underwater || outer banks- jj maybank

thirty-two - office

thirty-two - office

The boy Layla had met at the gas station turned out to be a tourist, as expected. His overall persona just didn't scream "local."

Layla had arrived back at her home around 3 in the morning; she had driven up the island before realizing she should head home.

She was awoken at 7:30 by a phone call; it was Kie.

"You do know what time it is, yeah?" Layla questioned over the phone.

Kie took a deep breath. "Look, it's a really long story."

"Are you in some sort of trouble?" Layla questioned over the line, sitting up in her bed. A lot of her exhaustion was suddenly gone.

Kie shook her head, even though Layla couldn't see. "No, look, you remember the whole motel thing with Scooter Grubbs, right?"

"It was Scooter's motel room?" Layla questioned, genuinely confused on what Kie was talking about.

Kie inhaled. "Well, since you've been avoiding everyone with the whole JJ thing, you're a bit behind. Start getting dressed while I explain this."

Layla trusted Kie, climbing out of bed and heading towards the bathroom. She put Kiara on speaker, going about her morning routine. She began by starting to brush her teeth as Kie spoke.

"So, the room belonged to Scooter. When we went back to marsh, we got followed by some guys and then shot at."

"Hm?" Layla questioned, her mouth full of toothpaste.

"Right. So, John B is convinced this is about the Royal Merchant and gold because of something he saw in the hotel room. So, now he found a compass that says 'Redfield' on it. We got shot at over a goddamn compass," Kie reflected in frustration. "Anyway, John B thinks it's some kind of code because the compass belonged to Big John. Now he thinks his dad is somehow alive. Anyway, we're going into Big John's office and you should be there."

Layla had finished brushing her teeth and was now in her closet, choosing an appropriate outfit for the day. "That's a lot right now. I'm operating on like, three hours of sleep."

"We'll stop and grab coffee. I'll be there in five minutes," Kie explained, taking a deep breath. "I really don't think there's any gold. But the last thing John B needed was some hope his father was alive."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Nice of you to show back up," JJ remarked, Layla walking into the house in front of Kie.

Pope sighed. "Kie caught you up to speed?"

Layla nodded. "So why are we just checking the office now?"

John B shrugged. "I think he's coming back. I didn't want to touch his stuff if he was coming back." He sat in the living space.

"What do you think is in there?" Layla questioned, confused what they were expecting to come out of the room.

John B held the compass in his hand, glancing at it while he spoke. "Some clue as to what 'Redfield' means."

"It's a common last name," Pope explained, simply glancing between everyone.

"What if it stands for something?" JJ questioned.

"Like an anagram?" Kiara asked.

Layla shrugged. "What are we waiting for? Let's go snoop."