Breathless | JJ Maybank

7. DEAD ROOSTER

Outer Banks, the Chateau
July 12th, 2020
11:57 am

"Here, look, this is the original owner right there," John B showed us, placing a paper on the desk.

We had all gathered in the small room that Big John had as his office and I honestly was still unsure what we were looking for, here. To try and maybe finally understand, I read out loud the name of the guy John B was pointing at with his index. "Robert Q Routledge. Born in 1880, died in 1920," I mumbled, reading.

"There's the lucky compass, right there," Kiara explained showing us a picture.

"Actually he was shot right after he bought it. Then the compass was shipped back to Henry, Henry was killed in a crop dusting accident when he had the compass. After he died, the compass was given to Steven. He had the compass with him when he died in Vietnam," John B told us and I started to have this very bad feeling in my stomach.

"Let me guess, died in action, right?" JJ asked, his arm slowly touching mine.

"Sort of, actually he was killed by a banana truck in country. Anyways, so after that, Steven passed the compass down to him," John B pointed at another man on the paper, but this time his face was way more familiar, and bingo. "My dad"

JJ and I looked at each other as it somehow all made sense in our head. Maybe the compass itself wasn't valuable but it was the legacy that mattered to all of those people. "Sounds like there's a reoccurring theme right there," he whispered, almost in my ear.

"We're gonna die," I stated.

"Yeah, cause you have a death compass," Pope added.

"No I do not," John B snapped.

"Get rid of it. It's cursed and it's made its way back to you," JJ argued and I was surprised he wanted to stay safe.

So when we were shot at by men and on the next day they were literally beating up a woman, it wasn't enough for them to realise maybe we had gone too far and involved ourselves in some dirty business, but now that John B's family tree proved it, we had to get rid of the compass. How smart. I sighed in disbelief, honestly, I had no idea where this would take us, and if they'd be willing to go deeper or not. Before I could think of the consequences of our actions, John B spoke up.

"My dad used to talk about this compartment, in here. Soldiers used to hide secret notes," he said, turning the compass and unlocking a small compartment out of the back of it.

"What is that?" Kiara asked.

She pointed at a writing that had been carved on the copper, and we all got closer simultaneously to read it. "That was not there before, it's my dad's handwriting," he told us, which was honestly creepy.

"How are you so sure it's his?" I inquired.

"Because he does these weird R's," John B showed us on the metal.

Yes, to be fair, the R was a bit special, nothing really noticeable, but if it was his dad's handwriting then it made sense he recognised it. JJ asked to see the compass so he could read what was written on it, because it was probably more important than the R being weird. He pursed his lips in a line and squinted his eyes as he focused, trying to read what had been carved. "Red-Rout, I think that's an A," he said softly.

"Move," I told him, so he stepped aside and I could see what was written since he didn't seem to be able to read. "Redfield, it says Redfield. What is it?"

"Besides the most common name in the country?" Pope ironically asked.

"Maybe it's a clue, to where he's hiding," John B explained and I understood he was referring to his dad.