"And we were right outside like this" JJ spoke leaning up against the wall demonstrating what happened at Lana Grubbs's house. "And all we hear it just 'Bam! Bam! Bam!" JJ shouted causing Blakely to jump In her spot.
Blakely was sat on the chair in the corner of the patio facing out towards the water. Tears were still slowly falling down her face due to the image of a hurt Lana in her head.
"Knocking paint off the wall, g! from the inside." JJ continued his story. "All right? And I'm just looking at them, like—wait, first off, look at this shit." JJ said walking over to Pope and Kie rubbing his hands through his hair causing some of the remaining paint to fall from his head. "That's dandruff, disgusting" Kie commented. "Okay, thank you" Pope spoke sarcastically due to JJ dropping the paint all over him.
"Look at all that. All right? That's paint." JJ said, "At that's point, I was just like... waiting for our death" JJ added.
"Oh, okay, so you saw the guys that shot at us, right?" Pope questioned the three. "Yeah" JJ replied. "Did you get a good description of them?" Pope also asked. "What did the look like?" he added "Anything" Kie pleaded hoping they had something. "Anything we can bring to a police report?" Pope kept asking question after question.
"Burly" JJ replied looking out to the water. "Burly?" Pope questioned JJ's words. "Yeah" JJ responded, "You know, like—" he continued when Kie said, "That's not very helpful.".
"Okay, well, no, like the type of guy at my dad's garage" JJ spoke trying to get his point on what the guys looked like past "I mean, you guys know e made cargo hides for drug smugglers," JJ said "Yeah. Yes. No. we know" Kie replied not wanting JJ to go into detail. "I can tell you in full confidence guys, these boys, these killers..." JJ spoke placing a cigarette into his mouth then adding "They're square groupers."
"They're square groupers, like narco square groupers?" Pope questioned getting annoyed at JJ's answers. "Like Pablo Escobar square grouper?" the boy added "Yeah" JJ replied.
"You guys, not everything is a Kingpin movie," Kie said annoyed. "So what did a square grouper look like specifically?" Pope questioned needing more answers. "You weren't their bro" JJ screamed over him. His loud voice made Blakely jump causing John B to walk over to her and hug her. "Apparently, you don't know what to look for" Pope screamed back.
"Dude, I wasn't taking little metal Potoroids the entire time. Man, I was under duress, okay?" JJ screamed back.
"But I can tell you..." JJ paused looking over at John B hugging his girl and grew jealous but lowered his voice when he said "I can tell you by the way that Mrs. Lana was screaming..." his words causing more tears to Blakely's eyes due to the reminder of the woman she left hurt. "That these guys are serious, serious hombre, man" JJ finishes.
Letting go of Blakely John B flips open the compass causing Blakely to turn towards him knowing he was thinking of something.
"It's a heavy vibe right now, okay?" JJ continued. "I'm not liking this very much." He continues. "Okay, why would they want the compass?" Kie questioned and Pope added "It's a piece of shit. You couldn't pawn it off for five bucks if you wanted to. No offense. I know its in your family—" Pope jumped at the end to save hurting John B.
"The office" John B spoke moving into the house past his friends. His words made even Blakely jump up off her seat. She wiped her face getting rid of the tears and followed the other four through the house.
"My dad's office." John B began pulling out the key to the office. "He always kept the office locked because he was worried about his competitors stealing his Royal Merchant research. We use to laugh at him like he was gonna find it. But now that he's gone, I've just kinda... I just left it as he kept it." John B rambled. Staring at the office door. "Yeah, for when he gets back," Kie said trying to make the boy happy and not sad about his dad's disappearance.
Opening the door all five friends stepped in Blakely being last. "I've slept over here like 600 times, and I've never seen this door opened," Pope said shocked at the look of the room. "Mm," Kie replied agreeing. JJ and Blakely have both been in this room, as they were used to Big John go on about the Merchant.
As John B, Pope, and Kie all began to look around the room JJ pulled the extremely quiet girl over to the side and kissed her. "Baby talk to me" he whispered so only she could hear. "I'll be fine, I just, umm, I just have to leave for work soon okay" Blakley replied to the boy kissing his cheek and moving over to stand by the window.
"Here look, this is the original owner, right here" John B spoke showing the three, minus Blakley, Pictures on a piece of bored. "Okay. Robert Q. Routledge" Kie spoke reading the name of the first man on the board "1880-1920. There's the lucky compass, right there." Kie continued pointing at the picture.
"Actually um... he was shot after he bought it." John B said. "Then the compass was shipped back to Henry. Henry was killed in a crop-dusting accident when he had the compass. After he died, the compass was given to Stephen. Stephen had the compass with him when he died in Vietnam." John B said listing of the men who previously had the compass. "Let me guess, he died in action, right?" JJ questioned. "Sort of. Uh actually, he was killed by a banana truck. In- in country." John B spoke stuttering a little. "Anyways, after that, Stephen passed the compass down to him, my dad" John B finished.
"Hm, sounds to me like there's a reoccurring theme here." JJ says "Yeah, you have a death compass" Pope cut JJ off saying. "I do not" John B spoke. "You have a death compass" Pope repeated. "Get rid of it" JJ spoke "Its cursed, and it's made its way back to you," JJ added.
"Look my dad used to talk about this compartment in here." John B spoke ignoring what his friends were saying. Trying to open the compass he continued "Soldiers used to hide secret notes" Twisting at it the bottom began to come off.
"What's that?" Kie questioned pointing at the writing on the inside. "That wasn't there before" John B spoke. Studying the word John B said "This is my dad's handwriting" causing Blakely to look over from her spot at the window. She looked for a second then looked back out towards the chicken coop.
"How can you know that?" Pope questioned John B. "Because he does these weird Rs with the—see it? ask Blake he did it all the time with her middle name." John B said getting excited that his dad may still be out there. "Can I see?" JJ questioned, John B passed the compass over.
"Red, Rout, no I think that's a A" JJ began trying to read the word. Walking over towards them Blakely looked over JJ's shoulder and said "Redfield" and then walked back over to her space at the window. "Right," JJ said looking over at the girl.
"Okay, well, what's Redfield?" Kie questioned. "Besides the most common name in the county" Pope sarcastically said. "Oh, maybe, maybe it's a clue," John B said "Maybe it's a clue to where he's hiding," John B said excitedly standing back up from his seat. "Okay," JJ said not sounding convinced.
"A clue? Come on, that's" Pope started until Kie glared at him causing him to stop. "But id it is a clue, maybe its an anagram?" Pope said changing what he was gonna say.
"Yes. Perfect. Anagram. You need paper" John B said looking around for paper to give to the smart boy. "Here you, go," john B said after he found some lying down on the desk.
"How can you concentrate with that think crowing at you?" Pope questioned referring to the Rooster. "JJ loves the Rooster." John B replied "And Blake right ba, be," JJ says looking over at the girl all she does is nod her head. "I love the rooster" Kie spoke also.
"Let me think, Dedfiel. Colors, that's stupid" Pope began trying to solve the word. "What about Ritalin?" JJ spoke. "Dreidel? Fiddler?" Kie said listing off anagrams she could think off. let's stick with" Pope began.
Blocking out what the group where saying Blakely say a big Blake car pull up. Shit, she thought.
"Guys," she said a little to quiet that no one heard so she repeated it louder this time causing them to all look over. "Guys, somebody is here," she said not turning around from looking at the car pulling up.
