𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬| 𝑅𝑎𝑓𝑒 𝐶𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑛

four

The sun shone down on Banksie's face, feeling hot against her skin. She rolled over in her bed, tugging the blanket right up to her face. She grabbed her phone next to her, to look at the time, nine in the morning.

She mentally slapped herself and put her phone under her pillow before shutting her eyes again, resting her hand underneath her face.

As she began to get comfortable again, she heard distance voices, and on top of that, snoring in her room.

She snapped her eyes open and shot up, looking around her room, until her eyes landed on a curled up JJ Maybank on a love seat in the corner of her room. She instantly calmed down and put a hand to her face, rubbing her eyes and deciding to get up.

She must've told JJ he could crash at hers and probably insisted on it too. He didn't want to go home, and John B didn't want him at his house. At this point, her house was like a Pogue bank.

She reached for the clawclip on her bedside table, twisting her hair and clipping it, grabbing a hoodie that was hanging up on the back of her door, throwing it on quickly before walking downstairs to the sound of the voices in the kitchen.

"Ah, there she is," Elizabeth's strong English accent called out as Banksie walked through the doorway.

Banksie was met with the face of Sheriff Peterkin, holding a mug in her hand.

"Hello, Loey," Peterkin smiled.

Banksie cringed at her name, warily taking a step into the kitchen. "What's happening?" She asked.

Elizabeth Pérez got up and walked over to the fridge.

"John B has been telling me how good of friends you are," she said, tilting her head and putting her hand on her hip.

Banksie frowned. "Right.." she trailed off. She felt a lie brewing.

"And he tells me that he's been staying with you these past few days," she said, more as a question.

And there it was. John B had lied to Peterkin about where he was staying.

Banksie wasn't great at keeping secrets... or lies, She hated secrets, but she was one hell of a good liar.

From directly behind Peterkin, Elizabeth was crossing out 3 days on the calendar. She couldn't make out what days, but she knew it was this week.

"Uh, yeah," she smiled. "He stayed here for about.. 3 days?" She said with a questionable tone, so it sounded more believable.

Elizabeth smiled, put the pen down, and opened the fridge to make sure Peterkin couldn't see the calendar.

Peterkin scoffed as if she couldn't believe John B was actually telling the truth. "Alright," she nodded. "We're you in the marsh with them?" She asked. Not bothering to say anyone else's name.

"Uh, no," she shook her head. "I know they went out fishing or something," she shrugged.

"Did they happen to come across a wreck?" Peterkin asked.

"As in.. boat?" She asked.

Peterkin nodded.

"Not that I know of, I was at the Cameron's yesterday," she said, shrugging.

"I see," she nodded. "And Mr Pérez isn't here?" She asked.

"No," Elizabeth said. "He's away, on work," she smiled.

Daniel Pérez was a Marine Biologist and owned multiple aquariums around the world. He was going out multiple times a year, just to dive or get a new type of fish in his aquariums. He was a very hands-on type of man. He hated asking people to do his work.