The Case of the Phantom Diver Ch 17

The incessant barking woke Jake from a highly erotic dream about a platinum blonde, a pair of busty brunettes, coconut bras, leaf underwear, and a deserted island. Rolling over, the teen spotted the bright red 11:16 on his alarm clock. Continuing his rollover, Jake saw Bandit standing beside his bed, barking excitedly.

"Dammit. Can't Libby take you out ever?" Jake grumbled, moving to sit on the side of his bed.

Bending down, he patted the bulldog on the head. Still, the attention didn't stop Bandit's racket. After a noisy stretch and yawn, Jake stood up.

"Alright, alright. I'll take you out," he told the dancing dog, who raced to the hallway before checking to see if his brother followed.

The sound of a shower running in the second-floor bathroom led to several pounds on the door.

"How about taking the dog out next time before your damn beauty bath!" Jake yelled.

Ignoring the confused shouted reply, Jake descended the stairs with Bandit, who frequently looked back to double-check his progress. Once on the first floor, the bulldog raced ahead into the kitchen. Shuffling his feet in his tired state, Jake nearly fell over when a voice startled him.

"Bandit was already out," Phinn announced from the kitchen. His next-door neighbor typed away on the phone while the dog gobbled up his reward treat for a job well done.

"You... You! You let him into my room!" Jake accused, slowly putting together what had happened.

"Unlike you, Bandit follows orders like a good detective. Oh, yes, you do," Phinn praised, using his foot to rub the dog's back. Then, the bespectacled teen returned his attention to his best friend. "It was time to get up. We have things to do and places to be."

"I didn't get home until seven!" Jake pointed out. "I need more sleep."

"And I took into account that you fell asleep by 7:15; thus, I gave you precisely four hours of sleep before directing your wake-up call," Phinn stated. A smile formed as he typed. The rare occurrence caused Jake to notice something else.

"Hey, you're using my phone!" Jake exclaimed, spotting Phinn's phone on the kitchen table next to him. "Wait, I changed my passcode just the other day!"

"I told you that your passwords need more work. They're easy to guess," Phinn replied, placing Jake's phone beside his.

"They always are," Libby agreed, entering the kitchen dressed in a bathrobe with a towel wrapped around her wet hair.

"Stop using my phone... everyone!" Jake bellowed, causing Bandit to run around his legs while barking.

"You're better off finding Phinn a girlfriend to distract him," Libby suggested, pouring a cup of coffee.

"Yuck," Jake sounded, and Phinn nodded in agreement. The two teens found coffee disgusting.

"Wait until you get to college," the older dirty blonde replied with her sage advice. "And make sure it's a good girl, not one of your sluts."

"Hey! I don't date sluts."

"No, he only goes out on dates with them," Phinn countered, earning a pat on the head from Libby as she moved to sit across from him at the kitchen table.

"Phinn wouldn't last with a good girl. They'd be frightened off by his devious thinking," Jake argued. "I have better taste and understand girls way more than he does."

"So says the guy smitten with Regina Tarr," Phinn said, tossing the verbal grenade into the kitchen.

"What?!" Libby shrieked, slamming her coffee mug down on the table.

"The hell?" Jake shot at his partner.

"You stay away from that rich bitch. I'm ordering you right this minute, Jake!" Libby said, suddenly acting as if Jake were five again. "I don't need an accident happening. I'm not getting stuck with her as--"

"I always wrap my... Oh, wait," Jake protested before muttering at the end. No condoms were used for any of the rounds last night with Regina.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Libby questioned.

"Jake, go take a shower. You have fifteen minutes before we leave," Phinn directed, causing Libby to glare at him for interrupting. So, he added toward her, "And you can fill me in about Regina Tarr."

"Fine! Maybe you can keep my horny, idiotic brother out of trouble."

"Wait, I'm not--" Jake started before his best friend and his sister cut him off simultaneously.

"Go!"

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

"Get a move on it. It's been seventeen minutes," Phinn noted, holding up his phone.

