𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 || 𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

THE HMS POGUE drifted into the shallow channel, the motor humming softly as the group craned their necks to see what John B had spotted. Avery Street sat at the bow, her legs crossed, tapping her fingers rhythmically against her knee. She wore her signature mix of casual and stunning: a white bikini top paired with black shorts, her golden tan glowing in the sun.

"Guys..." John B started, squinting at the water below. "Is this-"

"It's a boat!" Pope exclaimed, leaning over the edge to get a better look.

Avery tilted her head, her green eyes narrowing as she peered down. "Well, it's definitely not Atlantis, so... good guess, Pope."

Kiara, perched at the back of the boat, leaned forward. "Holy shit, he's right. Let's go."

"You think there's a dead body down there?" Pope asked, his voice dropping to a nervous pitch.

Avery arched an eyebrow and smirked. "I mean, it's not a good shipwreck without one."

As the boat slowed to a stop, Kiara let out a cheer. "Whoo!" she shouted, climbing to her feet.

"Get your ass in here!" JJ hollered from the bow, gesturing wildly at Avery for her to hurry.

Avery leaned back, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Aw, JJ, your enthusiasm is just so inspiring."

JJ turned to her, grinning. "That's my charm, Street. Can't resist it."

"Watch me," she shot back, though the smirk playing on her lips gave her away.

The group peered over the side of the boat, staring into the water below.

"You guys saw that?" John B asked, his tone sharp with excitement.

"Yeah," Pope said, nodding quickly. "Yeah, I did."

"What the..." John B trailed off, his jaw dropping.

JJ laughed, his eyes lighting up. "That's a Grady-White. A new one of those is like 500 Gs, easy."

Avery tilted her head, her expression unimpressed. "How do you even know that?"

JJ leaned closer, lowering his voice just for her. "I know a lot of things, Ave. You should let me teach you sometime."

Avery rolled her eyes, but her smile softened. "Thanks, Maybank, but I'm good on luxury boats and bad pickup lines."

John B interrupted, gesturing down at the wreck. "That's the boat I saw when I surfed the surge."

Kiara turned to him, incredulous. "You surfed the surge?"

John B grinned. "Yeah. That's my boy. Pogue style."

"What the heck?" Kiara muttered, shaking her head.

Pope squinted at the water. "Wait, wait. Do we know whose boat that is?"

"No," John B said, his voice dropping with anticipation, "but we're about to find out."

JJ crossed his arms. "Dude, it's too deep."

"For the weak and feeble, JJ," John B replied, pulling his shirt over his head and preparing to dive in.

JJ shrugged, raising his hands. "Hey, I'm just saying, I'm not resuscitating you. I'm making that clear up front."

Avery leaned back, smirking. "Such a team player, JJ."

John B chuckled and saluted them. "That's fine. Diver down."

The water rippled as John B disappeared below the surface. Pope paced nervously at the stern while Avery leaned casually against the side, pretending not to be as interested as she was.

"Should we go get him?" Pope asked, glancing between them.

Avery shook her head. "Relax, Pope. If he's dead, JJ said he wouldn't do mouth-to-mouth. That leaves you."

"Not funny," Pope muttered, making her laugh.

John B resurfaced moments later, coughing and gasping. "Oh my God," Kiara exclaimed. "That took forever!"

Avery quirked an eyebrow. "Was it worth the near-death experience?"

John B climbed back onto the boat, dripping wet and holding something small in his hand. "No dead bodies," he said, catching his breath. "But I found this."

Pope leaned in, squinting. "A key?"

John B nodded. "Yes, a key, Pope."

JJ rolled his eyes. "Great. We salvaged a motel key. High stakes."

Avery snatched the key from John B's hand, turning it over thoughtfully. "You boys clearly don't get it. Every murder mystery starts with something stupid, like a motel key."

JJ leaned closer, his smirk widening. "You saying you're the detective on this one, Street?"

Avery shot him a look, her lips twitching into a playful smile. "If I am, you're the first suspect, Maybank."

"Good," he said, grinning. "I love a girl who likes to interrogate."

Kiara cut in, her tone serious. "Guys, we should report the wreck to the coast guard."

Pope shrugged. "Maybe we'll get a finder's fee."

JJ leaned back, his hands behind his head. "Yeah, and not work all summer. Thanks, Agatha, ya batch."

authors note