The Case of the Phantom Diver

"Real treasure!" Luke exclaimed, taking the offered dirty gold doubloon from Jake.

The stocky detective turned to pick up the second doubloon that had fallen out of the fleeing car. However, while he bent over, another person barreled into him. The impact sent Jake and the other man to the asphalt parking lot. A third man rushed over to pick up the doubloon.

"I'm rich, bitch!" he proclaimed before a fourth man attempted to snatch the doubloon from his raised hand.

"Give me that!"

"No, it's mine. Fair and square!"

Somebody threw a punch, but the man with the doubloon held on and counterpunched.

More people arrived. Some merely wanted to see the discovery, while others claimed it wasn't real. Jake got back on his feet. As he did, he shoved the guy who'd knocked him over back onto the paved ground.

"Asshole," the blond athlete muttered before turning his attention to the continued scuffle over the possible pirate treasure. He quickly pulled the one attempted thief off the man who had possession. "Hey, I had that first."

"Fuck off, kid. You never had it," a scar-faced man responded. He nodded to his friend with stringy hair as they circled the man who'd recovered the doubloon.

Sensing the attack coming, the man attempted to run. Only he wasn't fast enough and ended up tackled to the pavement. Stringy Hair grabbed and held his arm while Scarface attempted to pry his fingers open.

Although Jake wasn't happy with any of the fighting men, he didn't like to see a two-on-one attack. So he rushed over to yank Stringy Hair off the screaming man. Scarface saw Jake's next move coming and threw a punch that landed on the teen's chest. Although the blow stung, Jake continued to move closer to Scarface. The older man tried to slide his hand into his pocket but halted when the guy with the doubloon kicked his shin.

"Hold on. Magnum's friend has one too!" a wheezy voice shouted.

Whipping around, Jake found Wheezy Norris pointing at Luke. A jack-of-all-trades, the chain smoker was a regular down at the docks and the marina, where he searched for a day or two of work. The man nicknamed Wheezy also happened to be a friend of Edgar Fowle, so he'd been around when the junior sleuths crossed paths with the surly fishing captain.

"Don't even think about it," Luke warned, as the three men took heed of Wheezy's revelation to start towards the teen. Although an accomplished football player, Luke played wide receiver, so he was more lanky than stocky like Jake. That meant he didn't cut as an imposing figure as his friend. Unlike the other man, Luke knew enough to slide the doubloon into his pocket so he'd have both hands free for whatever fight the guys wanted to bring his way.

Jake planned to help out Luke until he heard the slight but unmistakable sound of a switchblade knife popping open. Turning around again, he found Scarface holding the knife menacingly in front of the man, clutching the doubloon.

"Give it to me, or I'm gonna cut you."

Back on the pavement again, the guy holding the piece of treasure gulped and nodded. Jake searched for anything nearby that could be used as a weapon, as he suspected the man would hand it over at any moment.

Suddenly, a police siren wailed once as a squad car pulled into the marina's parking lot. Several of the rough men halted in their tracks. Two shouted about the cops' arrival. Wheezy claimed he'd never been here before quietly slipping away. Jake noticed Scarface hadn't dropped or closed the switchblade. The threatening man thought long and hard about his next move before he relented and closed his knife.

"Don't worry, boys. I bet there's plenty more gold out there," Scarface announced.

"But how can we find it?" Stringy Hair asked.

"The historical society has a map!" another man recalled.

"Yeah! Let's go get it!"

Scarface shared a look with Stringy Hair before shooting Jake a brief glare as a police officer exited his vehicle. Both ruffians hurriedly moved away before they could be accused of any crime. The officer paused to glance at them. However, he decided to head toward the larger crowd.

"Alright. What seems to be the problem?" Officer Luecke questioned.

"He attacked me!" the first man to barrel into Jake accused while pointing at the teen.

"You knocked him over first," Luke pointed out.

"But he shoved me."

"I only used you as leverage to stand back up," Jake countered, causing his accuser to frown as a few of the remaining people backed Jake's side of the story.

"Th-Then, that man stole my gold...Hey!" Jake's accuser shifted to point at the man who'd grabbed the doubloon off the ground. However, with his attackers gone and another police car pulling into the parking lot, he'd taken off.

