The Case of the Phantom Diver Ch. 07

"Where do you think you're going?" Pamela Farris challenged, spotting her eldest son slinking toward the staircase.

"Up to my room," Phinn replied.

"Oh, no. You turn right around and march over to that couch," Pamela commanded, pointing toward the living room. "You are not allowed to take a nap yet."

"Oh, come on!" the teenager whined. "I'm not going to take a nap. I just wanna go upstairs."

"You've suffered a mild concussion and need to be monitored. Falling asleep can be dangerous," the worried mother stated.

"That's nothing but an old wives's tale, Mom. Getting sleep is considered vital for repairing your brain," Phinn argued before realizing he screwed up once his mother's expression changed. "Not that my brain is damaged! The doctor said it was only a mild concussion, and I feel fine. There isn't a reason to get paranoid."

"I get paranoid every time you leave the house except for school. How in the world do you get attacked at a library? I knew it; you're mixed up in something again. It better not be this pirate treasure hysteria," Pam warned, gesturing to the TV. There wasn't anything currently on the screen about Thornbeard, but Phinn knew what his mom meant.

The six o'clock news had reported on the scuffle that broke out at the marina. Apparently, a person claimed to have a map and attempted to sell copies. However, once someone handed over the cash only to realize it looked fake, they demanded their money back. The seller tried to run as a few others who'd paid for a copy also realized what had happened.

"I bet this whole pirate treasure story is fake, Mom," Phinn responded, hoping to squash her fears. "You know, a hoax to gin up tourism. I wouldn't put it past Mayor Broome. He's desperate to bump up his approval ratings."

"That's not a no, Mom!" a younger voice called from the living room.

"Your brother is right, Phinny. Were you down at the marina today?"

"I can honestly say that I was never at the marina anytime this summer," Phinn said truthfully. "And I wasn't even at a random library. I was in the archives of Dad's workplace. Shouldn't I be safe there?"

"You're safe nowhere because nobody likes you," Putnam cackled.

"Shut it, Pugsley!"

"Don't say that, Putnam, and don't call him that, Phineas," Pamela admonished, wondering how her two boys turned out this way when her husband was the calmest and least adventurous person she knew. "And tell me again why you were at Bentworth."

"I told you. I'm working on a school paper," Phinn lied.

A bark of laughter sounded from Putnam's favorite armchair. Although, he never looked up from his tablet.

"I am!"

"Phinny, it's the summer. Why would you work on a school paper? It's not like you," Pamela said, pausing as another idea formed. "You didn't get in trouble last semester, did you?"

"No. Miss Pendelton knows I'm interested in Edgewater's criminal history, and she wants me to submit a special article for the school newspaper," Phinn said, selling his lie hard. "And she thought I could help the girls on the paper."

"Girls? Which girls?" Pamela inquired, perking up at the possibilities which popped into her head.

"Um, Erin Donnelly might end up in charge if--"

"Erin's a cute girl. Good head on those shoulders as well," Pamela praised, already wondering how she could play cupid.

"And Bex Fairfax is also on the--"

"You stay away from Becca. That's a girl who doesn't follow the rules. Now, I don't want you to get any ideas about her," the matchmaking mother directed.

"It's just an article, Mom. It's not like I'm joining the newspaper," Phinn added, holding in a grin over distracting his mother.

"Hmm, we'll see. I might have to ask Sara Pendleton about this. What's your article about?" the suspicious but hopeful mother asked.

"Silas Mosley," Phinn answered without hesitation. He wasn't concerned about his English teacher backing him up. She owed Phinn and Jake for helping out with a shady boyfriend last year. "He's the Prohibition Era criminal from Edgewater."

BRRRING-BRRRING

Pam jumped slightly as the house phone rang. With two unpredictable boys, she refused to cancel the landline like many of her friends. If she did, Phineas and Putnam might use its absence to their advantage. It only took her a few quick steps to reach the phone near the entrance to the kitchen.

