Chapter 14: The Neighborhood Boss

CLANG

Phinn kicked the bottom of the shed’s side for a final time. Despite feeling loose, the corrugated metal didn’t budge enough for a quick escape. Kicking or pushing the section far enough to slip through a space required more strength and time than Phinn had. Cursing, the trapped teen returned to the shed’s door.

Suddenly, he heard his name called faintly.

“In here! I’m in here!” Phinn yelled, kicking and slamming the door with his palm.

“I found him!” a voice called from near the door before redirecting to Phinn. “Don’t worry. We have a bolt cutter coming. Boy, we’re going to need it, too.”

“Can’t you pick a lock?” the frequent lockpicker asked.

“How would I know how to do that? It’s a padlock with a number dial,” Piper Alessi challenged. “Alright, let’s see if this works.”

Phinn rocked back and forth impatiently as the people outside the shed attempted to cut the padlock off. Finally, he heard the feisty gymnast order the other person to give the bolt cutter to her. Roughly a minute later, Piper managed to cut the lock. Once the door got unlatched, Phinn burst out of the shed.

“Bandit! Come here, buddy! Bandit!” the upset teen screamed, searching the backyard wildly. Consumed with the bulldog’s safety, Phinn barely flinched at finding the wrong LeClaire sister with Piper. “We need to find Bandit. Todd and Shane might hurt him.”

“Relax. Allie heard him barking by the park when we came outside,” Abigail reported about her younger sister. “She went that way while I went to find Dad’s bolt cutters.”

“The park?!” Phinn responded. Immediately, he rushed out of the empty home’s yard and past the For Sale sign. Part of his brain recognized the reason for the bullies’ choice of a trap, but the junior detective would deal with that later. First, he needed to check on Bandit. “Piper, grab that plastic bag. My walkie-talkie is in it! Tell Corky what's happening, and see if Jake’s back!”

“Who?”

“Brooke’s little cousin!”

“Oh, right!”

Cutting across the front yard between the empty house and the LeClaire home on the corner, Phinn got forced onto the sidewalk by the side fence. With Piper chasing after him, Abby called out that she’d drop off her father’s tool before following.

Still yelling the Magnums’ dog’s name, Phinn heard his name and a bark simultaneously from the northern end of Monroe Park. With adrenaline pumping, the desperate detective ran onto the grassy field west of the park’s tree grove. Squinting in the moonlight, Phinn spotted Allison LeClaire standing near the old merry-go-around. A piece of the park equipment that Phinn’s secret public relations campaign saved from removal a half-decade ago, Bandit stood in front of the children’s ride. Unable to climb onto the merry-go-round, the small dog hopped around it while barking at an uneasy Toby. The Haldorns’ pitbull didn’t look as vicious now, as he sat in the middle of the park ride.

“Bandit, you’re safe!”

Turning away from his enemy, the bulldog wagged his whole body in anticipation of Phinn coming over to scoop him up into his arms. Kissing the dog’s head, the relieved sleuth told the dog how proud he was of him.

“You caught Toby. Great work, detective doggie.”

Allie giggled as Bandit licked Phinn’s cheek before turning to warn the pitbull with another bark. After his longtime classmate asked what happened, Phinn gave a brief rundown of Todd and Shane’s trap. Halfway through the recounting, Piper reached them.

“Brooke’s cousin is freaking out,” the light auburn-haired gymnast relayed, handing over the walkie-talkie.

“Corky, we got set up. The short guy turned out to be Todd, which meant Shane was the one who followed me. They trapped me in a shed a couple of houses down from the LeClaires. Have you heard from Jake yet?”

“No! He hasn’t reported in since we lost contact. Jake, what’s going on? Jake?” the concerned twelve-year-old radioed.

“Is Jake in trouble?” Allie inquired.

“Maybe. He also might be unable to talk without revealing his location to somebody,” Phinn explained.

“Just message him,” Piper suggested.

“Can’t. Somebody stole his phone yesterday. But Jake knows how to handle himself,” Phinn stated. “Let’s deal with Toby and his owner first.”

After placing Bandit back on the ground, Phinn turned in a slow circle while screaming.

“Hey, Todd, you better come get Toby!” After waiting fifteen seconds, he called out again. “Don’t worry about looking like a pussy in front of Shane! Your dog matters more! Todd! Todd Haldorn, come out and play!”

