It's pouring rain as we head to the spot where Ward and Gavin are supposed to meet. Were behind a fence across the street. I stand on my tippy toes to look over the fence. Pope has a camcorder from like 2005 in his hands.
"Nice camera," JJ teases. "Where'd you dig up that relic?"
"Why don't you just use your phone?" Rafe asks.
"We'll, first of all, I like my antique electronics. Second of all, this is a telephoto," Pope tells us. "It allows me to get a close image from far away."
"Lord of the dorks," Kie teases.
"For definitive proof of witness payoff, we're gonna need quality glass," Pope states.
I spot Ward running down the street with a duffle bag. "There he is."
"Yo, get down," JJ tells us.
I spot a man running from the other direction.
"And there's Gavin," Pope says. "Where are you going, you son of a bitch?" Gavin and Ward both head into a store that's under construction. "No, no, no I'm losing them. Shit. Where's he going?"
"Hold on," JJ tells us. He heads towards the building next to us. He whistles to get our attention. "Yo! Hey. I found something. Come here." We head around the building. "We gotta get up top."
JJ starts to climb a ladder to the roof. One by one we follow after him.
"That'll work," Pope says.
"Hurry up," Kie tells us. "Don't wanna miss anything."
We rush to the edge of the roof to get a better view. Pope pulls out his telephoto thing again.
"You rolling, Pope?" JJ asks.
"Are you getting it?" Kie asks.
"Yeah, yeah, I see them," Pope tells us.
I can see Ward and Gavin through the hole where the wall should be. But I can't tell what they're doing.
"Ward just handed Gavin something. I think it's a duffel bag," Pope tells us.
"Guys, I think this is payoff," JJ says.
Pope continues his play by play. "Gavin doesn't look happy about something. It looks like he's yelling at Ward."
"Why?" Rafe asks.
"I don't know, but he sure looks mad," Pope states.
I can see Gavin and Ward fighting with one another.
"Shit," Pope remarks.
"What's going on?" Kie asks.
"I dunno. They're fighting over something," Pope tells us.
"They're really going at it," JJ states.
"Oh no," I say.
"Ward's kicking the shit out of Gavin," Pope tells us.
"What are they fighting over?" JJ asks.
"What's going on, Pope?" Rafe asks.
"I don't know," Pope tells us. "I'm trying to see. Holy shit. Ward's got a gun."
"I bet that's the murder weapon," Kie reasons.
I gasp as I hear a gunshot. "Holy shit."
I hid down behind the edge. Rafe wraps his arm around me as I wipe a few tears away. I just watched my boyfriend's dad kill someone. I knew he killed Big John and Sheriff Peterkin but to see it with my own eyes. I can't believe it.
"Oh my god," JJ gasps.
"Holy shit," Rafe says.
"What the hell?" Pope says.
"No, no, no, no," Kie says. "That did not just happen."
"What is going on?" I ask.
"Tell me you just got that," JJ states.
"Enough to put this asshole away for life," Pope tells him.
I jump when I hear another gunshot.
"This is freaking crazy," Pope states.
I can see Ward looking down from the building.
"Get down, get down," Pope tells us. "Holy shit."
"I think we should go right now," JJ states.
"Pope, you have enough right?" Rafe asks.
"Yeah," Pope tells him.
"Let's go, please," I say.
"Hold on, he's coming out," Pope tells us. "There he goes. I think he's looking for the gun. I think the gun just went down the drain. He's looking for it. Hey. He's looking for the gun."
"Hold this," Kie says.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"Kie what are you doing?" JJ asks.
Kie stands up straight. "What is wrong with you?" she shouts at Ward. "Murderer."
JJ grabs her and covers her mouth. "Get down.
Kie keeps yelling.
"Kie stop," I tell her. "Please."
"Kiara, are you crazy?" Pope asks.
"What are you doing?" JJ questions.
"I don't care if he hears me. He's a murderer," Kie insists.
"Yeah, Kie, and he's gonna murder us if he knows were here," JJ warns.
"Guys he sees us," Pope warns.
"Are you serious?" Rafe asks.
"Come on, we gotta go. He's coming," Pope tells us.
"We gotta get the hell out of here," JJ says.
We rush to the ladder to get off the roof. Pope gets there first.
"Come on Pope! Go! Hurry!" I shout.
I don't know how but JJ and Pope both fall off the ladder as Kie is climbing down. Rafe and I manage to make it down without falling.
"What the hell happened?" I ask.
"No. No. No. No. No." Pope is picking up the broken pieces of the telephoto.
"Are you kidding me? You fumbled it," JJ says.
"You kicked me in the face," Pope tells him.
JJ points to Kie. "She stepped on my hand."
"I was trying to hurry," Kie tells him.
"Let's go," I tell all of them. "We don't have time. Ward can't see us."
We hop over the fence to get away from Ward. We rush to the car. We sit there in stunned silence trying to understand what the hell just happened.
"Could someone fill me in on what the frick just happened?" JJ says.
Pope groans in anger.
"Holy crap. I can't believe it. Wait, wait. What were they fighting over?" JJ asks.
"Uh... it was... it was a gun, the one Hunter used. He must have kept it," Pope tells him.
"Of course! Of course! The murder weapon!" JJ shouts.
"Pick up. Pick up," Kie says.
"Who are you calling?" I ask.
"Who do you think?" Kie counters.
"The cops?" Pope asks.
"Who else am I supposed to call?" Kie asks.
