Chapter 6

PING

“Aw, c’mon!” Jake complained, throwing his head back in frustration. He would’ve thrown his hands in the air, but they were full of dirty dishes.

“I got it!” Kari yelled, cutting the teen off to rush into Magnum’s tiny kitchen.

Following the petite waitress's ass behind the bar, Jake carefully carried the stack of dishes toward the sink opposite the grill in the kitchen. Several minutes shy of six o'clock, the teen had only been working since five, yet he already felt frazzled. It didn't help that Elexis had another hour left on her shift. After last night's romp, the ash blonde had taken her teasing to never-before-seen heights every time she saw her new lover. At least the redness around his eyes had gone away by this morning.

“Move it, Jake! Hustle!” Marvin bellowed. “Kari’s leaving in a few, so you need to step it up.”

"Then get Libby's ass in here to help!" Jake shot back, causing Kari to chuckle about her friend's even poorer waitress skills.

“Nope. You’re the one getting punished,” Marvin replied before slapping his son’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll make a waiter out of you yet.”

“I don’t want to be a waiter,” Jake growled, picking up a tray with several appetizers.

“Hey, consider this potential training. Your mother thinks we should send you across the street for a summer job. I’m sure Geno would love to have the local hero,” Marvin suggested about Smashburgers.

"What?!" Jake yelled over his shoulder while exiting the kitchen. When he returned, he planned to remind his dad about Coach Turnbull's rules.

Re-checking the clock, he sighed with relief. Omar, their weekend cook and jack-of-all-trades, usually showed up around six. His arrival time sometimes fluctuated as he worked construction outside of the coldest months of the year. He’d take over for Marvin, who had filled in at the grill for the sick Paco. Both guys were far easier for Jake to work with than his father.

"It's about time, Magnum," a cocky voice sounded as Jake placed the appetizers on the table.

“Yeah, did you bread them yourself?” Cameron Pine snickered before taking a bite of the mozzarella stick.

Two other guys at the table joined in by chuckling.

“If we don’t get Kari’s sweet cheeks, then we better get quality service,” Easton Ingle remarked.

An arrogant twenty-one-year-old, Easton’s opinion of himself had only increased as he became a college basketball star. Now back home in Edgewater for part of the summer, Easton expected the red carpet to be rolled out for the returning star.

“Fuck off,” Jake spat back, moving to the next table to grab more empty plates.

“I find your lack of customer service insulting,” Easton announced.

“Maybe you should complain to management,” Cameron snickered again. Easton’s perpetual sidekick clearly loved having his leader back in town. A decent high school starter, Cameron clung to his basketball life as a bench player at nearby Bentworth College, which wasn’t anywhere close to being a basketball powerhouse.

“We should demand his firing,” a third former North High Puffer suggested.

“Or get a free meal for his attitude,” the fourth man suggested.

“Don’t bother begging, Magnum. There won’t be a tip for a bum like you,” Eason added, earning a fistbump from Cameron.

“How about if I tell Libby you’re giving her little brother a hard time?” Kari suggested, appearing out of nowhere. Jake paused to watch the little spitfire come to his aid. “Anyone want to place bets on how long it takes my girl to kick you in the balls again?”

"I'll take those odds…for Liberty!" Lucky Wix yelled from several tables over. A notorious degenerate gambler, he was known for betting on almost anything. "Who wants to place your bets? Come on, live a little, guys!"

“Dad warned you not to make book here, Wix,” Jake shot over, causing the late twentysomething to frown.

“Ah, but it’s a Magnum family tradition,” Lucky argued.

“What, no comeback, Easton?” Kari challenged. “Too busy recalling that excruciating pain, huh?”

“Fuck off, bitch!”

“Whoa!”

“Not cool!”

Jake grinned as Magnum's regular customers defended their summer waitress. Despite the pride many took in Easton's on-the-court accomplishments, others around Edgewater knew about his inflated ego.

“Hey, watch it, Ingle!”

“Time to apologize,” Terrell Knight ordered, stepping past Jake. “Or else.”