"Gold? What's going on, Magnum? Is this part of that dumb pirate story?" Officer Luecke inquired.

"Honestly, I can't say for sure, but I think so," Jake admitted. "Maybe that woman...Hey! Where did the small blonde go?"

"She was here a minute ago," one of the remaining bystanders said. Others around him agreed.

"I think she went that way," somebody said, pointing to the far end of the parking lot. "Or did she head back toward the boats?"

"She must have slipped away when the fight broke out," Luke realized.

"Everything okay, Tom?" Officer Campen asked, walking over.

"I'm still not sure what happened," Officer Leucke admitted.

"Great. One of the brats is here. Okay, spill, Magnum," Officer Campen ordered. "What did you start now?"

"We didn't start anything," the teen detective replied, throwing his hands up.

Then, Jake gave a brief rundown of what he knew. He mentioned that he'd been walking over to pick up Luke from his parents' boat when his friend had been nearly knocked over by a young man rushing away. The man had been carrying a heavy-looking duffle bag while a blonde running behind him had been screaming that he found part of the treasure. Jake also explained how the young man ran to a car where an older man waited. He additionally revealed how the older man's bag appeared to split, causing a pair of gold doubloons to roll out of the back seat.

"Show them what we picked up," Jake told Luke, who pulled it out of his pocket to reveal the dirty Spanish doubloon. "I believe the blonde also had one in her hand."

"That's right, she did!" one of the bystanders recalled.

Jake directed the two policemen to ask the others what happened before he arrived. Only two of the people left had been behind the marina's gate when the commotion began. They both remembered hearing several loud screams before seeing the blonde holding up her piece of the treasure while pointing at the young man as he ran down the dock. They didn't know how he found what he seemed to have.

"I can probably help there," Jake interrupted. "He was the same man who managed to snap a picture of the map after it had been found at the historical society yesterday."

"He was?" Luke responded as the rest of the group started to murmur in the background.

"You might also remember him from when we found the skeleton at the beach. He was the brown-haired guy who kept on asking loud questions," Jake reminded his friend.

Campen and Leucke shared a look.

"So, you're saying this might tie into the dead body found at the beach?" Officer Campen questioned.

"It might," Jake acknowledged. "Oh, you might want to send somebody to the historical society. Those guys who ran away said they were headed there to grab the treasure map."

"Shit," Officer Luecke swore before walking a few steps away to activate the radio on his chest.

"Why does it always have to be one of you," Officer Campen muttered, shaking his head at Jake.

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"We now take you to Hollie Kittler, who's on the scene in Edgewater," the Channel 9 anchorman announced.

"Thanks, Greg," the mid-twentysomething blonde responded. Her piercing gray eyes flashed with excitement and frenetic energy. Despite the crazy scene behind her, Hollie continued to look immaculate in her royal blue blouse and tan pencil skirt. "I'm outside the Kelpie County Historical Society, where a large crowd of citizens have assembled. They're here to demand the release of the map supposedly found yesterday that points to the possible location of pirate treasure. As my exclusive interview the other night with Oswald Cozart, an expert on lost treasures, showed, it's believed that Thornbeard, a notorious pirate from the 18th century, may have died, and his treasure-laden ship sunk somewhere off the coast of Edgewater."

While Hollie spoke, the camera cut away to show recorded videos of her interview with Cozart and images of the possible treasures from his book. Next, the screen switched to a live shot of the crowd outside the historical society.

"As you can see, the crowd has become unruly again. Initially, they calmed down after additional police officers arrived. However, shouts about releasing copies of the treasure map have increased their impatience. There are even more sensational claims that the local government is conducting a cover-up," Hollie explained before the screen cut away to new footage. "Today's unrest was sparked by the extraordinary scene that took place down at the city's marina just a few short hours ago. In this video, you can see a young man fleeing a group with what appears to be a bag filled with gold Spanish doubloons."

"This has to be footage from the blonde's cell phone," Jake announced. "She was running after the guy. Yep, there's Luke, and he almost falls in the water."

The stocky detective stood with Phinn inside the latter sleuth's living room. After finishing telling his side of the story to the police, Jake dropped Luke off at his home before rushing to find Phineas. Surprisingly, his partner wasn't upset with him for failing to call, nor had he been busy following up on a lead. No, the concussed teen had slept the day away, much to his mother's delight.

