The pogue boy and the kook princess

Chapter 9 office

That's when RJ realized something. He looked at his brother who also had a thought in his mind. He looked up and was met by RJ's eyes. ''you thinking the same as me bro'', John B asked.

RJ looked at the door and noticed it was opened. He turned his gaze back to his brother. ''the office'', they said in union.

''that was creepy. The way you both said that at the same time, but what?'', JJ asked.

''yeah what JJ said. what?'', Pope asked them also. John B stood up from his seat. ''our dad's office. There must be something there''. ''what Johnny said. Our father always locked it because he was afraid that someone would break in and get the info he got by himself about the royal merchant research. Me and John B made fun of him because of that. He believed he would find it, me and Johnny laughed at him because he believed he'd find it but we didn't exactly. Now we haven't gone in there. Instead, we just left it as it was''.

''for in case he came back''. ''yes Kie''.

The other two boys got up from the couch. ''well, let's go and see''. They all nodded towards JJ and went to the office.

They opened up the door and went inside. Pope looked surprised. ''uhm I've slept over many times, and I have never seen this door unlocked''. ''that's because of how dad was'', RJ answered the boy.

RJ saw something that caught his eyes. He looked at his father's board. ''look guys. There it is. The original owner'', he said pointing at the board. Kie looked at it and read the name of the man that was up on the board. ''Robert Q Routledge. 1880 to 1920, and right there is the compass'', she said pointing at the picture.

The gang looked at it. ''well, after he bought that compass. He uhm got shot'', John B said enlightening the gang. ''yeah that's right and then the compass was shipped back to someone named Henry''. ''right and he got killed in an accident when he had the compass'', John B kept going. ''then the compass went to someone named Stephen. He had it all the way to Vietnam, then he died'', RJ said going.

JJ looked at the siblings. ''just guessing here, but he died in some sort of action as the others or something?''. ''well, not exactly but he got killed by a banana truck'', John B said. ''yeah and after that the compass was passed to dad'', RJ finished.

''uh not to freak out here, but that compass sounds it's cursed or some shit'', JJ said, ''agreeing with JJ on this one guys'', Pope agreed. ''get rid of it is my suggestion'', JJ said shrugging his shoulders.

''our dad told us that compartment in the compass. That you could hide secret notes or whatever to soldiers. Johnny give me a screw driver''. That the youngest Routledge brother did.

RJ began to screw open the bottom of the compass. Kie noticed something as did the others. ''what's that?'', she asked the boy.

Nothing was said. They just looked at the bottom of the compass and saw at the writing. ''it's dad's handwriting'', John B said looking at RJ. RJ looked at him too. ''it is, and that was not there before'', he said agreeing.

''how do you know?'', Pope asked. ''he has this thing with the r's that's how we know'', John B reassured the boy.

JJ snatched the compass and tried to read it. ''it says something about red... no rouk... no wait ret...''. Before he got to say something more. Kie took the compass from him and read what it stood. ''it says redfield, smarty pants''. JJ scoffed. ''pfft I knew that''.

''what's redfield exactly?'', she asked the Routledge boys. ''a common name perhaps'', Pope chipped in.

''we uh we don't know. Maybe there's a clue there. Maybe he's hiding and that's the clue'', John B said. ''maybe but how? Like if it's a clue is it an anagram or something?'', Pope said.

''yeah anagram, maybe. We need paper'', RJ answered. He looked and found it. He handed the paper to Pope who was trying to decipher it.

He began to get irritated at the noise. The noise of the Routledge's brother's rooster.

''I can't really concentrate with that rooster crowing. How could you?''. ''hey JJ loves the rooster'', John B said disappointed. ''I love that rooster'', Kie added. Pope rolled his eyes. ''whatever just let me think''.

''yeah then think Popeye. You're the smartest of us'', RJ said.

''let's see. Defield. No that's not it. Maybe colors. No that doesn't make sense. What about Ritalin? Or maybe dreidel? Fiddler? Hm what about defile. Does that mean something to you?''.

Kie looked at the boy then back at the paper. ''you're missing a letter''. He went back to the letter and tried figure it out.

John B heard a sound and looked at the gang. ''I think someone's here guys''.

To be continued