MERCEDES, jj maybank

20.

COBRA

The group were all sitting around a bonfire that Pope and JJ had just put together. Cicadas were chirping in the distance and the sky was pitch black, with not a single star in the sky.

Pope sits down after putting the last log in the fire, "Hey, guys, so my Dad's already gonna kill me so what's this mandatory meeting about?"

John B holds up gun fingers to him. "Might as well tell him, man, before we're gaffed," JJ says to JB.

"You ready for this?" He asks Pope,

"Yeah,"

"So, the gold never went down with Merchant--"

"Here we go again," Pope sighs. He had thought they all moved past the Royal Merchant situation since it was a dead-end after finding the wreck.

JJ shakes his head, "No, hear him out."

"It's been here the whole time," John B says ominously. Trinity cocks her head to the side and is getting a little more interested in what he had to say.

"Continue," She says.

"It's here, on the Island."

"Are you serious?" Kiara asks.

Pope raises his hand, "I'd like to voice my scepticism,"

John B pushes himself off the tree trunk he was sitting on, "I'm sure you would, Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, sir?"

"Proceed."

"All right, so," John B clears his throat and begins his speech. "In my backpack, I have a letter from Denmark Tanny."

"Are we supposed to know who that is?" Kie asks,

The name sounds familiar to Trinity but she can't quite put her finger on it, "Oh wait, I recognize that name," 

"I thought you might Trinity, there's a big painting of him at the Camerons--"

"Yes! In the study! There's a huge portrait," 

John B grins, "Yes, Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived to Royal Merchant wreck, check this out." He hands Kiara a crumpled up letter for her to read. While Kiara was reading that John B continued his speech, "Slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my Dad, he found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom, after that, he bought his farm, drumroll please, because that farm is...Tannyhill Plantation!"

"Tannyhill!" Kie repeats.

"Yes! So, after that, he used his money to free even more slaves and then he sold a shit-ton of rice, which pisses off all the white planters and then, they decide to lynch him. So on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell and in the last line of that letter he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold."

"Where?" Kie whispered,

"Harvest the wheat, in Parcel Nine, near the water," John B whispered back. Before any of them were about to say anything John B continues, "Except...there's no wheat. You see, wheat is code for gold - check this out."

He takes the letter and flashlight from Kie and crouches down next to Trinity, "Here, look. The gold is in Parcel Nine, near the water."

"Holy shit," Pope breaths, leaning near Trinity to take a look at the letter.

"So now, any guesses on what we need for the next step? Trinity?" 

"Uh--"

"Wrong. All we need is an original survey map of the property and we've found the gold!"