I head back to my house. Rafe is there waiting for me.
I smile at him. "Hi." Rafe looks pissed off. "What's up?"
"What's up?" Rafe asks. "What's up is my girlfriend and her friends just pulled a home invasion."
"What are you talking about?" I ask.
"Listen, the guy that you robbed is a bad man, Adeline," Rafe tells me.
"I know, Rafe," I state. "Trust me I know."
"Barry just paid Hunter and I a little visit," Rafe tells me. "He gave me this, okay?" Rafe holds up his arm and I can see a burn on his wrist. "Said it was a little warning."
I grab Rafe's wrist and look at the burn. "Rafe... I'm..."
"Please just listen to me, Addie! Listen to me!" Rafe yells. "You stole from him, all right? What do you think he's gonna do to you?"
I shake my head. "What am I supposed to do?"
"I'd give Barry his money back, like, yesterday," Rafe tells me.
"I don't have it," I tell him.
"Who does?" Rafe asks.
"JJ took it and ran off." I sigh. "I'm sorry you had to get involved in this."
Rafe puts his hands on my upper arms. "Adeline, you need to be careful. If JJ doesn't give Barry the money back, you're all in danger."
I put my head on Rafe's chest. "God how did this summer turn into a shit show so fast?"
Rafe wraps his arms around me. "Please just be careful."
I look up at Rafe. "I promise you I won't be an accessory to any more robberies." Rafe chuckles. "But I do have to go find the robber and get the money back."
Pope, Kie, and I head to John B's house knowing JJ will be there. We park out front and start walking towards the backyard.
"Gotta be done before my scholarship interview in the morning," Pope tells us.
"Okay, well, we gotta focus," I state.
"I know. It's gonna be fine," Pope assures. "We got John B and JJ inside the well, and me and Addie up top. Kie, you and Sarah will be outside transporting."
Kie smiles. "Yeah, we got this."
Walking into the backyard I see a hot tub and someone sitting inside.
"What the hell?" I ask.
"Who the hell is that?" Pope questions.
Lights come one and I see JJ sitting in the hot tub. He pops a bottle of champagne.
"What did you do, JJ?" Pope asks.
"I got a jet going straight in my butt right now," JJ says his speech slurred. "Y'all should get in immediately." JJ holds up a bottle of champagne. "Salud."
"How much did this cost?" I question.
"Uh... Well, with the generator, the petrol, and oh, hey, express delivery..." JJ chuckles. "...pretty much all of it, yeah."
"All of it?" I ask.
JJ nods. "Yeah, all of it."
"You two spent all the money in one day?" Pope asks.
"Yeah, burned a hole right through my pocket," JJ tells him. "But, I mean, like, come on, guys, like, look at this! Finest in jet-based massage therapy, that's what they told me." I shake my head in disgust. "Addie, what? Can't a man have a little luxury in life? Come on, all this scrimpin' and scrapin'..." JJ's voice wavers. "I mean, like... guys, we... You only live once, right? Enough of this emotional shit. Get in the Cat's Ass. Come on."
"In the what?" I ask.
"In the Cat's Ass. That's what I named her," JJ explains. "Oh, hey, yo, I almost forgot." JJ flips a switch and lights come on. "Huh? Yeah, that's right, I know. Disco mode. That's right, baby!"
"Are you kidding me? You could have paid for restitution!" Pope yells.
"Or literally given it to any charity!" Kie offers.
"Or better yet you could have helped us buy supplies to get the rest of the gold out of the well!" Pope states.
"Okay, well, you know what? I didn't do that!" JJ shouts. He stands up and I can see three bruises on his torso. "I got a hot tub! For my friends. I got a hot tub for my friends. You know what? No, you know what? Screw friends. I got a hot tub for my family!"
"JJ, what the hell?" I ask.
"I got this for you. Guys, look what I did for you! All right? Look at this! Look at this!" JJ shouts.
I shake my head as tears fill my eyes. "JJ."
"No, you stop being emotional. It's fine, okay? I mean, it's sweet, right? Everything..." JJ gestures around him. "Just get in!" I get into the hot tub and pull JJ into a hug. "I just couldn't do it." JJ sobs. Kie gets in the hot tub with us and hugs JJ. "I can't take him anymore! I was gonna kill him." Pope walks over and joins in on the hug. "I just wanna do the right thing."
"I know. I know," I assure him.
Pope has the rig set up in a tree to test if it will work to get the gold. Kie is in the bucket as the winch lifts it up and down.
"How's it feeling?" Pope asks.
"Feels good," Kie tells him.
"Alright I'm taking you down," Pope tells her.
