The Case of the Phantom Diver Ch. 00

Note: After hearing some feedback, I thought a cast list might be helpful. This limited list leaves out spoilers or later suspects that emerge throughout the story. I'm primarily including locals who interact or are referred to by our detectives more than once as a cheat sheet.

Busybody, Incorporated - The original name of the mystery-solving group founded six years ago by Phineas Farris, Jake Magnum, and Dusty Pinder. Highly successful teen detectives, they solved many unusual mysteries while creating enemies around their hometown, including in the police department. After Dusty moved away, approximately three years ago, Phinn and Jake stopped using the name. Both boys felt that keeping the name without Dusty wasn't proper, and Phinn always hated it.

Phineas Farris - 18-years-old: Short dark brown hair and brown eyes (eyeglasses). The brain of the group. Phinn is antisocial and hates making small talk and dealing with his fellow teen classmates. That often causes him to be sarcastic or a know-it-all. Phinn is usually suspicious of everyone, leading him to be rarely shocked by their cases.

Jake Magnum - 18-years-old: Short-to-medium dirty blond hair and blue eyes. The athlete/muscle of the group. A popular student at North High, Jake plays linebacker and tight end on the football team. His looks and skills make him popular with female classmates and older women. Jake tends to view everyone as innocent and believes often enough in the supernatural to frustrate his best friend.

Dusty Pinder - Research and record-keeping for Busybody, Inc. The group's sneak due to Dusty's small stature. Moved away three years ago. Jake and Phinn still haven't adjusted to losing their partner.

Families

Liberty "Libby" Magnum - 20-years-old: Long, wavy, dirty blond hair and blue eyes. As Jake's older sister, Libby often babysat her brother and his two closest friends while growing up. Opinionated and liking a good time, Libby often bickers with her younger brother, especially when he flirts with her friends. Libby alternates between viewing Phinn as a little brother or an annoying pest. She's currently home from college on summer break.

Bandit - The Magnum family's bulldog. Named by Dusty, Bandit is particularly fond of Phinn, who takes him on walks.

Marvin and Justine Magnum - Jake's opposites-attract parents. On-and-off-again high school sweethearts, they somehow seem to make their differences work. Justine's a well-respected criminal defense attorney, while Marvin is a former local star athlete who owns a sports bar.

Putnam Farris - 13-years-old: Messy dark brown hair and brown eyes. Nicknamed Pugsley by Phinn and Jake at a young age. Smart and a schemer, Putnam has an adversarial relationship with his older brother. Phinn swears his kid brother is already turning out to be his villainous counterpart.

Fraser and Pamela Farris - A chemistry professor at Bentworth College, Fraser is somewhat absent-minded and clueless about the level of trouble his sons get into. A stay-at-home mom and volunteer, Pamela knows her sons' mischievous ways and attempts to keep them out of trouble.

Friends/Classmates

Luke Ridley - 18-years-old: Short sandy brown hair and hazel eyes. A close friend of Jake's, Luke plays wide receiver on the North High football squad. His family owns a pair of boats that his friends often enjoy taking out on the bay and ocean.

Andre Savard - 18-years-old: Black buzzcut hair, light brown eyes, and dark skin. A close friend of Jake's, Andre, plays defensive end on the North High football squad.

Rick Valance - Incoming Senior: Short, stylish golden blonde hair. The self-proclaimed rival of Jake, Rick views the football star as his primary competition in bedding as many beautiful classmates and women in town. A past incident with Busybody, Inc. left Rick with an intense grudge toward Phinn.

Johanna Zay - Incoming Senior: Long chestnut brown hair, blue eyes, and medium-sized breasts. A high-strung, wannabe influencer, Johanna runs Zay Time!, her social media show. Seeking anything to make an impact, she covers lifestyle, fashion, entertainment, and gossip. Like many of her fellow classmates, Johanna has a crush on Jake.

Hillarie Hayslip - Incoming Senior: Long strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and medium-to-large breasts. Johanna Zay's South High cousin. A wannabe popular girl, Hillarie struggles even to be the most popular family member compared to her cousin.

Erin Donnelly - Incoming Senior: Neck-length cinnamon brown hair, green eyes (eyeglasses), and medium-sized breasts. The likely incoming editor of the North High Sonar. As fellow reporters, Erin had been good friends with Dusty. However, that goodwill doesn't extend to Phinn.

Miscellaneous High School

Jake's Football Teammates - Kody O'Keefe, Daniel Youngberry, and Heath Thune

North High Class Clown/Jake's Friend - Wallace Weaver

Female Classmates - Olive Gladden, Farrah Styles, Reed Frye, and Crystal Baker

Jake's Summer Fling Friends

Trina Bintz - 19-years-old: Shoulder-length dark brown hair, light brown eyes, and large breasts. A recent North High graduate, Trina also decided to end her two-year relationship with Kevin Armstrong, an ex-teammate of Jake's. Seeking to sow some wild oats before starting college in the fall, Trina selected Jake as her first summer fling.

