Part 15

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"This is your room

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"This is your room."It's not too shabby huh?" I tell him
"Yeah. Not too shabby at all" John B says
"And my room is just upstairs in case you were wondering" I laugh
John b throws himself on the bed and groans
"Are you okay?" I ask him
"Yeah. No I'm good. I'm good. I got it." John B says sitting up
"I have to warn you..." I start to say
"Uh-oh." John b says
"I sleepwalk. So if I show up in the middle of the night..." I say
"You just want me to roll with it?" He laughs
"Yeah maybe." I smile leaning in kissing him.
"Stella Lee Cameron!" I turn around to see my dad.
"You've already broken the first rule. What is the first rule? Stay out of each other's rooms. All right seriously. Picture that as a boundary. This is like a minefield. Yes sir?" He asks
"Yes sir." I say
"Yes sir, John B?" Dad asks
"Uh yes sir. Yeah" John B says
"All right. Stella, can you give me and the new inmate a quick minute here?" He asks
"Be nice." I tell him walking out
"I'll be nice" Ward says

John b and I make are way to the wreck to meet up with the rest of the crew
"What did you and my dad talk about?" I ask him
"He wanted to know about the plat map." He tells me
"What about it?" I ask
"He wanted to know if I was looking for the gold like my father" John B says
"And what did you tell him?" I ask
"That I was a history buff." John b says
"And he bought it?" I ask
"I think so." He nods

"I'm sorry. You're staying where?" Kie asks
"Tannyhill" John B says
"So you're living in the same house as Sarah " Kie says making me hold back a eye roll
"Okay look the only reason I'm living there is because her dad bailed me out alright? And it's way better than foster care which by the way is where I was about to go if Ward didn't..." John B starts to say
"Hey so do you have a membership to the clubs now?" Pope asks
"I don't know Pope." John b shrugs
"What about those golf carts they drive around?
You get one of them?" JJ asks
"Does it come with a sweater-vest or do you have to buy one on your own?" Pope asks
"I don't even know the answer to those questions" I laugh
"A little focus would be fantastic. We've got the map right?" John b says
"It's out of whack 'cause the guy was ganja'd when he drew it" JJ says
"It's 'cause the coast has changed. He made this a long time ago JJ" I explain to him
"So we just have to look for landmarks that haven't changed" Pope says
"What about the old forts?" John B suggests
"Battery Jasper." Kie says

"We're in Battery right here. So if this is parcel nine then it's somewhere northeast of here." Pope says
"Somewhere there." Kie says pointing
"Right" Pope agrees with her
"Over there? Guy's that's not Tannyhill that's a subdivision." JJ says
"Tannyhill Plantation was the entire island. It got sold into smaller pieces over time" John B explains
"So we're just looking for an old stone wall"
Pope says
"Okay so the road should split up here." Pope says
"Okay." John b nods
"All right. You're gonna take a left" Pope says
"That looks like a stone wall to me" JJ says
"This is it" Pope tells us