"Hello? Oh!" Pam's expression turned to delight when she heard the voice on the other end. "Why yes, Phineas is home. Who, may I ask, is calling? Oh, yes, hello."

Phinn watched as his mom's excitement deflated while she turned to look at him. She held out the phone.

"It's for you," Pam said needlessly, her voice filled with disappointment.

"Hello?"

"Phinn? I'm sorry for calling your house, but I didn't know your cell number," Zelda Imhoff apologized. "I hope I'm not interrupting dinner or anything. Your mother sounded, um, odd."

"No, no, this is a good time, Ms. Imhoff," Phinn replied, not using her last name. He wasn't sure how his mom might react to calling the flirtatious librarian by her first name. Actually, he wondered if she'd be thrilled since it was clear to him that her initial delight came from thinking a girl called her son. "How can I help you?"

"We've had a bit of excitement down at the Dillingday after you left," Zelda announced, causing Phinn to turn his back to his mom. "Somebody broke into the special collection room not long before closing. We noticed while checking everything before locking up for the night."

"Really? What did you find?" Phinn asked, choosing his words carefully for his prying mother's ears.

"Funny that you put it that way. I suspect I did find what the person wanted," Zelda teased. "I was planning on contacting you anyway. After you left, I called Gertie. She mentioned somebody spending a couple of days in the special collection room a few months back. Apparently, this happened while I took my vacation down in the Caribbean. This man was particularly interested in local history during the Colonial Era, Civil War, and Gilded Age. Gertie claimed the man was messy, forcing her to go through the cabinets and boxes to fix what he put back wrong, even though she told him not to put any items back by himself. After hearing that, I decided to check our Civil War collection."

"And you found something?" the junior detective asked, fighting to keep his eagerness out of his voice.

"I did! It's the ship manifest, bill of lading, and a note by the purser from the Fleetwing," Zelda revealed.

Phinn struggled not to ask about the familiar-sounding ship, with his mom lingering nearby to eavesdrop. Instead, he made a sound to let the ginger-haired librarian continue.

"There are several interesting items on the list, including diving gear. Unfortunately, part of the document has been torn off. You might want to get to the library first thing in the morning. I've hidden it elsewhere in the library for now."

"That's great and bad," Phinn responded. "We'll come down tomorrow bright and early."

"No. No, you won't," Pamela declared. "You're staying at home tomorrow. You won't be going anywhere until I know for sure that you don't have lingering effects from your concussion."

"But, Mom--"

"I said no!"

"Wait, did your mother say a concussion?" Zelda asked after overhearing her.

"Uh, yeah, something happened today. If you could give me your number, I'll let you know when I can stop by, Ms. Imhoff. "

"I scanned all three, so I can always send it over if you can't come down here," Zelda offered, rattling off her phone number.

"That sounds great. I'll let you know. Thanks for all your help," Phinn said, hurrying to hang up after he scribbled down the librarian's contact information. Before he could argue, Pamela pounced with a question.

"Why is Zelda Imhoff calling you? She better not be encouraging your meddling again."

"Mom, you have to stop with the suspicious paranoia. Ms. Imhoff is helping with my article on Silas Mosley. She found some additional material in the library. I need to go and grab them--"

"No, you aren't going anywhere."

"Well, can I at least go next door? Maybe Jake can pick up the material for me tomorrow," Phinn suggested, wanting an excuse to call Zelda back in private.

"Very well. I'll allow it, but don't stay over there long."

Phinn started walking out the back door without waiting for his mother to finish. By the time the door shut behind him, he'd already sent the librarian a text with his email address. A few minutes later, he and Jake huddled in the Magnum family den while they waited for Zelda to send over a copy of the documents.

"Why does the Fleetwing sound familiar?" the stocky detective asked.