The first thing Phinn did while listening to Jake's story about the marina was to study the doubloon. He'd attempted to clean off some of the grim and dirt before startling Jake when he took a sharp knife to it. The brainy detective quickly calmed his nervous friend by explaining that he wanted to test the coin to make sure it wasn't fake. However, it turned out to be pure gold, not lead, covered with a brass coating, as he suspected. He proclaimed it an authentic Spanish doubloon but also stated they had no proof that it actually came from a ship associated with Thornbeard.

"Tips have flooded into our newsroom. First, it appears as if the young man in this video is the same one who reportedly discovered the map at the historical society yesterday," Hollie revealed while the same video replayed. Then, it shifted to a still image from a video. A lighter shade oval highlighted a specific person. "Second, we've been informed that this teenager seen here is Jake Magnum, a popular athlete and self-proclaimed amateur detective."

"Self-proclaimed? Oh, Hollie," Jake moaned, sensing his fantasy night with the sexy reporter had gone down in flames.

"Eyewitnesses report that the teen, viewed as a meddling nuisance by local police, engaged in a fistfight with several men who'd found a few of the dropped doubloons." The screen cut away from the zoomed-in picture of Jake to an image of a gold doubloon. "His unprovoked attack resulted in Mr. Magnum acquiring one of the treasure pieces. However, the police appear to have allowed the meddling youngster to keep the purloined treasure."

"Unprovoked? Purloined? The hell?"

Phinn patted his friend's arm in consolation for his dashed dream date. The news report continued as it switched to show interviews Hollie conducted with some of the alleged eyewitnesses. Jake swore he'd never seen two of the so-called witnesses. Eventually, it returned to the studio, where she shared some quick banter with the anchor.

"Wait, that wasn't my doubloon," Jake realized after snapping out of his disappointment. "And I doubt that one guy talked to any reporters. It has to be the blonde girl's one. I wonder how Hollie found her. She was smart to get the hell out of there. Those guys turned vicious fairly quick. "

"Gold fever," Phinn stated. "Expect to see it increase in size and intensity."

"Shit. I might need to call up a few of the guys on the team to be our bodyguards," Jake half-joked with a concerned expression. A plate clanked loudly in the kitchen after his remark.

"Well, it might end up being a day late, but I suspect my speculation will come true shortly. Stan Gladden is going to have to release a copy of the map to the media. If he doesn't, forget about another nighttime burglary. That mob outside his precious building will storm inside, no matter how many cops are there," Phinn said, assuming his mother listened to their every word.

"I wouldn't be shocked if they did. You should've seen the madness down at the marina. People started to rush to take their boats out. I have no idea where they planned to go. They didn't have a map. Some were shouting to each other about where they last saw Sandy-Brown-Hair-With-Glasses. But nobody could recall what boat he'd been on. It was so stupid," Jake relayed.

"Expect people to get dumber and more desperate once the map is released. Every wannabe fortune hunter will be out on the bay or ocean tomorrow. I bet the marina will be empty as everyone will want to take their chance at striking it rich," Phinn speculated. "The police might catch a break, but the coast guard will be up to their necks with problems out in the bay."

"You better not even think of being one of them, Phineas," Pamela warned, yelling from her eavesdropping spot in the kitchen.

"Mom, I'm not going out onto the ocean. You know I don't like it out there," Phinn shot back.

"You better not. It's going to be dangerous," his mother pointed out. "And don't even go near the marina. Look how Jake was attacked."

"Yeah, yeah," Phinn said, motioning for Jake to follow him upstairs. Once in his bedroom with the door closed for privacy, he issued an order. "Okay, you need to borrow a boat and go out there tomorrow."

"What? I thought you just said--"

"I'm not going with you. I want to follow up on some leads on land."

"I'm not sure that I want to go diving for--"

"I didn't ask you to dive for the treasure. I merely want you out there to observe what happens. See if anyone gets lucky and finds more. Also, keep track of who you see. I still think we know Red and Blue Mask," Phinn listed, picking up his phone. Finally, he saw Jake's messages, which he had missed while asleep. "Wait, the Trans Am followed you today?"

