Unhinged [Rafe Cameron]

[the bell tower pt.1]

I turn my attention to the group. "Thank you guys for saving me on that airstrip."

JB props himself onto his elbow with great effort. "We're just glad you're okay."

Kie nods and her eyes flicker to my bandaged arm. "We were so scared, C. When I saw you fall covered in blood, I thought that.. that-"

I reach out with my good arm and pull her in for a hug, cutting her off from a full on meltdown.

"I'm okay. The bullet barely grazed my arm. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for Peterkins."

The rest of the group share a knowing look that indicates they know something I definitely don't.

"Celeste there's something we probably have to tell you-" Kie starts.

"John B is the #1 suspect for Sheriff Peterkin's murder," JJ blurts, earning a pointed glare from Kie.

"I had to get it out there. Rip the bandaid off," he shrugs.

My mouth gapes open. John B isn't making eye contact with me, and that itself gives me the answer.

"It was clearly Rafe! Everybody saw it happen!" I exclaim, my face burning up from anger.

"No shit, but when I went to the police to turn him in, Ward already told them I did it," John B answers, "They tried to chase me down. I barely made it back."

This cannot be happening.

"You don't deserve this."

He sighs. "They always blame the Pogues for the crime."

"Yeah. Who are the cops going to believe? Ward Cameron, or us?" JJ adds.

Pope weighs his two hands in front of him. "So the accuser is a bigshot developer, lord of the island. And the accused- John B- is pretty much a homeless 16 year old boy."

"Thanks." JB grumbles under his breath.

"Shit." I curse.

The truth is fully setting in now.

"Law enforcement is going to be searching far and wide for you."

"It's okay, Sarah will bail me out of jail." John B remarks, sounding more like he's trying to convince himself than us.

"She did witness the whole thing," Kie says.

Pope's eyebrows knit together in his classic thinking face. "Sarah isn't just going to snitch on her brother."

"We gotta get you off the island." JJ says to John B.

"I'm telling you. The ferry: it's the only way." Pope reasons.

The sound of faint police sirens fill the distance. "Guys, get down." I say, hunkering lower in the seat.

A police car whizzes by on the main road, and deep paranoia sets in. The police really are on the hunt. We're in deep shit.

"We need to get you out of here." JJ concludes.

Pope opens the driver door cautiously. "I'm going to go see when the ferry times are."

I watch as he jogs over to a board with news posts, grab one off of it, and hurry back with a newfound intensity.

"Okay." He says, breathlessly. "We got some bad news."

Pope holds up the piece of paper up to the window.

"The ferry's closed, and there's this,"

Kie grabs the paper and I peek over her shoulder at the black writing under the picture of John B's headshot. It's not hard to read the words WANTED in block letters plastered under his face.