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''I don't have a pecker, but it's still a no for me.''

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I ADJUSTED MY grip on the trash bag I was hauling, trying not to gag every time I stepped into something unidentifiable. The marsh around us buzzed with life—mosquitoes, frogs, and whatever else decided to make a home here. 

JJ, of course, was in his element, tossing trash bags left and right with zero regard for the "trash juice" splashing everywhere. Every time it splattered onto me, I gritted my teeth, debating whether to lob my own bag at his head. But Pope's focus on the drain kept me grounded—he was determined, scanning the area like a hawk, and I couldn't let myself get distracted.

''Well, that was fun,'' JJ muttered as he threw the last bag onto the pile.

''Oh, yeah, a blast,'' I retorted, shaking off my hands and glancing at Kiara, who looked just as miserable as I felt. She was elbow-deep in mud, her curls clinging to her damp face.

''If it's not in the trash, then it's gotta be in the storm drain,'' Pope announced.

JJ raised a finger. ''It's in... it's in the drain.''

''Of course it is,'' Kiara snapped, brushing a strand of hair from her face and huffing.

Without missing a beat, JJ swung his bag onto his shoulder. ''Good thing I brought the crow.'' He dug into his pack and held up a crowbar, grinning like it was a prize.

''Great,'' Kiara muttered, hands on her hips. ''So, are we gonna do, like, rock, paper, scissors for who goes in?''

''No,'' JJ replied firmly, not even glancing her way. He passed the crowbar to Pope, who nodded before they both started working on the drain.

''On three,'' Pope directed, and together, they pried it open with a groan of metal against metal.

As they worked, I hung back, eyeing the opening warily. My gut twisted just looking at it, the thought of crawling through that slimy pipe making my skin crawl. Kiara stood beside me, hands on her knees, trying to figure out how we'd decide. I wasn't about to volunteer. Not when this whole mess started with her bad judgment.

''In the sewer,'' JJ began, his tone as casual as if he were discussing lunch, ''there's this worm you get when you're down there. It gets into your blood, and then it has to come out your pecker.''

Pope blinked at him. ''Yeah, that's gonna be a no for me.''

''I don't have a pecker,'' I chimed in, crossing my arms. ''But it's still a no for me.''

''No, I get it,'' Kiara said, standing upright and brushing her muddy hands on her shorts. ''You guys are scared.''

JJ scoffed, straightening up. ''I'm not scared.''

''Speak for yourself,'' I muttered. ''I'll probably shit myself if you send me down there.''

''Well I'm speaking for myself and I'm not scared,'' JJ repeated, glancing between us. Pope backed him up, mumbling something about the "pecker thing."

Kiara rolled her eyes. ''You could've just led with that. You don't have to be scared. I'll do it.''

I raised a brow but didn't argue. If she wanted to take the risk, fine by me.

''Just, you know, be careful,'' Pope warned.

Kiara smirked. ''I'll be so careful,'' she promised, crouching near the opening.

''See you on the other side,'' JJ joked, his grin wide.

I swatted him on the back, earning a yelp. ''What was that for?!''

''Are you gonna say 'rest in peace' instead of 'goodnight' now?'' I quipped, shaking my head.

Pope snickered, and JJ held up his hands in surrender. ''Okay, good point.''

''Just holler if you need anything,'' JJ called out as Kiara began to crawl into the pipe.

She let out an exaggerated sigh but didn't reply, focusing on moving forward. The rest of us lingered by the drain.

As Kiara's foot steps echoed from inside, JJ cupped his hands around his mouth. ''Found anything yet?''

''Not yet!'' came her muffled response.

''It's probably at the bottom of the catch basin,'' JJ guessed, leaning against the edge of the pipe like this was no big deal.

I rolled my eyes. All we could do was wait, hoping she'd find something—or at least come out in one piece.

From where we stood at the edge of the drain, we could hear the faint splashes of her moving cautiously through the pipe. I shifted my weight, my boots sticking in the mud beneath me as I strained to catch any sound that might hint at what she was finding.

''People are so shitty,'' Kiara's voice echoed, laced with disgust.

I let out a small breath, rolling my eyes. ''You're just figuring that out now?''

Her voice drifted back to us, slightly muffled. ''Wait, wait, wait. Guys, I think I've got something down here!''

My heart leapt as she lifted something above the water, just enough for us to make out its shape in the dim light. Then, with a sharp scream, she dropped it. ''Oh my God! You guys, there's something dead in here!''

''What is it? Like, a person?'' JJ hollered back.

''There's something dead! I repeat, there is something dead in here with me!'' Kiara's shriek made my stomach turn.

JJ leaned closer to the edge, cupping his hands around his mouth. ''Don't touch it! That's how you get worms!''

I shot him a flat look. ''Yeah, that's not very helpful, JJ.''

He shrugged, clearly unfazed, while Pope edged closer to the drain, his brow furrowed. ''Did you find the gun? Is it Gavin? Don't touch it!''

''Kie, is it a gun?'' JJ chimed in, waving his arms as though she could see him. ''Do you see the gun? Do you see anything?''

''Just rubbish and this dead thing,'' Kiara groaned. ''You guys owe me!''

''For life!'' she called.

I felt a pang of guilt as she kept searching, her hands splashing through the sludge.

Finally, Kiara's voice broke through again, this time more certain. ''I've found it.''

For a moment, we all froze as she held up the weapon, water dripping off its barrel. Relief swept over me, but before I could even process the victory, the sound of rushing water reached my ears.

''Guys! Guys, the water!'' Kiara shouted, her voice shaking.

My chest tightened as I saw the waterline creeping higher, faster than I'd thought possible.

''Get out of there!'' Pope and I yelled at the same time.

