The Case of the Phantom Diver Ch 12

"If she's not home yet, I'm getting back in the car to cool off. Gawd, it's steamy out here," Prof. Pettit complained, climbing the steps to the oversized porch.

"It sounded like she was almost home when I called," Phinn relayed, stopping to stand before the heavy-looking oak front door. He reached out to push the buzzer before taking a step back.

"Didn't it rain here yesterday? I thought it was supposed to before I returned," Kathryn asked, pulling her top away from her sticky back.

"It did. Only it increased the humidity level," Phinn replied. However, his attention and gaze focused on the rotting porch before shifting to study the exterior wall's peeling paint. "This mansion requires significant maintenance."

"I hope that front coming through tonight cools it off. What? Oh, right," Katie responded, reaching the same conclusion after a brief look. "Yeah, these old places can be expensive to maintain. Imagine the heating and cooling costs. That's if they have air con--Oh, damn. I hope they have air conditioning."

Phinn shushed the decade-older woman as a pair of locks on the front door unlocked.

"Good afternoon! You must be Phineas," a gorgeous face flashing a dazzling smile greeted.

Unlike his partner, Phinn's appraisal lasted barely two seconds. He didn't need to stare as Jake had done to realize that Regina Tarr might be one of the more beautiful women in Edgewater. His quick study noted her long, light brown hair, matching eyes, and very large breasts. Nor did he raise an eyebrow at the tight, sleeveless blouse that strained to hold in the ample bosom. Phinn left the eyebrow-raising to his associate for the day.

Katie's surprised sound alerted Regina to her presence just as she held out her hand to greet the teen detective further. The dazzling smile cracked for a split second before reforming.

"Oh! I didn't realize you were bringing along a... lady friend," Regina responded, unsure of their relationship. Her first impression had been to guess a girlfriend until a longer look led her to recognize the other woman as slightly older than herself.

"Hello, I'm Kathryn Pettit. I'm an anthropology professor at Bentworth College," Katie introduced herself. She knew Phinn's people skills could be lacking, so she didn't wait for him to do so. Offering her own hand, she covered for the teen. "I apologize if Phineas didn't inform you that I was accompanying him for today. We just left the historical society when he noticed Jake's message."

"Uh, sorry," Phinn finally remembered his manners as Regina's hand shifted away from offering him a handshake to meet Katie's. He could've sworn he mentioned that he wasn't coming alone. "Prof. Pettit's expertise is American folklore. She's helped us in the past with several cases."

"You have? How fascinating," Regina stated with interest in her voice. However, both her guests thought it felt forced. "That's right. You mentioned that Jake was busy for the day. Well, please come inside."

Stepping back, Regina turned partly behind the front door. Katie's eyebrows raised again as she noticed the young heiress' cotton shorts appeared painted on with how tight they clung to her curvy butt. The academic's curiosity increased after walking inside and catching sight of the sleeveless blouse. What had been two undone buttons now sat only one.

"Such a majestic foyer," Katie said, seeking something polite to say as her brain computed.

"Oh, forgive me! I'm Regina Tarr," the busty brunette introduced, realizing she'd forgotten that step. She recalled seeing Phinn's picture in the paper in the past but commented on how much older he looked.

"He definitely had a growth spurt sometime lately," Katie declared mischievously with a smirk. She held in a fuller grin as Phinn shot her a dirty glare.

"It happens," the junior sleuth said through gritted teeth.

"Well, would you care for a tour, or do you prefer to get right down to business?"

"I'd love a tour of your home. I can only imagine the fascinating events it has witnessed throughout its history. However, the kid doesn't have the patience. So, we'd better drop him off in your archive before starting a tour," Katie suggested.

"Of course. I got the impression from Jake that his partner is all business," Regina chuckled, gesturing for them to follow her towards the grand staircase.

Phinn shot a questioning expression at the young professor. He only received a raised finger as if to say, "Wait for now." After he acknowledged her with a nod, Kaite's finger shifted to gesture at Regina. Her tight shorts left little to the imagination as they climbed the wide staircase behind her. The two guests noted the age and wear on the stairs carpet.

"The original home was constructed in 1727," Regina replied after Kathryn's inquiry about the mansion's age. "Further expansion and renovations mostly demolished the first structure. Some of it still exists, but that's primarily in the basement. We like to say this home has been around since 1818."