"I can't find my keys. We can't leave until I--"

"I have them," Phinn revealed, holding the keys up with his other hand.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Jake complained before turning to kneel by his dog. "Sorry, buddy, I'm going to have to leave you with the bitch. Don't worry, Dad should be home soon. He promised."

"See ya, Bandie!" Phinn yelled,

"Don't call him that," Jake said, jogging to catch up with his fellow detective outside on the porch. "Libby calls him that."

"So does your mom," Phinn reminded, checking his phone. "We need to get a move on it."

"Well, we wouldn't have lost time if you'd... Wait, why did you have my keys?" Jake questioned, suddenly feeling suspicious.

"Don't worry about that right now," Phinn replied dismissively. He glanced far down the street, nodding at what he saw.

Knowing his oldest friend's behavior, Phinn's response immediately deepened Jake's suspicion. Digging his phone out of his pocket, the stocky detective checked his messages and calls. Scrolling down through a long line of sent and received texts, Jake's jaw dropped.

"You're flirting with Johanna? What the hell? Wait... Did you flirt with Johanna while pretending to be me? Phinn!"

Phineas opened the driver's side door by leaning over from the passenger side seat.

"Stop whining and get in. We have to leave now!"

Begrudgingly, Jake got into his car and started it up. Several quick glares in the other teen's direction brought a partial answer.

"I needed Johanna to agree to share her footage with us. She got a little annoyed with me last night, so the request had to come from you."

"You couldn't ask me to ask?" Jake shot back, throwing his hands up in confusion over where to drive.

"Head west," Phinn directed before resuming the other conversation. "First, I let you sleep in longer by contacting Johanna."

"As me!"

"Second, we both know she has a crush on you. So, the best course of action to get a quick agreement meant--"

"So you encourage it by flirting with her? What am I supposed to do now?"

"I merely flirted with her mildly," Phinn pointed out.

"You don't know how to flirt!" Jake shouted. "What I read wasn't mild!"

"It wasn't? Oh, well, I'm sure you can de-escalate the situation when it becomes necessary," Phinn said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, sure, it's not a big deal," Jake grumbled sarcastically. "Where are we meeting my new girlfriend?"

"Don't be that way. Johanna's more useful than Trina or Regina," Phinn pointed out. "Sh's meeting us at Zapperoni."

"The kid restaurant?" Jake repeated, taking his eyes off the road to look at the other teen with surprise.

"It was her idea. Does she have any younger siblings?"

"A brother, I think," Jake recalled. "Or was it a sister? I don't know!"

"Maybe it's a family event."

"Great. She's probably ready to introduce me to her family after your text exchange," Jake moaned.

"Stop your bellyaching. Johanna's more likely filming one of her videos at the restaurant to earn some money," Phinn speculated.

Phinn let Jake stew for several minutes as they drove toward the west side of Edgewater. Eventually, Jake couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"She better be making one of her videos. I'm not meeting her family. How could you set me up like this?"

"Stop crying. I'm the one who's going to deal with Johanna. You're not going in with me."

"I'm not?" Jake said, risking another look over at his partner.

"No. After you drop me off, you're going to Page & Reade," Phinn informed his partner.

"Damn, Johanna's going to be pissed," Jake warned before asking about his role. "Why am I going there? I don't have much money on me."

"Don't worry. You're not buying anything. Check that; you might have to spread a few dollars around if necessary. It probably won't be. I want you to talk to any employees who worked the day of Oswald Cozart's book signing," Phinn explained.

"Okay. What am I looking for?"

"We want to know how many people attended. If anything unusual happened, or if anyone stood out as being especially into or curious about his book's subject matter. Additionally, see if Cozart showed up alone or had an assistant or helper with him."

"That sounds easy enough," Jake said, relieved to get the easy assignment. "Hopefully, the same staff is working today."

"Talk to Thatcher Hartel. He started working there a few weeks ago," Phinn added.

"Oh, come on! There had to be a fucking catch, didn't there?" Jake complained. "You want me to ask my ex-girlfriend's little brother for help?"

"What's the big deal? Thatcher always liked you. He still does. When I asked, he said he'd gladly help," Phinn assured him.

