A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #2
Good Girl, Bad Blood
by Holly Jackson
Contents
THURSDAY: 6 DAYS MISSING: Twenty-Seven
Overview
Pip panics when a body is reported nearby, but the Reynolds family learns it is not Jamie, renewing hope and urgency. Pip then records Arthur Reynolds, who reveals Jamie asked him for exactly £900 on 10 April and was refused. Arthur confirms he returned home before 11:30 p.m. Friday, implying Jamie briefly came and left earlier to retrieve items. Arthur’s guilt and fear raise the stakes and suggest a financial or criminal thread tied to Jamie’s disappearance.
Summary
At breakfast, Pip hears a radio report that an unidentified young man’s body has been found near the A413. She rushes to the Reynolds home, where Arthur calls the police to check if it is Jamie. After a harrowing wait, the family learns the deceased is not Jamie, bringing intense relief and renewed urgency.
Pip begins a recorded interview with Arthur Reynolds. Arthur explains he avoided involvement because he believed Jamie had run away again after their argument and admits he was angry rather than afraid. He now accepts it has been too long for Jamie to be safe.
Arthur reveals Jamie asked to borrow exactly £900 on Tuesday, 10 April, refusing to say why; Arthur declined. Pip notes the specific amount matches another recent loss she has heard about, hinting at a possible connection. Arthur confirms he arrived home before 11:30 p.m. on Friday and would have heard the door, implying Jamie must have returned and left earlier to collect his hoodie and the missing knife.
Arthur says he spent the weekend driving around searching for Jamie, and he expresses deep guilt for refusing help and for their last words being in anger. The interview reframes Jamie’s disappearance with a new financial lead and a tighter timeline, intensifying the investigation.
Who Appears
- Pip Fitz-AmobiInvestigates Jamie’s disappearance; panics at news of a body; conducts key interview with Arthur and identifies the £900 lead.
- Arthur ReynoldsJamie’s father; confirms body isn’t Jamie; reveals Jamie asked for exactly £900 on 10 April; expresses guilt and fear.
- Connor ReynoldsJamie’s brother; supports parents during the call; experiences relief and grief; remains central to Pip’s search.
- Joanna ReynoldsJamie’s mother; devastated during the wait; relieved when body isn’t Jamie; part of the family’s emotional core.
- Pip’s mumAlerts Pip to the radio report and urges her to go to the Reynolds’ house.