haven murphy had nothing to lose. everything was different after sarah cameron's birthday party, the night her father died. haven just didn't feel right in her own skin. then, on a whim, she befriended pope heyward and got sucked into a wild goose h...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER FIFTY: DEVIL TOWN (episode six: my druthers | trigger warning: mentions of death)
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
SOMEHOW, THE NOVELTY OF John B's (hopefully permanent) return had worn off in the space of an hour. The Twinkie was dead quiet. Pope had taken to staring out the window, brows furrowed in thought. JJ and Arden were squashed in at his side, murmuring heated words to each other that Haven only caught bits of. Where were you? she heard JJ ask, bitter. I was being a parent, Arden retorted with just as much venom. JJ sat back then, jaw clenched, and nothing else was said. Instead, the group was left with John B and Sarah staring at each other through the rear-view mirror, this sudden distance between them almost tangible. Haven had taken the front seat, leaving Sarah in the back beside Kie. Everything was just weird, and Haven blamed it on Ward.
The sooner Shoupe charged him and Rafe, the better.
Maybe then, life would be normal again.
"Guys, the thing that Limbrey said," Pope spoke for the first time since leaving his dad. His voice was sharp, shattering through the quiet, through the chasm growing in Haven's head. "I don't think she meant to let it slip. She said the key leads to the Cross of Santo Domingo"
"Huh," JJ echoed, words going in one ear and out the other. He pointed to the key Pope held in his hands. "Can I see that?"
Pope passed it to him, shaking his head as JJ frowned at it in confusion. Haven watched him for a moment before sighing and turning back to Pope, whose eyes were locked with Sarah's as she asked, "Are we supposed to know what that is?"
Pope shrugged. "I'm guessing it's some sort of historical artefact of great importance."
"Why don't we just look it up?" Arden grumbled, arms folded stubbornly over her chest. She didn't smile, not at JJ's antics, not at Sarah's head resting on her shoulder in a weak attempt at comforting her. Arden was even quieter than Haven, and that was saying something.
"Doing that now, Ardy," Kie mumbled, scrolling on her phone. "Okay. According to the interwebs, it was a gift from New Spain to the Spanish King."
"New Spain?" JJ repeated. "Is there an Old Spain?"
At the same time, Haven and John B glanced over their shoulders at him, wearing matching glares of disbelief. When JJ merely shrugged defensively, John B rolled his eyes and turned back to face the road, leaving Haven to lean over the centre console towards Kie as the girl in question held out her phone for Haven to see the Wikipedia page.
"Talk about over-gifting," she chuckled. "Look at this thing."
"Holy fuck," Haven swore at the sight. The cross was several feet tall, easily towering over everyone in the group. In the description, it was said to be made of pure gold. "And Limbrey thinks Pope has this? Where would you even put it?"
