Page 30 of Girl, Reformed

Marcy’s glossy eyes took on newdimensions. ‘Stocks? The things that hold you in place?’

‘Yes,’ Luca said. ‘We’re sorry to be theones to tell you this. If it’s any consolation-,’

‘Why?’ Marcy cut him off, then fresh tearsbegan spilling. Ella's heart gave a little lurch. There it is, shethought. The grief. The disbelief. Right on schedule.

She cleared her throat, tried to steer theconversation back on track. ‘That's what we're here to find out, Marcy. But weneed your help to do it. We need to know everything you can tell us about yoursister.

Marcy swiped at her eyes, smearing blackstreaks across her knuckles. ‘I don't know how much help I can be. Georgia andI...we weren't exactly close.’

Ella nodded, unsurprised. ‘Siblings can belike that. But you grew up together, lived together. You must have some insightinto who she was, what made her tick.’

Marcy huffed out a breath. ‘Georgiawas...Georgia. Stubborn as a mule and twice as mean. She never met a fight shedidn't pick, never met a bridge she didn't burn.’

Luca shifted from foot to foot, clearlyitching to jump in. But Ella shot him a warning look. Let her talk,that look said. Let it all come pouring out.

‘She was always mouthing off, alwayssticking her nose in where it didn't belong. I lost count of how many times Ihad to bail her out of jail, or talk some pissed off boyfriend out of breakingdown our door.’

Ella mentally cataloged it all. There wasa little thrill there, because Georgia Bolton and Archie Newman seemed to betwo sides of the same coin.

‘Boyfriends? Did Georgia date a lot?’ Ellaasked.

Marcy snorted. ‘Date? No. More like nailand bail. Girl had a thing for bad boys, the kind with rap sheets longer thanmy arm. She'd shack up with 'em for a few weeks, then it was on to the nextone.’

Ella took it in. It opened up a whole newavenue of investigation. Jilted lovers, jealous exes. It was like the scumbaglottery.

‘Any names you can remember? Anyone whomight have had a particularly nasty breakup with her?’

Marcy chewed on her lower lip. 'There wasthis one guy a few months back. Ricky something or other. Real mean son of abitch. He laid hands on Georgia more than once. Put her in the hospital, even.'

Ella's head snapped up. ‘The hospital? Youfile a police report?’

Marcy just looked at her, a sad, knowingsmile playing around her mouth. ‘What do you think? Georgia wouldn't even admithe did it. Kept saying she fell down the stairs, walked into a door. The usualbullshit.’

The same old song and dance, Ella thought.‘Alright, we’ll look into it. Anyone else spring to mind? A friend, maybe?Someone she talked to regularly?’

‘Friend? Ha. Georgia didn’t have friends.She had losers she partied with, got high with. People she wanted to impress.’

Luca stepped up. ‘We know she worked atthe Rusty Nail bar. Was she career-driven at all?’

‘Career-driven? Georgia? Hell no. Thatgirl couldn't hold down a job to save her life. Always calling out, showing uplate, half in the bag. She was a bartender, for Christ's sake, not a lawyer.’

Ella felt a little twist in her gut. Somuch for the similarities between Georgia and Archie. Seemed like the onlything they had in common was their untimely end and a talent for pissing folksoff.

‘But she had an active social life,right?’ Luca asked.

Marcy snorted, rolling her eyes so hardElla thought they might pop right out of her skull. ‘Oh yeah, she was a regularsocial butterfly. If by social you mean getting blasted at every dive bar andcomedy club in town.’

Ella thought it all through. The pieces ofGeorgia Bolton’s trainwreck of a life began falling into place like a jigsawpuzzle from hell. It sounded like she was a wild card, a loose cannon. The kindof gal who'd hitch a ride on the back of the devil's Harley if he promised hera good time.

‘Anything else we should know about her?’Ella asked. ‘Any skeletons in the closet, secrets she was keeping?’

Marcy just stared at her, eyes flat andempty as a snake's. ‘Georgia didn't have skeletons. She had a whole graveyard.But I couldn't tell you what was buried there. Girl played her cards close tothe chest, even with me.’

Ella nodded, unsurprised. Folks likeGeorgia, they built walls higher than the Berlin Wall. Kept everyone at arm'slength, never let anyone see past the rough-and-tumble exterior. Until it wastoo late.

‘Any idea where Georgia might've been lastnight? After her shift at the Rusty Nail?’

‘Your guess is as good as mine. Could'vebeen anywhere. Alleyways, back seats of cars, shooting up under a bridge. Girlwas a ghost when she wanted to be.’

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