Uncovering the Mystery of Leila: Catfish Investigation and Social Media Sleuthing

okay this is chapter 18 of good girl bad blood 18 pip returned with a scrap of paper in her hand running her eyes over

the list she scribbled 30 minutes ago they all say Leila but I'm going to spell them l e i l a l e y l a l a i l a

l a y l a l e i g h l a l e j l a this is impossible possible Connor said sitting back from Pip's desk in defeat

in a chair she barred from the kitchen pip spun impatiently in her own chair letting the breeze Disturbed The

Listener hand annoying our cat annoying our catfish chose a name with so many freaking different spellings they tried

searching the name on Facebook and Instagram but without a last name or even knowing the correct form of the

first name the results the search results were numerous and useless they tried reverse image searching of all

Estella Chapman's Instagram photos but that hadn't LED anywhere either clearly Leila's versions had been manipulated

enough that the algorithm couldn't locate them I do want to point out that the

Leila that's spelled in the book If you're not like paying attention or reading along with me sorry um l e i l a

is how they spell it in the text um we're never going to find her Connor said there was a faint trip on knock at

her bedroom door go away pip said scrolling down a page of Leila on Instagram and that one's spelled l e i g

h l a the door the door skittered open and Robie stood there lips pursed in a front

one eyebrow raised oh not you P pip looked up a smile breaking across her face I thought it was Josh again sorry

hi hi Robie said an amused half smile on his face as he raised both brows and greed to Connor he walked over to the

desk and sat beside the laptop resting one foot on Pip's chair tucking it under her

thigh how was the rest of the tri today pip looked up at him as he wriggled his toes against her leg in a hidden hello

that Connor couldn't see it was okay he narrowed his eyes to look at what they were doing on on her screen final victim

gave her testimony this morning and they presented Annie Belle's burner phone to try to prove it was Max who regularly

bought ryol from her then the defense kicked off after lunch break call called Max's mom to the stand first how'd that

go asked pip EPS asked her about Max's childhood when he almost died of leukemia at age seven his mom talked

about his bravery during the illness how sensitive and caring and sweet he was how quiet and shy Max was in school

after the all clear because he'd been held back a year how he'd carried these traits into adulthood she was pretty

convincing he said well I think that's because she is convinced that her son is a rapist pip said UPS is probably a

static it's like hitting the gold M what's better than Childhood Cancer to humanize your client my thoughts exactly

Robie said we'll record the update later yeah what are we doing now looking for the catfish that's not how you spell Lea

he added pointing it's one of the many ways pip side we're getting nowhere here what

about the sighting by the bookstore guy Robie asked yeah I think it's legit she said 11:40 walking halfway up Weevil

Road Four Witnesses well Connor said quietly they didn't agree on everything no Robbie said slightly conflicting

accounts on what Jamie was wearing pip said two saw him in the burgundy shirt to thought he was wearing something like

a hoodie instead she turned to Connor small inconsistencies and eyewitness accounts are normal human memory isn't

infallible but four people swearing they saw your brother with otherwise matching accounts we can trust that 11:40 Robbie

thought aloud that's over an hour from the last sighting and it doesn't take over an hour to walk from Highmore to

Weevil Road no it doesn't pip picked up his thread Jamie must have stopped somewhere in between and I'm betting it

has something to do with Lea you think so Connor asked he speaks to Salah at the Calamity pip said finds out Lila has

been catfishing him he's next seen outside with his phone where he appears agitated and mentions calling the police

he had to be calling his Leila confronting her with what he just found out Jamie would have felt betrayed up

set hence George's description on his behavior what happens afterward after wherever Jamie was going it has to be

relevant to that to Lea she's had to explain that more than once I can tell Robie said conspir conspirator to Connor

heads up she hates doing that I'm learning Connor said pit FL flashed Ravi an angry look at least he could read her

eyes reacting right away she's also annoyingly always right so right next plan pip said make a tnder profile I

just said you were always right Ravi replied voice shrill and playful to catch a catfish pip whacked him on the

knee we're not going to find Lila by blindly searching that name at least on Tinder we can narrow down the search

field by location from Stella's interview it didn't seem that Jamie was surprised at seeing Lea in Fairview just

specifically at the Calamity party that makes me think she told him she was local they'd just never met up IRL

because well catfish pip downloaded the Tinder app on her phone and started making a new profile her thumb hovering

over the name box what name should we use Robie asked pip looked up at him the question

already in her eyes you want to put me on a dating site he said you're a weird kind of girlfriend it's just easier

because I already have photos of you we'll delete the profile right after fine Robbie smirked but you can't use

this to win any future arguments right pip said typing in the bio now enjoy Manish things like football and fishing

aha Robbie said catfishing you too Connor remarked flicking his eyes between them like he was watching a

tennis match pip clicked through settings to find to alter the preferences let's keep it local within a

3 mile radius we want to show us women she said tapping the slider button beside that option and the age range

well we know Jamie thought Lea was older than 18 so let's put the range between 19 and 26 yep sounds good Connor said

okay pip said saving the sence let's fish bravi and Connor huddled forward watching over Pip's shoulder as she

swiped left through the potential matches she skipped through about 20 before she recognized anyone so from the

bookstore pip kept swiping on and on names and faces blurring her thumbs starting to ache as Robbie began to

fidget impatiently and then suddenly another face she knew Naomi Ward was grinning up at them we won't mention

that to her pip said continuing moving Naomi's photo aside and there it was she wasn't expecting it so soon it crept up

on her and she almost swiped past it her thumb stalling just before it hit the screen Lea l a y

l oh my God she said Leila with an A Y 25 less than a mile away less than a mile away Creepy Connor said shuffling

closer for a better look pip scrolled through the FL photos on Leila's profile they were pictures of s Chapman stolen

from her Instagram but they' hadd been cropped flipped and altered and the main difference Leila's hair was ash blonde

it was done well Lea must have played with the Hue and layers on Photoshop render reader learner traveler