"It was Jason Tarr's ship. He's the one who is our best possible suspect for the search expedition in the 1880s," Phinn reminded, reaching down to pet Bandit, the Magnums' bulldog.

"Right. And Zelda just found it in the wrong drawer?"

Phinn relayed what the librarian had told him and explained why he couldn't ask follow-up questions with his mom in the room. Additionally, he added that he might not be able to leave the house tomorrow.

A buzzing nearly sent Jake to the roof. With dread, he checked his phone's screen before sighing with relief. Quickly, he dashed a message off.

"Who's that?"

"Andre. A few of us are hitting up Smashburgers in about twenty minutes," Jake responded. "We're going to watch the game and grab something to eat."

"And that has you jumpy?"

"It's not them."

"Trina?" Phinn inquired.

"No. She's still not answering," Jake reported before revealing his real issue. "Johanna's been driving me nuts. She must have gotten my number when I sent the pictures to myself from her phone. The girl is pissed we ducked out of the historical society before granting the exclusive interview she wanted."

"Ah, I see."

"No, you don't. Johanna's getting worried because our names are now out there," Jake divulged. "I don't know who spread the rumor. Johanna nearly tore off my head when I asked if she did. Talk about touchy."

"What rumor?" the bespectacled teen questioned, having a bad feeling.

"You're not going to like it," Jake warned, disclosing what's on local social media. "Not only are Jake and Phinn hot on the trail of Thornbeard's treasure, but we're already close to finding it."

"Goddammit!" the more studious amateur sleuth swore, slamming his hand on the desk. Startled, Bandit started to bark. "Sorry, buddy. Nope, it's not playtime yet."

"People are already talking about following us to the treasure to get their cut," Jake added.

"That's what worried me. Shit, this is the worst. We don't need a repeat of The Crooked Councilman," Phinn recalled their past case.

"At least we're not fifteen this time and can't drive. Well, you still can't drive, but I can. So we got that going for us," Jake pointed out.

"Just when I think this case is worthless, I get jumped in a fricking archive of all places. You're taking the next punch, got it?" the less durable detective declared. "I just better hope none of my mom's friends see this and tell her. I already had to claim I'm working on an article for Miss Pendleton."

"Two weeks after the school year ended? And she believed you?" Jake challenged.

"Not entirely. I had to entice her with the names of a few of the paper's female reporters. You should've seen the gears turning in her brain," Phinn recounted, chuckling despite his anger about the latest development.

"Okay, Zelda sent it," Jake announced, seeing the new message pop up on the laptop. "What does any of that mean?"

"Hold on. Let me look," Phinn replied. Immediately, he realized what Zelda meant by a torn portion of the paper. All three had identical missing sections in the upper corner. "Damn, the dates are missing on the manifest."

"What does that mean?"

"Actually, all three are missing the dates," Phinn said, sighing. "That means we can't be sure when this is from and where the Fleetwing was headed for how long. Well, this isn't the Rosetta Stone we needed."

"Huh?"

"It's not our smoking gun," the brainy investigator clarified. "Still, Zelda was right. Enough items are listed here to indicate an underwater search of some type. I'd imagine that wasn't very common during this period. Divers couldn't go too far down without suffering from a serious case of the bends."

"How does this help us?" Jake wondered.

"By providing us with another reason to look into the Tarr family, specifically Jason Tarr," Phinn determined. "Unfortunately, the Tarrs don't easily give access to their family papers. It's bound to be more difficult with the treasure hunt hype starting."

"Wait a second," Jake indicated, holding up a finger. His feet swiftly carried him out of the den until he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Yo, Libby! Do you know any Tarrs? The old family in town!"

It took almost thirty seconds of banging and swearing about getting interrupted before the return shout came.

"Regina Tarr?"

"Um, yeah!" Jake yelled, shrugging his shoulders at the name. "Is she your age?"

"That rich bitch from South High is two years older than me!" Liberty Magnum yelled, walking down the hallway until she could peer over the railing. "Why? Did she say something about me?"