The teen hadn’t noticed Terrell walk in with Jesse Fosse, but the two twenty-year-olds were good friends of Libby and Kari’s clique. And being former Puffer football players, they knew Marvin would take their side, especially when defending one of his employees, who also happened to be his daughter’s good friend.

PING

Although he wanted to watch Ingle, Pine, and their tablemates eat crow, Jake hustled back to the kitchen. There, he saw more meals ready to be served to the surprisingly large Friday dinner crowd. Jake wondered when Magnum’s turned into Smashburgers Junior. Marvin shot his son an exasperated expression.

“It’s not my fault! Ingle and his crew were giving me a hard time before switching off to harass Kari.”

“What?!” Marvin boomed, throwing the spatula down.

“Don’t worry. Jesse and Terrell are handling them,” Jake revealed, taking out more burgers and sandwiches. Leaving the kitchen, the teen cried with relief. “Thank god!”

"For arriving to deal with those jerks or saving you from your pops?" Omar Rhymer asked, chuckling.

“What do you think?” Jake shot back.

The junior sleuth suddenly tensed up as he saw two women arrive for their shifts. First, he mouthed, “We need to talk” to Belinda, his primary client. Then, he shared a nod and unspoken conversation with Danica, who greeted him with her usual chipper greeting.

After discovering the secret compartment in the attic, Jake used the monitor to locate the hidden cameras around the house. Afterward, he rushed over to alert Dani and Ashlynn. The girls had been horrified to learn about the hiding spot and the hidden cameras. With Phinn involved in the discussion, the girls reluctantly agreed that their Horny Poltegeist might be the same person as Lexi’s Peeping Tom. A quick plan had been devised while the two young sleuths worked up a better one. For now, Danica agreed to tell others at the sports bar tonight that Jake had encountered a possible ghost, not a spying pervert. The two investigators hoped the cover story might cause the Horny Poltergeist to feel overconfident. Also, Ashlynn shouldn’t reveal anything about her stolen lingerie.

Placing the plates on the table, Jake greeted a new couple in a corner booth. Taking their order, the teen had a newfound respect for classmates like Reed, who waitressed at Smashburgers. Jake noticed movement outside through the window as his father jogged across the street and into Powerlords. Shaking his head over the apparent rush to enter the fitness center, Jake heard another bell ring.

Ten more minutes of hectic chaos occurred before Jake found a few minutes to recover. He hoped the dinner rush might be close to over. His plans to observe the regular customers had been limited so far. Still, Jake had a few possible suspects.

Already possessive about the attractive employees the other day with Jake around, Nagle might fit some of the profile behavior of a Horny Poltergeist. The thirtysomething didn't appear to date much while he had an occasional misogynistic outburst. On the negative side of the ledger, Nagle wasn't aging well. Jake couldn't imagine him outrunning an in-shape college student or climbing up a tree to spy on Danica.

Keon definitely had a thing for watching women, as he frequently left Magnum’s to hit up the local strip club out by the highway. Still, he came across as smooth with the ladies and often had a new one at his side. Yet, Jake had to admit, he could’ve grown obsessed over one or two of the bartenders as they usually didn’t mix dating with business.

Groves and Riordan were a pair of ex-South High athletes in their mid-twenties. Both were graduates of Bentworth, so they might have known Danica, Ashlynn, and their housemates from around campus. Jake could also picture Groves, the smaller of the two, who was an ex-wrestler, climbing up a tree easily or fitting into the dryer. But outside of occasionally staring at the attractive employees while drunk, he couldn't recall them ever causing a ruckus or coming across as creepy with the women.

While scanning the main room, a new potential suspect emerged: Cameron Pine. As a Bentworth student, the sidekick clearly knew his fellow students. Jake also knew he’d never had much luck with women while in the shadow of Easton and a few other friends. Plus, Jake didn’t care for him. As a result, Pine was added to the list in his head.

“What the…” Jake trailed off as he noticed an odd development outside.

