We're sitting in Mr Sunn's class taking a test. If I'm being honest, it's a test, I'm probably gonna fail. Haven't had much time to study lately. The door opens and a guy I've never seen before is standing there.
"Mr. Sunn, can I borrow Pope for a minute?"
"We're in the middle of a test," Mr Sunn tells him.
"I'm from the Vanderhorst Foundation."
"Mr. Heyward, it's for you," Mr Sunn tells him.
"Thank you. Good to see you, Pope."
Pope and the man walk out of the room. I look at Kie curiously. After a moment Pope comes back into the room with an envelope. As he sits back down in his seat, he shows us the back of the envelope. The seal closing it has the wheat symbol on it.
"Is that the wheat symbol?" Kie asks.
"Yeah," Pope says.
"What the f..." JJ starts. Mr Sunn turns to look at him. "fu... fu... fudge?"
The need to figure this all out waits until after we finish our test. We head to the library to use one of the computers.
"Is this a game of tag?" JJ asks.
"I don't know," Kie whispers.
"Am I gonna have to beat you with your protractor? What's going on?" JJ asks.
The librarian shushes him.
"Seriously, Pope, you are driving me insane," I tell him.
"Okay, so that guy was from the scholarship committee. Take a look at this." Pope hands the envelope to JJ. "Read it."
"Out loud," I tell JJ.
"I can't read cursive," JJ tells me.
I look at him curiously before taking the letter from him. "'Dear Mr. Heyward, I am reaching out because I have material evidence that can exonerate John B. Routledge. It is of vital importance that you come and meet with me in person at my offices at 27 King Street, Charleston at 8:00 p.m. sharp tonight. Please come alone. Regards, C. Limbrey.'"
"Charleston?" JJ asks.
"It's like an eight-hour drive plus the ferry," Pope states. "How will we get there tonight?"
"We'd have to leave like right now," JJ states.
"I have a free period," Kie tells us.
"'Material evidence'? What does that even mean, 'material evidence'?" JJ asks.
"It means he can clear John B," Kie tells him.
"Oh, shit, then we're going to Charleston," JJ insists.
Kie sighs. "I gotta tell my mom."
"Look, if we get it this time, we are not giving it to Shoupe," I insist.
"Yeah. No duh," JJ agrees.
Pope sighs.
"What?" Kie asks.
Pope turns the computer screen towards us. "I'm not sure, but I think whoever this Limbrey person is, they might be related to the captain of the Royal Merchant."
It doesn't take much to convenience Rafe to come with us. I know he wants to get Sarah and John B home as much as the rest of us. After picking Rafe up and getting Heyward's truck we head to Kie's house. She's going to try and explain to her mom why she's gotta go to Charleston on a school night. Since I can see her and her parents arguing it's going about as good as I thought it would.
"They're taking it really well," JJ remarks.
Pope nods. "Mm-hmm."
"How'd you get this rig?" I ask Pope. "I know your dad didn't let you have it."
"I undid the intake valves on the carburetor. Made it start pinging," Pope tells me.
"And now you're just gonna take it to your cousin Jeff's house. Just gonna get it fixed," JJ says.
"Crash overnight," JJ and Pope say at the same time.
"I think I'm rubbing off on you, Pope," JJ teases. "Lying to your old man, stealing his truck. Kinda sounds familiar." JJ throws his hands up. "All right, that's a sore subject. My bad."
"I'd say we have about 18 hours before he absolutely loses his shit. So as long as we get it back before then, I think we're good," Pope states.
Kie starts shouting about not wanting to go to some boarding school. JJ gets out of the truck so Kie can get in.
"Look at your life right now! Look at your life!" Mr Carrera shouts.
JJ waves at Kie's parents. "It's good to see y'all, Mr. and Mrs. Carrera."
"Hi, uh, ma'am, sir. I... I promise to have her back at a reasonable hour and safe," Pope tells them.
"What are you doing?" Kie questions.
"Kiara, listen to me. You wanna go, then you can go. But if you don't come back at the proper time, then don't come back at all!" Mrs Carrera shouts.
"She's bluffin'," JJ insists. Kie gets into the truck. "Y'all have a good day." JJ gets back in the truck.
"This shit would be so much easier without parents," Kie states.
I shrug. "Works for JJ and I."
We start the long drive to Charleston. Up first is taking the ferry to the mainland.
"My parents are so paranoid of me being a Pogue, like it's the worst thing that could ever happen," Kie tells us.
"Hey, I hear they got good weed at boarding school, though," I offer.
"I'm not going to boarding school," Kie insists. "They're gonna have to kidnap me, tie me up, and throw me in a van."
"Well, I say..." JJ takes a hit of a blunt. "...we just crumble
some herb right now."
"Hey, Kie, have you tried to hit John B back on that number yet?" Pope asks.
"Like, twenty million times," Kie tells him.
"That's quite a few times," JJ says with a laugh.
"Some random lady at a hotel keeps answering," Kie explains.
"Well, until we hear from them again, we gotta try and clear his name," Pope says. "Right now, this letter's our best bet."
JJ nods his head. "Right. Stay on task. That's why I love ya, Pope."
