𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞- 𝐣𝐣 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤

7.

"okay why would they want the compass?"

"that things a piece of shit." pope adds onto kiara's question. "you couldn't pawn it off for five bucks. no offense, john b i know-"

"the office." john b cuts pope off with a realization. "my dad. his office." john b walks into the house with the rest of his friends following him. "he used to keep his office locked because he was worried about his competitors stealing his royal merchant research. we used to laugh at him like he was actually going to find it, but now that he's gone we just left it."

"yeah, for when he gets back." kiara comforts the frantic boy rambling on about his missing father.

jj and pope look at each other in a denying way. kiara shoots them a glare that cuts them both off. neither of them believed in john b's fathers return.

"i've slept over here at least 600 times and i've never seen this part of the house." pope follows john b into his fathers office.

"same here." olivia looks around the room at all the pictures and books. if anything she found it interesting.

"here, look." john b grabs a cork board and places it on the table in the middle of the room. "this is the original owner right here."

"robert q routledge. 1880 to 1920." kiara reads off. "that's the lucky compass right there."

"actually, he was shot after he bought it. the compass was shipped back to henry. henry was killed in a cropping accident when he had the compass. after he died, the compass was given to stephan. he had the compass with him when he died in vietnam."

"he died in action right?"

"actually, he was killed by a banana truck." john b corrects jj. "close though."

olivia had to cover her mouth to keep in her laugh. it wouldn't have been appropriate even if everyone laughed at john b's words.

"after that, stephan passed the compass down to him. my dad." john b continues down the family tree, pointing at a picture of him and his dad.

"sounds like there's a recurring theme here."

"yeah, it sounds like you have a death compass."

"i do not have a death compass!" john b grabs the compass off the desk. "my dad used to talk about this compartment where soldiers used to hide secret notes."

olivia gives jj a look knowing him and pope were probably right. this compass can't lead to anywhere good especially since scooter grubbs somehow had it in his possession.

john b screws off a compartment on the compass. something was carved in it that stated with the letter r. "what is that?"

"it wasn't there before." john b stares at the writing. "this is my dads handwriting."

"how do you know that?" pope asks in disbelief.

"cause he does this thing with the weird r's. see it?"

jj takes the compass from john b. "route? re..."

"it says redfield." kiara sounds out the word carved in the compass that jj couldn't figure out.

"maybe it's a clue." john b takes the compass back. "maybe it's a clue to where he's hiding."

"a clue? come on." pope crosses his arms in annoyance. he was obviously the most skeptical one here. kiara shoots him a look that makes him correct his sentence, "but if it is a clue then maybe it's an anagram."

"yes! you need paper!" john b grabs the piece of paper and shoves it in front of pope.

"how can you concentrate with that thing crowing?" pope try's to focus on the paper in front of him.