chapter 27.
the dark forest.

୨୧

Maxine stands rigidly off to the side as big john reunites with the pogues in the châteaus backyard. "and this is my partner, veronica pierce." big john introduces, stepping off to the side. "wouldn't have made it home to my boy without her." he throws an arm around the woman and maxine nearly vomits.

like always, jj is a little behind on putting the pieces together. "wait, pierce? as in, max pierce?"

max bites her lower lip, nodding rather reluctantly. "my mother."

"well shit!" the blonde hoots, "we got two treasure huntin' nepo babies!"

"somethin' like that." max scowls, taking a beer from john b as he exits the château.

veronica purses her lips at the sight of alcohol in her teen daughters hands, "maxie-"

max keeps a stone face. "you don't get to be a mother now, veronica." she brushes past the woman, leaning against john b's tree memorial off to the side while the teen catches his friends up with their newest quest.

"so we, umm...we went to the archives in charleston, and it was a dead end." john b speaks solemnly from his center spot on a tree stump. veronica sits by big john who watches nearby from the hammock. "a dry hole."

"so that's the gold, the cross, and now el dorado." pope lists off, "we're three for three guys." he angrily chucks a stone into the marsh. "the streak continues. that's great."

kie gives the teen a soft smile on her way out, "see you, john b."

"i'm goin fishing." jj rises to his feet, "thanks for the beer."

maxine looks around, not hesitating bound after the blonde. "yeah, me too."

"i thought you hated fishin?" veronica calls after her daughter, recalling all the times her late husband had tried to get the girl to go with him.

"yeah, well, i hate you more, so." max shrugs, walking off to catch up to a retreating jj.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

"You did what?"  fishing didn't last long before jj decided to harass his old boss for his job back, so max had decided to venture over to heywards to find cleo and pope.

"quit school." pope repeats nonchalantly while he scrubs the docks of his fathers shop.

cleo is just as baffled as maxine. "what about your scholarship?"

"i lost it." pope props his mop against the dock railing, "i lost all my old classes. i'll be lucky if i even pass the grade. my transcript is ass. everything i had going for me, gone. and do you know why i'm screwed?" he continues, stepping closer to cleo and max, "because i tried to do the right thing. i tried to help john b with his treasure; i tried to get my family's inheritance back. and do you know what i got for it? kicked in the dirt! it's over. i'm done."

"pope, it's not like you can just give up like that." cleo tries.

max scoffs, "eh, beg to differ. he's right—we're all pretty screwed."

jj suddenly comes barreling around the corner, panting. "yo! pope! bombshell." he comes to a stop, noticing popes low mood. "what's going on? what happened? detecting a real heavy vibe. what's going on?"

max exhales. "popes droppin' outta school."

this doesn't seem to shock jj as much as it did cleo. "being a coroners kinda weird anyway bro."

"shut up, wrench dick." pope retorts, closing his eyes in exasperation.

"right, great. so it's definitely not the time for this." jj hesitates, "okay, shit."

"spit it out, dude!" max is not known for her patience.

"so i was down at guffys, all right, i was trying to get my job back." the blonde starts, "and i see the carry across the way, and on it is rafe and barry. i sneak over to hear what they're talking about..." he breathes heavily, still panting. "pope, he has the cross and he melted it down. i'm sorry, bro."

pope freezes momentarily before rising from his seat on an ice chest and leaning over the railing. finally, he lets loose a loud, "fuck!"

he paces halfway across the dock, "of course it was rafe."

"yeah, i mean, we probably could've guessed that." jj takes a seat on the ice chest.

"the cross of santo domingo, desecrated!" pope all but growls in anger. he picks the mop back up, holding it above his head as he paces. "for money? god!"

"i know." jj sympathizes. "i think we need to stay calm to make a plan, but we gotta stay—"

pope does not take this advice, instead slamming the mop into the docks, scattering pieces of wood across the deck.

max flinches away, slighting leaning into jj out of surprise. once recovered, she quips, "you're gettin' better at that."