Hank Hickey ran from the direction of his office and Little Petals while carrying a bouquet of flowers. Attempting to play it sly, the former quarterback and current drunk’s failed stealth movements only attracted more attention. Jake watched as his dad’s old friend bypassed the front door to go around the back.

Jake didn’t have time to ponder the odd behavior as a pair of familiar faces flagged him down. Jesse and Terrell were ready to order.

“Where did Quick go?” Terrell asked, searching the bar.

“Her shift ended,” Jake revealed, causing the two guys to moan in disappointment. “How’s your summer going?”

“Okay. I just got back a few days ago. I had to stick around for my on-campus job until late last week,” Jesse revealed.

“Yeah, Fosse’s disappointed that he hasn’t seen anyone yet, especially Kari and her girls,” Terrell teased.

“Hey, I don’t think Little Magnum wants to hear about his sister and her friends,” Jesse pointed out.

“Nah, he’s good as long as we don’t talk about Libby. Jake knows Kari, Sydney, Abby, and Brigid are smoking hot. Right, kid?” Terrell asked, chuckling as the teen shrugged.

Jesse added a few comments about Easton and Cameron as their table seemed to watch them like hawks. Returning to the kitchen, Jake hung up their order while hoping the basketball players didn’t stick around long enough to get drunk and grow some courage. His dad wouldn’t appreciate a Friday night fight.

“How’s it going?” Belinda inquired as Jake grabbed a couple of sodas for his sister’s guy friends. Her words held a double meaning, and the teen detective knew it.

"So-so. I need more information as to why you suspect Brett," Jake whispered as Danica served a customer at the other end of the bar. "I've tailed him for several days and come up with nothing. Why do you think he's cheating, and what were the signs?"

“Jeez,” Belinda responded, blowing her hair out of her face. “There are so many instances that it’s hard to remember them all. He just flirts with almost every pretty woman who comes his way. Steve’s noticed the same thing.”

“But is there anyone who stands out? Lexi and Ashlynn feel like nonstarters,” Jake insisted.

"Let me think, but also, you should watch him. Dani said Brett was coming in to visit tonight. Watch how he acts when she's busy. You'll see," the black-haired woman vowed.

“This young man giving you trouble, Belinda?” a familiar voice asked after sliding onto a stool.

“Mom!” Jake exclaimed, sounding as shocked as he felt. “What are you doing here?”

“There she is! Hey, everybody, my wife, the greatest lawyer in town, won another big trial this afternoon. Let’s give her a round,” Marvin announced after appearing. Most of the crowd at Magnum’s gave Justine a round of applause.

“Congratulations, Mom,” Jake said, hugging his mother after his father finished. He noticed she’d removed her blazer before coming inside, leaving her in a small slip top and a long pencil skirt. “Ah, that’s why you’re here. Gotta carry on the tradition.”

“Damn straight! When your mom wins, she gets rewarded big time,” Marvin declared, causing his son to laugh.

“Dinner at Mulcasters, big timer?” O’Tierny teased.

“Don’t insult me, you bastard! None of that fancy stuff for the Magnum family,” Marvin replied dismissively.

Jake laughed harder at his dad’s over-the-top defense. He knew the tradition of a winning meal at either Portside or Big Spot, followed by ice cream at Admiral Custards, had started when his parents were young and broke. With nearly empty pockets, Marvin had treated Justine to ice cream the first couple of times before splurging on a cheap, greasy dinner from then on. Jake and Libby had loved those reward dinners as kids.

“C’mon, Marv. You gotta spend more money these days, or I’m going to steal your lady,” Irvin cracked.

“Indeed, I do spend more money now that I own a business,” Marvin replied to another regular customer. As he finished, Hank appeared to hand over the bouquet of flowers.

Jake could’ve slapped his forehead as Hickey’s strange behavior finally made sense. The teen also knew Flora Giblin at Little Petals would probably come around soon to heckle his father for sending Hank to pick up the flowers.

“Somebody showered,” Justine commented as Marv threw an arm around his wife.

