After everything that's happened Sarah and Rafe are both back at Tannyhill. They need to be with Wheezie and Rose right now. The rest of us are sitting on the dock at the Château. We're all just trying to relax a little.
"He deserved it, right?" JJ asks.
"Are you joking? Of course he deserved it," Kie insists.
"Never seen anyone blow themselves up like that," Pope says.
"Cross that one off the bucket list," JJ remarks.
I hit him. "JJ!"
"Sucks for Sarah and Rafe," JJ states.
Kie sits down next to John B. He's been quiet since everything happened. "Are you okay?"
"It's not me I'm worried about," John B confesses.
I stand up from the couch when I see Rafe walk through the door. I rush towards him and pull him into a hug. He wraps his arms tightly around me.
"I'm sorry," I tell him. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
Rafe nods. "My dad left a video."
"Rafe..." I start.
"He said he killed Big John. He murdered Sheriff Peterkin. He shot Gavin Barnstead," Rafe tells me. "He took the fall for Hunter."
"So Hunters out?" I ask.
Rafe nods. "And back at Tannyhill."
"Rafe you can't stay there," I insist. "Not with Hunter there."
"I know," Rafe says as he nods his head, "I know."
"I'm gonna be here for you, Rafe, whatever you need," I tell him. "You can stay as long as you need. Okay?"
The day seems to drag on. We mostly sit around and fish or just sit in silence.
"Hot potato, hot potato, hot potato two!" JJ roses a beer at John B. But he misses and the beer explodes.
"Impressive catch," I tease.
"Oh!" Pope shouts. "Oh! He shoots!"
"I need another one," John B states.
"One, two." JJ tosses the beer and John B catches it.
"Hey," I tease.
"I'll take that," JJ says as he tosses a beer to Pope. "All right."
"What are you guys doing down here?" I ask.
"Having a good cry?" JJ teases.
"Cry?" Pope asks.
"Cry? What are you talking... We don't cry," John B states.
"You know it's not your fault, right?" Kie tells him.
"You think she'll come around?" John B asks.
"Yeah, dude. She's one of us," Kie tells him.
I smile slightly. "She's gotta. Loving Pogues runs in the family."
Rafe wraps his arms around me.
"Hmm. Sarah's a Pogue," John B says. "She'll come around. Yep. You know, she'll come back to me. Right. You know, I was just thinking about it. I'm gonna do a backflip."
"You're lying," Kie insists.
"I won't do it?" John B asks.
"You won't," JJ insists.
"No way," I tease.
"You got any money?" Kie asks.
"Hold my beer that you already dropped," John B tells Pope.
"I wanna see you do it," Pope tells him.
John B does a backflip off the boat and we all cheer.
"Yeah!" JJ shouts.
"Alright, JB!" I shout.
"That's my boy!" JJ says.
"Woogity-woogity, baby!" John B shouts.
Since last night was so much fun that means this morning comes with a hangover. Pope, Kie, and I are the only ones up. JJ, Rafe, and John B are still sleeping like babies. I plan on letting Rafe sleep since he doesn't need to go to school like the rest of us.
Pope hits John B in the cheek with a beer can sword. "Hey. We gotta go to school, man. We have a geometry test in 30 minutes."
I shake JJ. "Hey! JJ, get up!" He doesn't move. "Is he alive?"
"I don't know," John B mumbles.
"JJ. Come on get your shoes," I tell him.
"What are you doing today?" John B asks Kie.
"Hey, Kie." Pope guides John B towards the door. "We're going this way."
"Um... I will meet up with you guys later," Kie tells us.
"I'm starving. I need some pizza," JJ insists.
I grab his arm, stopping him from walking away. "No, you missed breakfast."
JJ manages to grab a piece off of the table. "Okay. I got it. I got it!"
I lean over Rafe on the pullout couch and kiss him on the check. He opens his eyes and smiles slightly.
"Go back to sleep," I tell him. "If you need anything, call me okay?"
Rafe nods his head. "Okay."
I kiss him. "I love you."
"Love you too," he tells me.
John B is half asleep in the back of the van while JJ is fully knocked. I sit in the passenger's seat as Pope drives the Twinkie to school.
When Pope steps on the brakes and parks the car JJ goes flying forward landing on the floor. "JJ. Come on, dude."
"Let's go. Up and at 'em, boys," Pope tells them.
We sit in our first period geometry class.
"Glad you could join us," Mrs Andrews tells John B.
"It's good to be back," John B tells her.
"Just in time for your first quiz."
John B points at Pope. "A test?"
