Marley groaned at the heat radiating at this moment. You'd think someone living in the heat year-round would adjust, but at this moment, Marley despised it. After the Lana encounter, the trio returned to the chateau to explain to Pope and Kiara. While the explanations were underway, Marley had Kiara do some Dutch braids on her hair to keep it from sticking to her neck.
She couldn't help but roll her eyes at JJ's dramatics every now and then as he explained the story to his friends. However, she also couldn't help but smile, throwing in some sarcastic insults to humble her brother. Marley grinned at Kiara once the girl tapped her shoulder, signaling that she was done. She made her way to a seat as JJ began explaining the paint falling on the trio, ruffling his hair to show the white bits that fell from it.
"That's dandruff, disgusting." Kiara muttered, making a face toward the boy as she continued to watch him ruffle his hair. Marley couldn't help but stifle a laugh at this.
"Okay, thank you." Pope awkwardly smiled as he pushed JJ's head away from his face.
"Look at all that. All right?" He exclaimed as he watched what fell out of his hair land on the floor, "That's paint. At that point, I was just, like...I'm waiting for death."
"Oh, okay, so you saw the guys that shot at us, right?" Pope asked, his hands in his head.
"It was them." Marley chimed in with a nod.
"Did you get a description of them?" Pope questioned, looking towards the twins, "What did they look like?"
"Anythings, helpful." Kie added.
Pope nodded at the girls words, "Anything we can bring to a police record."
"Burly." JJ voiced with confidence, looking at his sister for reassurance, to which she shrugged with a nod.
"Burly?" Pope looked at the boy as if he was serious, then towards Marley with the same look. It wasn't exactly the word she would use.
"Yeah, you know, like-" He attempted to convey the meaning by using gestures with his body.
"That's not very helpful," Kie pointed out.
"Okay, well, no, like the type of guy at our dad's garage," Motioning towards Marley as he explained, "I mean, you guys know he made cargo hides for drug smugglers."
"Yeah. Yes. No, we know." Kiara nodded, noting the change in the boy's voice at the mention of his dad.
"I can tell you in full confidence, these boys, these killers..." He paused, leaning against the brick wall of the chateau, taking a hit of his vape. He exhaled the smoke before continuing, "They're square groupers."
Marley nodded in agreement with JJ's assessment, her gaze focused on the lingering smoke from his vape. "Yeah, JJ's got a point. Those guys are definitely square groupers," she affirmed, sharing a subtle glance with her brother.
"They're square groupers, like narco square groupers, like Pablo Escobar square groupers?" Pope questioned with disbelief, particularly directed at Marley, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing from both siblings.
"Yeah, man." JJ nodded, exhaling from his vape once more.
"You guys, not everything is a kingpin movie." Kiara glanced between the twins.
"What does a square grouper look like?" Pope's question came across as quite harsh, at least in Marley's eyes, "Specifically?"
"You weren't there, bro." JJ shook his head.
"Apparently, you guys don't know what to look for." Pope conveyed frustration in his tone as he spoke, gesturing with his hands.
"Dude! We weren't taking mental polaroids the entire time, man. I was under duress, okay?" JJ explained, his voice raising a bit, a hint of crack evident, "But I can tell you...I can tell you the way that Ms.Lana was screaming...that these guys are serious, serious hombres, man."
Kiara glanced at Marley, silently asking if JJ was serious, to which Marley nodded. She longed to erase the entire ordeal from her memory; it was an experience no one should have to endure. Marley was aware that Pope and Kiara wouldn't fully grasp the concept until they faced a similar situation. Given the trajectory of the 'operation', that moment seemed soon.
"It's a heavy vibe right now, okay?" JJ offered, glancing toward the Pogues, "I am not liking this very much."
"Okay, why would they want the compass?" Kiara theorised.
"The things a piece of shit," Pope added, "You could pawn it off for five bucks if you wanted to. No offence, John B. I know it's in your family-"
"The office." John B abruptly interrupted the boy, eliciting questioning glances from the rest of his friends due to the suddenness of his statement.
"What?" Marley asked.
"My dad. My dad's office." John B confirmed as if finalising a theory that he had been thinking of this entire time, leading his friends into the house, "He always kept the office locked because he was worried about his competitors stealing his Royal Merchant research. We used to laugh at him like he was gonna find it. But now that he's gone, I've just kinda...I just left it as he kept it."