They paused several times to study one of the large portraits they climbed past. Sounding like a bored tour guide, Regina automatically listed a few details about each of her ancestors. Phinn showed less interest in the dead Tarrs than Katie. He had already discarded them as being linked to his investigation.

Regina led them on a fairly lengthy trek through her family's mansion. They went up quite a number of steps on the U-shaped staircase before reaching the second floor. Taking them around the opening that looked down on the foyer, she led them on a Byzantine route through hallways before reaching a small library nestled in a corner alcove of a guest bedroom. Assuming they'd reached their destination, Phinn began to place his bag on a table until Regina opened a slim door. After a motion to follow, they ascended a creaky, narrow staircase to the third floor.

"What the... That shouldn't... This door should be locked," Regina gasped.

Phinn stepped forward to peek through the partially opened door. Inside, he saw a long, narrow, rectangular room filled with wooden cabinets. Several maps and paintings filled one of the long walls, and the other wall dropped down at spots to offer little headroom. The teen could also make out several papers scattered on a small table.

"Are you sure it was locked?" Kathryn inquired.

"Yes! We always keep it locked, and Jace made sure of it before he left this morning," Regina explained.

"No one is in there now, but I think somebody might have been," Phinn said.

Suddenly, they heard a bang in the room below them, followed by loud footsteps. Immediately, Katie turned to rush down the narrow stairway. Throwing up his hands for a second, Phinn followed her reluctantly with Regina behind him. Reaching the second story, the teen saw Katie dash out of the large room. He started to follow but stopped at Regina's gasp.

"Look!" she exclaimed, pointing at an open closet door in the guest bedroom opposite the side that held the tiny library. "Someone was in there."

The closet didn't hold anyone any longer. Phinn checked to make sure before he left to follow Katie. He found her in the foyer on the first floor. The petite brunette had a frustrated expression as she looked up at the teen who stood at the top of the grand staircase.

"Whoever it was, they got away. Ran out a door in the rear," Katie explained, catching her breath.

"I-I don't understand," Regina stammered, descending the stairs. "All the doors and windows were locked. Did they break a window?"

"I couldn't tell. We'll have to check. Don't you have a security system?" Katie asked.

"No. My father looked into it years back, but the companies he contacted said we'd need to upgrade our wiring. It's from early last century," Regina admitted sheepishly.

"We'd better check and see if they stole anything from your archives," Phinn suggested. Regina nodded and started toward the stairs again.

"Wait. We should call the police first," Kathryn recommended.

"No, I don't want the police involved," Regina replied instantly.

"Maybe we should see if anything was taken first," Phinn agreed. He didn't want to deal with the Edgewater Police Department.

"I'd strongly advise calling them," Katie responded.

"My family wouldn't want the publicity, even more so with this treasure hunt happening," Regina stated.

"I don't think you or your family would want to take the risk that another person might be hiding in this mansion. I'd strongly urge that it be checked. You did say you'd be alone here until your brother returned in a few days," Katie pointed out.

Although Regina appeared hesitant about calling the police, she couldn't think of a counterargument to the professor's point. Picking up on her continued reluctance, Katie made the call with her phone. She also forbade Phinn from checking the third-floor archive until the police cleared the huge home.

It took over fifteen minutes before the first squad car arrived. Officer Plante didn't appear happy to see Phineas. However, Officer Wishkoski greeted him warmly upon arriving a minute after his fellow lawman. The latter patrolman took down a brief statement before Regina accompanied them up to the third floor. Staying in the foyer, Phinn and Katie kept an eye on the main hallway.

"What was with before?' the teen detective asked.

"I'm not sure what her deal is, but I've seen Regina's type before," Prof. Pettit began after checking around to make sure nobody could hear. "She reminds me of sorority girls back at my old school. They came from families with old names but little money these days. So they use the two things they have to get what they want: their family name and their looks. Don't tell me you didn't notice her skimpy outfit. You said Regina already met Jake, right? We both know how he'd react to those shorts. And she buttoned her top back up to a respectable level after seeing me."

"You have a point about Jake. When they met yesterday, he was so stunned he forgot to call and let me listen in on their conversation," Phinn recounted.

"Whatever is going on, I wouldn't trust this woman. She's got an agenda of some sort on her mind. I'd bet money on it," Katie declared.

"But what's the point? Jake and Luke both thought Regina and her brother put on an act for them. Do they know about the treasure and want to throw us off the scent?"

