THE POGUE CODE ❤︎ JJ MAYBANK

Chapter Three

Mackenzie and JJ walked out the patio doors when they heard a boat honking. The HMS Pogue was at the end of the Henderson dock once again with their friends aboard. "What's going on?" Mackenzie questions.

"We're gonna try going to the coast guard again." John B answered the redhead. JJ stepped into the boat, once again taking Mackenzie's hand to help her in.

"If they wouldn't listen to us the first time why are we trying again?" she asks as John B brought them back to the coast guard. "Because maybe there's less chaos now and we can actually get a word in," Pope explained.

The five piled off the boat, moving down the boardwalk. Except there were still crowds of people. Not a lady talking about canine diabetes, but instead the police. The group moved off to the side where Peeler was sat watching the scene happening. "Who's that?" John B wondered, looking over at the dead body the police were there for.

"It's Scooter Grubbs. He was out during the storm." Peeler tells them, "check out this pic I got. Dead body." She showed. "You know what kind of boat he had?" JJ asks Peeler.

"Somehow that dirtbag copped a brand new Grady-White. Everyone's out looking for it." The girl says, unaware of the five looking between each other.

John B drove them all back to his house, the chateau, where they contemplated what to do. JJ sat in the spinning armchair flicking his lighter while John B stood by the door to the screened-in porch. Kiara and Mackenzie sitting on the small couch. Pope was out on the grass, pacing back and forth in a panic.

"Pope please just stop and sit down." Mackenzie finally said to him. So Pope walked into the screened-in porch and began to talk. "Okay so... we didn't see anything. We don't know anything. We need to have total and complete amnesia." He says. "Actually, Pope's right for once. See, I agree with you sometimes." JJ remarked, standing up. "Deny, deny, deny."

Mackenzie and Kiara exchanged looks before the dark-haired girl spoke up. "Guys we can't keep that money." JJ, who was now leaning against the screen, sighed. "Not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara." He said sarcastically. "We have to pass it off to Lana Grubbs. Otherwise... bad karma." Mackenzie shook her head, avoiding direct eye contact with JJ.

Which made the blonde's brows knit themselves together. She had been acting distant since they got back on the HMS Pogue from her place. He just wanted to talk to her.

"Bad karma to be implicated in a felony too. We have to go dark." Pope added on, "if that means we get to keep the money, then I agree." says JJ. Except John B didn't agree, going on a mini-rant about Scooter Grubbs.

Which he was right, Scooter Grubbs never would have had enough money to buy a Grady-White.

John B had to spend quite some time trying to get Pope on board with what he was thinking. He went over it again as Pope and JJ fished off the dock. "C'mon think about it, Pope. How does a marina rat get a Grady-White?" The dark-skinned boy inhaled deeply, "prostitution." he said with a straight face. Mackenzie being unable to keep her chuckle in upon hearing her friend.

"Square groupers, bro. Flying under the radar, no aerial surveillance. They don't do that during a hurricane. Which means what, JJ." John B points to his best friend, "they were straight smuggling." the blonde said. "Exactly, and I guarantee there's a serious amount of contraband in that wreck."

The five moved to John B's bedroom where they continued the conversation. "Okay, if that is a smuggling ship, it probably belongs to somebody else. Taking it would be catastrophically stupid." Pope theorized, "well... stupid things have good outcomes all the time." JJ says, fanning out the money from the motel room.