"Yeah, for when he gets back." Kiara chimed in to lift the boy's spirits a bit, recognising the significance of this for him as he looked a key to unlock his father's office. Kiara exchanged glances with the other three, silently urging them to say something, but they just shrugged. John B proceeded to open the door.
"I've slept over here like 600 times, and i've never seen this door opened." Pope mentioned as he looked around the room.
"You're so right." Marley gaped as she watched John B walk over to the cluttered desk.
"Here, look. This is the original owner, right here." John B elaborated as he brought over a board covered in sticky notes.
"Okay. Robert Q. Routledge, 1880 to 1920. There's the lucky compass, right there." Kiara observed as they all looked at the photo of a man in an army suit with the compass attached to his hip.
"Actually, um...he was shot to death after he bought it." John B corrected, the distant sound of roosters making Marley smile, "Then the compass was shipped back to Henry. He was killed in a crop-dusting accident when he had the compass. After he died, the compass was given to Stephen. Stephen had the compass with him when he died in Vietnam."
"Let me guess, he died in action, right?" JJ wondered.
"Sort of." John B shrugged, "Uh, a-actually, he was killed by a banana truck. In-In country."
Marley chuckled, shaking her head. "A banana truck? Seriously?" she exclaimed, unable to contain her amusement.
"Anyways," The boy shot her a glare, causing her laughter to subside, "After that, Stephen passed the compass down to him, my dad."
"Hm, Sounds like there's a reoccurring theme here." JJ sarcastically spoke.
"Yeah, you have a death compass." Pope declared.
"I do not." John B grumbled.
"You kinda do." Marley nodded.
"Seriously, dude. Get rid of it." JJ enlightened his friend, and for once, Marley noted JJ saying something clever, "It's cursed and it's made its way back to you."
"Look, my dad used to talk about this compartment in here," John B informed them as he started to open the compass by unscrewing a specific part of it, "Soldiers used to hide secret notes."
"What's that?" Kiara inquired as she noticed a carved piece of writing etched onto the inside of the compass.
"That's my dad's handwriting." John B muttered.
"How can you know that?" Pope questioned.
"Because he does these weird R's with the- see it?" John B displayed the compass to the boy, emphasising the carved writing, particularly directing his attention to the letter R. Marley leaned over Pope's shoulder to examine it, pulling a face as she struggled to read the inscription.
"Yeah, that's a weird R," Marley nodded, narrowing her eyes, still attempting to decipher the word. Truth be told, she could only make out the R, unable to understand the rest of the word for the life of her.
"Can I see it?" JJ asked the boy, who, in turn, aimed the compass toward him, attempting to read the word carved onto it, "Red-Rout-No I think that's an A."
"It says Redfield." Kiara read it aloud with ease, leaving both JJ and Marley looking at her with slightly parted mouths.
"Right." JJ nodded.
"Okay, well, What's Redfield?" Kiara asked, directing the question toward John B.
"Besides, the most common name in the county." Pope shrugged.
"Why do you know that?" Marley muttered to the boy, who simply shrugged in response.
"Oh, maybe-maybe it's a clue." John B explained from his seat, "Maybe it's a clue to where he's hiding."
"Okay..." JJ sighed.
"A clue? Come on, that's-" Pope stopped talking when he noticed the glare he was receiving from Kiara who was stood opposite him, "But if it is a clue, maybe it's an anagram?"
"Yes. Perfect. Anagram. You need paper." John B concurred with the boy, hurrying to fetch him a piece of paper and a pen, placing them on the table for him.
"How can you concentrate with that thing crowing at you?" Pope scowled at the cawing of the crows.
"Marley loves the rooster." John B defended, eliciting a proud smile from the girl.
"I love the rooster." Kiara added.
Marley stood beside Pope as he grabbed the pen and started writing things down, furrowing her eyebrows inquisitively at how quickly he responded. They all began tossing around ideas for what the anagram could be, although Marley suspected most were probably incorrect. Nonetheless, she glanced up for a moment to observe John B, noticing that he had turned his attention to the window.