"That's possible. But they definitely never found the treasure based on the looks of his place. This place screams of old money spent and never replaced," Kathryn noted, nodding at the age and wear of the furniture. "Of course, the Tarrs might have something else they want to hide. Families like theirs always have plenty of skeletons in their closets."

"Yeah, we dealt with one of their cousins years ago," Phinn revealed. Before he could explain about Brigham Oakes and The Freaky Fetish Affair, his phone rang. "It's Jake."

"Good. Maybe found something," Katie replied.

"Hey. Yeah, we just got here a little while ago... What? Wait, what?... Again? Again!... Oh, please tell me you didn't get arrested," Phinn nearly shouted into the phone.

Katie didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she knew that helping with their cases could always be amusing or dangerous.

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"Feel like sucking a stiff dick?" Indigo asked Michelle, who responded with a shy nod before she moved a bit closer to it. The experience platinum blonde had just finished giving a quick cocksucking tutorial to the dazed good girl.

While Indigo held the base, she encouraged Michelle to suck Jake's cock. The sluttier girl quickly rolled her eyes as the less experienced teen continued to only use her tongue. She couldn't believe how the other recent graduate appeared fearful of such a magnificent piece of manmeat.

"No, no, no! Watch again and learn," Indigo directed, nudging Michelle's head aside.

Michelle watched in awe as her best friend's future roommate devoured Jake's big cock, causing him to shudder at the exquisite feeling. She didn't entirely deep-throat the impressive tool but came close. And when she pulled back, the platinum blonde showed how to sloppily play with a big dick rather than just issue tongue-darts.

Fuck, man. Where did she learn to suck dick? She'll probably be a legend on campus by October, Jake mused.

On her next attempt, Michelle barely went a half-inch past Jake's cockhead. However, Indigo liked something in the way the uptight girl had loosened up. Reaching over, Indigo gently maneuvered Michelle's head while ordering her to engulf his cock. With a not-yet-seen patience, she slowly worked the other girl's head up and down, mimicking a harder face-fucking.

"Mmh!"

The pleasurable groan from several feet away caused Indigo and Jake to turn their heads. They watched as Trina bobbed her head back and forth, taking a few inches of Andre into her mouth at a time before pulling back slightly to suck harder. His hands held a tangled mess of her dark brown hair. At some point, a cushion had been pulled off a seat and now sat under her knees. Indigo quickly copied, pulling the plush material from an empty seat to push beneath Michelle's knees.

While Indigo performed her chore, Jake observed as his summer fling pulled her head back until only the mushroom head of his teammate remained inside her mouth. He watched as Trina pumped the shaft furiously with her right hand. Then, she resumed taking increasing amounts of the dark cock into her mouth. Those same lips stretched obscenely wide around Andre's girth.

Indigo returned her attention to her new friend just in time to watch Andre's control break momentarily, leading him to shove his dick against the back of Trina's throat. Surprisingly, she took it like a trouper, gagging only slightly while she kept her head down. The busty brunette managed not to choke further by breathing heavily through her nose until Andre pulled back.

"Yoohoo! You go, slut!" Indigo cheered.

In response, Trina pulled off cock, her lips bulging out slightly as they passed the crown. A thin line of spittle dangling between the prick and her mouth added a slutty effect. Trina looked even more wanton as she flashed a smile that pulled the spittle toward her mouth. Then, adding a wink, she resumed her dicksucking efforts. In the next thirty seconds, Andre would learn what Jake already knew and her roommate would soon love: Trina liked an audience.

Giving into her slutty side, Trina went saliva-sloppy in her worshipping of the newest dick in her mouth. Picking up on the attitude shift, Andre took over. He held her head steady and proceeded to fuck her mouth. Complying with the change, Trina grabbed his hips for support while encouraging him with her eyes to fuck her face harder.

Proud of her soon-to-be roommate, Indigo returned her attention to her new student. Happier with Michelle's efforts, Indigo still took a turn to point out a few corrections she felt were in order. What happened next slowly fulfilled Jake's fantasies.

The two girls began to alternate back and forth. The constantly changing styles, enthusiasm, and experience levels drew out Jake's pleasure. He presumed correctly that Indigo switched to a blowjob tag team so that they could enjoy sucking him off for longer. Indigo started pecking the other shocked girl with quick kisses as they switched off and on. Slowly with bullshit explanations about removing pre-cum or spit from Michelle's lips, Indigo's kisses lingered with more tongue.