"Uh, no. It's for our case. Are you friends with her?"

"What didn't you understand from ten seconds ago? Gawd!" Libby screamed, throwing her arms up in frustration before disappearing.

Jake returned to the den. He began to repeat what his older sister said until Phinn stopped him.

"I heard. Hmm, at least we have a name to start with. And if this Regina is two years older than Libby, we might know people who know her."

"You mean I might know someone," Jake corrected.

"I know some people I'm willing to talk to," Phinn stated. Then, he shifted subjects. "Is Libby going out?"

"When doesn't she go out? Seriously, she's taking this catching up with friends while home thing to a whole 'nother level. I think she has a fake ID. Why?" Jake asked.

"Just wondering about Bandit. I noticed your mom and dad aren't home."

"Dad should be home soon, I think. Fridays are one of their busiest nights, but he knows Mom has a trial next week. So she's hunkered down at the law firm and probably won't get home until late. Whatcha thinking?"

"How would somebody like to go for a walk once the sun goes down? Would you like that, buddy?" Phinn asked, talking to the bulldog, whose body started to wag excitedly. Next, he looked up to his friend to explain. "It gets me out of the house for a little while."

"I figured so. But you better wait until it gets darker and cools off a little," Jake said, checking the time. "I gotta go."

"I won't take him far. Just behind us to the park and maybe down a block or two," Phinn said, telling the dog he'd be back later.

********************************************************************************************************

Located on the west side of Edgewater's Uptown neighborhood, Smashburgers was a popular sports-themed restaurant. Its walls featured numerous big-screen televisions, and each table had a small monitor that flashed score updates, news, and trivia. The latter subject also featured prominently on Tuesday Trivia, a night when teams competed with one another on topics ranging from sports to entertainment to pop culture.

It was also a popular hangout for those under twenty-one. With the NBA Finals possibly ending tonight, Smashburgers was crowded. Fortunately, Smashburgers was located across the street from Magnum's, Jake's dad's sports bar, so Jake was well-known at the restaurant. Also, Marvin Magnum held a small ownership stake in the restaurant. Those connections meant that Jake's group had a table already reserved.

Unfortunately, the two cars full of teens didn't have reserved parking. Having to park three blocks away quickly became the main topic of conversation as they walked down the busy sidewalk.

"Couldn't we use your dad's spot? My feet aren't used to all this walking," Wallace Weaver complained. The lone non-football player in the group, the class clown often joked about his lack of physicality.

"We could've if he had gone home. I guess he's staying longer because of the big game," Jake said, referring to the message he'd sent while searching for parking. "It's a good thing Phinn is going to check on Bandit."

"Uh-oh, there's a wait for a table," Daniel Youngberry noticed. Last year's backup quarterback, Danny seemed the most nervous about practice starting in six weeks. With a strong team across the board, an inexperienced QB might be the North High Puffers' weakest link.

"Don't worry, kid. We got royalty with us," Andre Savard announced, stepping aside to usher Jake through the door.

"Welcome to Smashburgers. How may I help--Oh! Right this way, Mr. Magnum," the sexy hostess greeted.

It was apparent to everyone in the group that Farrah Styles heard Andre's comment and decided to keep up the act. With a dip, she half-curtsied to the co-owner's son. A dark-skinned classmate of theirs, every single guy checked out the slinky teen's tight curves. A former cheerleader, Farrah had been kicked off the squad last year for unbecoming behavior. Basically, she'd been caught rewarding last year's starting quarterback in the locker room after a big playoff win.

"Looking good, Styles," Luke Ridley complimented.

The waitresses at Smashburgers wore powder blue and white 1950s retro-inspired uniforms. Updated slightly for modern tastes, the women often left several extra buttons undone or raised the skirt's hemline to earn more tips.

