Gold Digger// JJ Maybank- OBX

forty three

THE POGUES sat in silence as John B drove them to the home Pope's great-grandmother lived in. Scarlett curled up in the back of the van, tapping her fingers against the seat to the beat of the music that was playing from the radio. They had been driving for a while before Pope spoke and broke the silence between the group. "Guys, the thing Limbrey said, I don't think she meant to let it slip." He looked down at the key, having taken it out of his pocket to examine it again. "She said the key leads to the Cross of Santo Domingo."

"The what?" Scarlett asked.

JJ, who had taken the front seat next to John B, reached his hand over the back of the chair. "Wait. Can I see that?"

"Are we supposed to know what that is?" Sarah asked as Pope passed the key to JJ.

"I'm guessing it's some sort of historical artifact of great importance." Pope answered.

Kiara pulled out her phone, clicking on google and typing in the name of the cross. Scarlett slid closer to her friend, leaning on the girl's shoulder to see what information Kiara had found. "Well, according to the interwebs, it was a gift from New Spain to the Spanish King." Kiara read aloud.

"New Spain? Is there an Old Spain?" JJ asked, passing the key to John B. The boy took a brief look at it as he drove, before passing it over his shoulder to Pope.

"Shit, talk about over-gifting." Kiara commented, having found a picture of the cross. "Look at that thing." She turned her phone around, leaning forward so the others could see.

Scarlett chuckled. "Looks like a person standing next to it. Holy crap, how fucking tall is that thing?"

"So it's a giant-ass cross." JJ stated.

Kiara turned her phone around, beginning to read more from the website. "It was widely considered at the time to be the most extravagant tribute ever from the provinces. It was lost off the coast of Bermuda in 1829."

"Damn." Scarlett whispered.

"Did you just say Bermuda?" JJ asked, looking over his shoulder at the girls.

John B glanced over his shoulder at the others. "Oh, no. Not the triangle." He commented.

"It always leads back to the triangle, dude." JJ said, lightly hitting John B's shoulder as he gestured with his hands. "Like every single time something's weird, it's Bermuda." Scarlett chuckled lightly, knowing he was probably right.

Kiara shook her head slightly, looking across to Pope who was sat opposite her. "Okay, well, what does a key found above your mee-maw's pharmacy have to do with any of this?" She asked him.

"Yeah." Sarah agreed, her voice quiet. She hadn't really spoken much during the van ride, keeping to herself.

Scarlett glanced at her, her features falling as she saw how upset her friend looked. "Mmm, exactly." She hummed. "Where are we supposed to come in with all this?"

"I don't know." Pope shrugged. "That's a good question." John B pulled the van to a stop outside the 'Shady Acres Nursing Home', JJ opening the passenger door to hop out onto the pavement. He slid open the back door for the others, Scarlett jumping out with Pope right behind her. Before the others could climb out, Pope spoke again. "Hey, actually, I think I'm gonna do this one by myself."

"Are you sure?" Kiara asked, leaning out of the open door.

Pope nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I can handle it. I don't really need you, so..."

JJ frowned at the boy as Scarlett looked back and forth between Pope and Kiara, sensing some unspoken tension. "Oh, we're just all one big happy family today, aren't we?" The blonde boy commented, his voice dripping with sarcasm.