Abby arrived as Phinn finished his attempt to coax one of the two guys out with no luck. Thrilled to see more of his siblings’ friends, Bandit skipped around the coed’s legs happily. Libby’s friend inquired about Jake’s whereabouts, but Phinn shushed her.

“Come on, Todd! I’m either going to leave Toby by himself or call the cops on him! You don’t want either option! He might get hurt!”

“Farris! How could you?” Piper hissed.

“I wouldn’t do that. I’m not Todd,” the teen detective shot back softly. “It’s an empty threat, but he doesn’t know that. I might dislike Haldorn and Grogan, but I wouldn’t take it out on Toby.”

Several minutes passed with no word or appearance from Toby’s owner. During the wait, Piper managed to calm the pitbull down by sitting on the edge of the merry-go-round and speaking softly to him. Throwing his hands out, Phinn cursed his and Allie’s grade school classmate.

“Asshole. Doesn’t he care about his dog? Well, Toby needs to get home, and it’s too dangerous to assume he can do so by himself. It might only be a couple of blocks, but I don't want him to get hit by a car,” Phinn admitted.

“Where’s Jake?” Abby asked again, checking her phone.

“Hey, give me your belt,” Piper said to her best friend. When Allie questioned why, her fellow gymnast pointed to Toby.

Phinn watched in approval as Piper looped the belt around Toby’s collar before she buckled it. The makeshift leash should work for the short walk to Todd’s house. After assuring everyone that she could handle it on her own, Phinn asked Corky about Jake’s last known location.

“I think in the alley behind the Derkle or Watts houses.”

“Alright, Bandie, let’s check on your owner. Find Jakey!” Phinn directed, using the leash to pull the dog away from where he watched Piper and Toby warily.

Walking ahead of the young women, Phinn let Allie fill her sister in about what had happened. Shaking her head, Abby made a few comments about reckless teenage boys that Phinn ignored.

A false alarm occurred when Bandit perked up and hurried forward. However, Allie’s giggles turned into laughter when Bandit’s pee pit-stop added a pooping to the agenda. Yet, only forty feet away from the tree, Bandit began to pull against his leash while sniffing the ground excitedly.

Rushing ahead, Allie screamed.

“Jake!” Abby exclaimed, running over to join her sister.

Bandit reached his owner before Phinn. They found the stocky detective curled onto his side, moaning and groaning. His partner quickly appraised his best friend’s condition, noticing his bloody lip and the already forming bruise beneath his torn shirt.

“We found him, Corky, and he’s hurt,” Phinn reported, knowing Jake’s protégé needed an update. Moving forward, he knelt to check on his friend. “What happened?”

“Masked Creep. Came out of nowhere,” Jake revealed, groaning as he turned onto his back. Immediately, Bandit jumped onto his chest and started to lick his big brother’s face. “Okay, okay, knock it off, buddy.”

“The Masked Creep?” Phinn repeated, rocking back slightly.

“Who?” Abby questioned.

“Wasn’t the same one that followed you. Guy from last night. Huge,” Jake revealed.

“No, Shane followed me, and I followed Todd. They set us up,” Phinn replied before explaining what happened after they lost contact with Jake. “But…that other guy can’t be working with them.”

“Um, I found your walkie-talkie,” Allie announced, holding up the crushed device.

Able to sit up, Jake added more details about the attack.

“He came out of nowhere from behind me. I guess that’s the sound I heard, but he had a bat or bar that he clubbed me with. Right into my side. No clue as to his identity. Only saw that Sonny Snyder mask.”

“Could it have been Rick? I mean, if Shane and Todd are involved,” Allie pointed out.

“No way. This guy is huge,” Phinn replied first.

“And Rick can’t punch like this guy. Or pick me up to toss across the alley,” Jake added, struggling to stand up while wincing in pain.

“We'd better get you home,” Abby said, moving in close to help her friend’s brother.

Phinn shook his head at his partner’s expression. Jake suddenly acted as if he’d received the ultimate painkiller in his oldest crush’s touch. Beaming, the injured athlete accepted help from both LeClaire sisters.

Walking ahead with Bandit, Phinn easily guessed the fantasy running through his best friend’s mind at the moment. After traversing the alley, they paused at the Magnums’ back gate to check if Jake’s parents might still be up. Satisfied, they snuck through his backyard before entering Phinn’s home.

