A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #2
Good Girl, Bad Blood
by Holly Jackson
Contents
Seven
Overview
Pip begins investigating Jamie Reynolds’s disappearance, securing Joanna and Connor’s consent while facing Arthur’s hostility. Through recorded interviews, Pip builds a timeline: Jamie’s recent erratic behavior, unrequited feelings for Nat, secret late-night outings, and a harsh argument with his father. Jamie left the memorial intending to see Nat but never arrived, and his phone was off by 12:36, escalating concern.
Summary
Pip arrives at the Reynolds home with recording equipment, warning Joanna and Connor that a public investigation will expose family secrets. Joanna consents; Arthur returns, condemns the idea, and withdraws. Pip proceeds, obtaining releases and starting formal interviews.
Joanna describes Jamie: 24, living at home, working part-time at Pip’s mother’s estate agency, sensitive and often overwhelmed. Jamie’s closest friend is Nat da Silva; Joanna believes Jamie was romantically attached to Nat and was devastated when Nat got a boyfriend in early March. Recently Jamie was distant, up late, texting and calling frequently, sneaking out, and struggling with self-esteem and weight. Joanna last saw Jamie at the memorial around 7 p.m.; later, her 12:36 a.m. text never delivered, indicating his phone was off by then.
Pip and Joanna reconstruct details: Jamie wore jeans, a burgundy collarless shirt, and white Puma trainers. The family drove to the memorial; Jamie stood with Nat, later seeming distracted as he pushed through the crowd around 8:10 p.m. Afterward, Joanna and Arthur dined with friends separately returning home before 12:15 a.m.; Jamie wasn’t there.
Interviewing Connor separately, Pip learns Jamie’s mood swings began in March: a downturn, a brief upswing, then a crash on March 30 when Jamie cried during a movie. Jamie later snapped when Connor jokingly grabbed his phone, pushing him against a wall—uncharacteristic aggression. Connor frequently heard late-night calls and sneaking out, including on Jamie’s birthday and Monday at 3 a.m. Connor also reports a heated 5:30 p.m. argument between Jamie and Arthur about responsibility and money, ending with Arthur calling Jamie “a waste of space” and Jamie replying, “I know.”
At the memorial, Jamie apologized to Connor and said he would go to Nat’s afterward and return home. Nat later confirmed to Joanna and Connor that Jamie never arrived. Connor notes Jamie’s phone was at about 88% earlier that evening, making a dead battery unlikely. Pip concludes with a clearer timeline and heightened urgency: Jamie vanished after the memorial, contradicting his stated plan, and his phone was off by 12:36 a.m.
Who Appears
- Pip Fitz-AmobiInvestigator-podcaster; sets ground rules, records interviews, and builds the initial timeline of Jamie’s disappearance.
- Joanna ReynoldsJamie’s mother; consents to public investigation, details Jamie’s habits, friendships, last movements, and the undelivered 12:36 a.m. text.
- Connor ReynoldsJamie’s brother; requests Pip’s help, reports mood swings, late-night outings, phone charge, and a serious argument with their father.
- Jamie ReynoldsMissing; recent erratic behavior, unrequited feelings for Nat, secret outings; last seen at memorial, planned to see Nat but didn’t.
- Arthur ReynoldsFather; hostile to the investigation, argued with Jamie about responsibility and money shortly before the memorial.
- Nat da SilvaJamie’s close friend; object of his unreturned feelings; confirms Jamie did not visit her after the memorial.