"Hold on a minute," Phinn said, pulling out his phone.
Jake nodded while he turned his car off. The blond athlete blinked his eyes while fighting off a yawn. After a short night of sleep, the two detectives arrived at the public library's main branch just shy of its 9 a.m. opening. Following Phinn's lead, Jake picked up his phone. Unlike his friend, who made a phone call, Jake sent off a message.
"Hi, I'd like to reserve a copy of Oswald Cozart's
X Never Marks the Spot: Lost Treasures of American History
," Phinn said into the phone. After providing his name, he informed the sales clerk that he'd pick up the book in a few hours.
"I'm surprised you didn't message Ethan to save you a copy," Jake noted once his passenger hung up. One of their few classmates Phinn might consider a friend, Ethan Eldred worked at his grandfather's new and used bookstore.
"I did, but Novel Nebula doesn't carry Cozart's book."
"But wasn't he in town for a book signing?" Jake questioned, aware that authors usually preferred to hold their events at the prominent, half-century-old store.
"He is. However, he skipped Nebula and went with Page & Reade," Phinn revealed, referring to the national chain of booksellers, which had a store out by the highway. Then, opening the car door, he added, "Mildly surprising. We can pick it up after our first two stops. I assume they'll swiftly sell their copies out after the news interview. Who were you messaging?"
"Trina," Jake responded with a glum look.
"She still upset?" Phinn inquired, opening the passenger door.
"She hasn't replied to either of my messages this morning," Jake relayed. "It's not surprising after she jumped out of the car at Michelle's."
"You might need to make an actual phone call to her," Phinn suggested after Jake came around the sedan's rear.
"I might have to show up in person," Jake admitted before changing the subject. "I thought more people would be here already."
"I didn't. As I said, the historical society has most of the information on maritime history around Edgewater. The break-in last night will also drive people to check it out. A line will be at the door when they open in an hour."
"Yeah, every news station came down to report on the break-in this morning. Are you sure those two guys are brothers?" Jake questioned as they reached the library's main doors.
"Red Mask complained about his dumbass brother. I'd say it's safe to assume so for now. Something about them felt familiar, too."
"They're locals? That might not be helpful. We have crossed paths with a few criminal families over the years."
"And helped put a few behind bars," Phinn noted, producing his most charming smile as they approached the library's main desk.
Behind the desk, a thirty-year-old woman they knew well returned the broad smile. Immediately, she lowered her glasses to the bridge of her nose before offering a professional greeting.
"Good morning, and welcome to the Tobias Dillingday Memorial Library. How may I help you on this hot, steamy day? Are you little kids working on a summer school project?"
The Tobias G. Dillingday Memorial Library sat in the middle of the lazily named Library Park, located south of the Old Downtown, which was west of the Harbor District. Constructed in 1899, it was named after the son of a mayor and prominent businessman who died tragically at a young age. No expense had been spared in creating a grand library to usher in a new century. Designed in the Neoclassical style by Hartley Astell, a famous architect, it had once stood watch over one of Edgewater's finest neighborhoods. The several blocks around the park still held an attractive charm. However, its large, elegant homes have been subdivided into apartments and condominiums, catering to young professionals and recent college graduates.
The second floor of the three-story building featured a vast opening in the center, which overlooked the ground level. The central branch of the Edgewater Public Library system, Dillingday Library, also held the multi-library system's primary depository in its basement. The two high school gumshoes came for those archives and special collections.
"You forgot Toby's middle initial," Phinn pointed out. However, the woman ignored him.
"Little kids? School project?" Jake mumbled, holding up his hands in minor annoyance.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Ma'am? Can you hear me, ma'am?" Phinn inquired, his voice rising with each question. He fully violated the library whispering rule when he snapped his fingers while practically shouting. "Ma'am, isn't your hearing aid working today? Jake, it looks like we'll need to find a younger librarian to assist us. This one is ready for the nursing home."
"Oh, you little shit!" Zelda hissed, leaning forward to smack Phinn's cheek playfully.
Since she arrived six years ago, Zelda Imhoff, the recently appointed assistant head librarian, often provided plenty of assistance to the young crime solvers. A quirky, sassy woman, Zelda stood out with her long, slightly curled, dark red hair, green eyes, a rotating assortment of colorful-rimmed eyeglasses, and a nice pair of medium-to-large breasts.
"Called me shocked! Well, I'm not as I expected to see you two meddlers today. However, I am surprised you came here first. I thought you'd be over at the historical society with your magnifying glasses and fingerprint powder. You did hear about the break-in last night, right? The police and sheriff departments both responded to the call."