After the sisters helped Jake to the couch, Phinn brought out several plastic bags filled with ice for him to place where needed. Once situated, Jake talked to Corky for a few minutes over the walkie-talkie to reassure him that the damage wasn't life-threatening. The young fan’s excited voice could be heard when Jake revealed that the real Masked Creep had attacked him.

A series of bangs on the front door caused Jake to sit up in alarm before Allie calmed him down. Assuming it to be Piper, the younger blonde sister unlocked the door. However, her best friend didn’t push her way inside. No, the intruder happened to be one of the few people that Jake feared in his life: his older sister.

“Crap. Who called her?” Jake muttered, glaring at Phinn.

“I did. She needed to know,” Abby revealed, causing Jake’s expression to soften.

“What fuck did you two do now?” Liberty Magnum screamed, storming over to stand in front of her brother.

Dolled up in a tight minidress, the dirty blonde glared at her brother with one hand on her hip. The other hand slowly swung her purse back and forth in a steady motion. Both detectives knew from previous experiences that the purse had been cocked and set to fire at the slightest provocation.

“What are you wearing?” Jake questioned, staring at the red minidress. Despite the pain in his neck, he leaned toward the side to notice that the dress barely covered her butt. “You shouldn’t be wearing that out. Does Dad know?”

“Don’t even start with me about what Mom and Dad know! I was out on a date before my dumbass brother and his felonious best friend ruined it!” Libby screamed.

“I’ve never been charged with a felony yet.”

“Shut up, Phineas!”

Only Bandit’s excited bark kept Libby from beating Jake and Phinn to a bloody pulp with her purse. Relenting, she turned to bend over to pick up her dog. Jake acted as if Medusa’s head met his gaze as the dress rode up his sister’s tush. Throwing up his arm to block the sight, Jake screamed about it being hideous.

“I’ll make you do more than scream if you endanger my little Bandie ever again,” Libby warned. “It’s bad enough that I’ve had to constantly pick up the pieces and cover for three damn brats over the years. If Mom and Dad even suspected a fourth of what I know…You'd better not need a trip to the ER again.”

Piper letting herself in through the back door reminded Phinn to tell them to lock the doors. She also mentioned that Todd hadn’t been home, but his mother looked pissed about him leaving Toby behind.

“And you!” Libby screamed, swinging around to face her next-door neighbor. Stomping over, she jabbed her finger in his face while Bandit raced around, thinking playtime had started. “How could you put him at risk?”

Allie and Piper glanced at Jake, who shook his head. His sister meant the dog, not him.

“I…I know,” Phinn admitted, slumping forward to bury his face in his hands. “It’s unforgivable. I’m sorry.”

“Damn right it is!”

“I swear, I’d never put Bandit in danger on purpose,” Phinn insisted, looking up with glistening eyes. “It will never happen again.”

“See? I told you he had a heart,” Allie whispered, nudging her best friend with an elbow.

“I know,” Libby agreed, patting Phinn’s head. “You care for him as much as we do.”

Bandit chose that moment to woof.

“It will never happen again, Lib. Next time, we’ll be prepared. We just need more equipment, better intel, and backup that’s allowed outside after ten o’clock,” Phinn declared, causing the older sister to roll her whole head in annoyance. “We will! And you should’ve seen Bandie. He cornered Toby. He lived up to his name!”

“Gawd, I should’ve known letting Jake and Dusty name the dog would come back to bite us in the ass,” elder Magnum groaned.

“Like I had a say!” Jake exclaimed. “Bandit was all Dusty’s idea.”

“Alright, I want to hear what happened with no secrets held back. Got that?”

Jake and Phinn reluctantly agreed. Although Libby was aware of the pair of photographs, the teen detectives began from the beginning for the benefit of Piper and the LeClaire sisters. The newcomers listened dumbfounded as they heard about the finds, the break-ins, the listening devices, Jake’s phone theft, and the mysterious watcher. Some of the information proved to be brand new or updates for Liberty.

“So I’m beating Todd’s and Shane’s asses, but who whopped yours?” the protective older sister questioned.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Jake admitted.

“Did he say or do anything?” Phinn queried.

