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CHAPTER FORTY Denmark Tanny ‿︵‿︵‿︵
(PRESENT)
Good things rolled on through the evening.
The Pogue's sat around the makeshift bonfire. Avery was staring at John B, anticipating whatever he had to say. She was still in her golden dress with JJ's waiter shirt draped over her shoulders to keep her as warm as possible. The blond sat next to her, playing with sticks and poking the fire.
"So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant" John B suspensively said, glancing between his friend's.
Avery gasped and stomped her feet, "I told you so!"
"Here we go again with this" Pope rolled his eyes and shook his head, making Avery roll her eyes, and she leaned behind JJ and poked him with the stick she had been fiddling with.
"No. Alright, wait. Hear him out" JJ told the Heyward boy who reluctantly obeyed and turned his attention back to the brunet.
"It's been here the whole time" A small smile played on John B's face. "It's on the island"
Soon, John B was pulling evidence to back up what he was saying and standing up. The boy held a folded piece of paper in his hands, telling them that it was a letter from Denmark Tanny, a slave that survived the wreck but never was mentioned as a crew members. Big John had found the complete manifest, his big discovery.
"So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom. After that, he brought his farm. Drumroll please," John B lectured them on the new information he had discovered. Avery joined Kiara with making a drumroll, tapping her palms against the log she perched on. "Because that farm is Tannyhill Plantation"
The blond boy tuned his head to the side to steal a glance at Avery. She had dropped the stick and was resting her elbows on her thighs, holding her chin in her hands as she fixated on John B, listening to every word he said. He was interrupted by Pope nudging him, handing him the letter and waving it in Avery's direction. JJ took it from his fingers and handed it over to the girl, who eagerly took it from him.
"Harvest the wheat. In parcel nine, near the water," John B memorised the code message. "Except, there's no wheat. You see, wheat is code for gold. Check this out"
The brunet wondered over to Avery, hovering over her shoulder as he shined his light onto the page. She leaning closer to see it clearer and listened to him. He mumbled, "the gold is in parcel nine, near the water"
"Holy shit" Pope breathed out, earning a pat on the shoulder as John B passed him, returning back to his spot besides Kiara.
"All we need is an original survey map of the property, and we've found the gold" John B grinned and spread out his arms, adding to the dramatic effect.
