seth was from Brooklyn. I was so happy for her. Happy she’d found someone she loved so much. And also happy that she was moving to New York, a place she’d always wanted to go. I wanted to go there too, and hopefully I would some day. But not this summer.
I was disappointed that I was going to miss Lydia’s big day, but there was one advantage to staying at home – I’d get to spend lots of time with Nick. He’d been practising a lot with his band lately so I hadn’t seen him that much. Sometimes I went to watch them practise, like the other guys’ girlfriends, but I never felt comfortable sitting on the spare amps in Chris’s garage, smiling and nodding along to the music. I found it very hard to stay in a room full of guitars without playing one. The whole thing seemed a bit pointless anyway; I didn’t get how the other girls could do it. I usually ended up bailing after fifteen minutes and going over to Emily’s. When the summer came, I’d be able to see way more of Nick, out of the practice room.
‘Sing your song for me!’ said Colin as I hummed quietly. He sat up and smiled at me expectantly.
‘OK,’ I said. ‘It’s not finished though.’ I’d been excited about the song at first, but now I wasn’t so sure if I was happy with it.
‘Doesn’t matter,’ said Colin. ‘Sing it anyway.’
I took a breath and sang softly.
‘Cheery,’ said Colin.
I gave him a fake glare.
‘It’s fabulous, Jacki!’ he laughed. ‘Just like everything you sing.’ A mischievous look crossed his face. ‘Can I sing
‘Go ahead,’ I said curiously.
Colin launched into ‘New York, New York’, jumping up on the bed and using my hair straightener as a microphone.
This time I actually glared at him.
‘It’s NEW YORK,’ said Colin. ‘You HAVE to go.’
‘The wedding’s in five weeks,’ I said. ‘It’s not gonna happen.’
I was thrilled for Lydia, but I kind of wished Colin would talk about something else for five seconds.
‘There has to be a way,’ he said. ‘We’ll find a way. I know it, I’d bet my life on it.’
There was no way I was going to New York. I’d love to go, of course, but I couldn’t afford it. I didn’t want to ask Mum for a loan because the baby was arriving in five months and she was always talking about how much babies cost. We’d already spent so much on the renovation of the cottage. It was worth it though; it looked beautiful and my room was just perfect – I loved the purple walls, the polished wooden floor and the multicoloured chandelier. Whatever money we had left over had been used to turn one of the spare rooms into a nursery, which was all set for the baby’s arrival in October. It wouldn’t be fair to ask Mum to pay for my flight to New York too. But ever since Lydia had sent out the invitations Colin had been trying to come up with a way to get me a ticket. Most of his ideas were either very improbable or very illegal.
‘I think you’re just going to have to accept it,’ I said. ‘I’m not going.’
‘Well, that’s not very optimistic now, is it?’
I knew Colin meant well, but his determination was also just a constant reminder that I wasn’t going to be at the wedding.
I heard his phone beep. I looked up two seconds later to find it shoved right up to my face. ‘Oh my god,’ he said. ‘Oh. My. God.’
‘What?’ I asked.
‘He texted me. He TEXTED ME!’ Colin started hyperventilating and I read the screen.
Hey, Colin, it’s James. What’s up? Was just wondering if you wanted to hang out this Friday night?