“Oh, right. He said two words: Revenge. Finally,” Jake relayed.

“Really?”

“What do you mean by really?” Libby challenged Phinn. “Obviously, you two pissed–make that you three, because Dusty was likely involved. You three pissed somebody off, and they’re back for revenge. It’s nowhere near the first time.”

Phinn looked at Jake, who shrugged.

“I mean, yeah, we’ve made a few enemies,” Phinn admitted with the understatement of the century.

“But I can't remember anyone this huge,” Jake added. “It’s possible it could be a crook from when we were younger. You know, everybody looks gigantic when you’re twelve and thirteen.”

"Not to normal people who don't think solving mysteries is a fun pastime," Libby stated, garnering nods from Abby and Piper. Allie winced and shrugged as she'd lent a hand in the past a couple of times.

“Hmm, that fake Frankenstein monster looked pretty big. So did Oberst from that smash-and-grab crew. Also, the Devil’s Lake Lunatic,” Phinn listed.

“The carnies,” Jake reminded, causing his partner to shudder. “The carnivals often have big dumb brutes as riggers, roustabouts, or whatever they call them. Maybe we pissed one off when his friend got arrested.”

“Oh! Vidal Ianni’s henchman. That guy could scare the crap out of people,” Phinn recalled. “He could easily be typecast as an enforcer. However, Ianni skated on charges.”

“Wasn’t he an ex-boxer. No! A mixed martial arts guy that proved too slow, so he tried to be a wrestler,” Jake remembered. “Hey, what about Slim Spectre?”

“Slim is in his name for a reason,” Phinn pointed out, causing Jake to agree.

While Abby, Allie, and Piper followed the conversation back and forth like a ping pong ball, Libby rubbed her forehead. A couple of times, she let loose an exasperated sigh or grunt upon recalling the cases of the mentioned criminals. Finally out of patience, she asked what seemed like an obvious question to her.

“What about the guy who broke out of prison the other week? The one whom the cops showed up in force here when his name got dropped as the possible burglar.”

“Monster Manfredi? Nah,” her brother responded. “Maybe the burglar, but not this Masked Creep.”

“The Monster nickname is a reference to his gimmick, not his stature,” Phinn clarified. “In fact, Angelo is mid-sized at best. Part of his skill-set comes from a skinny figure and shortish height.”

“Who gets named Monster?” Abby questioned.

“You don’t want to ask questions about my brother’s acquaintances,” Libby responded.

“Wait, isn’t that the guy who escaped from Mughley Correctional Center?” Piper inquired.

“Mug Jug, yeah,” Libby confirmed, using the criminal nickname because of her family’s connections to the state prison. “Alright, you two can’t be left alone for tonight. Jake, you'd better stay up until you’re sure you don’t need to go to the ER. Phinn, you watch him. I need to sneak into the house to get some clothes, but I’ll stay here tonight. Mom and Dad just can’t find out what happened.”

“I can stay with you,” Abby offered, causing Jake to sit up straighter despite the pain. “Why don’t I grab you something to borrow from my closet. That way, you didn’t need to risk your parents catching you.”

“We can stay, too!” Allie announced.

“We can?” Piper questioned.

“Sure, we’re just moving the sleepover from my house to here,” Allie replied. Then, noticing her friend’s dubious expression, she added, “Think of it as an adventure.”

“Don’t get any idea, buster,” Libby warned after the over three young women left to grab some stuff from the LeClaire home.

“What, me?”

“Yes, you,” the wise older sister acknowledged. “None of that ‘But my concussion left me confused about what room I should go in’ crap.”

Phinn hid a grin behind his face while Bandit barked and Jake tried to act innocent.

“I’m taking the master bedroom with Bandit and Abby. Give the girls the guest room,” the boss ordered.

“Ah, please no,” Jake moaned.

“Yes. You’re either in Putnam’s bedroom, or it’s sofa city, Jakey,” Libby confirmed, heading into the kitchen for a drink.

---

Jake woke up from a pleasant dream to find a chatter of conversations around him. Rolling over on the couch, he found Allie and Piper giving Corky advice on drawing customers in for the sale.

“Uh, I don’t know about,” the copper-haired kid said.

“It works! My grandma taught me how to do it. Heck, she still does so at Waterfest for my grandpa’s woodwork creations,” Allie insisted.

