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.

"What do you think your dad would say if he saw you in here with us?"

Slater sighed. "The words he would say would not be appropriate for a southern belle like myself to say," she joked.

JJ smiled, shaking his head. "I'd pay to see the look on his face," he said.

"I would pay not to," she replied.

Pope drove them to his own home instead of John B's, as they were all a bit apprehensive about returning after the run-in with the bad guys that morning.

They paced back and forth on the docks, waiting for a message from Kiara or John B to let them know they were safe. After what felt like hours, Slater spotted the Carerra girl walking up the dock.

"Kie!" Slater raced to her friend and the brunette boy. "Oh my god, are you okay? I'm sorry that we left you."

"It's okay," Kiara said. "We got away."

"Where's John B?" JJ asked, looking around for his friend.

"Uhh, the Camerons. Ward had to talk to him about something, I guess," Kiara said.

Pope's eyes widened. "Do you think he knows?"

Slater rose an eyebrow. "Knows what?"

"We may have ... borrowed some dive equipment from the Druthers," JJ said.

"You stole Ward Cameron's dive equipment?" Slater repeated.

"No, borrowed," JJ said. "And John B brought it back before anyone noticed."

"Oh my god," Slater said. "Do you have any idea how powerful Ward Cameron is? He could, like, ruin any of your lives."

"Same goes for most of the people on Figure Eight," JJ said, giving Slater a pointed look.

Slater rolled her eyes. "Well, hopefully everything is okay, then."

They settled down on a table outside of Pope's father's shop, playing with a deck of cards that Slater carried around in her backpack, waiting for word from John B.

After a few hours, they spotted John B trudging towards them, limping slightly.

"Hey, JB," JJ greeted as the Routledge boy took a seat at the table.

"Hey," John B said. "I just got fired. Ward found out about the gear."

"What?" JJ said. "How?"

"Fuckin' Sarah Cameron, that's how," John B said.

Slater looked to Kiara and the boys for an explanation. How did Ward's daughter tie into all of this?

"She saw John B on the boat with the gear. Must have let it slip to daddy," JJ muttered before turning his attention back to John B. "Damn, I'm sorry."

"Oh, also, I ran into our friends from this morning," John B said.

"Are you okay?" Kiara asked.

"I'm fine. Sheriff Peterkin found me before they could get to me. I, uh, I gave her the compass."

The group was silent before JJ exclaimed, "You what?"

"I gave her the compass. She said it was the only way to make sure no one else got hurt. That also means it's safe, so those assholes will have no chance of getting their hands on it," John B exclaimed.

The group fell into an argument. She was new to the group, but an outsider's perspective was needed sometimes.

"Guys, it was John B's compass, from his dad. He had the right to turn it in if that's what he wants," she said.

"Thanks, Slater," John B said.

JJ was clearly upset that his best friend seemed to value Slater's opinion more than his, but for once, he didn't say anything.

"Anyways, I think I'm going to go home," John B said. "Call it a night." He looked absolutely defeated, and Slater felt bad. He'd gone through so much to try and solve his father's disappearance, and all he'd found were two guys that were trying to kill him and a dead end.

"Hey, you know what we need?" JJ began in an attempt to cheer up his best friend. "A break. A well-needed break."

"I don't want to get high, JJ," John B said, sighing.

"No, not that. Look at that water," JJ said, gesturing to the ocean. "Look at those beautiful waves. It's been a while since we've been out there. I think some salt therapy is just what we need."

"I'm down," Kiara said, offering John B a smile. "Come on, JB. It's just what you need."

John B nodded, a brief smile filling his face. "Maybe you're right. I'll head home, grab my board."

"Same here," JJ said, to which Pope and Kiara also nodded in agreement.

Slater's car was still at John B's, so she rode with him back to the Chateau.

"Slater, can I ask you a question?" John B asked as they drove.

"Sure."

"Your dad ... he passed when you were little, right?"

Slater nodded. "Yeah, when I was two."

"Do you remember him at all?" He asked. "Sorry if this is personal."

It was personal, but Slater didn't mind talking about it, especially considering what John B had just gone through. "Not really. I remember his smile, kind of, but that might just be from pictures I had. Most of what I 'remember' really comes from stories my mom told me about him. When someone asks about my 'dad,' I mostly just think of Vic," she admitted.

John B nodded. "I just ... I just wonder if it will ever get easier."

"I'm sure it will," Slater said. "I wish I could offer you more, but ... I really don't remember him. I wish I did, though."

John B smiled. "Yeah. Thank you, though."

"Yeah, no problem."

They arrived at the chateau, and Slater got in her car, with John B promising that he'd be right behind her after changing and grabbing his surfboard. She was already wearing her suit, after planning to go surfing with Maeve that morning.

She arrived at the Boneyard, a popular beach for locals, and saw that JJ was already there, leaning against his motorcycle. His board was at his feet. She pulled the Subaru up next to him.

"How do you manage to carry that thing?" she asked, gesturing to the bike.

JJ shrugged. "A ratchet strap and some careful maneuvering."

Slater laughed as she unstrapped her board from the top of her car, then went to stand by JJ. Both of their phones buzzed at the same time, and Slater looked down to see an incoming text from Pope: he wasn't coming.

"That goddamn scholarship program," JJ muttered.

Just from briefly communicating with the Heyward boy, Slater knew how important the scholarship was for him. Their phones buzzed again, with a message from Kiara: her parents weren't letting her come out, and had forced her to finally work a shift at the Wreck.

"Where is John B?" JJ asked, impatiently looking down at his phone.