"Hang on. Did you ask as me or yourself?"

"I asked. Unlike Johanna, Thatcher knows you too well," Phinn rationalized.

"Great. Just fucking great. Tara better not find out. She'll accuse me of using her brother... for who knows what," Jake speculated, wincing. The upcoming cheerleader co-captain was one girl who frightened the experienced meddler. "This is all I need."

"Relax. The two of you broke up almost a year ago. Tara moved on," Phinn reassured.

"Tara scares even her closest friends. She's a tyrant! I've avoided the cheer squad since the breakup for that very reason," Jake muttered, more to himself. "Why do I... Phinn!"

"Consider today your punishment," Phinn said, confirming his best friend's sudden realization. "I warned you after the boat spectacle. I said no third time."

"But it was my first time with Regina. Wait, you don't know I did anything with her."

"I may be a detective, but I don't need to investigate because of that shit-eating grin that's been stuck on your face since you got up," Phinn declared. "Libby recognized it, too. She's worried."

"My sister is not worried," Jake scoffed at the notion.

"Despite your blunder, we're okay. The case has not been compromised. Of course, you didn't know when you decided to risk everything, but Regina is not the main culprit," Phinn revealed.

"See? No hot girl could be the villain. Okay, maybe not the main villain."

"Oh, Regina is a villain, but she's more involved along the lines as a henchwoman or associate with the perpetrator," Phinn continued.

"Alright, I admit that I might have messed up. But you can't keep treating me as your employee. First, you don't pay me. Second, I'm your damn partner!"

"I do not treat you as my employee. If I did, I would've terminated you long ago," Phinn joked. However, seeing that Jake didn't find it funny. "Fine. I'll treat you less often as the junior partner. Is that acceptable?"

"I guess. Still, I deserve credit. I learned something last night while you wasted time at that city council meeting. Regina's willing to screw me to get what she wants," Jake boasted proudly.

Phinn shook his head as they pulled into Zapperoni's parking lot. Honestly, he couldn't have planned the timing better.

"I could've told you that before last night. Regina made it clear the night before about her willingness to use her body for her benefit. Now, let's see. I learned far more last night than you. First, the Mask Brothers are Floyd and Garth Rattigan. They also happen to be tailing us since we left home, if you'd bothered to check your mirrors."

Jake swung around in his seat to look behind him.

"Don't bother. They pulled into the parking next door," Phinn informed his sheepish partner. "Second, Oswald Cozart recognized me somehow. I don't know why, but his demeanor changed when I attempted to join Erin Donnelly's interview. He fled the council chamber at once."

"I guess he could've seen our pictures on the--No, Stone Barrington used pictures of us from four, five years ago!" Jake recalled.

"And to fully obliterate your point: I also solved the case last night... well, mostly," Phinn proclaimed, getting out of the car while grabbing his tablet.

"What?!"

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

With Jake sputtering in the car before pulling away, Phineas entered Zapperoni. A self-described family entertainment restaurant, it was known for its arcade games, play zone, and greasy pizza. A popular spot for kids' birthday parties, a soundwave greeted Phinn's ears even on a Tuesday at noon. Two toddlers chasing after each other nearly collided with the teen as he scanned the front for Johanna.

Checking his phone for a message from the wannabe influencer, Phinn could've slapped his forehead. Of course, Johanna wouldn't send him a message; she thought Jake was meeting her by himself. After Jake's tirade, Phinn felt slightly guilty for inadvertently leading their classmate on.

Venturing deeper into the restaurant, Phinn leaned around the first bank of arcade games to peer over at the ski-ball area. Sighing, he planned to search the back of the restaurant, where large video monitors and a dance floor sat between the party seating. However, Johanna appeared from behind a claw machine before he could do so.

"Jake better be parking the car with you here only to play Cosmic Combat," the chestnut brunette declared, jerking her thumb at the popular arcade game.

"Unfortunately, a new development changed our assignments."

"In the last thirty minutes?!" Johanna screeched before grabbing Phinn's arm to drag him over toward the rows of arcade games. "Jake better be coming."