"Oh, right! I didn't notice it following us until after we left the Tarrs. I assume they must have followed me from my house. I think two people were inside, and they followed me down to Portside. Luke took my car from there to the marina while I walked over to Market Square. I forgot to ask him if they followed him there," Jake realized.

"Curious," Phinn said, deep in thought over who it might be.

"Uh, I don't know how I can borrow a boat for tomorrow. Didn't you say that you expected everyone to take theirs out in search of treasure? Not to mention, I don't know how to drive one."

"You have a simple solution right before you. Ask Luke. We know his family has a boat, if not two. Haven't you already been out on them before? Besides, Luke's already involved now. I'm sure the possibility of finding more gold might interest him," Phinn suggested.

"Yeah, well, you see, I ran into Trina while buying new swim trunks, and we sorta made up. It sounds like her new roommate for next year is coming into town tonight, and I thought I could offer to show them around Edgewater tomorrow. Kinda make up for the other night," Jake admitted.

"That's perfect!" Phinn announced, way more cheerful than usual.

"It is?"

"Sure. The forecast for tomorrow is sunny and hot. What better way to spend the day than keeping cool with a swim while the girls get a tan? You and Luke can have another double date. Only this time, don't get so distracted that you don't watch what's happening," Phinn pointed out, causing Jake to look guilty over the other night.

"Hmm, Luke might be interested. Let me send him a message before I talk to Trina," Jake said. "So, you just want me to observe, nothing more, right?"

"Correct. Now, how did your trip to the Tarrs go? Did you get permission to view their family papers?"

Jake added as much detail as he could remember about his meeting with Jace and Regina Tarr. Phinn was particularly interested in Jake and Luke's observations about the Tarr siblings seemingly putting on an act. He found that highly suspicious and admitted that he wished he'd been there in person to witness it. Phinn's comment about possibly not picking up the clues on the phone rather than in person relieved Jake over his failure to call before their meeting.

"Regina said their mansion and the family archive was broken into?"

"I don't think it's set up as an actual archive. It sounded more like a special office," Jake clarified.

"Yes, I presumed as much. I merely called it an archive for expediency's sake," Phinn stated, causing Jake to roll his eyes at his friend's defensive language. "She said several months ago, not specifically when this break-in occurred?"

"No, it was a very hush-hush moment on the porch. Regina said that Jace was the only family member in town around that time and felt he had let his family down," Jake recounted.

"Intriguing. I've wondered why someone would put the skeleton on the beach. Clearly, a person had to do so. No, don't even say the diver is a ghost, Jake. Don't," Phinn warned, seeing the remark coming from a mile away. "Now, the timeline may have shifted. If the burglar sought information on Jason Tarr's possible expedition, it's probable that they haven't had any luck up to now. The skeleton might have been placed on the beach either to spur action or draw out a competitor."

"Wait; what? You think there might be two people or groups searching for the treasure before the diver appeared on the beach," Jake responded.

"I'd point to the evidence that shows we are clearly being followed by one group in the Trans Am. Are they also Red and Blue Masks, or my assailant from Bentworth? I strongly believe I was not hit from behind by the same burglars from the historical society," Phinn declared.

Jake picked up his phone after it started to buzz.

"Luke's willing to take his family's boat out. Andre is with him right now and wants to come with us tomorrow. Now, I just need to see if Trina is interested," Jake said, typing another message.

"Ah, the more the merrier," Phinn replied, already planning his day. He planned to make up for lost time today and knew who to call.

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

"No, we're still waiting even to park. We might have to drive further down and park on the street," Jake said into the phone the following morning. "It's absolutely crazy down here."

"I thought it would be," Phinn said, standing in the historical society's parking lot. "It's practically a ghost town over here. I assumed as much. Once Gladden released the map to the media last night, nobody cared about breaking in to find it."

"What time is Prof. Pettit meeting you there?" Jake double-checked about the folklore expert who'd helped them on past cases.

"Ten. So, she should be here any minute. If I discover anything, I'll send you a message. You might be able to see it once you're in range of a tower again."

"Okay, I think we found room for two cars," Jake relayed. "It'll take us some time to walk back. We're lucky that Luke's parents dock both their boats at the marina. The line to use the boat landing stretches for blocks. Luke should have their boat ready to go once we get back there. Hopefully, there isn't a line to leave the marina or the bay."