“Dude, you really need to start telling me what you're up to. I’ve been running around doing all this stuff for you. I’ll admit it's more exciting than my usual work. But if I’m not getting any money out of it, you need to pay me with stories.” The little image of Matt on the video call window is grumbling, but I can hear him typing and clicking around, already working on the task I just gave him.

“I would if I had the time, but I don't. Right now is the time to be doing things. I’ll tell you everything as soon as I can,” I say. “Thanks a lot, man. You're like the brother I never had.”

“I hate you. But your case is like ten times more interesting than my other stuff, so it's useful for procrastination purposes.”

“As long as you keep working on it.” I take another big gulp of coffee. I’ll need the extra fuel if I’m going to finish this by tomorrow.

“Okay, some good news. I can't find anything with the name Jessica Lake on it that links her to the Pussy Cat. It seems she used her stage name exclusively. That was smart of her,” Matt says.

Pride spreads through my chest. That's my girl. She's a genius. I ask, “Really? No personnel file or something like that?”

“No.”

“Payroll?”

Matt shoots me a look. Obviously, I’ve just said something stupid, although I have no idea what.

“Strippers don't get paid by the club, Jacob,” he says, as if that's just common sense. “They pay the club a fee to perform there and make money from tips. In cash.”

“Oh.” I guess that makes sense. Having been a stripper obviously carries a lot of stigma and, like Jessica, the average stripper probably doesn't want that following her around her whole life.

“Your girlfriend used to be a stripper and you don't know this? What do you even talk about?”

“Like you said, we have exciting lives.”

“So you’re admitting she's a girlfriend then?” Matt grins into the camera with victory.

“Sure.” I shrug.

After everything I’ve gone through with Jessica, calling her a girlfriend doesn't seem like a big deal.

If anything, the word ‘girlfriend’ doesn't seem adequate to convey the way I feel about her. It feels juvenile. High school. What I feel for Jessica is deeper, stronger, more grown-up.

“Jacob has a girlfriend,” Matt sings. “I honestly think this is a rare occasion worth celebrating. And to think it's the stripper you were obsessed with for years. Seriously, what's the story here?”

“I told you I don't have time for that right now.” I blink a few times. My eyes are getting tired from staring at the laptop screen, but I need to keep going.

I know Jessica would much rather stay here than leave.

Sure, there’s nothing anchoring her to Ashbourne anymore now that Bertha is safe. I know that must've been the only wrench in her escape plan, before her meeting with Caine.

Jessica has worked so hard to get her dream job and surround herself with new friends. I just know that wherever the next town is, she won't be as motivated to make it her home. She'd be too afraid of having it all snatched away again.

It pisses me off that she's resigned to the life of a fugitive, when she has done nothing wrong. The police have failed her big time.

There’s nothing I want more than to walk over to Jessica’s house, hold her tight, and tell her she doesn’t have to worry anymore. But I know I can do more for her from here.

I could bring my laptop next door and work there, but I have all my stuff here so I’ll get everything done quicker. We don’t have much time after all.

Besides, I don’t want to alarm her with the knowledge that Matt, who’s a stranger to her, knows things about her that she wants hidden from everyone.

“The news articles about the stripper who died don't mention Jessica's name either,” Matt says, pulling me away from my thoughts. “There are two with her pictures, though. She's just in the background, but I can tell it's her. She can probably argue that it's just someone who looks like her, but I can get rid of the pictures if you want.”

“Yeah, that would be best.”

“Okay, just give me some time.”

“One thing I’m worried about is if someone were to call the Pussy Cat and ask about her. Even without a real name, they can probably ID her just by her pictures, or even just a physical description of her.”

“Yeah, that's always possible. The hardest details to tamper with are the ones that don't depend on technology. It's just like how talking face to face is safer than a phone conversation. Or a video call like the one we’re having,” Matt says. Sensing my alarm, he adds, “Just for the record, I’m sure nobody's listening to this conversation. I'm overly careful about my privacy. You would be too if you knew what people could do with your information.”

“Okay, enough with the PSA on Internet security. Anything we can do about people who’d call the Pussy Cat?”

“It's unlikely that someone would go to that extent. Sometimes you just have to weigh the benefit against the cost.”

“But there is something we can do?” I don't care how much it would cost. I need to present a solid case to Jessica so she’d stay. I know that's what she really wants and I’ll be damned if I don't try my best to make it happen.

“You’ve talked to the police like I told you to?”

“Yeah. I did that as soon as we hung up this morning.”

“They agreed to withhold the name of the victim and her personal details?”

“Yeah, and the press hadn't been there to ask questions. I guess they work more slowly in a small town like this.”

“Good. Honestly, that's like eighty percent of your work done. The crazy woman's words are the only thing that would give people the slightest idea about Jessica's past. I understand her paranoia, considering she had the threat of a convicted murderer hanging over her for so long. I'm sure that fear has helped her survive in the past. But if that guy is no longer a threat, then she doesn't have to live in constant fear anymore.”

“I know what you're saying, but I need to make sure I’ve covered all the bases.”

“And I’m just saying you can drive yourself crazy trying to follow every little trail. There's no end to it.”

“Just this one, and then I’m done.”

Matt inhales deeply, then lets out a big sigh. He says, “You were always a stubborn motherfucker.”

“That's me.” I smile. “So we’re going to do this or what?”

“Okay, fine. I can make it so whenever there's a call from Ashbourne to the Pussy Cat, you get a notification. The town is far enough from the club that you can assume any call would have something to do with Jessica. Like if the principal were to confirm the details of her employment, for example.”

I nod my head as I follow Matt’s explanation.

“When you get a notification about a call, you can do two things. One, if you're quick enough, you can pick up the call and pretend you're a staff member at the club. Otherwise, you can listen in on the conversation and decide what to do if there's a leak.”

“Good. Can you do this by tomorrow?”

“It's going to take me all night, but it can be done. I have to warn you, though, this is not a hundred percent legal.”

“Thanks, man. You're the best. I owe you one. Tell me what I can do to make your job easier.”

As Matt lists the simpler tasks for me to do, I think about what other things Jessica may be worried about.

She doesn't need to worry about the local cops or journalists, and nobody's going to believe Christine once they know what went down in Bertha's house.

Aside from me, the only people who know about Jessica's past are Bertha and Tony.

I just hope that Bertha hasn't told many other people, but if those people have kept quiet so far, there's no reason to worry about them blabbing in the future. It's probably still a good idea to talk to Bertha to find out who else knows, though. And Tony, too.

Nobody at the Pussy Club knows Jessica's real name, and I’ll be able to redirect any local phone calls.

I know Caine told Jessica that Stan won't be looking for her anymore, but I’ve also got my eyes on the guy just in case. I’ll know the second Stan steps out of prison.

I have all the bases covered. I just hope Jessica can see that.

It doesn't matter even if she decides to bail, though. I don't have any attachments to this town. I don't care if I have to follow her to another random small town. They're all the same to me. She's the one who will take it hard.

Either way, Jessica’s not going to shake me off this time. She's stuck with me, whether she likes it or not.