the middle ≫ jj maybank

iv. the lighthouse

After the intruders left, the gang headed back inside the home to discover that the Royal Merchant's blueprints, along with a few other things, were missing from the house. They'd also done their fair share of damage on the home, which was in rough enough shape beforehand.

Still a bit scarred from the intrusion, they went back to work trying to crack the code. Finally, they were able to track it down to the Redfield Lighthouse, a local historic point of interest.

They piled into John B's Volkswagen van, affectionately called "the Twinkie," and headed towards the coast.

"Kie and I will head up to the lighthouse," John B said. "You three stay here, and flag us down in case anything goes wrong."

"What should we do? Have a signal or something?" JJ asked.

"You can just call us, JJ," Kiara said.

"Right," JJ said, nodding. "Got it."

JJ, Pope and Slater settled into the Twinkie's old, worn seats, none of them quite sure what to say.

"So, Slater," Pope began, trying to create a conversation that would involve both the new girl and JJ. "How do you like working at the Wreck?"

"It's nice," Slater said. "Do you ... do you like working for your dad?"

Pope nodded. "Yeah. It's ... nice."

"Oh my god," JJ groaned. "Y'all are great at small talk," he said, taking a hit from his pen. "Anyone else?" He raised the pen in the air.

"Are you ever not high?" Slater asked.

"Do you have a problem with people getting high, Slater?"

Slater rolled her eyes. "No, I don't."

"Okay, because I just thought, since your dad is a cop, that you might --"

Slater grabbed a volleyball that John B kept in the back of the van and promptly chucked it at JJ. "Do you ever shut up?"

"No, he doesn't," Pope said with a sigh.

Faint sirens began to circulate through the air, causing Slater to sit up and look around.

"Do you hear that?" Pope asked.

"Probably just responding to a call," she said, hoping that was true.

"No, no, they're definitely getting closer," Pope said, his eyes wide. "We have to go. I can't get arrested," he said, scrambling to the driver's seat.

"We can't just leave John B and Kiara," Slater said, looking back at the lighthouse.

"They'll be okay," JJ said, glancing nervously at the approaching lights and sirens. "Pope's right, we gotta get out of here." He looked over at Slater, a smirk on his face. "Unless you think they would turn a blind eye to all of us because of you."

Slater laughed and shook her head. "My influence doesn't spread that far," she joked, causing a genuine smile to fill JJ's face.

"Okay, I'm leaving," Pope said, putting the Twinkie into drive. "One of you tell JB or Kie, would you?"

"I got it," Slater said, pulling out her phone. She sent a message to the group chat she'd recently been added to, alerting both of them that the cops were en route, and that they were leaving.

They passed by two police cruisers, and Slater hid behind the seat after seeing her dad in the driver's seat of the first one.

JJ chuckled, his eyes on Slater as they passed Shoupe and his companions.