Kie nods. "Okay.
"John B pullin' a Houdini," JJ states.
"Yeah, where is he?" I ask.
"I got my scholarship interview tomorrow morning. We gotta get this done," Pope tells us.
"Speak of the devil. Hey!" JJ says as John B walks into the backyard. "Dude, I set up the entire winch to pull up the gold and everything."
"No, he did not. I did that," Pope tells him.
"Hey, John B," Kie says.
John B ignores all of us and walks into the house.
"Hey," I call after him.
"Okay, that's it?" JJ asks.
"Uh... what's that all about?" Pope asks.
"I was gonna ask you the same question," I tell him.
We follow John B into the house. He's moving stuff around, definitely looking for something.
"You all right, man? What... what's up?" Pope asks.
John B ignores him and keeps rummaging through the house.
"What are you looking for?" I question.
"Bro, what's going on?" JJ asks. John B finds the gun hidden in the couch. JJ steps towards him. "John B, what do you need the gun for man?" JJ tries to grab John B and stop him. "Talk to us!"
John B throws JJ down on the pull-out couch.
"John B, chill!" Kie shouts. Pope tries to stop John B from going into the kitchen. "What are you doing?"
John B throws Pope out of the way. "What, are you JJ now?"
"Shi... Are you okay?" Kie asks Pope.
I chase after John B. "John B, what the hell are you doing?" Outside John B gets on the dirt bike. "John B, what the hell?"
"Ward knows about the gold. He killed my dad," John B tells us before driving off.
Kie runs after him. "John B!"
"Shit!" JJ shouts.
I throw my arms up in frustration. "What the hell are we gonna do now?"
We take the Pogue and head to Tannyhill. We stop at the dock just watching the house.
"What now? We just go up to the front door and ask, 'Hey, have you seen John B?'" JJ questions.
"Look, he lives at Tannyhill now. It's plausible," Kie reasons.
"Look, we can play dumb," I offer.
"Play dumb?" JJ asks.
"It's pretty late," Pope states.
"Look, I've never seen John B like that. We should honestly be going to the cops," Kie tells us.
"The cop... Yeah, and say what, Kie? 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!" I tell her.
Pope pulls out binoculars from his bag. "Hey, I see Ward."
"Let me see." Kie takes the binoculars.
"Doesn't look dead to me. Let's go home," Pope states.
"Wait," JJ says.
"What?" Kie asks.
"Uh... Okay. 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," Pope reminds us.
"Yeah, well, our friend is in trouble," Kie states.
"I'm in trouble. Guys, I haven't been home in three days. My dad's probably put all my shit on the street by now," Pope says.
"Kay, so that's it? In a time of need, you're just gonna bail? You're just gonna walk away?" Kie asks.
"Okay, yo, guys, can we not do this right now?" I ask.
"Hey, I have a scholarship interview in the morning. I can't..." Pope starts.
Kie cuts him off, "Okay, well, what about John B?"
"Why is it always about John B?" Pope asks.
I sigh, staying out of this argument.
"It's not always about John B. You're so stupid. It would be any of you in this situation," Kie states.
"Oh, bullshit!" Pope tells her.
"Guy!" JJ starts.
"This is about friendship," Kie insists.
"Bring it down," JJ warns.
"Look, this is about Pogues for life," Kie urges.
"What about forensic pathology, huh?" Pope questions.
"Forensic pathology?" Kie asks.
"It's my life. Everything I've worked for," Pope states.
"That's your priority?" Kie asks.
Kie and Pope stand face to face. "Would you stop the moral high ground bullshit?" Pope remarks.
"Pope, come on," I tell him.
Pope turns to me. "No."
"Excuse me?" Kie says.
"No, no. 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. Remember your Kook year?" Pope remarks.
JJ tries to step in, "Dude."
"Yeah, you forgot about us. Now you feel guilty," Pope argues.
Kie pushes him. "Give me a break."
"Hey!" JJ shouts.
Kie pushes Pope again. "Is that what you need?"
Pope pushes Kie off him. "Come on."
"You need a break? Move!" Kie shouts.
JJ steps between the two. "Hey! Yo, yo, yo, cut it out, all right? If I'm the one mediating, we've hit rock bottom." JJ points to Pope. "Bow, now. Go!" JJ starts the engine. "Pope, I'll drop you off."
"I can walk from here," I tell them.
I watch as the boat pulls away. Instead of going home I head up to Tannyhill. I sneak around the house to the window of Rafe's room. I gently knock on the glass.
Rafe looks surprised to see me. "What are you doing here?"
"What the hell happened with John B and your dad?" I question.
