Page 186 of Cross & Crown

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Nick kept glancing back to the steps, where JD now sat

beside Kelly, his head bent over the napkin. Kelly was still

leaning against the iron gate.

“What if it’s a grid?” JD called.

“Oh my God,” Kelly grunted. He covered the ear JD had

just shouted into. “Dude.”

“Sorry,” JD offered with a wince.

“A grid,” Nick repeated, drawing closer to them.

JD nodded and stood. “If you turn it on its point, with

the X forming a cross-like grid instead, then the symbols start to make a little bit of sense. Look.”

Nick stood at JD’s shoulder, eyes going from the napkin

to the graveyard. JD was right. One of the symbols that had

looked like a less-than symbol now appeared to represent

the obelisk monument of the Franklin family in the center

of the burial ground. Another, which Nick had assumed was

an infinity mark, appeared to represent a barrel-vaulted tomb

near the edge of the ground.

“Nice,” he said with a pat on JD’s back.

JD was grinning, looking pleased with himself. “It’s a legit

map. I mean, we have to take into account that I freehand

drew it from memory, so it might be iffy on exact locations.

But stil .”

“What are we looking for, then?” Kelly asked. He still

sounded miserable, but he was up and peeking over JD’s

shoulder.

“Is there an X on it?” Julian asked, his voice laced with

sarcasm. “An X would make this easy.”

“No. But there is a cross,” JD told him.

“It’s a cemetery,” Julian grunted. “There are crosses

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