Michelle "Shelly" Kirsch - 19-years-old: Long sandy brown hair, dark brown eyes, and medium-sized breasts. Trina's best friend, Michelle is far more prudish. She's also not thrilled to be badgered into double-dating with Trina and Jake.

Indigo - 19-years-old: Long platinum blonde hair (dyed), brown eyes, and very large breasts. Trina's future college roommate has a zest for life and a fondness for sex.

Edgewater Citizens

Zelda Imhoff - 30-years-old: Long dark red hair, green eyes, and medium-to-large breasts. The assistant head librarian at Dillingday Library. Zelda often helps the teen detectives on their cases. Zelda is an intelligent woman who can also be a smartass to her favorite teens.

Stanley Gladden - 60 years old: Short gray hair and dark brown eyes. The executive director of the Kelpie County Historical Society. Having dealt with Busybody, Inc. several times in the past. Stanley views them as troublemakers, whom he often threatens to ban. Has a granddaughter, Olive, who is a classmate of Jake and Pinn.

Bert Durkee - Late 30s: A clerk in the medical examiner's office, he's known to take a bribe from Phinn for information.

Roger Broome - 43-years-old: The three-term mayor of Edgewater, who enjoys the position's prominence and not its day-to-day work. Won his first re-election campaign thanks to Busybody, Inc. exposing his opponent's criminal enterprise. This is a fact that Phinn thinks Mayor Broome doesn't appreciate.

Kathryn "Katie" Pettit - 28-years-old: Honey brown hair, blue eyes, and medium-sized breasts. An anthropology professor at Bentworth College. Katie began lending a hand or advice to Busybody, Inc. while still a doctoral student. Since she arrived, Katie has become good friends with Pamela Farris.

Davis Stensland - 36-years-old: Short, stylish blond hair and dark brown eyes. A history professor at Bentworth College. Specializing in European history, the handsome instructor seems popular with his female students.

Regina Tarr - 22-years-old: Long light brown hair, brown eyes, and very large breasts. It's unclear if Regina recently graduated from college or will be a fifth-year senior. The active sorority member is from a prominent old-money, seafaring family. An extremely attractive young woman, Regina usually gets what she wants.

Jace Tarr - 24-years-old: Light brown hair and brown eyes. A prominent old-money seafaring family member, Jace isn't as sociable as his younger sister.

Edgewater Police Department

Chief Norberg - Usually one of the EPD's few members who tolerates Phineas and Jake, the police chief is nearly out of patience with the pair. After several cases where the teens had been caught breaking laws to catch the culprits, Chief Norberg declared them out of free passes.

Deputy Chief Reyhall - The EPD's second-in-command, he's spent years vowing to send Jake and Phinn to the juvenile detention center in Turnville. Now that they're eighteen, Deputy Chief "Asshall" might be willing to toss the teen sleuths into the local jail if he gets his way.

Detective Gohl - The lead homicide detective of the EPD, Gohl hates meddling kids in his investigations. Nicknamed The Ghoul by Busybody, Inc.

Officer Wishkoski - A young, friendly patrolman who is often flustered by the strange crimes committed in Edgewater. Probably the closest thing to a friend on the EPD for Jake and Phinn.

Reporters

Kennedy Eaton - Journalist for the local Edgewater Dispatch newspaper.

Hollie Kittler - Mid-20s: Shoulder-length blonde hair, gray eyes, and medium-to-large breasts. A highly attractive and ambitious field reporter for Channel 9 out of nearby Anchor Rock.

Stone Barrington - Early 30s: The lead investigative reporter for Channel 5 out of nearby Anchor Rock. Barrington has encountered Busybody, Inc. multiple times, including a class over the holidays where the teens pulled a fast one on him. The embarrassment cost Stone a better job, and he's not ready to forgive the snooping brats.

Other Mystery-Solving Groups

The Factfinders - Residents of Falconbridge, a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Edgewater, The Factfinders are the closest and most frequent teen detective group that Busybody, Inc. encounters, as Donna Dalby has family in Edgewater that she frequently visits. An extraordinarily clean-cut foursome, their wholesomeness drives Phinn crazy, while Jake is disappointed that their attractive member, Sophia Swann, has consistently deflected his flirtations. Roster: Cody Conway (Team Leader), Sophia Swann, Donna Dalby, and Radley Radford.

The Sassy Girls - Fronted by sisters Camryn and Cassidy Sasser, the junior investigators first met Busybody, Inc. at summer camp five years ago. The Sassy Girls are the one group of teen detectives that Phinn fully respects. The two groups occasionally joke about forming a supergroup if they attend the same college.

Town Visitor

Oswald Cozart - 30-years-old: Curly dark brown hair. Author and historian. Cozart is in Edgewater to promote his book, X Never Marks the Spot: Lost Treasures of American History.