Clearly having never kissed a girl before, Michelle's reluctance stood out. However, Jake marveled at how Indigo slowly seduced and corrupted the more uptight girl. Her loving kisses eventually added brushes against her breasts, which led to quick massages. Eventually, Indigo overwhelmed Michelle's defenses so that they'd pause briefly between turns on Jake's dick to slip their tongues into each other's mouths. Jake not only found the girl-on-girl kisses highly arousing to watch, but he found a new respect for Indigo's slutty abilities.

Not far away, a spent but recovering Luke watched as Andre began to spew into Trina's mouth. Swallowing blast after blast, Trina's effort nearly succeeded. Unfortunately, her ability to swallow fast enough found itself overcome by the sheer size of Andre's load. That led to dribbles leaking out of her lips and down her chin.

"You better not spill that!" Indigo shouted over, catching the end of the show.

Trina complied with the command, bringing her hand under her chin to catch any cum drops. Using her other hand, the buxom brunette held Andre's cock to the side while her tongue swirled around her lips and lapped at her palm. Finished, she returned to nurse the last of cum out of the defensive end before cleaning the flaccid cock with a tongue bath.

After having already blasted his first round on Indigo's Double Ds, Jake felt he could last for a long time with the alternating blowjobs. Although Michelle's enthusiasm and technique increased, they still paled in comparison to Indigo's. So they continued for another five minutes until the devious minx ratcheted up her plans again.

It began with a dip of the head during one of Michelle's turns. Jake couldn't precisely see what happened when the platinum blonde head dropped down, but he could guess based on Michelle's eyes bugging out. Pulling off the dick, the good girl sputtered while Indigo placed a finger on her lips. Skipping her turn on Jake, she told Michelle not to worry and to get back to work.

Luke and Andre caught Jake's attention to share a nod as Indigo's lips latched onto Michelle's nipple. All three guys greatly approved of the new wrinkle in the girls' rotation. They quickly learned how the less experienced girl had become putty in Indigo's hands.

After a dozen more turns, the ash-haired girl escalated the situation in one quick move. Dazed and confused, Michelle found herself placed on the cushionless bench. With her legs pushed wide, the medium-breasted brunette had to lean her arms back against the rear handrail. Realization began to dawn in her mind as she felt a hand get placed on each of her inner thighs. However, before she could react, Indigo pushed those same thighs further apart and lowered her head to start feasting on Michelle's pussy.

If it hadn't been evident that Indigo had ample sexual experience, watching the uptight girl's shocked struggle swiftly fade confirmed opinions on the boat. Unseen by the rest, Indigo had begun with one lapping drink at the other girl's entrance before swirling her tongue around the tiny clit.

"Ohmigawd!" Michelle squealed, bracing her hands tighter as she sat up.

"Oh. My. Gawd," Trina swore breathlessly. She leaned slightly to one side in shock to find her future roommate's tongue working its magic inside her best friend's pussy. Like Michelle, she'd never considered a girl as a possible sexual partner. A strange feeling began to fill the pit of her stomach as she considered her college life with Indigo.

Of course, the sapphic display caused the guys to get fired up again. Even after his recent orgasm, Andre felt his dick start to stir in appreciation. Luke and Jake were already at full mast, wondering where to use their rods.

"Beautiful. Trimmed. Wet. Puffy. Pink," Indigo praised, taking a brief break to study the pussy before her face.

"Um, thank YOU!!!" Michelle screamed, feeling the pleasure shoot through her body as Indigo's tongue reconnected with her clit.

Losing herself, Michelle's fingers tugged at the platinum hair, eventually pulling hard enough to make it hurt. It only made Indigo want her more. She slurped and devoured that clit like a favorite meal. And with any great meal, fingers eventually joined in. One, two, and three slid their way inside Michelle's heat, stimulating her even further in preparation for the cock she didn't know she badly needed.

Always a performer, Indigo pulled her dewy fingers out to suck them gleefully for the guys' pleasure. Before returning to slather her tongue along Michelle's lower lips, Indigo shot a knowing wink at the stunned Trina.

"Oh, please," Michelle moaned, pulling at the licker's hair again.

The nearness of eruption and the overwhelming need for it were precisely what Indigo wanted. That's why she shocked everyone by not only pulling her face away but also by hopping to her feet.

"Wha... Nooooo!!" Michelle cried, her fingers grasping at air while trying to make Indigo continue.

