Chapter 1

Three Days After The Case of the Phantom Diver

“Don’t think of this as punishment, Jake,” Marvin Magnum told his son while driving them to the Uptown section of Edgewater.

“Mom called it my punishment for leaving the house after she grounded me,” the stocky detective pointed out. “You’d think she’d forgive me after catching a murderer.”

“Alright, it’s partly punishment but also partly a way to help me out,” Marvin admitted, not bringing up that his wife was still a bit pissed at him for allowing Jake to leave the house. Although, in his defense, he didn’t expect his son to stay out until dawn the following day. “Plus, you can probably use some extra spending money, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. But you know Coach Turnbull’s rule about working,” the linebacker/tight end reminded him about his high school football coach’s rule against his players working part-time jobs.

“If Turnbull finds out, I’ll deal with him. You’re helping out the family business. He’s got no say in that,” Marvin stated before mumbling, “Dumbass rule anyway for summer breaks.”

Jake grinned after hearing his dad’s mumble. A well-built athlete with short-to-medium blond hair and blue eyes, Jake looked awfully similar to his father, outside of the light-brown hair, brown eyes, and weightier body. People who knew the Magnum brothers often marveled at how Jake took after his uncle, Morgan. Like Jake, both siblings also excelled on the gridiron, with Marvin playing center on a state championship team and Morgan quarterbacking North High to another title five years later.

Those glory days and ensuing local legend status helped Marvin turn his sports bar, Magnum’s, into a successful business. He’d even helped finance one of his best friends’ business ideas, leading to Smashburgers, a sports-themed restaurant located directly across the street from Magnum’s. Although Marvin only held a fifteen-percent ownership stake in the burger joint, he helped out whenever necessary.

“Uncle Geno is that sick?” Jake asked about Geno Alvarez, his father’s old high school teammate and close friend. The former linebacker held the honorary title of surrogate uncle, in addition to being a football mentor for the teenager.

“The whole damn restaurant got hit hard yesterday with that summer flu going around,” Marvin explained. “I had to send Paco and Cheyanne over last night to help cover for the staff that went home. Luckily, she had experience working at Smash’s back in high school. Still, Twain and Kari had to pick up the slack in the bar. Geno rearranged his staff for today, but Rita’s helping run things for him.”

Jake nodded. Kari Quick and Cheyanne Cudahy were friends of his sister, Liberty, with the former being one of her closest friends. Both coeds were home for their summer college breaks and picked up shifts as waitresses at the sports bar. Although a tavern, Magnum’s did employ a pair of grill cooks/dishwashers/substitute bartenders, with Paco Vaca being the most experienced.

“So what do you want me to do?” Jake asked, having been reminded for years that he couldn’t help behind the bar. Finally turning eighteen recently, he wasn’t sure if anything had changed, but he knew he didn’t have a bartending license.

“Belinda will fill you in. Remember, Steve might be assistant manager, but–”

“Listen to Belinda,” Jake finished.

A niece of one of Marvin’s assistant coaches in high school, Belinda Boberg, had been working part-time at Magnum’s since high school. If she didn’t have a regular day job, the black-haired ballbuster would’ve been the obvious choice for the promotion to assistant manager last winter. Instead, the title landed in the lap of Steve Saunders, another local connected to high school football that Marvin usually hired to fill out his ranks.

“Right. It’s just the usual stocking and cleaning you’ve done in the past. And try not to spend most of your time flirting with my staff,” Marvin added.

“Who me?” Jake replied, bringing a hand to his chest.

“Yes, you. I swear you’re more Morg Junior than anyone. Don’t stare starry-eyed at Danica and Elexis all day. Fortunately, Kari and Cheyanne have off for the day,” Marvin said, shaking his head but also grinning. “Don’t think I don’t know about your boat fun last Sunday.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dad.”

“Unlike your mom, I’m not preoccupied by a trial. And I hear plenty of gossip at my job,” Marvin responded. “You'd better pray that Luke’s and Andre’s mothers don’t mention the reason for their groundings to your mom.”

“It was for a case,” Jake insisted.

“Even more reason for Justine not to find out,” Marvin shot back as they approached the two businesses on 55th Street. “Okay, I’ll park in my spot, but I’m heading straight across the street. I don’t want to put too much on Rita’s shoulders.”

“I’m sure she can handle it,” Jake remarked. A grade behind his parents and a fellow cheerleader with Justine, Rita had turned into Marvin’s indispensable bar manager. A fiery petite woman, Rita could be quite the firecracker when dealing with lazy employees and unruly customers.

“I know she can, but I don’t need her pissed at me,” Marvin said, turning his car off. Holding up the keys momentarily, he handed them over to his son. “Remember, you’re to drive safely and come straight home.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. What’s Mom dragging you to now?” Jake asked, knowing his mother would pick his father up in a few hours.

“A grade school graduation party,” Marvin sighed. “Seems pointless, but you know some of these lawyers.”

“Ouch!” Jake teased, chuckling.

“Just for that. You’re in charge of Hickey if he needs a ride home,” Marvin yelled while crossing the street.