"Why would you call the police?" JJ asks. "That's Ward!"
"Shut up!" Kie yells. "Hello? Hi, somebody's been shot at the... at the Grand Street construction site. You guys need to hurry because he's dying! I don't know if he's already dead or not! You guys need to hurry please!"
"We gotta go. We're sitting ducks," JJ says.
"We can't stay here," Rafe agrees.
"What do you want me to do?" Kie asks.
"Just drive," Pope tells her.
We drive away, only coming back to the construction site once we're sure Ward will be gone. We stop the car in front of the construction site. The cops are there but the body is gone and so is the gun.
"Look, the body was right here, and this is where the maniac claimed his next victim," Kie tells Shoupe.
"Uh-huh. His next victim?" Shoupe asks.
Kie nods. "Yeah."
"Right. How long ago did you say this happened?" Shoupe asks.
"Forty-five minutes ago, Shoupe," JJ tells him.
"Okay. And so, Ward Cameron just popped one off and shot him," Shoupe says.
I nod my head. "Yes."
"Execution style?" Shoupe asks. "And then cleaned it all up in forty-five minutes?"
"Yeah," Kie says.
"Obviously," Pope states.
"We filmed the entire thing," I tell him.
Shoupe looks up from his notepad. "You filmed it?"
"Yes, but we can't show it to you because Kie stepped on JJ's hand, and then he kicked Pope, and then Pope dropped the camera, and 'cause it's a piece of shit it broke," I explain.
"This is a telephoto, and we needed to get a long-distance image and... and... and I fell and it broke, so the video is basically unusable," Pope tells Shoupe. "But... but we were there, and we're wit..."
Shoupe cuts him off, "So the dog ate your homework?"
"No, Shoupe. I know it sounds..." Kie starts.
Shoupe cuts her off, "Look, I don't know what you kids expect me to do with this. You drag me out here in the middle of the night for a whole lot of nothing."
"No, it's not nothing," Kie tells him.
"Except for some crazy stories about how Ward Cameron's out on a random killing spree," Shoupe says.
"We're not making this up!" JJ shouts.
"It's not a random killing spree," I insist. "Gavin was his pilot. Okay, he was paying him hush money because he was on the tarmac that day."
"Gavin was blackmailing Ward because he had the gun that Hunter used to kill Peterkin," Kie tells him.
"And then he called him here and tried to pay him off," JJ says. "But it wasn't enough, and then so he shot him."
"Exactly," Rafe says.
"With the murder weapon," JJ states.
"How do you know that?" Shoupe asks.
"Pope did this thing with his phone. He, like, put it in his car and..." Kie starts.
Pope cuts her off, "I heard their whole conversation."
"You wiretapped him?" Shoupe asks.
"Is that bad?" I ask.
"Stop," Shoupe tells us. "Just stop. I've had enough." He starts to walk away.
"What are you talking about?" JJ asks. "Are you gonna look the other way again?"
"You ever heard about the boy who cried wolf?" Shoupe remarks.
We follow after him.
"Why would we make this up?" I ask. "Why would I make this up?"
"Why can't you believe us for once?" JJ asks.
"Waste of my goddamn time," Shoupe remarks.
"Why would we lie?" Kie asks. "Shoupe, I know it sounds crazy. I know that!"
Shoupe walks out the front of the building. "All right, there's nothing up there. False alarm. Let's all go home."
"No, no, please don't go home," I plead. "No. Why would we make this up?"
"Can you just do your job for like twenty minutes?" Kie asks.
"Hey. I... I know..." Shoupe starts.
Kie cuts him off, "Just listen. It makes sense!"
"I know you're upset," Shoupe says. "And I know you think your friend was innocent."
"He is!" I shout.
"But you weren't there," Shoupe says. "The only actual witnesses who are above ground say the exact opposite. All right? And both of them have a hell of a lot more credibility than any of you right now. I saw your little art project on Ward's wall. Do not do that again."
"Oh, come on," Kie remarks.
"All right?" Shoupe asks. "Gonna make things a lot harder for the both of us." Shoupe opens the door of his car. "Go home."
"At least... at least look for him," Kie pleads. "Someone died tonight."
"Get on home to your parents now," Shoupe tells us.
"I told you this would happen," JJ says. "Like, you're the one that had to drop the camera."
"It was your fault!" Kie shouts.
"Oh, that was my fault?" JJ asks.
"Yeah, it was your fault," Kie tells him.
"Why do you always take his side? Why do you never take mine?" JJ asks Kie.
"Guys hey!" Pope shouts.
"Shut up!" Kie shouts at JJ.
"Hey! Hey!" I shout. "We're not out of this yet."
"We can still go get the gun," Pope states.
I sit out on the dock behind my house with Rafe. I kick my feet around in the water softly. I still can't believe I watched his dad murder someone.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," I tell Rafe.
He shakes his head slightly. "I'm sorry you had to."
"He's your dad," I state. "You used to look up to him, Rafe."
"Before I knew he was a murderer," Rafe tells me.
"That doesn't make it any easier," I reason.
"Can we talk about something else? Anything else to get my mind off of it," Rafe says.
I nod slightly. "Sarah and JB are alive." Rafe smiles. "We're gonna make sure they get Hunter and your dad and clear John B's name."
"They can come home," Rafe says.
I smile widely. "Things can go back to the way they were."
"I hope you're right," Rafe tells me.
I wrap my arms around him tightly. "I know I am."