High Tide // JJ Maybank

Chapter 6

"Look, it was right here, and this is where that maniac claimed his next victim." Kiara tells Shoupe, pointing at the floor where Ward had Killed Gavin in the building construction site.

"His next victim?" Shoupe asks.

"Yeah, right there."

"Right. How long ago did you say it happened?"

"Like forty-five minutes ago, Shoupe." JJ speaks up.

"Okay. And so, Ward Cameron just popped one off and shot him."

"Yes." Kie confirms.

"Execution style? Then cleaned it all up in 45 minutes?"

"Yeah." Kie answers.

"Obviously." Pope states.

"We filmed the entire thing." Kiara says.

"You filmed it? Shoupe questions.

"Yes, but we can't show it to you because I stepped on JJ's hand, and then he kicked Kat, and she fell into Pope and then Pope dropped the camera 'cause it's a piece of shit, and it broke."

"This is a telephoto, and we needed to get a long-distance image, and... and.. I fell and it broke, so the video is basically unusable. B-but we were there, and we're wit—"

"So the dog ate your homework?" Shoupe mocks us.

"God, are you even listening? Do you not see that now you literally have a serial killer?"

"Look, I don't know what you kids expect me to do with this. You drag me out here in the middle of the night for a whole lot of nothing."

"No, it's not nothing!" Kie interrupts.

"Except for some crazy stories." Shoupe continues. "About how Ward Cameron's out on a random killing spree."

"We're not making this up!" JJ snaps, loudly.

"It's not a random killing spree." Pope adds. "Gavin was his pilot! Okay, he was paying him hush money because he was on the tarmac that day."

"Gavin was blackmailing Ward because he had the gun that Rafe used to kill Peterkin." Kie continues.

"And then he called him here and tried to pay him off, but it wasn't enough, and then so he shot him!" JJ adds. "With the murder weapon!"

"How do you know that?" Shoupe challenges.

"Pope did this thing with his phone. He like, put it in his car and—"

"I heard their whole conversation." Pope confirms.

"You wiretapped him?"

"Is that bad?" Kie asks.

"You weren't gonna do it." I speak up.

"Stop. Just stop!" Shoupe demands. "I've had enough."

"What are you talking about? Are you gonna look the other way again? JJ accused.

"You ever heard about the boy who cried wolf?"

"Why would we make this up?" Kie questions, following after the cop as he walks away.

"Why can't you believe us for once?" JJ fumes.

"Waste of my goddamn time."

"Shoupe, I know it sounds crazy. I know!"

"All right, there's nothing up there!" Shoupe calls out to the team of cops. "False alarm. Let's all go home."

"No, no, please don't go home. No, why would we make this up? Can you just do your job for like 20 minutes?" Kie whines as she follows Shoupe all the way to his car.

"Hey, I— I know you're upset. And I know you think your friend was innocent."

"He is!"

"But you weren't there. The only actual witnesses who were above ground say the exact opposite, all right? And both of them, have a hell of a lot more credibility than any of you right now?"

"Why?" I demand. "Because we're pogues? Because you can't get it through your thick skull that Ward Cameron is the reason my family is dead? That your partner was murdered on that tarmac? When are you gonna open your eyes and realize who the real bad guy is? Right now, it's really starting to look like it might be you."

"I saw your little art project on Ward's wall. Do not do that again." Shoupe says, ignoring me.

"Oh, come on!

"Alright? Gonna make things a lot harder for the both of us."

"Anyone ever told you you're a real shit cop?" I tell the man. I hear JJ let out snicker behind me.

"Go home." Shoupe tells us.

"At least look for him! Someone died tonight!" Kie cries out.

"Get on home to your parents now."

"I can't do that, Ward killed him too, remember?" I yell.

Shoupe drives off, leaving just the four of us at the scene.

"I told you this would happen." JJ speaks up. "Like you're the one that had to drop the camera."

"It was your fault!" Kie yells at the boy.

"Oh shut up, Kie. You stepped on his hand!" I defend JJ.

"Yeah because he was moving too slow!"

"Why are you always taking his side?" JJ demands. "Why do you never take mine?

"Same reason she always takes yours." Kie snaps back.

"Guys—"

"Shut up!" Kiara yells exasperated.

"Hey! Hey!" Pope gets all of our attention. "We're not out of this yet. We can still go get the gun." Pope looks into the drain the gun had fallen into.

"Oh, hell no. Not it! I already did the creepy tomb, and the crane house. You will not catch me crawling around the sewers to find a murder weapon."