"Okay, she's primed. Get in there and fuck the shit out of her," Indigo ordered, grabbing Jake's arm to indicate she meant him.

"Wait, what?"

"Get that steel rod over there and break her," Indigo whispered into his ear. "She needs a dick."

Jake shot a glance at Michelle. So close to an orgasm recently, she stared almost eagerly at his hard cock.

"Do it," the instigator hissed. "I'm going to teach Trina a couple of things."

Fisting his cock, Jake moved toward Michelle. "Is this okay?"

"Yes."

"Are you...? Have you done this before?"

"I'm not a virgin," Michelle proclaimed, flashing her annoyance.

"Sorry, sorry," Jake apologized, holding his hands up. "Uh, do you want to get down on the deck or move elsewhere?"

The disdainful look she gave the deck caused Jake to search for a better spot. Nothing really stood out, so he figured he could probably lower himself more or have Michelle sit on the boat railing. The swim platform is on the other side... oh, what the hell.

Picking up the lightweight girl, Jake placed her on the edge of the railing with a handguard behind her. More concerned about her not falling onto the platform, Jake didn't consider how exposed they'd be to others.

Spreading her legs wide, Jake fisted his cock again and brought it to the skinny brunette's wet hole. Lined up, he pushed and met even more resistance than he expected.

"Fuck. You're so goddamn tight."

Putting more weight into his next thrust, Jake inched deeper into his summer fling's best friend's body. Each time Michelle's breath hitched, Jake pulled back and tried again. Unable to recall a tighter pussy, Jake couldn't tear his blue eyes away from the sight of her pussy stretching around his shaft. Once he seemed to reach halfway, it felt as if she'd opened up more space inside. Assuming he'd likely be unable to go much deeper, Jake pulled back and started a steady motion. As the seconds ticked by, he pumped his hips faster but not harder.

Watching Michelle's face for any sign of discomfort, he paused upon seeing a wince.

"Am I hurting you?"

"No. I love how it feels," Michelle replied softly. "Don't stop. Go harder."

Picking Michelle up, Jake carried the extra weight as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Issuing their first kiss, he curled his arms under her to support her more. With their bodies close together, they moved less but collided more violently with each thrust.

Sensing Trina sitting on the closest bench, Jake looked over, expecting her to be watching them. Surprisingly, Michelle's BFF wasn't. Following her sightline, Jake turned Michelle with him and got quite the shock.

Indigo had mentioned teaching Trina a couple of things. Jake didn't know if she meant this exactly, but she had a couple of things inside her.

Spread out on her hands and knees on the deck, the platinum blonde currently provided a split-roasting demonstration for her new friend. With Luke's cock in her mouth, Indigo took Andre's bigger dick in her pussy. Jake knew his friends well enough to recognize pure shock on their faces.

"Fucking hell," Andre swore. With a tight grip on her hips, he drove forward, his entire length vanishing.

"Holy crap," Luke moaned, his hand resting on the top of her head as she bobbed up and down.

Andre's thighs banged against Indigo's buttocks as he went harder and faster, slamming away into her hole and making her whole body vibrate. She passed the pleasure onto Luke, her mouth rising and falling rapidly onto his cock, sucking him greedily. Jake and Trina watched as a rapturous expression formed on Indigo's face.

The pleasure filled the slutty blonde. A burning, flaming heat that made her cheeks flush and her skin flare. A mixture of cum and secretions dripped down from her pussy as Andre's cock slammed away. Faster and harder, he rammed, each stroke raising her temperature. Finally, Luke's dick slipped from her mouth as the burning sparked her fuse. Raising her head from Luke's cock, Indigo squealed in pleasure, "Yes. Yes. Yes!"

The performance snapped a trigger inside Jake's brain. He felt a surge of competitive pride explode. Dropping his head to Michelle's breast, he sucked hard, seeking to mark her as his. Seeking greater leverage, he placed her back on the bench and repositioned himself with her legs sticking straight up into the air.

While Michelle panted, sighed, and shouted unintelligible words, Jake shoved and thrust forward. He worked until he nearly succeeded in getting his entire length inside her. Their cacophony of moans, groans, grunts, and slapping skin mixed with those emitting off of the other trio of fuckers. Trina added an occasional sigh or squeal as she self-pleasured.

"I'm cumming!" Andre bellowed, his voice carrying across the water.