Sitting up, Jake checked the time and moaned. Two gymnasts keep him up for hours. However, unlike in his fantasies, these two beauties showed off their skills by kicking his ass across several video games instead of in bed.

“I’d burn those throw pillows, but Mom won’t believe the reason. She’ll assume something far more violent happened,” Phinn yelled over from the dining room, where he sat with Libby and a watchful Bandit.

“Huh?”

“Oh, Abby, yes! No, you can suck it too, Cheyanne,” Piper moaned, mimicking Jake’s voice poorly. “Wait, both of you can suck on Brigid’s tits first.”

“Uh, what?” Jake asked, wide-eyed.

“We woke up to you humping the pillows, sicko,” Piper revealed before Allie started giggling.

“Don’t worry, she’s making up what you said,” the younger LeClaire sister reassured.

“But don’t think we don’t suspect it,” Libby yelled over.

“Whoa! I would never, ever make a move on one of your friends, Lib. I cross my heart and hope to–”

“Don’t even bother. I know you screwed Zoe,” Jake’s older sister revealed, dropping the bombshell.

“What, no, who?”

“I said nothing,” Phinn insisted.

“It’s all lies! I would never–”

“I’m sorry, Jake, but Cheyanne couldn’t help herself, and I had to tell Libby what I heard,” Abby disclosed, entering the dining room through the kitchen.

“It’s not my fault! She attacked me…out in the alley. I fought back. I swear!”

“So, our quirky friend assaulted you? Do you want to call the cops?” Libby inquired.

“What…No! But she did take advantage of me!”

“Whatever,” Libby replied, dismissively, while turning toward Abigail. “Gawd, I hope he didn’t knock Zo up. You know how she is with those alternative birth control herbs.”

“Ohgawd!” Jake moaned, covering his mouth before rushing for the bathroom.

“Very alternative! Zaina’s big sister knocked up Jake Magnum!” Piper called after the vomiting football player.

“Not funny,” Allie told her best friend as they followed Corky outside to check on the rummage sale setup.

Ten minutes later, a pale Jake returned to the dining room to find only Phinn, Bandit, and Libby. The bulldog stood on a chair, leaning his front paws against the table to watch the action. Keeping his mouth shut, he groaned when his partner warned him that he’d need to clean and disinfect the bathroom before leaving. Glancing at the documents on the table, Jake asked about them.

“Your sister is helping me with the property records I got from Billing yesterday.”

“How would you know anything about this stuff?” Jake challenged his sister. “Mom despises real estate law.”

"I know because I dated a law student last year."

"What? What was he? Twenty-five? Thirty? You only turned twenty in the winter. Do Mom and Dad know about this pervert?"

“Jeez, take a chill pill. It was a first-year law student. He’s only twenty-three, and it lasted barely two months. The guy could barely remember to eat with all his classwork.”

“I still don’t like it.”

“No, you don’t get a say in who I date,” the older sister declared. “Now, here’s what’s happening today. You and Phinn are grounded. You can’t leave these two homes for the rest of the day. You won’t complain and will run the rummage sale without conning somebody else to do it.”

“Corky seems to enjoy the work,” Phinn pointed out.

“Fine, but both of you will supervise him simultaneously. There will be no passing him off while the other one goes and gets in trouble again.”

“Like we’re going to listen to you,” Jake dismissed the order.

“Phinn agreed,” Libby revealed, causing her brother to gasp at the betrayal.

“We owe it to Bandit,” his traitorous partner declared, patting the bulldog, who tried to pull a piece of paper off the table.

“While you do that, I’ve messaged around for some help,” the dirty blonde revealed. “No, not for you. For me. I’m going to find Todd Haldorn and Shane Grogan. If they refuse to listen to reason, I’ll find their parents. Nobody threatens my dog.”

The morning went by relatively slowly.

The usual mothers and grandmothers from the neighborhood stopped by to check on Phinn’s presence for Pamela. Harmony Mercer dropped off donuts for the third straight day before revealing that their classmate, Melody, would be on donut duty tomorrow.

Sharon Capshaw also appeared with her youngest daughter, Sherry. Mrs. Capshaw brought over a list of furniture that had been sold, which Pamela wanted to keep track of for several friends. Thirteen-year-old Sherry’s appearance caused Corky to lose control of his motor skills, while his face matched his hair.

