Chapter Thirty Three: Finders Keepers
~~•~~
LATER THAT DAY the four friends hopped in the boat and made their way to the Cameron's household. They assumed that John B went to the Cameron's house. Serena was shocked by her uncle's behavior. She knew he had some anger issues, but not a killer. Serena didn't want to believe John B, but she knows him better than anybody, he wasn't lying.
The other four friends stayed in the boat that was docked by the yacht, contemplating if they should go up to the house. It hurt Serena more than anything to see the pain and anger in his eyes. Her eyes stayed on the glistening water as her friends tried to make up a plan.
"What now?" JJ asked, snapping Serena out of her gaze, "We just go up to the front door and ask, "Hey, have you seen John B?"
"Look," Kiara sighed, "He lives at Tannyhill now. It's plausible...we can play dumb."
"Play dumb?" Serena asked as she turned around to look at her friends, "Ward isn't stupid, he'll know we're up to something."
"I've never seen John B like that," Kiara said, "We should honestly be going to the cops."
"The cop— yeah, and say what, Kie?" JJ asked, "We're worried about our friend because he's on a rampage because Ward Cameron killed Big John? Like, they're not gonna believe us!"
"Hey, I see Ward," Pope said as he looked through his binoculars.
"Let me see," Kiara said and Pope handed it to her.
Serena watched her uncle walk out of his house and began looking around.
"Doesn't look dead to me, lets go home," Pope said.
"What?" Kiara asked and looked at her friend.
"Uh...okay," Pope shrugged, "Obviously, Mr. Cameron is fine, and even if John B was here, he isn't now, okay? Plus, I have the biggest, most important moment of my life in six hours."
"Good for you, Pope," Serena said in annoyed tone, "John B is more important to me than your important moment, okay? He's in trouble!"
"I'm in trouble," Pope remarked, "Guys, I haven't been home in three days...my dad's probably put all my shit on the street by now."
"Okay, so that's it?" Kiara asked and Pope looked at her, "In a time of need, you're just gonna hail? You're just gonna walk away?"
"If you were in John B's shoes, he would be doing anything he could to help you," Serena fussed, "We never bail on each other!"
"Okay, yo, guys," JJ said, "Can we not do this right now?"
Serena rolled her eyes and sat back down on the boat, JJ looked down at her before sitting next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she laid her head in the crook of his neck.
"Hey," Pope said to Kiara, "I have a scholarship interview in the morning."
"Okay, well, what about John B?" Kiara shouted.
"Why is it always about John B?" Pope shouted back.
Serena and JJ stayed quiet when Kiara looked at the two, "It's not always about John B," Kiara stated, "You're so stupid! It would be any of you in this situation,"
"Oh, bullshit!" Pope said.
"Guys," JJ said as Kiara continued to fuss at Pope, "Bring it down."
"Look, this is about Pogues for life," Kiara said and looked at her friends.
"What about forensic pathology, huh?" Pope asked.
"Forensic pathology?" Kiara said with annoyance.
"It's my life," Pope exclaimed, "Everything i've worked for."
"That's your priority?!" Kiara yelled and got in Pope's face.
"Stop the moral high ground bullshit?" Pope argued back.
"Pope, come on," JJ said.
"Excuse me?" Kiara asked.
"No, no," Pope said to JJ and looked back at Kiara, "She has no room to talk...Where were you when Big John went missing? You weren't there...You weren't there for John B, you weren't there for any of us."
Kiara looked at Pope with pure anger as he continued, "Remember your Kook year?" Pope asked, "Yeah, you forgot about us, now you feel guilty."
"Pope!" Serena fussed.
"Give me a break!" Kiara yelled and began pushing on Pope, "Is that what you need? You need a break? Move!"
JJ stood up and got between them, "Hey! Yo, cut it out, all right? If i'm the one mediating, we've hit rock bottom." JJ fussed and looked at Pope, "Bow, now...go!"
Pope sat at the front of the boat near Serena, while Kiara sat on the back. Serena stood up and sat next to Kiara to make sure she was okay.
"It's better that we let John B do what he needs to do," Serena said to her friend, "It will only make matters worse if we get involved."
Kiara nodded and Serena gave her a hug before she stood near JJ as he drove the boat to Pope's house.
~~•~~
The next day came around. John B, Kiara, JJ, and Serena sat at the end of John B's dock while he told them that Ward got the rest of the gold.
"You sure he got all of it?" Kiara asked.
"Every bar," John B sighed from the floor of the deck as he slid his hand out of his torn up cast, "The whole enchilada."
"I just wanna know how the hell he found out," Serena said and looked down at him, "I don't think Sarah said anything."
"Me too, sis," John B said, "Look, it's not like I expected a happy ending or some shit."
"John B," Kiara said.
"What, Kie?" John B asked, "It's a hairline fracture, who cares?"
"You should care," Kiara said, "Your arm's gonna be messed up for life."
John B raised his hand, "It's fine. See?"
"Guys!" The four friends heard and saw Pope in a dress shirt and pants, running down the peer, "Oh, oh, God. I ran all the way here."
"You all right?" John B asked.
"How was the interview, Pope?" JJ said.
"Don't ask," Pope said as he tried to catch his breath, "JB...Look, i'm sorry, dude...about everything."
"It's fine," John B said blankly.
"But—but I don't have a lot of time," Pope said, "and— and I have information that is tactically relevant...So, before I had my interview, my dad said he was going down to the private airstrip to cut palms for Cameron's big plane, because it was too heavy, it needed a longer landing strip to take off. So, i'm there sitting in my interview thinking to myself, "Hm. Why would Cameron need a longer airstrip to take off? What could be so heavy to weigh it down?"
John B sat up from the floor starting to put pieces together, as the rest of the friends did also.
"Gold," Serena said and looked at John B.
"That's right," He said.
Pope waved his arms around, "Exactly, Guys, this is our chance, but it leaves tonight, and we have to go."
"Guys, we can't give up now," Kiara said.
"What's the plan, big man?" JJ asked John B.
John B looked at his friends, "We're gonna steal that shit back."
"Guess Ward doesn't know what finders keepers mean," Serena chuckled.