Michelle responded by clenching her body before the stiffness gave way to a massive bodyquake. An ear-piercing keen wailed like a siren's song on the sea. The tremendous vice grip on Jake's cock pulled his own orgasm out. Letting go of the nipple that had been between his lips, Jake never had time or considered pulling out. Unlike with Indigo, Jake took the risk, blasting Michelle's pussy with his seed.

"Jaaaaake!" the skinny brunette wailed, feeling him fill her up. The new feeling triggered a second eruption inside her.

"You want to switch, bro?" Andre asked.

"Sure," Luke responded.

"Wait!" Indigo yelled, waiting to continue while she caught her breath. "It's Trina's turn."

"Huh? My turn?!"

"Hell, yeah. Time for you to experience two--"

The wail of a siren nearly caused heart attacks all around the Rim-Rod. Still on top of Michelle, Jake raised his head in disbelief as a Coast Guard ship pulled alongside them. Several coast guardsmen stood on the approaching ship's deck, watching the carnal display descend into chaos as the teens scrambled to find their swimsuits.

"Shit! I'm so dead," Luke exclaimed, lunging to the deck to grab his trunks.

"Well, shit, there goes the fun," Indigo muttered before noticing a couple of the younger coasties. "Hmm, maybe not. Hey, Treen, you up for a few more cocks?"

"What?! Are you insane?!" Trina screeched, frantically searching for her top.

The usual screecher, Michelle, sat nearly catatonic with fear of possibly getting into trouble. Jake had to help find and put on her bikini. While he did so, the teen detective also realized he'd gotten distracted again while on a stakeout. Shit! Phinn won't trust me with anything for weeks, if not the rest of the summer.

Two Coast Guardsmen hopped over to the Rim-Rod. The younger man appeared to be a fresh-faced officer in his mid-to-late twenties. The older enlisted man glanced at Jake and rolled his eyes in recognition. The officer immediately went on the offensive, screaming at the teens about their lewd conduct. He started issuing threats after that.

"Oh, come on! We didn't do anything wrong, Clark," Luke complained, looking past the screaming young man at the older veteran.

"You will speak to me, not Petty Officer Clark!" the irate young officer yelled. "Lewd and lascivious conduct. Is that an open bottle of alcohol?"

Lieutenant Commander Johnson stormed over to pick up a mostly empty bottle of tequila, which rolled around on the deck. Despite the label proclaiming what had been inside, he still brought the open top to his nose and sniffed dramatically. He swung around to stare at Luke with a furious expression.

"It is liquor! And I suspect you're not old enough to drink. Show me your identification and registration. And put on some clothes!" Lieutenant Commander Johnson gave Indigo the last directive as she still stood topless.

"I'm doing nothing wrong. Are you a prude and can't handle a great pair of tits?"

"Maybe you better get your top on," Trina suggested, picking it off a bench and handing it over. She didn't like the vein in the Coast Guard officer's neck that looked ready to pop.

"Not doing anything wrong?!"

"Yeah, we're in international waters," Indigo shot back cockily.

"You are not! You're in American waters. Where are those IDs? Wait, is that a camera?" Lieutenant Commander Johnson exclaimed, rushing over to pick up Jake's long-lens camera. "Oh, we better not have another amateur pornographic film being made. Is that what you were doing?"

"With that thing?" Andre chuckled, shutting up as the irate officer swung to glare at him.

"That's a camera," Jake pointed out. "It takes pictures."

"But it records video."

"Sure, a little. But our phones have better storage than that thing's memory card," Jake mumbled.

"Your phones! Give them to me," Lieutenant Commander Johnson ordered.

"No fucking way. You need a warrant, buddy," Indigo stated.

"She's got a point, sit," Petty Officer Clark responded. "I don't think we have any probable cause to--"

"Quiet!"

The stern order caused some murmuring over on the Coast Guard vessel. Luke glanced at it before nodding at Jake. They both realized Lieutenant Commander Johnson wasn't very well-liked by those working under him.

Almost simultaneously, a commotion seemed to occur on the other side of the floating parking lot of ships. Several divers rose from the depths while pointing at one vessel. The ruckus even caught the attention of those on the Coast Guard ship. However, Clark and Johnson didn't notice.

"Why else would they have open sex near so many ships? You wanted to use this senseless treasure hunt as background in your porno, didn't you?" the lieutenant commander challenged with a sneer.

"Does anyone still call them pornos?" Trina asked, looking around at her friends. Indigo shrugged.

