Paradise on earth

12. The Heist

"It's not a random killing spree!" 

"Gavin was his Pilot, he was paying him hush money because he was on the tarmac that day." Pope continued after you. 

"Gavin was blackmailing Ward because he had the gun used to kill Peterkin," Kie followed the explanation. Then JJ, "He called him here and tried to pay him off but it wasn't enough so then he shot him with the murder weapon!" 

Shoupe looked at you all in disbelief, "How do you know that?" 

You pointed at Pope, "Pope did this thing with his phone, he put it in his car and we heard his whole conversation."

"You wiretapped him?" Shoupe's features became stern. 

"Is that bad?" Kie asked.

"Stop, just stop. I've had enough," He turns his back on you all and walks toward the wooden stairs. JJ shouting behind him, "What? Are you just gonna look the other way again?"

"You ever heard about the boy who cried wolf?" He descends down the steps and you rush after him. Each of you pleading for him to listen.

"Why would we make this up?"

"Why can't you believe us for once?" 

"Why would we lie?"

His steps don't falter he calls out to the paramedics and the rest of the officers, "There's nothing up there, false alarm. Let's all go home!" He waves them off. 

Kie begs them to stay but they just ignore her, you keep your attention on Shoupe. "Can you just do your job for like 20 minutes? Just listen! It makes sense-"

He pauses by his car, "I know you're upset, Y/N, you lost your father not too long ago, and now you and your friends think that your brother was innocent."

"He is!" You protest.

"But your friends weren't there and you are not a reliable source, Routledge. The only actual witnesses who are above ground say the exact opposite and both of them have a hell of a lot more credibility than any of you right now." 

He focuses on Kiara now, "I saw your little art project on Ward's wall, Do not do that again, all right? You're gonna make things a lot harder for the both of us." 

He opens the car door before speaking to you all again, "Go home."

The four of you linger around in defeat, JJ speaking up before anyone else. "I told you this would happen like you're the one that had to drop the camera." 

"It was your fault!" Kie defends Pope. You shake your head and jog to catch up to Pope with JJ and Kie arguing into the background. 

"Guys!" You shout over them, "This isn't over. Right Pope?"

He shakes his head no, "We're not out of this yet. We can still go get the gun." His gaze stuck on the sewage drain that Ward had dropped the gun in. 

~~~

Once school was out the next day you went straight to a big hole sewer that looks like it came right out of the Stephan King novel 'It'. Kie brought a roll of black trash bags so that you could pick up the trash that came out of the hole and see if the gun would appear. Six full bags and to no avail. 

"Well that was fun," JJ commented wiping the sweat from his forehead. 

"If it's not in the trash then it's gotta be in the storm drain," Pope said. The worst news ever, as if the heat and humidity still radiating after summer wasn't bad? Now one of you would have to go into the drain. 

"Of course, it is," Kie nodded with her pursed lips. You and Kie shared a look, knowing it'd be one of you who would have to crawl into that murky hell. The boys wouldn't be able to stomach it, not Pope, and JJ would not stop complaining by the end of it.