"Not the Crain house" John B says
"You've gotta be joking me" I say
"Worst-case scenario" JJ says
"Why'd it have to be here... of all places?" Pope asks
"I heard that Mrs. Crain buried her husband's head on the property" JJ tells us.
"Look you guys know whose house this is right?" kie asks
"Oh yeah. No I do" JJ says
"Honestly I don't really believe the stories of this place" John B tells us
"Shh" Pope shushes him
"What?" John B asks
"Which stories did you hear?" JJ asks
"I heard one where she killed her husband with an axe and that she's been holed up ever since.
And when the light is just right...You can see her in the window!" I say the last part wiggling my fingers in JJ's face
"No Ella, it's not funny 'cause it's all true. I swear to God guys this is all real. I knew Hollis." JJ says
"Jeez!" He yelps as a statue was in front of him
"Wait you knew Hollis Crain?" Pope asks him
"Yeah dude" JJ says
"Dude how do you know Hollis Crain?" Pope asks
"She was my babysitter man. She told me all about it. Told me the truth... about her mother and what happened in this house. So as a kid she heard all the stories that her mother killed her father and... she was a murderer and all. Hollis didn't believe it. Until that night" JJ tells us
"What night?" John B asks him
"It all came back to her. When Hollis was six years old, she heard her parents arguing downstairs. So she goes downstairs to see her mom washing her hands in a sink... full of blood.
Her mother just says that she cut her finger. The next morning, she says her father and her split up. But then, Hollis noticed something. Her mother going into the parlor constantly, in and out and in and out with plastic bags. Weeks pass and Hollis decides to use the outhouse.
And as she's using it, she looks down, and there, in the outhouse, is her father's head, looking straight back at her" JJ tells us.
"God you are so full of shit" John B says
"Dude I swear to God man" JJ tells him
"Did she call the police?" Pope asks
"She didn't have time" JJ tells him
"We can't do this..." Pope says
"Wait bro!" JJ stop John b from walking in front
"What?" John B asks
"You sure you wanna do this? She's an axe murderer. You got a cast on" JJ tells him
"I don't give a shit if she's an axe murderer okay? I got nothin' to lose right? You comin' or what?" John B asks us
"Come on guys" I say following John b
"Hey come on. Come here. So here's the plan. We need to look for the wheat near the water like it said in Denmark's letter." John b tells us
"Okay like what kind of water? Like pond water?" Pope asks him
"Bong water?" JJ laughs
"No. It... it just said look for water okay?" John B says
"That's the shittiest secret message ever" Kie says
"You wanna complain a little more Kie? Nobody said it was gonna be easy" John B says
"Ok what is wrong?" I ask kie
"Nothing" she says
"Ok then" I mumble walking off looking for water
"See any water?" Kie asks
"Another dead end?" She asks
"There's not even water on the pipes" JJ says .
"There's no water here" Pope tells us
"Not a dropamino" JJ adds
"Know why we didn't find it? Bad karma" Kie says
"Oh God. Here we go." John b groans
"You know we had a good thing going. And then you move in with the cartons and the trial goes dry. Coincidence? Probably not" Kie says
"Standing right here" I tell kie
"Not you Stel, Sarah! Sarah lives in your house!" Kie tells me
"What the hell does Sarah have to do with any of this?" I ask her
"You don't understand! He moves into the same house as her and now the trail is done" she says
"Sarah has nothing to do with this. You just have to blame it on her don't you?" I ask and get a slap to the cheek
"I'm just trying to help the crew actually get some where" she tells me
"Did you just- just hit me?" I ask getting mad
"Skeeter." Kie says holding up her hand
"Skeeter?" I ask
"Yeah you see it?" Kie says
"Yeah." I say slapping kie's cheek
"Where's your proof?" She asks and I lift my hand to show her
"Skeeter." I say
"Yeah? There was probably one right there" Kie says hitting me again
"There's one right there." I say hitting her
"Really? You saw that?" Kie asks
"On your forehead." Kie says
"You're dead. That's it. Today's the day that you die. Today's your funeral" I tell kie
As we go back and forth till we are cut off by JJ
"Hey sh! Keep it down" JJ says
"Why are there so many mosquitoes in a basement?" Pope asks
"Dude. I know seriously. Tiny vampire bats just leave me alone" JJ says
Kie and I stare at each other then break out in laughter
"Even?" I ask
"Even" she laugh grabbing my hand
"How can you just make up that fast after slapping each other" pope asks
"Girlhood" I answer
"I just found Mrs. Crain's voodoo doll guys." JJ tells us
"All right can we leave this? 'Cause this is getting..." JJ says trailing off.
"Hey guys." Pope says banging something
"Sh!" Kie says
"Hey. Help me move this. Help me move this"
Pope tells us
"Okay just... quiet" John B says as we move things off of the floor
"Guys! Guys!" Kie warns us because we were being loud
"Guys. I know. Yeah. Yeah. Sh sh" Pope says them drops a rock down the hole and we hear a splash of water when it hits the bottom
"Well well well" Pope smirks
"That was a good dad joke" John B tells him
"They built the house right over it" I tell them
"This is where she hid the bodies" JJ tells us
"Oh dude come on." Pope says hitting his arm
"Stop" Kie tells him
"No im dead serious" JJ says
"Stop it!" Kie tells him again
"It was never an outhouse" JJ keeps talking
"She probably doesn't even know it's down here" I tell him
"So... we found water" Pope says
"We're gonna need a really big rope" John B tells us

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