"We came out here because we wanted to observe the hunt, sir," Jake replied. Since it was his idea, or Phinn's, to come out here today.

Commander Johnson immediately discarded that reason. Despite all the teens insisting they came to this location to watch the dives, he refused to believe them. Instead, he checked out the boat's registration and their driver's licenses. Eventually, Clark risked his superior's wrath by agreeing that Jake's reason made sense.

"Magnum is something of a private detective." Clark waited as Johnson scoffed. "No, he is, sir. He and his partner solved a case a few years ago that earned Captain Richard's praise and thanks while stationed here."

The captain's name caused Johnson to halt his tirade and study Jake. For a moment, the junior sleuth thought he might accept the explanation. However, he watched as Johnson dismissed the notion.

"No. We're taking this ship back to port. There will be consequences for--"

BANG

Pandemonium broke out after the single gunshot--numerous people dove to their decks around the flotilla. Several boats started their engines to flee before more shots could be fired. A couple of divers ducked back into the ocean.

And Lieutenant Commander Johnson lost his mind. He started screaming at his ship to find out what happened. A seaman shouted a reply while he pointed at the boat with the gunman. Petty Officer Clark immediately hurried to board the Coast Guard vessel. Johnson started to follow him before turning to face the teens.

"You got a break. Don't make me regret it," he warned before looking at Luke. "But I will report what happened to the owner of this boat."

Jake immediately rushed over to pick up the binoculars and search for the gunshot's location. To his surprise, he found an ancient-looking chest rising out of the water.

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"And?" Phinn questioned.

"The chest turned out to be a fake. Check that. The chest looked old, but they only found a pile of rocks once they broke the lock open," Jake recounted. "The Coast Guard threatened to arrest the captain who fired the shot in the air. Things turned into a mess as he and some others claimed he had to do so as a warning because Scarface and Stringy Hair pulled their ship alongside his and made threats."

"And they believed him?" Phinn asked. "Wait, were they with Fowle?"

"No, they weren't. I guess Jedidiah Dore, the captain of Seasucker, which had Scarface and Stringy Hair onboard, has an unsavory reputation that the local Coast Guard station is well aware of," Jake explained.

"Okay, I can see that," Phinn acknowledged. "Are you headed back to shore for good?"

"We are. Luke's worried about how much trouble he might be in if that asshole commander contacts his dad. Plus, the gunshot and the rocks in the chest seem to have killed most of the treasure-hunting appetites for today. We'll have to see what happens tomorrow," Jake explained.

"Okay. Let me tell you what's happening here," Phinn replied before informing Jake about the excitement they'd already experienced in the short time since they arrived at Tarr Manor. Finished up, he added, "I assume we'll stick around until Regina can check if anything was stolen. If she's willing, I'd still like to search their papers."

"It might take us some time to get back, dock, and unload. I'll check back in once I get to my car," Jake said before hanging up.

It took about an hour for Officers Plante and Wishkoski to check the mansion and confidently proclaim it empty. Phinn wasn't as sure. The old structure had plenty of nooks and crannies, and he wondered about hidden rooms with all the renovations over the decades. The police also didn't find any signs of forced entry. That added to the mystery.

Regina thanked the two officers and showed them out. Returning, she also thanked Kathryn for insisting they call the police.

"You're right. I feel much better knowing no one is still in here. I'd like to perform a quick check in the archives. After that, would you like to order dinner before we search for information about Jason?" Regina asked.

"Dinner? Oh, no," Katie moaned, checking the time. "I thought... well, I can't stay much longer. I can help for a little longer, but then I must leave. Uh, I have a meeting with a colleague."

Phinn assumed that was code for she had a date.

"Will you still be able to stay?" Regina asked Phinn after learning he had come with the professor.

"Sure. Jake can always take me home once he's back."

The trio spent the next twenty minutes cleaning up the small mess left behind by the latest break-in. Regina explained some of the same details she had told Jake about the first one several months back. Unlike the bewitched Jake, Phinn ensured he asked the specific questions he wanted answers to. He jotted down the date and likely time of day from the past break-in.

When it was time for Katie to leave, Regina showed her out so that she could lock the door behind her. That left Phinn alone in the claustrophobic room to start his search for Jason and Christopher Tarr's names. For now, he failed to notice a small leather-bound book lying on the floor and sticking partially out from underneath one of the wooden filing cabinets.