vices/ obx

six. the marsh

"Yep, that's the police," JJ pointed out the nearing boat. Mer stared at where John B disappeared minutes ago, she turned her head at the sound of JJ's voice and looked to where everyone else was looking.

"Just act freaking normal," Kie said as she pushed her hair behind her shoulders and leaned back on her hands.

The siren whooped as Mer quickly went to stand beside Pope in hopes that Shoupe wouldn't tell her father that she was out on the marsh when he told her not to go to the marsh anymore, especially with JB and JJ.

"Evening officers," the teenagers greeted the deputy and officer.

"Evening," they responded as they attempted to get their boat parallel to the HMS Pogue. Shoupe handed Pope a rope to keep their boats from drifting off.

"JJ, tie this off," Pope asked as Mer and Kie exchanged a look as Mer came to sit beside Kie, trying to calm down. Mer looked over her shoulder where she last saw John B and hoped he didn't come up any time soon.

"How you kids doing?" Shoupe asked as he had one foot propped up on the teens' boat. "You know the marsh is closed?"

"No," Mer and Kie said in unison and acted confused and surprised.

"Why is it closed?" Pope asked as he sat on the chair, trying to keep his cool.

"Well, we're conducting a search out here. Boat went down," Shoupe said as he eyed Mer knowing his old friend wouldn't like that his only daughter was hanging out on a closed marsh.

"Oh," the teens looked at each other in faux confusion.

"Seen anything?"

"No."

"No. No boats," the boys spoke up while Kie and Mer kept quiet, silently praying John B was okay.

"What about you Miss Smith?" Shoupe turned the attention to Mer who was chewing on her bottom lip, hoping he wouldn't talk to her. "Have you seen anything?"

"No, sir."

"Does your dad know you're out here?" he asked as everyone watched Mer's reaction.

"I don't know, sir. I don't remember the last time I saw him," Mer said as she moved her hair to one side of her neck. JJ looked her and admired her beauty. The way the sun hit her eyes, that created a honey color shining from behind her dark and long eyelashes.

"Next time I see Owen, I'll be sure to ask him," Shoupe said as he looked back over to JJ and Pope. "Where's your friend you always hang with? He here?"

"He's working," Kie spoke up causing the officers to look between the teenagers, trying to read their faces. Mer looked over to JJ in attempts to calm herself down, but only got even more nervous because JJ looked nervous too. And if JJ gets nervous, that means something's wrong.

"I'm going to check your little boat out," Shoupe said as he stepped on to the HMS Pogue.

"Yeah, hop aboard," Pope said as he got up from his seat to make room for Shoupe. "You wanna check, uh, check her out."

"Thank you," Shoupe said as he looked around the boat hoping to find something wrong. "You got another one of these?" he asked holding up a life jacket.

"Of course, it's in the hold," JJ responded as he and Pope stood together trying to look for John B.

"Show him," Kie said as she got up from her seated and pulled Mer up with her.

"Okay," JJ muttered as he slid past the girls to the hold to get the other life jackets out. He held them up for Shoupe to see. "Yeah, here we go."

"Alright," Shoupe responded as JJ put the jackets back in place. Shoupe stared at Kie and Mer trying to get something out of them that gives the officers a reason to bring in the teens. Shoupe was getting ready to get back on his boat to leave until he looked over the side of the boat. Mer and Pope shared a look, hoping it wasn't John B.