"We may have seen something on the morning news," Phinn replied, curious to see what one of the town's most prolific gossipers knew.
"You know how I stop in at Cuppa Café every morning for my croissant and coffee." Phinn nodded as he'd known Zelda's routine for years. "Well, it was abuzz about the break-in and that author mentioning a lost pirate treasure."
"Pirate treasure? What pirate treasure? Do we know anything about a pirate treasure, Jake?" Phinn queried, turning to face his friend. Jake fidgeted nervously at the topic.
"Don't think I won't grab my ruler and spank you," Zelda threatened with a twinkle in her eyes, which surprised Jake.
"I think Jake prefers to issue the spankings," Phinn retorted.
"I bet he does," Zelda purred, scanning the football player hungrily.
The whole exchange bewildered the athletic detective.
"What's the rumor mill saying?" Phineas inquired. "Wait, let me guess. It was either Officer Flanner or Deputy Dowse showing off."
"It was Randy Flanner! How on Earth did you know that?"
"Clearly, he's trying to impress sexy librarians. Dowse wants to be taken seriously. Flanner likes to hit on attractive women. Has he hinted at a date yet?"
"Eww! You know I don't mix library business with the police. Not anymore. No after he-who-shall-not-be-named," the bookish redhead insisted. "That was a mess."
"Yes, it was," the bespectacled teen agreed. "And what did Flanner brag about?"
Zelda launched into recounting what she'd heard at the local coffee house. A slow night around Edgewater led multiple police and sheriff's department vehicles to swarm the historical society. Inside, they discovered a cut alarm, a shattered display, and several other dented or banged artifacts. Even more surprising was what they found after studying the security footage.
"Two pairs of burglars, and they fought?" Phineas let out a low whistle. "That sounds like some night. Did they manage to steal anything?"
"Stan Gladden doesn't think so. Or at least the police don't believe the second pair of burglars had the time. The first person seemed more professional and knew the security layout better."
"Did you hear that, Jake? The first burglar acted like a professional," Phinn repeated, turning to face his partner.
"Nothing to be proud about."
"Any leads?" Phinn inquired, ignoring his friend's glare.
"Detective McCall thinks they're likely fortune hunters who saw the interview last night and decided to poke around," Zelda relayed, referring to the robbery detective. "A few officers speculated they might be out-of-town members of an organized crime ring who are feuding with each other. The skeleton diver fits into this theory as one of their syndicate's drug smugglers. "
"Out-of-town crooks? How predictable! Watch; their next guess will be drifters riding the rails while looking to score a quick buck," Phinn mocked, shaking his head over the old trope. "Drug smuggling is one of the more moronic theories of the EPD of late. Heroin and cocaine weren't even illegal when that diving suit was in use."
"Ooh! Tell me more. What's your theory? Don't deny you have one. I know Big Jake here was on the scene when the Hayslip girl found the body," the nosy librarian revealed.
"We only have preliminary observations, which aren't enough for a theory. I hope what we learn today at the library or historical society will help develop a theory," Phinn explained, causing the redhead to frown.
"I'm willing to assist as always. However, I know Stan Gladden doesn't care for the two of you on a normal day. And this morning is about as abnormal a day can get for him," Zelda observed. "Break-ins at the historical society don't happen."
"I bet Gladden is all flustered."
"Sounds like he is, and it's not unexpected. Still, Stan's insisting the historical society will open today. They've only pushed it back until noon," the redhead reported.
"Now that we didn't know," Phinn truthfully admitted.
"Good thing we decided to come here first since we didn't know," Jake said, struggling to sell his lie.
"So you boys are--my apologies. I mean, you fine young men are looking to discover lost treasure," Zelda began, stressing the word fine. "I hope you're up for scuba diving. Let me know, as I'd love to see a pair of grown men in wet suits."
While Zelda used her hand to fan her face, Jake glanced out of the corner of his eye at Phineas. Far less experienced with women, the intelligent eighteen-year-old didn't appear to react to Zelda's behavior. He didn't understand what was happening and wondered how Phinn seemed oblivious to the librarian's mood shift today.
"Not in Phinn's case. He won't go near the ocean. He's afraid of it," Jake revealed.
"Oh, my! I didn't know you that," Zelda responded with a shocked expression.
"I am not aquaphobic! I merely don't see how it's safe to swim in the ocean. If I want to swim, a pool is just fine."