“Well, I don’t want to smell like the grease trap. You ready?”

Jake nodded, also realizing why his dad ran across the street. He occasionally used the fitness center’s shower before rushing to another obligation.

“I need a drink, and Giada is stopping by before her class,” Justine said, referring to her childhood friend, who often took classes at nearby Stretch Galore.

PING

Jake grabbed another order and approached the other room before Steve appeared from the basement. Stopping the teen, he nodded toward the front of the bar. Brett had arrived. Although Jake wanted to question the assistant manager, he had to bring the food out.

Fifteen more minutes of hustling and bustling food and drinks out to tables passed until Jake had another mini-break. Leaning against the bar to catch his breath and wits, Jake watched as a gorgeous brunette entered the bar. Wearing a sports bra and yoga pants, the forty-four-year-old woman grabbed a lot of attention as she joined Justine at the bar.

Almost immediately, she spotted Jake and jumped off the stool. Fighting off any sexual desires, Jake accepted the hug and congratulations from his mom’s friend. She went on and on about how proud she was of him.

“Thanks, Aunt Giada.”

“I would’ve stopped by the house, but we both know how your mother gets during her trials. But you looked downright adorable in that diving suit. I don’t understand how anyone could’ve been afraid of you.”

“They really weren’t. It was more of an initial shock thing,” Jake admitted. “But it worked long enough for Phinn to disarm the guy before he could shoot me.”

“Shoot you?!” Giada screeched, turning to look at Justine. “No wonder you grounded him.”

“Hey, I’m not grounded! Phinn’s the one who got grounded, which is mostly for shooting that one guy,” Jake protested.

“Which we will discuss now that I’m finished with my trial,” Justine warned.

This time, Jake gladly welcomed another ping from the bell.

Dropping off another order, Jake heard his name whispered. Following the sound, he found Brett Utley standing in the short hallway leading to the billiards room. Motioning for Jake to follow, Brett walked toward the restrooms before stopping.

“What’s up?” Jake asked, curious about his suspect’s behavior.

“Do you remember how Ashlynn said that creep stole her lingerie?” Jake nodded at the question. “Well, I found it this morning…under my bed.”

“What?”

"I know! It was under the far side of my bed near the window. I don't sleep on that side, but Dani does when she stays over. I might not have found it for days if a few papers on my bed hadn't fallen to the floor," Brett explained.

“Holy shit!”

"You know what this means," Phinn said over the phone.

“The fucking pervert was in Brett’s condo yesterday,” Jake replied, pacing around the back of Magnum’s parking lot. After hearing Brett’s revelation, he’d begged his dad for a short break.

“Yes, that much is obvious,” Phinn stated. “What I meant is that the Horny Poltergeist didn’t steal her lingerie for his own enjoyment–”

“Eww!”

“Simmer down,” Phinn ordered. “The Horny Poltergeist wasn’t escalating his behavior; he was planning. He stole Ashlynn’s lingerie to plant inside Brett’s bedroom.”

“That’s fucking right!”

“Which means he’s definitely tied to your case.”

“Huh?”

“Jake, think about it. Why else would a guy plant another woman’s lingerie in a different guy’s bedroom? He wanted Danica to find her friend’s delicates to implicate her in an affair with Brett.”

“And the Horny Poltergeist wants to break them up!” Jake yelled. He couldn’t believe the two cases were connected this way.

“First, did Brett tell Danica or Ashlynn?”

“No. I told him not to for now, either. I mean, what if it’s a ruse by Brett?”

“Excellent decision, “ Phinn praised. “The fewer people who know, the better. Second, Danica agreed to tell people you ran into a possible ghost, not an intruder, right?”

“Yeah, she did when you were on the call. But I don’t know if she’s had time to say anything out loud for customers to overhear. She might be waiting for my parents to leave. Oh, my mom won her trial,” Jake added.

"My mom will be thrilled for your mother but also worried about another criminal going free," Phinn replied, chuckling. "Third, are all the regulars there tonight? Including male employees?"