"I told you we had a test," Pope reminds him.
"No, you didn't," John B insists.
"Yes, I did. The first thing I said to you..." Pope starts.
Mrs Andrews clears her throat and we stop talking.
After class the four of us are walking down the hall. I still haven't seen Kie. John B shows us the note Yvonne passes him.
"Bonfire?" JJ asks. "Well, I think she meant to give it to me, so we're all good there." I shove him and he laughs. "We're going."
Mr Sunn sees us walking towards the door. "Ms. Dawson, Mr. Heyward, Mr. Routledge, Mr. Maybank, just the people I wanted to see."
"Wish I could say the same," JJ remarks.
"I have a question of an historical nature for you," Mr Sunn tells us. He leads us to his classroom. "I digitize documents for the Maritime Museum, and in return, I've been given access to the archives. And I found... this." He grabs a box out of a closet.
"A box," Pope states.
"More than a box," Mr Sunn assures.
"That's a good start," Pope says.
"Go ahead, Mr. Heyward," Mr Sunn tells him. "Uh... careful with that."
Pope opens the bag that is in the box and pulls out what looks like a really old journal. "Whoa."
"It's a diary," Mr Sunn tells us. "The author's unknown."
The symbol on the first page is the symbol from the gold.
"Woah," John B remarks.
"And this is a sample of a Denmark Tanny letter." Mr Sunn puts the paper down on the desk. "Compare the handwriting."
"No way," Pope says.
"It's nearly identical," Mr Sunn states.
"This is Denmark Tanny's diary," Pope says. He turns the page and points to a drawing. "Guys, it's Captain Limbrey." He sits on the edge of a desk. "August 6th, 1829."
"That's the year the Royal Merchant went down," John B states.
"I thought you might find it interesting," Mr Sunn says.
"Thank you so much for this," Pope tells him.
"It's important to know your own history," Mr Sunn tells him.
"Oh my God. It's the Cross of Santo Domingo," Pope tells us.
Sure enough the illustration on the page shows the cross being moved by four men.
"It was on the Royal Merchant," Pope states.
After school we sit on the back porch at the Château. Pope hasn't put the diary down all day.
"Guys, this is from Denmark's diary. 'August 15th, set sail from Port-au-Prince on calm seas. Came upon the Spanish ship San Jose on fire. The entire deck was aflame. And we could hear the screams of men trapped below. The Spanish captain cared about only one thing, his valuable cargo, the Cross of Santo Domingo and countless bars of gold. Once the cargo was on board, we went to help the crew, but Captain Limbrey ordered us to pull bayonets and not to let any of the Spanish crew on board. He robbed them and left them to die.'" Pope reads.
"So it didn't go down off Bermuda," JJ states.
"And it was a Limbrey stealing shit again," I say.
"This diary proves that both the gold and the Cross of Santo Domingo were on the Royal Merchant," Pope explains.
"Why didn't we find it in the well then?" JJ asks. "I mean, if Denmark was able to get this, like, bedazzled cross off of the Merchant to shore, why didn't he just hide it with the gold?"
"Because it was too big," John B reasons.
"You're right," Pope tells him. "He had to hide it someplace else."
"But where?" Kie asks.
"Right before he was hung, Denmark said he'd buried the treasure at the foot of the angel," Pope tells us.
"I thought this was about the key," JJ says.
"Right. So what's the connection?" Rafe asks.
"'The path to the tomb begins in the island room.'" Pope repeats.
"But what is the island room?" Kie questions.
"Smoking beers and drinking weed. The ideas just pour out of me. If we just sit here and try to figure this out, we're gonna get nowhere. But if we get creative and go to this bonfire tonight, maybe we get somewhere," JJ offers.
"Well, I just got disowned by my parents, and I'm an official member of the I-have-nothing-to-lose club," Kie states.
"Addie? Rafe?" JJ asks.
"It's a good distraction," I offer. I turn to Rafe. "If you don't want to..."
"I could use a distraction," Rafe admits. "I'm in."
"Pope?" JJ asks.
"We're so close," Pope states.
"You know what helps me figure shit out?" JJ says as he stands up.
"Oh boy. Here we go," John B remarks.
"Look, look, think about how much you could think if you just gave your brain a rest," JJ insists.
"Okay, fine," Pope gives in.
Everyone cheers.
"Okay, great!" Kie shouts.
"Okay, wait. We gotta shotgun before we go," JJ insists.
I turn to Rafe as we head inside. "You sure you're up for this?"
Rafe grabs my hand. "I'm sure. I need to take my mind off of everything."