Robie read from her bio dog lover and above all other things passionate breakfasters Sons approachable pip said

yeah she's right said Robbie breakfast is the best it is a catfish you were right Connor spluttered over a sharp

intake a breath Stella but blonde why blondes have more fun apparently pip side flicking through Lea's photos again

well you're brunette and you actively hate fun so yeah true fact said Robbie affectionately scratching the back of

Pip's head aha she pointed at the button of the bio it said insta at Le L at L Lea M her Instagram handle go to

it Connor said I am she opened the Instagram app and typed the handle into the search bar s's edited face peered up

at them from the top result and pip clicked on the profile Leila me 32 posts 503 followers 101 following most of the

photos were one taken from Stella's page her hair now a natural ashy blonde with the same piercing smile and perfect

hazel eyes Stella does look old in most of these photos Connor said I don't mean old but like older in her 20s

there were other photos without Stella Stella an over filtered shot of the Cafe on Main Street looking cozy and inviting

and farther down a photo of the Rolling fields near Robbie's house an orange Setting Sun clinging to the sky pip

scrolled down to check the very first post a photo of Stella Leila cuddling a beagle puppy she' captioned it overhaul

new aesthetic oh and puppy the first post was uploaded on February 16th so that's when Lea was born Robbie said

just over 2 months ago pip looked at Connor and this time he was able to read what she was going to say before she did

yes he said that fits Jamie must have started talking to her mid-march that's when his mood changed and he seemed

happier again always on his phone a lot of followers in that time ah pip checked down the list of followers

Jamie's on here but most of them look like Bots or inactive accounts she probably bought her

followers Lea does not mess around Robie said typing at Pip's computer now in his lap hold on pip said fixating on another

name that had liked one of Leila's most recent photos Adam clerk she stared at Connor both widening their eyes in

recognition Robbie picked up on the exchange what he said that's our new history teacher Connor said as pip

clicked the name to double check it was him his profile was set to private but the display picture was clearly him a

wide smile with small Christmas bobbles attached to his Ginger Fleck beard I guess Jamie isn't the only person Lea's

been talking to pip said Stella doesn't take history and Mr Clark's New so maybe she doesn't know he's talking to a

catfish using Stella's photos if he is talking to her that is aha Robie said spinning the laptop on the heel of his

hand Lea me has a Facebook too the very same pictures the first also posted February 16th he turned the screen back

and read on she did a status update that day saying new account because I forgot the password for my old one a likely

story Lea said pip returning to Lila's page and Stella's and Stella not so Stella's glittering smile we should try

to message her right she wasn't really asking and all three of them knew it she's the person most likely to know

what happened to Jamie where he is you think she's definitely a she Connor asked I mean yeah Jam's been speaking on

the phone with her oh right what what are you going to message her then well pip chewed her lip thinking it can't

come from me or Robbie or the podcast or even you Connor it has to be anything to do with Jamie she might know how we're

connected to him and that we're looking into his disappearance I think we have to be careful and approach her as a

stranger just looking to talk so if we can gradually work out who she really is or what she knows about Jamie gradually

catfish don't like being don't like to be caught out we can't just make a new account

though she'd be suspicious seeing Zero followers said Robbie damn you're right pit muttered um I have an idea Connor

said phrasing it like a question the end of a sentence Climbing Up and Away AB banding in him below it's well I have

another Instagram account an anonymous one I'm um I'm into photography black and white photography he said with an

embarrassed shrug not people it's like birds and buildings and stuff never told anyone cuz I knew Aunt would be a dick

about it really pip said that could work how many followers a good amount he said and I don't use any of you guys so no

connection there that's perfect good thinking she smiled holding out her phone could you sign in on mine yeah

Connor took her phone tapping away at the keypad and handing it back in on in frame pip read out the

account's name eyes sweeping down the first row of his grid no further in case Connor didn't want to share these are

really good con thank you pip navigated her way back to Leila me's profile and clicked on the message button bringing

up a new private private message page and an input box waiting for her okay what do I say what vocabulary do

strangers typically use when they slide into the DMS Robie laughed don't ask me he said I never slide into anyone's DMS

Connor um I don't know maybe we could just go with hey how are you yeah that works Robbie said innocent enough until

we know how she likes to talk to people okay pip said typing it in trying to ignore that her fingers were shaking

should I go for the flirty heyou y why not ravie said and she knew immediately the pun he was

attempting right uh everyone ready she looked at them both should I press send yes Connor said while Ravi shot her a

finger gun pit faltered hung thumb hovering over the send button reading back her words she ran them through in

her mind until they sounded misshapen and nonsensical then she took a breath and pressed send the message jumped to

the top of the page now encased in a gr out bubble I did it she said exhaling dropping the phone into her lap good now

we wait Robbie said not for long Connor said leaning over to look at the phone it says scene pip said raising the

phone again lless seen it oh my God and as they watched something else appeared the word typing on the left side of the

screen she's typing she's already typing her voice felt tight and panicked like she had outgrown her throat calm

down Robie said jumping off the desk of you could watch the screen too typing disappeared in its place a new message p

read it and her heart dropped hello pip it said that was all it said ravi's grip grip stiffened on her shoulder how

did she know it was you how the did she know I don't like this Connor said shaking his head guys I'm getting a bad

feeling about this shh pip hissed though she couldn't hear it from either of them though she couldn't hear if either of

them was talking not over the hammering that now felt her ears Leela's typing again typing and it disappeared typing

again it disappeared typing and the second message appeared in a white box below you're getting

closer smiley face