“I think most of the regulars are here. A few might be missing, but they’ll likely show up later. Why do you want to know about the other employees?” Jake heard Phinn sigh on the phone. “Fine! Uh, everybody is here except for Twain and Paco.”

“Okay, I have an idea. Here’s what you should do…”

After finishing his call with Phinn, Jake sent Elexis a message asking for a favor. She agreed reluctantly while demanding a full day of sex in return. Jake gladly accepted her counteroffer.

Thrilled with the promise of an extended bout of fucking with another of his crushes, Jake returned inside. After greeting several new arrivals in the backroom, he saw that another woman had joined his mother. Dressed similarly, Zizi, the owner of Stretch Galore, led the two others in a round of shots before announcing that she had to get back and teach her class. Giada shouted goodbye to Jake as she followed the other toned cougar out the door. Before he could return to work, Hank shouted for him to come over to the table in the main TV room.

“Get over here, Jakey. Dobson and Selby are talking shit about the Puffers,” Hank informed the teen after he came over.

“We’re only telling the truth,” Selby shot back.

“Bullshit.”

Jake performed a double-take at the person who swore. Although the man looked pale and weak, the teen still hadn’t expected him to make an appearance yet.

“Uncle Geno! Are you feeling better?” Jake asked the Smashburgers’ owner.

Hank mumbled about never getting called Uncle Hank. Jake patted his shoulder as an apology.

“Enough to come around and check on things,” Geno replied.

“Until Rita kicked him out of his own restaurant,” Marvin added, laughing boisterously.

“I blame you for that uppity behavior,” Geno accused.

“Oh, please, Rita’s been an opinionated terror since high school,” Marvin shot back.

“Uh, what did you need me for?” Jake asked, catching Belinda’s glare from behind the bar.

“These two,” Hank said, pointing at the former Sea Wolves from his era. “Claim that South High is going to easily run away with the conference and embarrass you this year.”

“It’s not bullshit,” Dobson defended. “We have a highly recruited quarterback in Colt Crockett and a stud running back in Jamal Jette. You have neither.”

“Youngberry has shown plenty of promise,” Marvin argued about the new junior starter at quarterback. “And we’ll find a dependable back. We always do, and Castro showed solid skills last season. He’ll be even better this year.”

“And our defense is the best around,” Geno added, gesturing toward Jake.

“We have a solid defense. Brock Vaughn was all-county last year at linebacker with Magnum,” Selby pointed out.

“Vaughn is on the same level as Grogan, and Jake is far superior to Grogan,” Geno argued.

Jake listened as the former rivals traded facts and insults. Looking through the small opening, he shrugged his shoulders again with a “What can I do?” gesture. Belinda nodded in understanding while heading toward the kitchen to get the food that was ready. Eventually, Jake zoned back into the conversation as Marvin and Hank started dropping their on-field philosophy.

“No, no, no, you don’t get it. Our way is why you Wolves never beat us!” Hank nearly screamed. “And it’s why your teams were known to crumble after falling behind.”

"That's a bunch of shit, and you know it!" Dobson spat back.

“No. It’s about knowing your friends and teammates. It’s what you do in life and on the field. You watch the signs. That’s how I knew which guys truly believed we could mount a comeback during a game. The ones I saw who didn’t are the guys I needed to spark extra motivation within,” Marvin explained.

"It's also just not about knowing your friends and teammates. While Marv took care of our side, I always studied the opposition. You listened to rumors. Who struggled in classes, who had issues at home, or who always had girl trouble? Those mattered. The first two could trigger an avalanche of frustrations. The latter could lead someone to show off on the field to impress a girl. All three factors matter when it comes to confidence. Who's got it, and who's faking?" Hank described how he approached the game.

For a brief second, Jake marveled in awe as Hickey sounded like the leader he’d been in his younger days before life beat him down. A spark of an idea came to life before a more pressing one shot past it to his brain’s forefront.

