A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
by Holly Jackson
Contents
Twenty-Three
Overview
Pip and Ravi break into the Bell house and search Andie's preserved bedroom for the hidden burner phone, but the hiding place beneath the wardrobe floorboards is empty. The failed search deepens the danger because the evidence Pip hoped would expose the killer is gone, but Andie's planner gives them a new lead through coded initials and times. Becca's unexpected return nearly catches them, raising the stakes of their investigation and their illegal actions.
Summary
Pip and Ravi enter the Bell house and feel the weight of being inside the place where Andie was last seen alive. A noise upstairs frightens them, but it turns out to be the family cat, Monty, whose presence briefly breaks the tension before they continue their search.
Upstairs, Pip and Ravi identify Andie's room by its closed door. The room has been carefully preserved and cleaned, making Andie feel more real to Pip than she has before. Seeing the grief held in the room, Pip silently commits to finding the truth for both Sal and Andie.
Pip and Ravi search the wardrobe floorboards where they expect Andie's hidden burner phone, money, or drugs to be. Ravi finds a loose board, but the space underneath is empty. The discovery devastates Pip because she had hoped the phone would expose the killer and end the danger from Unknown.
Trying to salvage the search, Pip and Ravi examine Andie's desk and find her old academic planner. Pip notices strange initials and times written among ordinary school notes, parties, deadlines, and birthdays. Ravi connects the initials to Howie Bowers's claim that Andie used codes instead of names, so Pip photographs the relevant pages from February through April 2012.
Before Pip and Ravi can leave, the front door slams. Becca Bell has returned home, forcing them to hide inside Andie's wardrobe. Becca comes upstairs, retrieves something from the landing, scolds Monty for going into Andie's room, and briefly enters the bedroom before shutting the door and leaving the house again, allowing Pip and Ravi to avoid discovery.
Who Appears
- Pipsearches Andie's room, processes its grief, photographs coded planner entries, and hides from Becca.
- Ravihelps Pip search for the burner phone and connects planner initials to Howie's code system.
- Andie Bellabsent victim whose preserved bedroom and planner become central to the investigation.
- Becca Bellreturns home unexpectedly and nearly discovers Pip and Ravi hiding in Andie's wardrobe.
- Montythe Bell family cat, initially frightening the intruders and drawing Becca toward Andie's room.