"Guys," John B called, already gaining Marley's attention since she was already looking at him. She noticed a car pull up to the chateau, a car they were unfamiliar with. She patted JJ on the shoulder, John B looking at them again, "Guys! Somebody's here."
They all slowly made their way to the window to get a look at who it was. However, Marley had a growing feeling about who it might be. Using her index finger and middle finger, she pulled apart a piece of the blinds to get a better look. Her growing feeling proving right as she observed the same familiar two men walking out of the car, making their way toward the front of the chateau.
"Guys, guys, is that them?" Kiara asked, panic evident in her voice.
"Unfortunately so." Marley muttered, clenching her hand into a ball as she considered all possible ways to evade them. Adrenaline was already coursing through her body.
"John B, I told you, man." JJ began to panic, "Why is it always-"
"JJ! Hey, look at me." John B demanded as he firmly gripped the boy's shoulders, pushing him against the wall and placing a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet, "Where's the gun?"
"Gun? I, uh, I can't-" JJ rambled.
"Now you don't have the gun, the one time we need the gun?" Kiara panicked, lifting her hands to her head.
"Shit," Marley muttered under breathe.
"It's in my back pack..." JJ trailed off, recalling where he left his bag, "Which is on the porch. It's on the porch."
"Go, go," John B instructed, and JJ swung open the office door, sprinting out of the room. Marley regarded the boy with concern, not liking this at all.
"John Routledge!" One of the guys shouted from the front of the house, causing JJ to stop in his tracks. He swiftly sprinted back into the office, carefully closing the door to minimise any noise.
"They're on the front porch," JJ whispered to John B and Marley, who were standing near the door beside him.
Marley heard the two men begin roughing up the place. Shaking her head, she started looking around the room again. Her eyes locked onto the windows, and she ran over to unclip them, making sure they were unlocked. However, when she tried to pull one open, it didn't budge; it must've been the paint keeping it shut. JJ and Pope rushed over to help her.
"What-what's happening? Why is it taking so long?" Kiara stuttered her voice shaking.
Marley shot her a glare, a grunt escaping her mouth as she attempted to open the window, "Might wanna help, Kie. Maybe it won't."
"It's painted shut, okay?" JJ whispered harshly, prompting Kiara to dash over to the table and seize something sharp, an object that might assist in forcing the window open.
The shouting continued, intensifying along with items being thrown and glass shattering. Marley's jaw clenched as she listened to them trashing the place. The chateau was like a second home to her, more of a home than her own house ever was. She exchanged a glance with John B, who stood by the door in case they decided to check the office, and nodded. They needed to find a way out of the house, and they needed it now.
JJ attempted to use the sharp object to open the window, jabbing it into its seal, while Marley and Pope pulled to try and get it open. The door handle started to turn, and the guys began shouting for John B. Marley cursed as they kicked at the door, breaking a piece off. This only encouraged Marley to pull harder on the window, while JJ went faster with the sharp object, Pope now helping John B with the door.
The two boys retreated from the door as one of the men began repeatedly kicking at it, attempting to break it down. Marley, still trying to pull the window open, flinched when a gunshot pierced through the door. Finally, the window flew open, and all the Pogues rushed out of the house, heading straight toward the roosters' den. Huddled up in it, they remained silent.
They observed as the two men walked out of the house, each carrying two crates filled with the belongings from inside. The rooster began to freak out, unaccustomed to having five humans in its den. To be honest, Marley could have killed it right then for nearly giving away their hiding spot, "Do something, Pope. Shut him up."
"What do you want me to do?" Pope questioned helplessly.
"Pet it, or talk to it. I don't know." Kiara suggested, her voice cracking as tears began to well up in her eyes.
Profanities slipped from Marley's mouth as one of the men glanced toward the den. Quickly adjusting herself to avoid being seen, she and JJ exchanged looks, silently debating who would take action. JJ nodded, moving slowly toward the rooster, and grabbed it by its neck, holding it down against the ground firmly as it shuffled about. JJ found the right spot and snapped the rooster's neck, killing it instantly.
A sob escaped Kiara's mouth as she kept her eyes fixed ahead of her. Marley nodded toward JJ, turning slightly so she could see outside of the den. She observed as the man looked toward the den, the other man shouting for him to get in the car. With that, he shook his head and headed toward the vehicle. Marley waited for it to be gone and out of sight before cautiously getting out of the den, not willing to take any chances of being spotted by one of them.