"He told me John B stabbed him," Rafe explains.
I shake my head. "Your dad... killed Big John."
Rafe looks at me in shock. "What?"
"Rafe, I know this sounds crazy, but you have to trust me. John B wouldn't lie about this," I insist.
"Just stop," Rafe tells me.
"Your dad tried to kill John B today," I argue.
Rafe shakes his head. "He wouldn't do that, Addie."
"It's me, Rafe. Why would I lie about this?" I question.
Rafe looks at me for a moment. "You should go."
"Rafe..." I start.
"Just go Adeline," Rafe tells me.
I look at Rafe one last time before walking off. I don't know what to do. I don't believe that John B stabbed Ward. I do believe that Ward is capable of murder. Ward is a scary dude. I don't even know if Rafe will ever believe me.
I head to the Château hoping John B is there. I can't imagine he would go anywhere else. Home is home after all.
I walk inside. The Cut still doesn't have electricity, so no lights are on. "JB?" I shout. He doesn't answer me. I wander through the house looking for him. "John B?" I walk out the back of the house onto the porch. "John B?" From afar it looks as if something is on fire in the marsh. I start walking towards the dock. I see John B sitting on the edge. "JB?"
He turns to look at me, surprised. "Addie?"
"Rafe wouldn't believe me," I tell him. "That Ward killed Big John."
"I don't think Sarah believed me either," John B admits.
"It is their dad," I offer as I sit down next to him. John B nods. "What are you burning?"
"I was saying goodbye to my dad," John B explains.
I pull away slightly. "You miss him, don't you?"
"Every day," John B tells me. I nod my head. "I can't imagine feeling this way for the rest of my life."
"I can't tell you it gets easier 'cause I don't know," I state. "My dad walked out of my life. But I know Big John. I know he didn't leave you by choice."
"What would you tell your dad?" John B asks.
I take a breath. "I would ask him why he never tried to reach out to me. I know he cheated on my mom and I'm angry about it but I'm sixteen now. I just want to know if he's ever thought about me."
John B nods. "Sometimes I wonder the same thing about my mom."
I nod slightly. "You think I could spend the night? I don't want to be next door to Ward Cameron right now."
"I don't blame you," John B tells me. "Couch is all yours."
The next morning, I wake up and can't find John B anywhere. It's barely seven o'clock. I look around before finding a note on the dining table. "Be back soon. Had to check on something. JB"
I look around the kitchen but there's no food. John B hasn't been staying here for a while now. I can't even take a warm shower because there is no electricity. I sit on the dock waiting for John B to come back.
It's probably an hour before I hear the Twinkie in the driveway. John B gets out and he looks upset and pissed off.
"What is going on?" I question. "Where did you go?"
"It's gone," John B states.
I look at him confused. "What's gone?"
"The gold," John B informs me.
"No. No. What do you mean it's gone?" I ask.
"Ward found out. He must have paid people to take it out last night. All of it just gone," John B tells me.
"Shit!" I sigh. "What are we going to do?"
"What are we gonna do? What can we do, Addie? Go ask for it back nicely?" John B says.
I shake my head. "This can't be it. This can't be how this ends."
JJ and Kie come over. We sit on the dock. I have John B's head in my lap. Pope is MIA cause of his scholarship interview.
"You sure he got everything?" Kie asks.
"Every bar. The whole enchilada." John B grunts as he pulls the cast off his arm. "Look, it's not like I expected a happy ending or some shit." He throws the cast across the dock.
"John B..." I start.
"What, Adeline? It's a hairline fracture. Who cares?" John B says.
"You should care. Your arm's gonna be messed up for life," I warn.
"It's fine. See?" John B says as he wiggles his finger.
I hear Pope shouting, "Guys!" I turn and see him running towards us. "Guys! Oh! Oh! Oh, God. I ran all the way here."
"You all right?" John B asks.
"How was the interview, Pope?" JJ asks.
"Don't ask," Pope tells us.
John B gives him a thumbs up. "Awesome."
"JB..." Pope keeps panting. "Look, I'm sorry, dude. About everything."
"It's fine," John B states.
"But... but I don't have a lot of time, 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?'"
"Gold," JJ states.
John B sits up. "That's right."
"Exactly. Guys, this is our chance, but it leaves tonight, and we have to go," Pope tells us.
Kie hops off the railing. "Guys, we can't give up now."
"What's the plan, big man?" JJ asks.
"We're gonna steal that shit back," John B states.
I laugh. "Let's do this!"
"Come on, boys!" Kie shouts.
We all take off towards the Twinkie. Ready to get our gold back. We head off towards the air strip.