"How's tips?" Kody O'Keefe asked. The team's kicking specialist was always worried about money. It didn't help that Coach Turnbull forbade his players from having part-time jobs--something Kody and Jake often ran afoul of in their own ways.

"Not bad," Farrah admitted, escorting the seven guys to an eight-person table before handing over menus. "Enjoy, boys."

"Damn, I wouldn't mind enjoying her," Heath Thune commented, his eyes following the hostess' tight ass as it faded from sight.

The sleazy comment led to several wadded-up napkins hitting the team's center in the face.

"Watch it, Thune, or you're going to turn into Grogan," Wally warned. He didn't particularly care for Jake's fellow linebacker.

"Where is Shane tonight?" Jake asked, checking the score. The game was still early in the first quarter and wasn't all that thrilling yet.

"Out on a double date with Valance. I heard he met a pair of hot tourists at the beach this last week. They're in town visiting relatives for a couple of weeks," Heath relayed.

"We saw them the other day down at the beach," Luke responded. "Kinda fake looking."

"Girls looked fine as hell to me, but you wonder about them if they thought Rick seemed alright," Andre remarked, never looking up as he studied the menu he knew by heart.

"We didn't see them for more than a few minutes. Rick pissed off Jake, so he embarrassed him in front of his new arm candy," Luke recounted.

"Wait, is this when you found that skeleton?" Kody questioned.

"Oh, man. Everyone is talking about that pirate treasure today. Did you hear about the robbery at the historical society last night?" Wally asked.

"Nothing was stolen," Jake replied.

"How do you know?" Heath questioned.

"Man, you're talking about Jake Magnum, the famous detective. Of course, he knows," Andre teased.

"Phinn and I were there today. Nothing was stolen."

"I heard two different sets of burglary teams got into a brawl, and that's why they didn't steal anything," Kody gossiped.

Suddenly, the table conversation died as a petite waitress with neck-length hair approached. A relatively accomplished soccer player, Reed Frye had the type of friendly personality that made her seem way hotter than she looked. A cute brunette with medium-sized breasts, light brown eyes, and a toned ass, Reed was the kind of girl every guy thought would make a great girlfriend.

The whole table politely greeted the soccer player/waitress. None of them would ever think of making a crass comment about Reed. In return, the kind-hearted teen inquired individually about their summers. Only when she reached Jake did Reed offer the tiniest amount of criticism.

"You can do better than Trina Bintz, and you know that."

"What?" Danny gasped.

"Whoa!" Kody exclaimed.

"Nice pull," Heath complemented, offering a fist bump that Jake didn't return.

"It's not serious. We just went out a couple of times," Jake insisted, feeling sheepish at Reed's disappointed face. She didn't want to date him but felt concerned about his well-being. "Wait, how did you hear?"

"It's all over town," Reed revealed.

Jake knew what that meant, as the petite brunette wasn't a gossiper.

"It doesn't matter. We might be over already," he admitted.

The guys wanted details, but he held them off until Reed took their drink and appetizer orders and left.

"Dude, you already fucked it up before anything happened?" Heath questioned, shaking his head in disgust.

"Let's not insult Jake, Thune," Luke chimed in. "Things got hot and heavy at the drive-in last night."

"That's right. You went along with Michelle Kirsch," Andre recalled.

"What does Kevin think?" Danny queried.

His question opened up a can of worms as the guys speculated about how their ex-teammate and Trina's former longtime boyfriend would take the news. Jake wasn't sure, but he'd hoped it wasn't a big deal. Still, he didn't say that he'd wished their dates had been kept quiet longer.

Heath wouldn't stop pestering for details about Trina's body. Wally countered by calling the center a pervert. Based on Luke's body language, even Andre showed curiosity, as if he could tell something had happened the previous night.

As Jake begrudgingly provided minor details of the night, the conversations meandered off to various tangents. They talked about the game currently on, the Midkill films, hot actresses, and classmates they'd like a summer fling with. Eventually, Jake admitted why it might be over in the vaguest terms.

