MERCEDES, jj maybank

66.

CECILIA TANNY

The Pogues all watched with anticipation as they pried the casket open for the cross. The look of disappointment on Limbrey's face was a relief to them all, because it had meant that the cross wasn't there.

"We must've missed something," Carla says.

"Of course, of course, it's just a dead body. Jesus!" Rafe was getting angry with the time getting wasted.

Limbrey hobbled away on her crutches, "We just got the wrong place. We'll go back to the Island room - we're going back! It's not over!"

As soon as everything had been loaded up and Rafe had gotten into his car, and Limbrey with Renfield in there's the place was empty. Allowing the Pogues to go and see what had been left.

But it was just an open casket, and Trinity honestly wasn't too eager to go and look inside.

"It's Cecilia Tanny. Denmark's wife." Pope says. "He wasn't talking about the cross, he buried her at the foot of the angel."

"The true treasure. His wife."

Pope crouched down by the casket and shook his head, "Denmark was hung for burying his wife, and now they defiled her grave."

They all crouched down too and watched as he picked up a small engraved piece of metal, that said, Cecilia.

And Sarah picked up a ring. "This must've been from Denmark. Her wedding ring."

"We can't leave her like this," Pope says.

"We won't."

John B and JJ both grab one end of the casket lid and place it on top, hammering it shut with a piece of metal that had been left. Pope picked a few flowers and placed them on top once JJ had finished hammering.

JJ picked up a spade and took off his jacket as he started to dig.

"I just don't get it," Pope shook his head. "I mean you guys saw the map. He hides his gold so no one finds it for a hundred and seventy years, and then he sends a message to his son Robert, to come here to his mothers grave. But the message never gets to him. Denmark wanted him to find the cross, I know we're in the right spot."

JJ puts his jacket back on and goes to put all the shit away.

"I feel like we just missed something," Pope sums up.

"Yeah, guys!" JJ calls out, looking up into the tree. His gaze was clearly fixed on something important so everyone got up and joined him.

"There he goes," John B whispered as JJ climbed onto the Twinkie, Kiara went up and joined him and the rest stayed grounded, watching.

JJ points to the hole in the tree, "That looks like—"

"The painting in the Island room!" Kiara gasped, finally seeing it too.

"It's worth a shot right?" JJ asks looking down at Pope.

"Yeah," Trinity answers, "Until an animal inside bites your hand off,"

JJ looks to Trinity and then back up the hole. "Okay, uh, go for it." JJ offers Kie the opportunity.

"No chance!"

"You do it!" Trinity says, "You found it!"

JJ frowns, "After what you just said..."

"I was kidding!" Trinity says quickly. "But there's a small chance there is an animal," She mumbles.

"Yeah, no, I'm gonna do it, it's just...Trinity really knows how to get in your head," The last person JJ looks at is Trinity as he slowly sticks his hand inside. "There's something in here - ah!" JJ screams and rattles his hand around inside.

Everyone quickly rushes and tries to get him away from the whole but stop once they see he's laughing instead of screaming.

"Oh, you asshole!" Pope scolds him.

"Why would you do that?" Trinity asks him.

"Man, I got all of you on that one - wait there is actually something in here," JJ says pulling out some sort of cylinder.

"Let me see." Pope puts his arm up to receive whatever it was that JJ had found.

JJ jumped down off the roof of the Twinkie and pulled Trinity towards him, "Did I scare you?"

"No." She lied.

"Oh no, definitely not." He snickered kissing her on the cheek and going to see the thing in Pope's hands.

"HMS Royal Merchant!" Pope readout.

JJ took it from his grip, "Give it to the captain. It's a spyglass." He pulls out one end and holds it to his eye.

While he has it to his eye Trinity notices something on the thinnest tube, "JJ hold on," She says pulling it towards her. "Yeah look,"

"An inscription, right there, look at that shit!" John B points it out to Pope.

" 'You've come this far. Do not falter. The cross is on the Freedman's altar' the cross is at the church!"

They were so close to finding it. "Well, what are we waiting for?!" Trinity looks to each of them. "Let's go!"

Pope and JJ put their hands together, "Woogity woogity,"

§

Trinity was sitting on the floor of the Twinkie, behind JJ's seat which was in shotgun.

"Oh crap!" Pope exclaimed, making her sit up to see what was going on.

"The tide," John B says, looking at the nonexistent road ahead.

"How deep is that?" Kiara asks.

John B shrugs, "I don't know but the road is gone." He brings the Twinkie to a fast halt, rocking everyone slightly forward.

"The tide rose slightly faster than I thought it would," JJ admits.

"Just a little bit." John B sighs.

"Hey, JB, how high are the spark plugs?" Trinity asks him.

"They're good," He says to her, "We're fine."

Her eyebrows knit together, "Okay sure, but how high are they?" She asks again since the boy dodged the question.

"Oh, um...just above the taillight." John B double-checks by sticking his head out the window.

Pope nods, "Okay that's what...three feet?"

"Three feet, yeah," JJ nods.

Kiara shook her head, "Guys, that water cannot be three feet deep." She looks out the window and all around them.

"So then what's the problem?" John B asks.

"Not a problem, we're good. She'll make it!" JJ tells the Pogues and he sounds confident.

John B agreed, "Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts. Hold onto something. We're going into hyperdrive!"

"I'm gonna say a quick prayer," JJ says to himself as John B counts down from three and slams his foot down on the accelerator.

The group was cheering as John B was able to go through the water. Every single person in the van was holding onto something as they swayed from side to side and just as John B was about to get back into the road the Twinkie slid into the swamp.

Trinity rolled her eyes as they were stranded. "Nice." She huffed.

"I think we miscalculated," Pope says to John B.

"I knew I should have driven." JJ shakes his head as they were forced to get out and walk through the swamp.