''It's filling too fast! I don't have time!'' Kiara's scream sent a jolt through me.

''Guys!'' she called out again as JJ and Pope ran down the street.

I crouched by the edge of the drain, trying to keep my voice steady. ''Kiara, it's okay. They went to— I don't know, turn the water down or something!''

Her breathing grew erratic. ''I'm going to fucking die!''

''No, you're not!'' I snapped. ''You're fine! They'll be back. Just hold on.''

Her voice cracked, but she managed to choke out, ''In case I die, can you tell—''

She didn't finish, because JJ and Pope reappeared at that moment and reached for her. With a combined effort, they dragged her out of the manhole, water splashing everywhere as she gasped for breath.

''Oh, thank God,'' Kiara sighed, collapsing onto the muddy ground.

I knelt beside her, grabbing her arm to steady her. ''Are you okay?''

She let out a shaky laugh, brushing her hair back from her face. ''Never better,'' she quipped.

Then, with a triumphant grin, she reached into her waistband and pulled out the gun. ''This wasn't what we were looking for, right?''

A laugh burst out of me, and soon all of us were cracking up.

JJ yanked his bandana from his pocket and began wrapping it around the gun. ''We're gonna get this son of a bitch, man,'' he declared.

Pope clapped Kiara on the shoulder, his grin wide. ''You did it. You really did it.''

JJ nodded enthusiastically. ''Come on. Let's get this to Shoupe.''

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

THE KILDARE COUNTRY Sheriff's Station smelled faintly of stale coffee and old paper, a scent I'd grown all too familiar with over the years. As we pushed open the door to Shoupe's cramped office, JJ made a point to slam it shut behind us, rattling the glass window and earning a sharp look from Pope.

Shoupe barely glanced up from the stack of papers on his desk, his moustache twitching in annoyance until JJ unceremoniously dropped the gun onto the desk with a heavy clunk. The sheriff froze, his eyes darting between the weapon and us like he wasn't sure whether to take us seriously or call for backup.

"So y'all telling me this is the firearm Rafe Cameron killed Peterkin with?" he finally asked.

"That's exactly what we're telling you, Shoupe," JJ responded.

Pope crossed his arms and leaned forward slightly. "And the exact same firearm that Ward just used to kill Gavin."

I could see Shoupe's hesitation. He leaned back in his chair, the old leather creaking under his weight. "And where's that corpse again?"

Kiara stepped forwar. "Didn't you look?"

"I checked the hospital. I went by his house. He was out."

I couldn't hold back anymore. "Yeah, maybe because he's fucking dead?" I shot back, my voice sharp enough to make Shoupe's eyes narrow.

"Language," he barked, pointing a finger at me like I was a naughty kid caught swearing at school.

JJ snorted. "Listen to yourself," he said, his voice rising with each word. "It makes perfect sense."

Shoupe pressed his palms flat on the desk. "Just because he's not in his damn home does not mean he was a victim of a homicide."

Kiara threw her hands up in exasperation. "Are you at least gonna send it in for ballistics and shit, or are you just gonna sit on your ass?"

JJ ripped his hat off and slapped it against his thigh. "Oh, he'll sit there and wax that damned moustache. Is that even real?"

That was enough to push Shoupe out of his chair, his shoulders stiff as he moved around the desk. "Hey, I'll wax this—"

"Shut up, JJ!" Pope cut in sharply.

JJ wasn't done. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt his feelings?"

"Shut up!" Pope repeated.

"Why should I?" JJ snapped, turning back to Shoupe. "We give him a name, he doesn't listen. We give him a crime scene, he doesn't listen. We bring him a fucking murder weapon, and he still doesn't fucking listen!"

Shoupe had had enough. He marched to the door, flinging it open and gesturing for us to leave. "Get out. I got work to do. Y'all are smelling up my office."

"Kiara almost drowned getting evidence, and that's how you treat us?" I asked.

Shoupe didn't even flinch.

Kiara wasn't done either. "Did Ward bribe you? This doesn't make any sense," she challenged before grabbing my hand and dragging me toward the door. JJ trailed behind us, muttering under his breath.

Once we were outside, Kiara kicked at the gravel. "Surprise, surprise, he didn't give two shits," she grumbled.

Pope adjusted his backpack and exhaled deeply. "We're just going to have to do it on our own, like we always do," he declared.

Kiara groaned, glancing down at her filthy clothes. "My parents are going to kill me if I come home looking and smelling like this."

I offered without hesitation, "My dad's never home, as you all know. You can use my shower."

She nodded gratefully. "Sure. We'll see you guys tomorrow at school."

With that, Kiara and I headed for my house, leaving Pope and JJ to their own devices.

When we walked into my house, it was silent, as usual. The faint hum of the fridge was the only sound as Kiara looked around, her eyes falling on the family portrait hanging by the stairs.

"Wow, you look so much like her," she murmured, her gaze softening as she studied the photo.

I paused, glancing at the picture briefly before turning away. "Yeah..."

Kiara hesitated, then asked gently, "Do you know... what really happened to her? I mean, if it's okay to ask?"

I shrugged, keeping my voice even. "Yeah, I mean, I don't really remember her, so it's not a painfully fresh topic for me. She was killed looking for gold. She, my dad, and John B's dad. Only my dad didn't disappear, and it's only because he simply stopped looking for it."

Kiara's face paled as she processed my words. "Mavis... I'm so sorry."

I offered a small smile and shook my head. "It's okay. Really." I motioned toward the bathroom. "Come on, I'll show you how the shower works."

After showing her the ancient knobs and the trick to getting the water temperature just right, I ducked back into my room to grab her some spare clothes. The house felt emptier than usual as I stood there, holding a folded t-shirt and some sweatpants.

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