"As I started to say--Oww!" Phinn exclaimed after his classmate punched his shoulder. "That's assault."

"That's the first payback installment if I found out that you screwed with me, Farris," Johanna threatened.

"Honestly, Jake had a connection to our other stop. As we don't have the time to go to both places together, we had to split up," Phinn explained, pushing close to lying while he fudged the facts.

"Why would Jake send you to meet me? He promised to come here."

"Look, a new development meant we needed to interview Page & Reade employees. Tara Hartel's younger brother recently started his first job there. And you know why Jake is the better person to deal with Thatcher," Phinn pointed out. "Don't worry, it's not like Jake and Tara are getting back together."

"Maybe when hell freezes over," Johanna agreed on the likelihood. "Still, you've been warned, Phineas. If you lied or played me..."

"The second installment will be coming," he nodded. "Although Jake probably won't have time to come in, you can still say hi when he picks me up."

"He better come inside," Johanna stated before groaning in frustration. "Goddamn boys playing cops. Gonna embarrass me in front of my friends."

The teen detective didn't quite understand the aspiring influencer's point as she gestured for him to follow her to the rear. However, when he spotted Hillarie Hayslip, Johanna's cousin, Phinn started to comprehend the remark. The strawberry blonde sat in a corner booth while chatting with a waitress. The final puzzle piece fell into place once Phinn recognized Crystal Baker, Johanna's friend and a fellow classmate, as the waitress.

Uh-oh. Johanna scrambled pretty fast to arrange witnesses to her flirtations with Jake. I better tread lightly here.

"Where's Jake?" Crystal challenged sarcastically.

Immediately, Phinn understood why Johanna chose this particular restaurant. Her friend must have doubted Johanna's claims over the last few days because proof in the form of an interview never happened with Jake. So, feeling slightly guilty and disliking Crystal far more, Phinn decided to help Johanna save face.

"Jake's extremely sorry about the switch. However, as our lead detective, he needed to handle the interviews for our more dangerous and suspicious suspects. Jake knew that Johanna would understand. She'd been a tremendous help in the case so far," Phinn laid it on thick enough that it shocked Johanna. "If you girls don't mind, I'd like to study what Johanna found quickly. I can't leave Jake alone for too long. Others are after the pirate treasure."

The whispered part at the end seemed to clinch Crystal's attention. Her dubious gaze widened as she realized that her friend hadn't been exaggerating as usual. Hillarie wanted no part of the treasure hunt after tripping over the skeleton and claiming it grabbed her foot. So she threw her hands up as Phinn motioned toward the empty table next to theirs.

"Thanks," Johanna whispered begrudgingly. Still, she appeared slightly annoyed that Phinn caught on so swiftly to the situation.

"Jake's really sorry that he couldn't make it," Phinn said, straight-up lying.

"Whatever. What did you want to see again?" Johanna asked, dismissing his semi-apology.

"Footage from the beach first," Phinn said, placing his tablet in front of her.

"Whoa! These videos are my property. I'm not just going to give them to you."

"I'll only keep the videos the police might need to see."

"The police?! Why would the police want them?" Johanna questioned, perking up at the change in circumstances.

"You'll find out during your exclusive interview once we solve the case," Phinn teased, causing his classmate to glare at him. "And my tablet screen is larger. That helps spot smaller details."

"I better," Johanna declared, referring to the elusive interview.

Johanna started transferring the footage from right after Hillaire tripped over the skeleton. However, Phinn asked her to transfer any footage she had recorded before that moment. The request led to her opening greeting to Zay Time! viewers.

Phinn watched the video play one time before glancing over at his classmate. He shook his head at the way she and her cousin fawned over Jake, Andre, and Luke.

"What? Do you have a problem?" Johanna challenged. Then, she watched as Phinn intently studied the video of her unveiling her new swimsuit. "Don't stare too hard."

"I'm not staring at your body. I'm looking in the background," Phinn responded, sighing.

"What's wrong with my body?"

"Nothing. It looks fine."

"Fine?!"