"He said he was going to be right behind me," Slater said, glancing at her watch.

Their phones buzzed a third time, alerting them to a message from John B: he wasn't coming, either.

"Fucks sake," JJ said, kicking his boot into the sand.

Slater chuckled and let out a groan. "Just my luck to get stuck with you."

"You don't have to stay," JJ remarked, glaring out at the water.

"You don't either," she shot back.

Both of them looked out at the water. It was in too perfect of conditions for either to bail. Neither of them were going to back down.

"Screw it," JJ said, kicking off his boots. "There's enough water for both of us."

"That there is," Slater agreed, setting her board down so she could peel off her sweaty clothes. She couldn't wait to get in the water. As JJ struggled with his laces, Slater grabbed her board and headed out, easily beating him to the first wave. She hopped up on her board, riding the wave as easily as she rode a bicycle.

JJ, finally free of his boots, paddled out to her, resting on his board. "Nice aerial," he said, though Slater could tell the compliment pained him.

"Thanks," Slater said. They sat beside each other on their boards for a few minutes, silently waiting for the next good wave to come. Some tourists were trying their hands at some bad waves, and Slater chuckled as they fell off.

"I love being out here," Slater said, to which JJ nodded in agreement.

"I love it when the sun is just about to go down, like right now. When the sky starts to turn all different colors," JJ said.

Slater smiled, silently amazed that JJ Maybank enjoyed sunsets. "It's nice to take pleasure in the little things," she noted.

"Especially when the little things are all you've got," JJ said before paddling out towards an approaching wave.

She watched him stand up, taking the wave like a pro, riding it smooth and steady.

Since JJ had complimented her run, it was only natural that Slater did the same. "Well done," she called out.

"I know," he replied.

And, just when Slater was beginning to think that maybe JJ wasn't that bad all the time, they were back to square one.

They stayed out on the water for an hour, until the sunset was almost gone and the night sky appeared. JJ was on the beach, laying back on his board as he looked up at the sky.

Slater joined him as the sun finally dipped behind them. She pulled her board out of the water and set it next to JJ's before laying down next to him.

"You know, there's plenty of beach down there," he quipped as she sat down.

"There sure is. You should go check it out," Slater replied.

JJ sighed, seemingly not interested in arguing with her anymore. She heard him rustling in his pocket before he pulled out his pen, taking a long drag before blowing the vapor into the air. He offered it to Slater. "Want a hit?"

"Sure," she said, taking it from him and taking a long hit. Almost immediately, a cough erupted in her chest and she handed it back to JJ.

"Oh ... my ... god," she gasped, doubling over in coughs, to which JJ exploded in laughter.

"Your first hit, Cambry?"

"I think we both know that's quite obvious," she said, downing a bunch of water. "Not that I need another thing for you to pick on me for."

He chuckled before slipping the pen back in his pocket. "You're right, there's more than enough material already."

JJ's phone buzzed and he sat up, his eyes going wide as he read the message. "Holy shit," he muttered, shaking his head.

"What is it?" Slater asked.

"He did it. My boy did it! John B figured out the Redfield thing. It's not a place, it's a person," JJ said, showing Slater his phone screen.

"A dead person?" She asked, seeing that John B had sent a link to a cemetery.

"A dead person," JJ repeated. "Looks like we're going for a midnight ride."

Slater and JJ dried themselves off and headed back to the Chateau. Kiara had just gotten done with work, and Pope managed to tear himself away from scholarship interview prep for long enough to come with them.

"Did you go surfing?" Kiara asked Slater as they piled into the back of the Twinkie.

"Yeah, it was fun. Great waves," Slater said.

"So you're telling me it was just you and JJ, and you managed not to tear his head off?" Kiara said, grinning at her two friends.

"Just barely," Slater said. "Thankfully, the ocean is very large."

"Thankfully," Kiara laughed.

John B took off, racing the Twinkie towards the graveyard. It was nighttime, so he turned the lights off and parked a little ways outside of the cemetery to avoid any suspicious eyes.

"What exactly are we looking for, JB?" Kiara whispered as they snuck through the cemetery.

"Redfield," John B replied, scanning his flashlight over the graves that surrounded them.

"There it is," Slater said, pointing to a towering mausoleum ahead of them.

"What do we do now?" JJ asked, peering at the cement structure.

"There's a gap," John B said. "I'm not going to fit in there, though."

The three boys all slowly turned to look at Kiara and Slater, a hopeful look in each of their eyes.

Slater quickly shook her head and looked at Kiara. "You owe me, remember?"

Kiara grimaced down at the narrow gap. "I do owe you," she sighed before shrugging off her jacket and shimmying inside.

Almost as soon as she was inside, she let out a gasp.

"What do you see, Kie?" John B asked, shining his flashlight through the narrow gap.

Kiara poked her head out, gripping a FedEx package in her hands.

"What is that?" Slater wondered aloud.

Kiara turned the package, revealing the message "for Bird" written on it.

"That's me."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ author's note ✫・゜・。.

our gang finally solved the redfield mystery, and we got some one-on-one jj and slater time. don't get your hopes up - they still hate each other. but, i still enjoyed writing that surfing scene.

also, the scene with john b and slater made me sad. slater's already good friends with kie, but i'd like to strengthen her friendship with the rest of the pogues, too.

question time! who is your favorite actor from OBX? i love rudy pankow (jj) and drew starkey (rafe -- who we've yet to see in this book!). but i also really love madison bailey, who plays kie.

thanks for reading, and please vote and leave a comment!

xx,
madi