P4L, carpe diem (JJ Maybank)

047

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We stood with Shoupe at the construction sight, standing exactly where Gavin was murdered.

"Look, it was right here, and this is where that fucking maniac claimed his next victim," I pointed, right at the floor with crosses arms.

"Watch your mouth, young lady," Shoupe answered, making me roll my eyes. "His next victim?" He questioned my statement.

"Yes. Exactly where," I explained.

"How long ago did you say it happened?"

JJ crouched down, touching the floor for any sign of blood, which was wiped clean. "45 minutes ago, Shoupe," he explained, standing up.

Shoupe wrote down the 'evidence' on his notepad.

"So, Ward Cameron just popped one off and shot him," Shoupe questioned us.

"Yes," Kie muttered, still out of breath.

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

"Yeah," Kie added, shakily.

"Obviously," Pope added.

"We filmed the entire thing," I said, standing in.

"You filmed it?"

"Yes, but we can't show it to you because I rushed Kie and Kie stepped on JJ's hand and then he kicked Pope, and then Pope dropped the camera and it," I blew a raspberry, "broke."

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

"So, the dog ate your homework?"

"Shoupe, I know it sounds like it came out of our asses, but—"

"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. Except for some—"

"It's not nothing!" Kie shouted, but he continued to yell over her.

"Except for some crazy stories about how Ward Cameron's going out on a random killing spree," he said.

"We're not making this up!!" JJ yelled.

"It's not a random killing spree!" I shouted.

"Gavin was his pilot! He was paying him hush money because he was on the tarmac that day," Pope said.

"Gavin was blackmailing Ward because he had the gun Rafe used to kill Peterkin!" I added.

"He called him here and tried to pay him off! But it wasn't enough, and then so he shot him," JJ explained, using his hands as he talked, nervously. "With the murder weapon!"

Shoupe looked at us, dumbfounded. "How do you know that?" He said, softly.

Kie pointed to Pope, quickly and nervouslt. "Pope did this thing with his phone. He, like, put it in his car and—"

"I heard their whole conversation. So did Dylan!"

I nodded, frantically.

"You wiretapped him?" Shoupe asked, and I knew that it was my time to shut up.

"Is that bad?" Kie asked, stupidly.

Yes, Kie. It's bad.

"Stop. Just stop. I've had enough." Shoupe began walking away and towards the stairs.

"Are you gonna look the other way again?" JJ shouted.

"You ever heard about the boy who cried wolf?" Shoupe asked.

"Why would we make this up? Why can't you just believe us for once?" I shouted, at the top of my lungs, following him downstairs.

"Waste of my goddamn time," Shoupe murmured.

"Why would we lie?" Kie asked.

"Shoupe, I know it sounds nuts. I know that!!" We ran downstairs with Shoupe, looking at all the cops that he had brought with him as well as their cars.

"Alright, there's nothing up there. False alarm. Let's all go home," he said to all the others.

"No, no, please don't go home!" Kie cried. "Why would we make this up?"

I stepped onto the pavement. "Can you just do your job for 20 minutes? Cause, that's more than you've ever done."

"Dylan... I know—"

"If you listen, it'll make sense—"

"I know you're upset, Dylan. And I know you think your brother was innocent-"

"Fuck that. i KNOW he was innocent," I answered, stubbornly.

"But you weren't there," Shoupe answered, holding his finger out. "The only witnesses who are above ground say the exact opposite. Alright? And both of them have a hell of a lot more credibility than any of you right now." He turned towards Kie.

"I saw your little art project on Ward's wall. Do not do that again!"

"Oh, come on!" Kie exclaimed.

"Alright?! Gonna make things a lot harder for the both of us." He opened his car door, getting in and driving away.

"At least... at least look for him!" I shouted, before turning around. "Someone died tonight!"

We all turned around, beginning to walk away.

"I told you this would happen!" JJ muttered, pointing towards the cops. "Like, you're the one that had to drop the camera!" He shouted at Pope, who didn't even answer.

"You're the one who kicked him in the face," I answered, not in the mood for fighting, but oh well, frick this.

"Oh, that was my fault?!" JJ shouted at me, turning towards me.

"Yeah, it was your fault!" I shouted back, turning towards him.

He pointed at Pope and Kie. "Why do you always take his side, Dylan? Why do you never take mine? I'm your boyfriend, y'know?!"

"I do take your side, JJ!" I yelled straight back at him, looking at him straight in the face.

"Oh, do you now?" He exclaimed, cocky, placing his body right beside mine. Him acting cocky just pissed me off even more.

"Yeah, I do. I'm sticking to the facts—" I said, beginning to take off his jacket off my body.

"Facts, my ass, Dylan! I always take your side, why can't you take mine?!"

"Now, that's unfair! Stop turning this against me!" I shouted, throwing his jacket at him. It left me cold again, but I didn't care.

"Get over yourself, for Pete's sake!"

I stepped back, surprised. "Get over myself?"

"Yeah. Get over it. Life is unfair, Dylan—"

"Hey!" Pope said, shutting us both up. "We're not out of this yet. We can still go get the gun," he explained, as we all looked down the drain. It had a label saying, "DRAINS TO OCEAN."