"You look good. Does that make you happy? Jeez," Phinn mumbled, moving to start the next video.

Eventually, Phinn realized there wasn't enough footage from before the skeleton appeared to be helpful. So he moved ahead to another video, where Jake started to examine the skeleton. This was the footage that Jake recorded and sent to his phone, so Phinn had already watched it.

"Damn, I was hoping to see the people watching Jake," Phinn admitted.

"Oh! Wait, I have some of that here," Johanna revealed. "When Jake borrowed my phone, I used Hillarie's to keep recording."

"Ah, there!" Phinn exclaimed, catching his first glimpse of the mysterious and meddling Sandy-Brown-Hair-With-Glasses.

"That's the guy who found the gold!" Johanna recalled.

"You didn't realize that until now?" Phinn challenged.

"I'm not an investigator," Johanna shot back, annoyed at the criticism.

"Sorry," Phinn replied, half-meaning it.

They watched more videos from that morning, including up to and after Phinn's arrival. The junior sleuth showed no emotion as they watched Rick Valance mock Phinn before Jake lost his cool. Johanna glanced over several times, feeling a bit bad for him. Still, she liked how Jake stood up for his friend and noted that Luke and Andre agreed with their teammate's defense.

For the second trip through the footage, Phinn asked Johanna to point out anyone who stood out to her. Surprised but pleased by the request, Johanna provided quite a colorful commentary about the onlookers. Although Phinn didn't care about her views on wardrobe or hairstyles, he did agree with her remarks about Mindy Moon's pink hair.

"I mean, it looks tacky, doesn't it? I could see maybe dying my hair for Halloween or some other event. But on a random weekday in the summer? I don't think so," Johanna commented disdainfully. Hillarie chimed in with a laugh from the other table. "I know, right?"

"You see? That's why you recognized her last night," Phinn pointed out.

Next, they moved on to Johanna's recordings from the historical society. The high school gumshoe paid particular attention to Stanley Gladden's behavior. Then, as an afterthought, he also studied the historical society director's granddaughter, Olive. His fleeting idea of an inside man or woman didn't hold up. No, he didn't think they had anything to do with the treasure map.

Eventually, they reached the moment when that petite blonde appeared with the treasure map before Sandy-Brown-Hair-With-Glasses snapped a close-up picture of it. Studying as if searching hieroglyphics, Phinn couldn't find clues in their rival or the people around him. However, on the third viewing, Johanna squealed before jerking the tablet from his hands. Immediately, she ran back to another recording and froze the frame.

This one focused on the rather petite young woman with fine blonde hair, a spray-on tan, and several splotches of cover-up makeup rather than the small rolled-up piece of canvas clutched in her hand.

"I knew it!"

"What?" Phinn inquired, not seeing what excited his classmate so much.

"I wondered who'd leave the house with such shitty splotches of cover-makeup. Do you really need to put on that much just for a zit or blemish? No, but you might if it's to hide a prominent mole," Johanna declared.

Moving closer toward the screen, Phinn mentally removed the cover-up makeup, the spray-on tan, and the blonde hair. He replaced the blonde hair with a more vibrant color. Sitting up straighter, he blinked in recognition.

"Holy shit."

"I told you last night that I knew her," Johanna reminded in an I-told-you-so voice.

"Mindy Moon is the girl who claimed she found the map," Phinn said aloud.

"I know! Wait... what do you mean by claimed?" Johanna queried.

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

Jake double-checked the message again as he turned off his car in Zapperoni's parking lot. Phineas wanted him to come inside because of Johanna. Although a little pissed at his friend by now, Jake shrugged as they had far more important things to discuss.

Entering the packed restaurant, Jake walked to the back room as instructed. While doing so, he nodded a hello at a gawking Crystal Baker. Immediately upon spotting him, Johanna jumped out of the booth. The popular athlete wasn't surprised by that sight but was slightly shocked to find Phinn eating pizza at the same table as Johanna and her cousin.

"Jake, Jake, wait until you see what I found!"

