Margot looked at all of us for a long moment before she said, “Listen, I know it looks bad for me, y’all. I know it looks like I mighta had somethin’ to do with it. But all I can do is tell the truth. And the truth is, Mitzy had a lot of enemies. In the industry, at the 7-Eleven down the road from her house, at her hair salon…even as far back as high school.”
My waning interest perked right back up, and despite the cold, I wanted to know what she meant. “But I thought you said you only went to college with her? Did she tell you about her high school days?”
“I did, and she didn’t, and I know why. About three or four months ago, she got a couple of weird comments on her videos about some girl named Kelly Leigh, and the commenter asked what happened to her. So I asked her who Kelly Leigh was, thinking maybe it was a friend from HS she might want to reconnect with. Of course, she pretended like she didn’t know what I was talkin’ about…but it wasn’t hard to find out why she didn’t want to talk about it. I just googled Kelly’s name and Mitzy’s hometown, and there it was in all its ugly.”
My heart began to race. I felt something—something tingly—and I knew whatever Margot said next would be important.
I tried not to squeal with excitement when I asked, “And?”
“And it turns out Kelly Leigh was a sophomore in high school when Mitzy was a senior. They went to school together. But when Kelly Leigh was fifteen, she killed herself.”
The tingly feeling increased and shimmied along my spine, followed by deep sorrow. I’m not sure if the universe was listening, but I was anything but excited about that news.
“How awful,” I murmured.
“Oooh,” both Sally and Julie breathed, their faces pained.
Keeping my tone as even as possible, I asked, “Do you know why she killed herself?”
Margot’s face distorted, and her voice hitched a bit, her southern accent becoming stronger. “She killed herself because she was being bullied—allegedly by Mitzy and her clan of evil mean girls.”
Chapter 14
Pow. That one hit me right in the kisser.
Sally and Julie gasped again, the condensation from their breaths making puffy clouds before Sally put a hand over her mouth to squash her astonishment. Passersby looked at them with curiosity as they made their way along the sidewalk.
My eyes widened at the accusation. “Was Mitzy accused of a crime?”
Margot tucked her hair behind her ear and shook her head. “No. It never went that far. It never does with Mitzy. The articles I read hardly mentioned her, but her parents are rich and have lots of connections, so I’m sure they squashed any talk of her involvement like bugs on a hot summer day. She’s from a small podunk town in Mississippi, but she was a big deal there, and so were her folks.”
“So what leads you to believe she had something to do with this girl Kelly’s death?
Margot shrugged. “The article I read said there was suspicion about some bullying by the cheerleading team, and a very minor statement from Kelly’s parents, but an investigation concluded the reports were unfounded.”
“And I’m guessing Mitzy was a cheerleader.” I didn’t really need the confirmation, but I said it out loud anyway.
“The head cheerleader,” Margot said dryly
Hah. I should have known. “And what about the comments on her YouTube page?”
Margot snorted, rubbing her arms. “Deleted, of course. All by me, because that was part of my job. But there was one that said, “‘I know who you are, Mitzy Cavanaugh. I see you.’”
“From who?”
“No idea. The username was just a bunch of numbers and letters. Our tech guy couldn’t trace it. It went to a fake ISP in Canada that led us nowhere. Still, it only happened that once. The other two just said things like, ‘Remember high school?’ That upset Mitzy. I didn’t know why at the time because it seemed so innocuous, and I really thought they meant some kind of prank or somethin’. You know, like stealin’ the school’s mascot? Now I wish I’d never read that article and paid closer attention.”
“So you think it was connected to the post you deleted?”
“I’m sure of it. It’s just a feelin’, but my insides say it’s someone who knew what happened to that poor girl.”
“And how are you so sure Mitzy was responsible for Kelly’s death?”
Margot looked at me, her eyes filled with fierce conviction. “Oh, I don’t know if she was the only one responsible, or even responsible in that she was only horrible to her. So horrible the poor child felt hopeless. That age is tough. Sometimes, it doesn’t take much. The article I read said several people commented on Mitzy’s involvement, but also that Kelly was a target for others at school, too. But I do know for sure, Mitzy was a bully with a soul blacker than coal right up until the day she died. Makes perfect sense she was one in high school, too.”
Definitely a fair statement. Boy, when Coop picked an idol most likely to fall, she picked the cream of the crop.
That’s when I thought of how Mitzy had cheated with Luca, and it prompted me to ask, “You know something that’s really been bothering me?”
Margot’s eyebrow rose in question. “Besides the fact that you think Mitzy might have been murdered?”
I sucked in my cheeks before I spoke. “Luca and this whole thing with Susie Masters.”
Everyone rolled their eyes, including Margot, who probably rolled them the hardest. “That snake in the grass?” she replied, disgust in her tone. “I can’t believe he showed up here, lookin’ like some hangdog hot mess. He’s no sorrier that Mitzy’s dead than he is for knocking up Susie. He’s a snake, and he deserved havin’ his scrawny butt kicked out of Mitzy’s house.”
Now that was interesting. “Kicked out? Who kicked him out and when?”
“Mitzy’s parents, as