Of course, Charlotte Annable and Eugene Gordon stopped by to gossip and check on Phineas and Jake. The alderwoman wanted to ensure that there wouldn’t be any commotion on Wednesday, like there had been on the past two days. Then, she had to race off as Mr. Derkle took exception to the way that Mr. Bethune flirted with Mrs. Derkle.

Phinn groaned when Mr. Gordon passed by to drop that kernel of gossip for Mrs. Annable's sudden departure. The retired mailman also updated the teens about Mr. Greene's antics and several neighborly disputes that occurred during the portion of the Monroe Park Rummage Sale on Clay Avenue. He also whispered that he’d asked around, but no other photographs had surfaced.

“How you feeling?” Phinn asked.

“Ribs are probably bruised,” Jake speculated.

“Ah, now we’re matching,” Phinn joked. While his ribs felt somewhat better, he worried about his friend. “Are you sure they’re not cracked?”

“Nah. They don’t feel anything like the time that happened during sophomore year,” Jake remembered.

Phinn nodded, recalling the frightening hit that his best friend took shortly after getting called up from the junior varsity squad halfway through the football season.

“Are you certain that the Masked Creep isn’t working with Todd and Shane?” Corky asked for the fourth time. “They somehow knew to wear similar masks and black hoods.”

While insistent at first, Jake hedged more and more with each repeated question. Sensing this, Phinn put an end to the speculation.

“The hoods and the color mean nothing. Those are the obvious choices if a person wanted to hide their face. As for the masks, I got a glimpse before they trapped me in the shed,” Phinn explained. “They had on those hard plastic-type Halloween masks. You know, the cheap kind with a rubber band or string in the back, and that you pull down over your face.”

“Ugh. I hated that kind as a kid,” Jake muttered.

“Oh, I know,” Phinn replied, recalling the stream of complaints one Halloween while they trick-and-treated. “Well, Todd and Shane had those on, and they were generic clown masks.”

“Clowns?!”

“Relax with the clown phobia. The masks were white, with some blue and red markings, and featured drawn-on hair. They didn’t even look very creepy.”

“Says you!”

“Do you think we can track down where they bought them?” Corky queried, jumping back into the conversation. “It could be evidence.”

“No! I refuse to go anywhere near a circus. Carnivals are bad enough.”

“Calm down,” Phinn told his partner before addressing Corky’s idea. “There isn’t much point. They could’ve had those for years, and what’s the evidence going to be used for against them?”

“Good morning…Oops, I mean, good afternoon, boys,” April LeClaire greeted, noticing it

had just passed noon.

Mrs. LeClaire made minor inquiries about why her daughters had spent the previous night at Phineas's house. She didn't appear concerned, but had a curious expression.

“Don’t worry, ma’am. Nothing happened,” Jake stated.

“Oh, you were there as well?” April asked, looking a little concerned now.

“It was nothing, Mrs. LeClaire. My mom doesn’t want me left alone at night because of the burglary. So, Libby switched nights. Originally, she planned to stay over tomorrow night, but Lance wanted to change his night. So when everything got mixed up, Abby agreed to keep her company, and it snowballed to include Allie and Piper,” Phinn said, thinking up a somewhat believable story. “I think Allie and…well, probably mostly Piper, tortured Jake last night with a video game marathon.”

“Ah, that does sound like Piper,” April agreed.

Mrs. LeClaire lingered for several more minutes to ask whether Phinn had enough food or needed help with laundry. Reassuring the concerned mother that he had plenty of food and could handle his own laundry, she left looking relieved after the conversation.

“Mr. LeClaire probably sent her around. The guy never liked me,” Jake grumbled.

Then, he suddenly jumped out of his chair to dart inside his house. Not only had Johanna Zay turned off the sidewalk, but Phoebe Foster, Zoe and Zaina’s mother, had started walking up the driveway from the opposite direction. Mrs. Foster is probably just another one of Phinn’s mom’s spies, but what if she’s here for a different reason?

Jake spent ten minutes on the far side of his house, hoping that Mrs. Foster or Johanna didn’t spot him through a window. Then, he heard a loud shout that sounded like it came from Corky. Rushing over toward the living room window that faced the driveway, Jake watched in shock as shit went crazy.