Big Blue Sky | JJ Maybank x Male OC

~ 21 ~

A few hours later, we were standing in Shoupe's office. JJ put the gun down on his desk, wrapped in the bandana. Shoupe looked at it briefly, then looked up to us. We waited for him to say something. He looked back down to the gun.

"So y'all are telling me," he began. "This is the firearm Rafe Cameron killed Peterkin with?"

"That's exactly what we are telling you, Shoupe," JJ said.

"And the exact same firearm that Ward just used to kill Gavin," Pope added.

"Just like we said," I finished.

"And where's that corpse again?" Shoupe returned.

"Didn't you look?" Kie said.

"I checked the hospital. I went by his house. He was out."

"He was out?" I repeated with some sarcasm.

"No shit! Cause he's dead!" JJ yelled.

"Listen to yourself," Kie said. "It makes perfect sense."

"Just because he's not his damn home does not mean he was a victim of a homicide."

"What are you talking about?" Kie shouted.

"I told you this was gonna happen," JJ said to Kie. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Are you at least gonna send it in for ballistics and shit," Kie said. "Or are you just gonna sit on your ass?"

"He'll sit there and wax that damn mustache," JJ snapped. "Is that even real?"

"I'll wax this-" Shoupe returned, standing up but was cut off as Pope and I shouted for JJ to shut up.

"It's not fair," Kie said as Shoupe walked over to the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry," JJ said. "Did I hurt his feelings?"

Shoupe opened the door and held it there, looking at us.

"Get out," he said. "I got work to do."

"Are you kidding?" I mumbled.

"And y'all are smelling up my damn office."

Kie stood up and walked over to the door, stopping in front of him.

"Did Ward bribe you?" Kie said. "This doesn't make any sense."

"You ain't gonna do shit," JJ muttered as he stormed past.

"Out!" Shoupe snapped at him.

I sighed and kicked the ground inside the office as Pope walked over to Shoupe.

"We brought you the murder weapon," Pope said. "There's no logical reason for you not to send it in."

"Go with your friends," Shoupe said.

He turned to me after Pope exited the office, looking me up and down. I felt slightly embarrassed, since I was covered in sewage waste, but I held my composure and confidence.

"Is there something else I can help you with, Mr. Daniels?" He said slowly.

"I usually like to pride myself on being steps ahead of everyone else," I said. "But, I'll admit, you're a curious case. The way I see it, either Kie's right, and you're being bribed. Or, you're doing more than you're letting on, and are keeping it from all the other crooked cops in this station."

Shoupe looked around at the rest of the station as I finished speaking, then turned back to me.

"Is that so?" He said.

"So," I said. "I'll give you two choices, whether you choose one of them or not. One, if you are being bribed, talk to me. My family has just as much money as Ward Cameron. You could at least get bribed to do the right thing. Or two, if you're working on this in secret, I'll try to keep them out of trouble. Helping you out when we can. Until we have enough. I guess the choice is yours."