"Phinn needed my help as we're in the middle of an investigation."

"Wait, you are paying for us, right?" Wally cracked.

"Yeah, the word is that you're about to be rich," Kody commented enviously.

"Whatever you read isn't true. Our investigation only started. We don't even know if the treasure is real," Jake explained.

For the next fifteen minutes, the guys somewhat believed him. However, after Reed returned to take their orders, Kody uttered a curse.

"Holy shit! Farris got attacked this afternoon?"

"What?"

"Magnum is keeping something about the treasure from us," Heath accused.

While the rest of the table fired off questions, Andre leaned over to read the news article. However, his attention was drawn to another detail he noticed.

"Kip O'Kiplin? Really? Dammit, Kody, if you're going to have another burner account, you need to have a better name. That's not going to fool Turnbull if he gets suspicious. Do you want another suspension?" Andre questioned.

"That doesn't matter. What are you reading?" Jake asked.

"Channel 5 has an article up. It says that Phineas Farris of Busybody, Inc. was assaulted at Bentworth College. It lists you and Dusty as members of a juvenile group of detectives best known for meddling in police investigations. It also mentions how social media is abuzz about you guys being close to solving the mystery, but the writer is very dismissive of the possibility. It's kind of insulting."

"Let me guess. Stone Barrington wrote it," Jake speculated.

"How did you know?"

"What are you involved in?" Luke questioned. He was the only other person at the table to know about the identity of two of the so-called burglars last night.

"I'm not sure," Jake admitted. "We went to Bentworth to look at their archives. However, the guy left early since it was a summer Friday. While I was talking to a couple of pretty library aides, Phinn went downstairs. He found the door unlocked and started to look around. Out of nowhere, somebody clocked him over the head, threw him in a closet, and tied the door shut. Luckily, he sent me a message, and I got him free. However, he ended up with a mild concussion."

"Damn, I had one of those last year," Luke recalled. As a wide receiver, he tried to protect his body as best he could.

"Hang on. Channel 9 has an interview. Is this one of the girls? She's cute," Kody asked, holding up his phone.

"That's Emory. I guess Phinn knows her. What's that one?" Jake inquired.

"Some professor. Uh, Davis Stensland," Kody revealed.

"That's a name," Wally chuckled.

"He's kind of a dick about you two," Kody passed along. "Says that boys shouldn't play detective. It's too dangerous."

"What? He seemed like an okay guy when he helped us find Phinn," Jake pointed out. Pulling out his phone, Jake sent his partner a message about the latest development/issue. Only after he finished did Jake realize the table had gone silent again. Looking up, he saw why.

A young, slim woman had approached the table. A short, alluring beauty, she wore a skimpy sundress that showcased her braless, perky breasts. Two things stood out as familiar: an eye-catching mole above her lip and her cotton candy pink hair.

"Hi! Um, sorry to bother you, but weren't you guys at the beach the other day when they found that body?"

"Yes, we were," Andre responded quickest. "And I know you were too. I never forget an enchanting face."

"Wow, that was wild, wasn't it? I never expected to see a body on a beach. Let alone one that might be connected to a pirate," the pink-haired young woman remarked with an awed expression.

"We were just talking about it," Luke said. He and Andre caught each other's eye.

"Are your friends nearby?" Andre inquired smoothly.

"No! I just found out they stood me up. I noticed you guys while I waited and thought I recognized you."

"That sucks about your friends," Luke commented. Suddenly, as if he just had the thought, he offered her a seat. "Hey, we have a free spot. Why don't you join us?"

"You can tell us what you thought of that skeleton," Andre added, attempting to reel her in.

Kody and Wally shared an eye roll at Luke and Andre's tag team performance.

"Really? You don't mind? Thanks!" the young woman said, bouncing slightly in excitement. The move entranced everyone at the table. "Oh! I'm Mindy Moon."