Johanna would've said more if Phinn hadn't jumped up to muffle her with his hand. Strangely, the wannabe influencer didn't punch or kick his partner. Instead, she nodded before mumbling a promise through his hand. Satisfied, Phinn removed his hand while gesturing for Jake to sit down.

"What did you learn?"

"Uh, are you sure--"

"Johanna and Hillarie have sworn not to blab about this until the case is closed," Phinn assured him. That Phinn believed the girls took Jake aback for a moment.

"Well, okay," Jake said, shrugging. "According to the four workers I talked to who were there for the book signing, there wasn't much interest."

"Not surprising at all," Phinn remarked.

"Uh, nobody recalls the exact numbers, but there were roughly six or seven people until the end, when more people trickled over. Wait, no, it might have been seven or eight. I forgot about the homeless guy who goes to all the events at Page & Reade."

"A regular doesn't matter," Phinn pointed out, but Jake didn't understand why not.

"Most of the others were senior citizens, besides a couple of younger audience members," Jake recounted.

"Let me guess: one male we know and one female?"

"No, two guys... but how did you know I was going to say the man was Sandy-Brown-Hair-With-Glasses?" Jake questioned.

"A calculated guess," Phinn replied, with Johanna nodding as if she knew as well.

"Um, okay. So, our rival treasure hunter stood out to the employees for asking most of the questions. His growing excitement during Cozart's Q&A at the end is what caused other shoppers to wander over," Jake relayed.

"He was helping rope them in," Johanna pointed out, almost giddy at knowing her point.

"Yeah, I guess so," Jake replied, glancing at Phinn with a curious expression.

"Was there anyone else there? With Cozart?" his partner inquired.

"Yeah, Cozart had an assistant with him. She was described as petite with short black hair," Jake recalled, not bothering to write it down for a reason.

"That's the only description?" Phinn asked as Johanna clapped once.

"Uh, wait, yeah, she had a mole too."

"On her face?" Phinn further surprised Jake.

"Yeah, uh, Thatch actually took a video of the signing. It was his first ever since he started working. I don't think he knew what to think," Jake said, bringing up the video on his phone.

"Just bring up the footage with the assistant if there is a clear image," Phinn directed.

Jake did before handing the phone to his best friend. He wondered what the hell was happening as Phinn shared it with Johanna, who looked ready to burst. Slowly turning his tablet to face Jake, Phinn nodded his assent.

"See anybody you know?" Johanna asked, nearly screaming.

Looking down, Jake saw two pictures side by side on the tablet's screen. One showed the petite, young blonde with a spray-on tan and several splotches of cover-up makeup, who had found the map at the historical society. The other featured Mindy Moon. Glancing back down at his phone, which Phinn held up, Jake's eyes ran back and forth between the two screens.

"Are you fucking serious?"

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

"I don't understand what's going on. Why are we coming back here? Are Mindy Moon and Sandy-Brown-Hair-With-Glasses working together?" Jake rattled off as they got out of his sedan.

"Pop the trunk," Phinn reminded, despite asking a few seconds ago.

"Right, right," Jake replied before questioning it. "Why?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm not going to explain while in the parking lot."

Walking to the car's rear, Jake watched as Phinn handed him a long, slim object that he pulled out of the trunk. He did a double-take.

"Your dad's metal detector?"

"Yes, and you get to carry it, strong guy," Phinn said, pulling his bag over his shoulder.

The sweet scent from the kiosks selling cotton candy and caramel popcorn mixed with the charred, smoky aroma of barbeques in the early evening. The combined smells irritated Phinn's nostrils while Jake's twitched with growing hunger. As they left the last of the parking lot, Jake mentioned grabbing a bite to eat.

"After we finish," Phinn replied. "You're not starving to death."

"I'm not the one who had lunch."

"I saved you a couple of slices," Phinn pointed out.

"A measly two! That's not enough to keep me going," Jake complained.

While a tapestry of colors met them again on the beach, the crowd had changed. More families and older adults replaced the younger crowd looking to sunbathe or play a volleyball match. Phinn hoped the change wouldn't bring any nosy onlookers once they started. He didn't expect their search to take long, but one never knew.

