John B laid the keys on the table before walking over to get something. "Here, look." John B said, setting a corkboard in front of Pope and Kie. "This is the original owner, right here." John B said as his friends walked over to the corkboard.
"Okay... Robert Q. Routledge, 1880 to 1920." Kie read off the paper next to the photo of a man in a military uniform from World War 1. "There's the lucky compass right there," Kie said, pointing at the compass in the man's hand.
"Actually, um... he was shot after he bought it." John B sighed, scratching the back of his neck.
The rooster out in the yard crowing broke the awkward silence as JJ, Kie, and Pope looked at John B. Very skeptical.
"Then, the compass was shipped back to Henry." John B said, moving to point from Robert Q. Routledge to his next ancestor's photo. "He was killed in a crop-dusting accident... when he had the compass. After he died, the compass was given to Stephen. Stephen had the compass with him when he died in Vietnam." John B continued to explain, moving down the family tree.
"Let me guess, he died in action, right?" JJ smiled a bit.
"Sort of..." John B sighed, looking at the corkboard. "Uh... Actually, he was killed by a banana truck. In country." He sighed when the three friends exchanged a look. "Anyways... after that, Stephen passed the compass down to him... my dad." John B continued, moving his finger to the photo of him and Big John.
"Hmm. Sounds like there's a reoccurring theme here." JJ said as John B sighed.
"Yeah, you have a death compass." Pope sighed, sounding annoyed.
"I do not." John B scoffed at his comment.
"You have a death compass..." Pope repeated.
"Get rid of it," JJ told John B. "It's cursed and made its way back to you."
John B moved to sit in the desk rolling chair when he moved to check the compass. "Look, my dad used to talk about this compartment in here," John B said when Kie moved to the side of John B as the others moved closer to him. "Soldiers used to hide secret notes." John B continued, turning the compass inside down and twisted the bottom off. He shook the compass to let the small bronze piece fall onto the floor.
"What's that?" Kie asked, seeing something on the bottom that John B twisted off.
"That wasn't there before... This is my dad's handwriting." John B smiled, hopeful, as he looked at his friends.
"How can you know that?" Pope asked with an annoyed scoff.
"Because he does these weird Rs with the... see it?" John B said, showing the bottom of the compass to Pope.
"Can I see it?" JJ asked, moving to the other side of John B.
"Red-- Rout-- No, I think that's an A," JJ said, trying to read off the carved word.
"It says Redfield." Kie scoffed at JJ.
"Right..." JJ sighed, moving since he struggled to see the words.
"Okay, well, what's Redfield?" Kie asked as John B moved to think about why it would be necessary for his dad.
"Besides the most common name in the county?" Pope said, obviously showing that this seemed stupid to him.
"Oh, maybe-- maybe it's a clue. Maybe it's a clue to where he's hiding." John B continued, looking around at his friends.
"Okay..." JJ nodded.
"A clue? Come on, that's--" Pope started to complain about John B's suggestion before seeing the death glare that Kie was giving him. Pope sighed, clearing his throat, when he changed his tune. "But if it is a clue, maybe it's an anagram?" He suggested when John B smiled.
YOU ARE READING
Family Business:
Fanfiction*Takes place during season 1 of OBX* Paul and Delilah Richards were some of the Kookiest Kooks. They were successful in life. Paul owed several condo rentals and a boat rental on the island. Delilah was born into a wealthy family in Charleston and m...
