Kill Joy

Pip knows who the killer is and begins writing in earnest as she fits together all the disparate pieces of the case. Jamie goes around the table, asking each player to share their theories. As each person shares their guess, Pip thinks about aspects of their guesses that are inaccurate. Pip notes that Jamie skips over Pip in the order, allowing her to go last.

When it is her turn, Pip first explains why each character is not responsible for Reginald Remy’s murder. Dora Key, she argues, is in fact a plant sent to Remy Manor by the Garza family, threatening the last cook into quitting, so that Dora could report back about the Remy family business. However, the Garza family had nothing to gain from killing Reginald; therefore, Dora is innocent. Pip goes on to exonerate Lizzie, who has been stealing money from the London casino in an effort to shield herself from the potential fallout of her husband finding out about the affair with his brother, but she did not murder Reginald. The butler, Humphrey Todd, is innocent as well: He wanted time off work to visit his daughter who fell ill with smallpox. Reginald refused his leave, and Todd’s daughter died without him getting to see her one last time. Still, he did not kill Reginald.

Pip explains that her own character, Celia, was not responsible for the murder, although she is at Remy Manor as a spy, investigating her uncle’s supposed communist activities. She also explains that Reginald was merely paying Harris Pick back for saving his life in the war. Pip then reveals that Reginald knew he was going to die, sharing the revelation from the secret clue. She also shares that Lizzie and Bobby are the only ones with an alibi for the time of the murder because they were engaging in their affair at the time.

With this, Pip turns her attention to Ralph (Zach) and reveals that he is the murderer: “Although I’m not sure we can really call you a killer, seeing as your father was in on it and wanted you to do it” (105). At this, the group exclaims cries of shock. Pip goes on to explain that Reginald’s “murder” was actually an elaborate plot set up by Reginald, Ralph, and Inspector Howard Whey. Ralph has always suspected that Bobby was responsible for their mother’s death, and Reginald knew it too. After Reginald fired him from the casino, Bobby joined the East End Streeters gang, dealing cocaine for them to feed his gambling addiction. When Inspector Whey’s partner went undercover to investigate the gang, Bobby shot and killed him.

Knowing that Bobby was dangerous and would kill again should he want to, Reginald and Ralph, with the help of Inspector Whey, formed a plot to bring Bobby to justice by framing Bobby for Reginald’s death, which was imminent anyway.

The group reels from the depth of Pip’s analysis, and Pip goes on to point out that there is only one boat to Joy Island each day, and Inspector Whey was already on the island. She argues that the investigator has been steering the investigation toward Bobby the entire time, with clues conveniently framed to make Bobby look guilty, such as the will being torn up in the fireplace but not burned. Pip also points out that the conversation Celia heard between Ralph and Reginald was not about business but them arguing about whether Ralph could go through with the plan.

As Pip concludes laying out her theory, the group stares in awe at her investigative skills and critical mind, thinking that she must be correct. Jamie reads the last pages of the game booklet and informs Pip that she is incorrect—according to the game, Bobby is the murderer. Incredulous, Pip points out the numerous plot holes in this explanation, but Jamie insists that the game’s stance is that Bobby is the murderer. Pip feels frustrated, both with the game and herself for becoming so invested even though the game is merely fiction.

Cara’s dad picks Cara, Pip, and Zach up from the Reynolds house. Mr. Ward is like another father figure to Pip due to her close friendship with Cara, as well as him being her history teacher. Zach and Cara gently tease Pip about her elaborate theory being wrong, and while Pip tries to play along, she still feels frustrated, calling the game writers “incompetent hacks” in her head (114).

Conversation turns toward the topic of the teens’ senior capstone projects, and Mr. Ward asks Pip if she has chosen her topic yet. Before Pip can answer, Mr. Ward slams on the car brakes, apologizing and explaining that he thought he saw someone. Pip looks out the window, and for a moment, she thinks she sees Sal Singh, five years dead. She realizes that it is not Sal but his younger brother, Ravi. Pip’s thoughts turn to the accepted facts in the Andie Bell case and how everyone thinks “[i]t’s the boyfriend, it’s always the boyfriend […] So neat and so…so easy […] Too easy, maybe” (116).

As she watches Ravi walk away, disappearing into the night, Pip states that she knows what she is going to focus her project on: Investigating the real murderer of Andie Bell and exonerating Sal’s name.