Kie holds the blunt out to Pope. "What Pope are you gonna be today?"
"I'm good. I'm gonna try to focus," Pope tells her.
"Good Pope," Kie states as she sits down next to me. "Boring Pope."
"I'll take that," I tell Kie with a laugh.
The drive feels like it's taking forever. As we pass a sign, I can see that we're still 125 miles from Charleston. With any luck we'll barely make it on time.
"Guys, I've read this thing like a thousand times. It makes no sense. I mean, the Limbreys own, like, half of Charleston. What do the Kook kings of Charleston know about a murder on Kildare Island?" Kie asks.
"Why you specifically?" JJ asks. "That's the other creepy thing. You know?"
"'Please come alone.' That's hella sus," I state.
"I was thinking the same thing. I think it's because..." Pope starts.
Suddenly smoke is pouring out from the hood of the car.
"Oh, come on," Pope remarks.
"What's that?" Kie asks.
"Pull over. That's a lot of smoke, even for your dad's truck," I tell Pope.
"Pope, I got sensitive lungs, man," JJ complains.
"I'm pulling over," Pope tells us.
"Pope, just slow down!" JJ says.
Pope pulls over to the side of the road but doesn't slow down.
"What are you doing, dude?" I shout.
"Okay, sure. Yeah, right now," Kie says.
Pope laughs in disbelief.
"Shit!" Kie remarks.
"No. No. No. No," Pope says.
"Oh my," JJ starts.
"No. No," Pope keeps saying.
"It's gonna blow up," Kie insists.
We all rush to get out of the truck.
"No, it's not gonna blow up," JJ insists. "You probably unhooked the radiator, Pope.
I spot a hubcap on the road behind the truck. "I haven't seen this before. You knocked the entire hubcap off Pope."
"Whoo!" Rafe laughs as he picks the hubcap up. "You might wanna reschedule your meeting tonight, Pope."
"Plan B? We could, um... public transportation," Kie offers.
"We could hitchhike," Rafe offers.
"Or we could rent bikes," I state.
JJ looks under the hood. "Yeah, it's the radiator."
"My dad's gonna kill me," Pope states.
"Yeah, he might. He might," JJ agrees.
We get the truck towed to the nearest garage. Pope talks to the mechanic as Kie and I sit in the bed of some random truck.
"You really think your parents are gonna force you to go to boarding school?" I ask.
"I'm not going," Kie insists. "I'm not leaving you guys."
I smile slightly. "Could always just move in with me. Not like my mom would ever be home long enough to notice."
Kie nods her head. "Why didn't you say yes when Candy asked if you wanted her to move in?"
I shrug my shoulders. "I haven't lived with my sister since I was 11." I smile slightly. "Plus without my mom around I get to do whatever I want."
"Or whoever you want," Kie teases.
JJ and Rafe walk over towards us.
"Middle of nowhere. Dude's in heaven right now," Rafe tells us.
JJ starts to mimic the mechanic, "'Gotta know the calibration point before you do anything with the intake valve, JJ. You do the...'" JJ looks at Kie curiously. "Hey. You all right?"
"My mom is so worried that I'm gonna be a Pogue that she's willing to send me to boarding school," Kie states.
"Well, I guess that's what you get for hanging out with the wrong crowd, Kie," I tease.
"I mean, I'm not gonna go," Kie insists. "It's too late anyway. I already am who I am."
"Ain't all that bad." JJ points to Pope. "Just look at that guy over there. He would do anything for us. That's a Pogue if I've ever seen one. Bone-deep. That's just one man's opinion, though."
As Kie, Pope, and JJ head inside to pay for the work on Heyward's truck. I sit in the old truck with Rafe.
"I hope Kie can work everything out with her parents," I confess. "It'll suck if they force her to go to boarding school."
Rafe nods. "Yeah. I get it."
"Kie's always been there when my mom leaves," I tell him. I shake my head. "I don't even want to think about it anymore. So let's talk about your family problems." Rafe laughs lightly. "Is Hunter still calling you?"
Rafe nods his head. "Everyday. Says my dad wants me to come back home so we can be a family."
"Do you want to?" I ask. "Go back home?"
Rafe shakes his head. "No. My dad is the reason we thought Sarah and John B were dead. He killed Big John and he killed Gavin. I don't want to live in the same house as him."
"The downside of Pogue life is we're ignored and neglected. But the upside of Pogue life? We're ignored and neglected, which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want," I tell him.
Rafe wraps his arm around me. "You really think I'm a Pogue now?"
I nod my head. "For sure." I smile. "You saved Sarah and John B from that burning church and you helped them get away. You're definitely a Pogue now. I think my friends have even started to come around." Rafe laughs lightly. "I definitely don't have to worry about you fighting any of them anymore."
"After everything that's happened, I wouldn't dream of it," Rafe assures me.
I smile. "I guess you're kind of stuck with us now. Being a traitor to the Kook cause and all."
Rafe kisses my forehead. "I love you, Adeline."
I pull him towards me for a kiss. "I love you too, Rafe."
Once the truck is fixed, we continue on to Charleston. It's already morning by the time we make it to the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.
"Wonder where John B and Sarah are right now," JJ says.