•••
Marley thought she might catch a break, considering the lack of respite they'd experienced in the past few days. Yet, she wasn't one to complain too much; she relished in the adventure and the near-death experiences that came with it. However, here they were, in the Twinkie, headed to the lighthouse for a reason Marley wasn't sure about. She had gotten a bit too high upon entering the Twinkie, so she wasn't really paying attention to what was being said.
Well, not that she wasn't listening; more so, it was going in one ear and out the other, and she had to pretend she knew what was being talked about. She wouldn't know what she would do without weed; it seemed to assist her in almost every imaginable scenario. Just like how everyone has their own addictions, whether it's the act of sex itself or watching it, some are hooked on spending more money than they make. For Marley, she was one of the many people addicted to drugs.
"I mean, it's obvious, right?" John B asked the group, bringing Marley out of her thoughts and back into the conversation once again, "A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message? He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?"
"Yeah, it's possible." Kiara agreed with the boy, but Marley could see that the girl was only saying that to maintain the boys' hopes.
"It could also be possible that you're connecting wild theories to help, you know, deal with your sad feels." Pope proposed, and Marley had to give it to him for being real, but damn, he was not easy with it.
"Bro, you know how I process my sad feels." JJ spoke up, sharing a knowing glance with his sister, who already anticipated what he was going to say, "Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies. That's how I do it."
"Im not concocting, okay?" John B defended himself, and Marley wasn't sure if he was trying to convince them or himself.
Marley, still riding the high, chuckled and leaned back in her seat. "Hey, man, if decoding family heirlooms works for you, who are we to judge? Whatever helps with those 'sad feels,' right?" She shot a playful wink in John B's direction, a mix of amusement and a touch of sarcasm in her tone.
"My dads trying to give me a message." John B rolled his eyes at the girl, his voice carrying a bit more seriousness than before.
"If it helps you believe, John B." Kiara nodded.
"Look, I-I don't need a therapy session, okay?" John B stressed, glancing at Kiara before refocusing his eyes on the road, "Look, i'm not tripping out."
"It's okay to trip bro, but-" JJ got cut off.
"Look, my-my dad is missing, okay?" John B declared, looking at all of the Pogues. Marley had to give it to him; at least he had heart, "Missing. You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened. Just woke up every morning wondering."
"It's been almost a year." Kiara confided.
"Hey, he could've been kidnapped. That's definitely a possibility." JJ suggested.
"Yeah, could be in a soviet sub getting interrogated by the HGB somewhere." Pope added from his seat.
"Absolutely. Uh...or Atlantis." JJ continues.
Marley, with a smirk, joined in on the light-hearted banter, "Or maybe he discovered a new surfing spot in the Bermuda Triangle. You know, secret wave paradise."
"Marley." Kiara cautioned, prompting the girl to raise her hands in defense. She then shifted her attention back to John B, "Look, what do you think the message means?"
"Redfield." John B tested, "Redfield Lighthouse. It was my dad's favourite place."
Marley was so high when she got into the Twinkie that she initially thought they already had a plan. However, from hearing what John B had just said, it became evident that only he knew why they were in the vehicle. The Twinkie rolled to a stop near the Redfield Lighthouse, its worn tires crunching on the gravel. As the engine quieted, Marley leaned against the door, her eyes scanning the imposing structure ahead.
"I'll stick around with Pope and JJ," Marley casually stated, catching Kiara and John B's attention, "You two go."
As John B and Kiara headed towards the lighthouse, the remaining trio decided to make the best of their time. Marley, Pope, and JJ concocted an impromptu game, a mix of jokes and wordplay to pass the minutes away. Laughter echoed within the Twinkie as they created their own unique entertainment, temporarily distracting themselves from the uncertainties that awaited them at the Redfield Lighthouse.
As police alarms echoed in the distance, the playful atmosphere faded. Marley exchanged a confused look with JJ and Pope, uncertain about the source of the alarms. Without having committed any crimes, they hesitated to run, but with John B and Kiara still at the lighthouse, caution prevailed. They quickly moved away from the area, hoping Kiara and John B would find their own way out.
However, Marley was unaware that a certain someone needed to have a chat with her once she got back to the cut.