"Alright, we're headed to the spot where the skeleton was found," Phinn informed Jake. "Do you recall the exact location?"

"I think so," Jake responded, heading to their right. Almost at once, he halted. "Whoa! I don't think it will be an issue."

Phinn started to ask why until he noticed the small wooden cross sticking out of the sand. Shaking his head, the teen wondered who put it there and why. Still, he frowned, hoping it wouldn't complicate matters.

"Nobody better cause a stink when we pull it out."

"Uh, I don't think you're supposed to move a grave marker," Jake guessed.

"It's not a grave. It was a dumping ground," Phinn clarified.

Nobody gave the pair a second glance. Metal detectors were a fairly common sight on a beach. However, they were usually found in the early morning and in the hands of much older men. Once they reached the sand dune, Phinn noted with satisfaction that no one seemed interested in sitting close to where the skeleton had been found.

"Okay, let's not take forever. I bet the Rattigans are already freaking out," Phinn noted, putting the headphones around his neck.

"Shit. I forgot about them," Jake admitted, casually scanning the beach. "I don't see them yet, but this should pique their interest."

"Hopefully, not enough to rush over because they think we're looking for the treasure chest," Phinn added, pulling out the cross and tossing it aside.

"What are we looking for?"

"Wait and see," Phinn said, moving the headphones up to cover his ears.

Somewhat annoyed by Phinn's secrecy, Jake also understood that he was paying for his night with Regina. Gladly accepting the tradeoff, he watched his partner slowly move the detector over the sand dune. Gradually, Phinn climbed a slightly smaller pile of sand that the diver had laid against.

Nearly ten minutes passed, with Jake growing bored. He finally spotted Garth Rattigan eating a big piece of cotton candy before finding Floyd about fifteen feet away from his brother. Both watched Phinn intently.

Suddenly, Phinn gave a small cry. Pulling off the headphones, he motioned for Jake to come over.

"Okay, dig right there."

"Dig? With what?"

"Your hands. We can't risk missing it," Phinn explained. "It shouldn't be too far down."

"What is it? And I'm not digging in the sand with my hands. Never again," Jake vowed.

"Oh, come on. It's been almost ten years."

"Nine," Jake stated.

"Just because you dug up a dead bird in Dusty's sandbox when we were nine doesn't mean you're going to do so again," Phinn reassured.

"I'm not taking that risk."

"Do it, and I'll stop punishing you for Regina," Phinn offered. "Or do you want me to ask the Rattigans for help?"

A short staredown commenced before Jake gave in.

"Fine, but only if you tell me what I'm searching for," Jake insisted.

"We're looking for the bullet."

"What bullet?"

"The one that shot the skeleton," Phinn revealed.

"B-But that could've been here for like a hundred and fifty years!" Jake exclaimed.

"We're not looking for what killed the diver, only for the bullet someone shot into the diving suit several days ago when they dumped it here," Phinn explained. "Bert gave me a copy of Dr. Earby's report. The bullet wound in the skeleton was made very recently. It shattered a small portion of the bone."

"What? Why?"

"Dig away, and I'll tell you," Phinn said, waving his hand.

However, while Jake dug for the next fifteen minutes, Phinn didn't live up to his end of the bargain. Rather, he encouraged Jake not to give up while also providing commentary about the Rattigan brothers' increasing agitation.

"I... I got something!" Jake announced after his fingers grazed a piece of metal. Pulling his arm out, he opened his hand to reveal a mostly intact bullet on his palm.

"Excellent. Let's move," Phinn directed, heading away from their watchers. He told his partner they'd act as if they planned to search another spot with the metal detector before taking the long route to his car.

Once they had performed their fakeout in a location that allowed them to access the parking lot quickly, Phinn answered one of Jake's burning questions as they walked to the sedan.

"I suspect Cozart fired the shot. He could've delegated the job, but I don't think so. Why take the risk of allowing someone else to screw up your scam."

"Scam? What scam?" Jake questioned.

"This whole fake mystery, Jake. Don't you get it? We're dealing with an elaborate con of some sort."