I can use this philosophy on the case! I’m already observing regulars, but I can read more into their behavior and motivations. Who’s hiding something? Who’s scared or frightened? And who’s after the prize?

"I need three more Lites in bottles and two imports," Jake screamed over the bar's loud din.

While waiting for Danica to hand over the beers, Jake watched Belinda scowl. Following her gaze, he saw Ashlynn laughing with Brett. So far, the raven-haired bartender hadn’t had the time to give Jake any more details as to why she suspected Brett of cheating, but based on her expression, she clearly thought it might be with the redhead.

However, Jake also started to give some credence to Lexi's speculation about Belinda's past affecting her opinion about a possible cheating boyfriend. She seemed to glare at several of Danica's friends who stopped to chat with Brett, including Felicity, whose boyfriend stood nearby.

Racing off to the other room, Jake handed the beers over while collecting the cash. Noting the nice tip, he increasingly didn't mind working as a waiter tonight. The extra money could always come in handy. Most of the older crowd, including his parents and their friends, had left. As a result, the bar patrons trended younger as the night grew later. Hickey remained behind, leading Jake’s parents to put him in charge of getting Hank home later. Between having an older sister and his cases, Jake recognized plenty of familiar faces, with many tipping the hardworking teen graciously.

He also had to warn Lucky Wix twice more about trying to gin up wagers. With online betting, gambling in the sports bar wasn’t the issue it had been in the past. Most people ignored Lucky and placed bets while using their phones.

Also, with a younger crowd, Jake had more potential suspects to monitor. With Elexis and the waitresses gone, Danica held the role of the youngest and hottest bartender. Belinda got her share of attention, but nowhere near Danica. Jake constantly tracked who flirted with his crush or watched her intently. As did Groves and Riordan, Cameron Pine continued to climb his suspect list based on his behavior. Of course, with most guys flirting or checking out a gorgeous girl, it wasn't an exact science. Jesse and Terrell each flirted with Danica and her growing group of friends.

“Yes, Ash had the idea. I managed to switch shifts for tomorrow night. We’re going to have a girls’ night and give her opinions about the new outfits she bought. Anyone is free to bring clothes if they want,” Danica loudly informed Felicity, her other roommate, who was currently in town.

Jake nodded as this was part of the plan he and Phinn devised. Danica played her role perfectly by announcing it to each friend she and Ashlynn had told to come to Magnum’s tonight. If the Horny Poltergeist was on the premises, he was bound to hear about a night he couldn’t resist.

“Jake, we need more cases from the basement,” Steve said, snapping the teen out of his eavesdropping. Taking the assistant manager's short list, the teen headed downstairs.

Gathering the cases onto a dolly, Jake wheeled it up the stair-ramp. Although he didn’t need to carry the cases, pushing the dolly up the ramp took some effort. Once he reached the top, Jake paused to catch his breath.

Checking the clock, he noticed that it was almost ten o’clock. Despite the shift his dad set ending at ten, the junior sleuth planned to stick around longer. He still hadn’t found what he wanted. While leaning on the dolly, Jake scanned the sports bar and its patrons. His eyes narrowed as he saw an expression that could only be called jealousy. Following the person’s sightline, Jake’s eyes widened in realization.

Then, a commotion in the TV room swung his attention in that direction. As expected, Easton’s arrogant attitude had sparked tempers. After the potential fight had been de-escalated, Jake watched as a person stopped abruptly. The murderous glare in their eyes sparked an epiphany in the teen detective.

Pushing the dolly over, Jake hurriedly restocked the coolers while developing an addition to tomorrow night's plan. Once finished, he announced he'd stick around longer because of the packed crowd, but needed a bathroom break. After everyone acknowledged him, Jake raced out the back door.

Two quick messages went out. They asked if either person wanted to make some extra money tomorrow night. Then, Jake hit Phinn’s number. While he informed his partner of his findings, both replies trickled in. They were interested and wanted to know what he needed.

“Karlson Creek. 7:00. We’re helping hot girls,” Jake typed after ending his call with Phinn.