"this is messed up, man." pope turns on his heels, jabbing a finger in jjs direction, "even for them!"

"i know. couldn't agree more, man."

"and they're just gonna keep getting away with it." he continues his rant, "they're gonna keep doing that shit. they're gonna keep winning!"

"i mean, pope, is that news to you?" jj chimes in.

pope stills, looks his friend right in the eye. "no. but i'm sick of being the good guy." he turns, running off into his fathers shop.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

"I appreciate the help, you three." heyward thanks the teens. jj looks up from wiping down one of the tables at heywards fish market, "you know i ain't missing mrs. heywards cooking."

"unlike my derelict son." mrs. heyward waves her grill prongs around, "he's usually here by now." she notices maxine trying to sneak a piece of cooked fish from on top the grill and swats her hand away.

"i'm sure he'll be back any second, mrs. heyward." cleo reassures.

mr. heyward joins them out on the dock, a serious look on his face. "did one of y'all move the pistol from in there?" he gestures back to his store, "the one i keep under the register?" heyward zeros in on the one most likely culprit, "jj?"

"woah, okay." the blonde defends himself, "i didn't touch it, okay?"

"yeah, well, somebody did, cause it's gone!"

"wasn't us." maxine raises both hands, palms out.

"you see?" heyward turns to his wife, "i—dang it! i gotta find it."

mrs. heyward follows after him as they rush back into the shop, "all right, i'm sure it's somewhere. heyward, i'm sure it's somewhere. look, i'll
help you find it..."

"it's him." max turns to her friends as soon as the heywards are out of earshot.

jj agrees, "yeah, he's going after rafe." he gestures between himself and maxine, "we'll check tannyhill."

"i'll take the marina." cleo declares before the three teens rush off in their separate directions.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

"Well, well, well." maxine tsks, "look who finally decided to show up." after hearing from cleo that she had found pope before he had done anything he would've regretted, maxine had followed jj back to his place where they had laid on his porch in silence until the unmistakable sound of the twinkie lead them venturing out into the yard.

"nice of you to join us." jj greets dryly as john b slowly climbs out of the van. "you gonna spill the beans? you gonna tell us the truth about what's going on?"

"look, i know i've been a little shady." john b looks up from his hands, "and stretched the truth a little bit."

max cocks an eyebrow. "yeah, that's called lyin'."

"yeah, i know."

jj keeps pushing, "john b, what's going on?"

"my dad killed two guys." maxine wasn't sure what she expected, but it certainly wasn't that. "he was trying to protect me."

"no, no, no. hold on, okay?" jj shakes his head. "you serious?"

"yes." john b nods, "it was the guys from the coastal venture. they came here looking for denmarks diary."

"and your dad capped them for that?" jj tries to gather the whole picture.

"yes, and then singh showed up, and they took veronica and my dad, and then they tried to kill me."

"oh they can have her." max shrugs, unfazed.

"yeah well they can't have him." john b bites back, "they took them to south america."

"whoa, south america?"

"yes, they're on their way to south america!"

"okay, hold on." jj struggles to keep up.

"and then what? then their gonna off them?" john b stresses, rushing out all at once. "and i don't know—i don't know what to do."

"hold on!" jj shouts, interrupting his friends spiraling, "john b, stop!"

the teen does so, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

"just breathe for a second. i need to think." jj inhales, taking a seat on his porch steps. he pats the wood beside him, signaling for maxine and john b to join him.

"i don't know what to do, guys." john b finally speaks up, softly.

"easy peasy." maxine chirps, "we go to south america."

"how the hell do we get to south america?" john b asks her.

max deflates. "no clue."

"me either." jj shakes his head. "but..." he reaches out with both arms, pulling his friends sat on either side of him closer, the teens leaning their heads on the blondes shoulders.

"yeah." john b sounds defeated.

"we're pogues, guys." jj reminds. "we always do."