A round of introductions ensued. Mindy spent the next couple of minutes mostly chatting with Luke and Andre. Only occasionally did she ask Jake a question as well. Just when she mentioned how he seemed to have taken charge of the situation that morning, Jake's phone buzzed.

"Excuse me. I need to take this," Jake apologized, standing up. With the game's intensity picking up, the noise in the restaurant did as well. So he headed toward the restrooms in the rear while answering the call. "Hey, hold on a second."

Passing the restrooms, he walked toward a rear entrance he knew wasn't connected to an alarm. Opening the door, he stood partially in the entryway to hear better.

"We got a problem. Channels 5 and 9 both have articles or interviews about what happened at Bentworth. They named us and even Dusty," Jake revealed, bypassing any question as to why Phinn called.

"Ah, they might explain what's going on over here. I'm being followed."

"What? Where are you?"

"Taking Bandit for a walk," Phinn revealed. "After I put him on his leash, we stood at the back of our driveways, and I noticed a car slowly creep past our houses. Honestly, I didn't think much of it. Thought it could be some creep checking if Libby was home."

"Was she?"

"No, your house is empty. I thought your dad was coming home."

"Phinn, who cares about that if you're being followed!"

"I guess so. So, as usual, I took Bandit out the back gate to the park," Phinn explained. Monroe Park was at the rear of their homes, with a narrow gravel alley in between. "We walked all the way over to Monroe Avenue when I finally noticed the same car idling at the corner. It's an old Trans Am from the 80s, so it's not hard to miss. As I led Bandit down the sidewalk to throw his poop bag in the garbage can, the Trans Am crept up. And you know how slow your dog walks. Whoever is in the car wanted me to know they're watching."

"What's happening now?" Jake questioned, getting worried about his friend and bulldog. It's not like either of them were built for a fight.

"We're almost done cutting back through the park. The Trans Am has sped up. They might be about to head down the alley. Yeah, they're stopped at the entrance and might be considering it," Phinn reported nonchalantly.

"What are you doing? Pick up Bandit and run to the gate!" Jake ordered. His home was only the second house from the end of the street. A car would reach them in a matter of seconds.

"No, I want to see how far the person or persons are willing to go. I think there are two people inside. Hold on." Jake heard several concerning clicks until Phinn returned to the conversation. "I just took a couple of pictures. Yep, they aren't coming further. And I'm at the gate."

"Jesus Christ! Are you insane? You already got attacked once today, and that car might hold the same person," Jake pointed out. At these moments, he missed having another partner in the group to wrangle Phineas.

"No, I'm just curious. Obviously, our names are now connected to the treasure hunt. The online rumors and the interviews you just mentioned make that clear."

"Yeah, yeah, now get inside one of our houses," Jake directed.

"Why would I do that? I think Bandit and I will hold down my porch for a little while. See if I can engage in a staredown with this knockoff Knight Rider," Phinn joked. "Oh, I did some digging. The Tarrs belong to the Yacht Society Club. I think that might be our way to speak to them."

"How so?" Jake asked, recalling having heard of the private club down at the marina.

"The Ridleys are also members. Ask Luke if he can provide us an introduction," Phinn ordered more than suggested.

"Fine, I will. Just watch out. If you want to get hurt, that's your business, but I don't want anything happening to Bandit."

"You know I'd never do that. I pamper him more than you," Phinn pointed out.

Shaking his head, Jake hung up. Moving to shut the door, he'd been too distracted to sense the presence of a person behind him in the hallway.

Jake never saw the first punch that hit his jaw coming. He managed to spot the second one to his kidney on its way but wasn't able to deflect it. The second blow is what sent him tumbling to the floor.

Looking up with watering eyes, Jake groaned as he recognized his assailant before the kick to his ribs came.

"This is what you get for messing around with Trina," Kevin Armstrong, her ex-boyfriend, told his former teammate.