Chapter Thirty-Seven

Jade pulled away from the curb and steered the car to the neighborhood entrance. The clock on her dashboard read that it was only 1:00 PM, much earlier than she had anticipated leaving the party. From here, she was supposed to drive straight to an art exhibition downtown, where she would then meet Miguel. Now, she thought, there would be time to stop at home and freshen up beforehand. 

 As she passed the rows of lavish homes and manicured lawns, the tail end of a black sedan up ahead caught her eye. She was certain it was Andrea's car parked on the side of the road, steam billowing from the exhaust pipe. Jade slowed down and veered the car onto the crunchy grass a few feet away from its rear, concerned for her friend. It didn't look like the car had been in an accident.

From behind the driver's window, she could see Andrea was visibly upset, with her light lashes soaked in the evidence of grief. Her eyes were closed as if, like a t