Left behind, Jake suddenly wondered why the hell he’d followed his father rather than enter the bar from its rear or side doors. Shaking his head, the teen entered through the front door like any customer.

Originally a small, narrow tavern, Marvin had expanded several years after buying the whole building, which consisted of three businesses at the time. Knocking down the wall from the storefront next door left a much larger, if not odd, setup.

Located on the southeast corner of the building, the front door opened into an entryway. Walking through another door brought a visitor into a large room filled with booths, round tables, smaller square tables, and large flat-screen televisions. The old storefront wall separated the main room from the original Magnum’s. Several wall cutouts gave the impression of opening up the rooms to each other.

On the other side of the old business divider, additional smaller tables and booths sat, along with a long bar and a row of stools. Every table included the same monitors found at Smashburgers, which provided score updates, news, and trivia. In the rear of the business was a back billiards room featuring two pool tables, a pair of restrooms, a small office, a tiny supply closet, and the entrance to the basement stairs. A pair of saloon doors off the bar led to a hole-in-the-wall kitchen that rounded out Magnum’s.

Having learned to walk in the sports bar, Jake knew its layout as well as his own home. The teen also knew most of the regulars, and they knew him. So, it didn’t come as a shock when he heard his name shouted upon entering.

“Jake!”

“Boy Magnum!”

“Stop right there!” a no-nonsense female voice ordered. “Turn and look at the bulletin board.”

Turning, Jake immediately spotted a newspaper clipping from the Anchor Rock Herald about his most recent case. Surprised by the size of the article from the much larger city, Jake wondered who had brought in the newspaper. He’d need to mention the regional publicity to Phineas Farris, his detective partner.

“Great job, kid!”

“I didn’t think anyone could outshine Morgan, but you’re on your way, Jake!”

Shaking the hands of Irvin and O’Tierney, two barflies sitting at their usual stools, Jake opened his arms for the hug he knew was coming.

“Whoa! I told you guys for years that Jake’s the real family star,” Hank Hickey reminded the others with a finger wag. “This boy has been catching crooks since before puberty.”

“Hey, Hank. How are you doing?” Jake inquired, hugging his dad’s old starting quarterback and mentor of his uncle.

“Same as always,” Hank responded before returning his attention to the pair of barflies. “And don’t count out little Libby. That girl takes after Marv and Justine.”

Behind the bar, a twenty-nine-year-old woman with black hair, green eyes, and a pair of medium-to-large breasts shook her head at the banter. When she caught the teenager’s eye, Belinda gestured behind the bar. There, Jake found Friday’s and Saturday’s articles about the treasure hunt and Oswald Cozart’s ****. Of course, somebody prominently displayed the picture of Jake wearing the old-fashioned diving suit.

“We haven’t put up today’s article yet,” Danica Bisco said, pointing to the Sunday edition of the Edgewater Dispatch.

Frozen solid at the breathtaking beauty of the twenty-two-year-old bartender, Jake remained still as Danica hurried around the bar to add her hug to the congratulations. Gulping, the teenager stammered a thank you.

Originally a waitress at Smashburgers during her freshman year at Bentworth College, Danica had hoped to pick up additional hours the following summer. However, with so many returning employees from other college breaks, Geno couldn't offer many more hours. So, Marvin had stepped in to hire the sweet and attractive coed as a waitress for the sports bar. With an infectious personality, the light brown-haired, blue-eyed young woman had been an instant homerun for Magnum's. Geno often moaned about letting Marvin steal Danica away.

Mesmerized by the feel of the C-cups pushing into his chest, Jake barely snapped out of his daze before Danica noticed. Then, recalling the recent development in her life, the teen congratulated her on graduating from Bentworth. An additional question about her future plans immediately came to mind.

“Thanks! I have an interview with South High’s principal in a couple of weeks,” the future teacher revealed.

“South High? Aw, c’mon, Bisco! You can’t betray us. This is a Puffer bar!” Jake argued.

“Hey!” shouted a third bartender from the other end of the bar.

“What? Everyone knows you’re a no-good Sea Wolf, Zamora!” Jake responded to the twenty-three-year-old.

All the staff of Magnum’s, except for Marvin and Rita, wore black and white striped referee-inspired tops and black pants, shorts, or skirts. While Danica looked cute in her referee polo shirt, Lexi usually took it to a whole nother level.

“Leave Lexi alone,” Danica ordered, slapping Jake’s arm. “I’d love to work at your school, but it doesn’t look like they have any openings in my area. You know I don’t have any school loyalties down here.”

“I guess,” Jake whined. “At least you aren’t moving back to Anchor Rock.”

“My parents would love that, but Edgewater is such a pleasant place,” Danica remarked, flashing the smile that first caused Jake to fall in love with her four years ago. “Now, you have to tell us all about your case.”

The next ten minutes saw Jake struggle to retell The Case of the Phantom Diver to the staff and the small morning crowd. The teen detective struggled because Elexis Zamora spent most of the recounting teasing Jake mercilessly by leaning over the bartop. A frequent hair-dyer, the South High alumnus currently flaunted ash blonde hair. As her amber eyes twinkled mischievously, Elexis used her arms to push together her D-cups to create a mouthwatering display of cleavage. Jake swore the vixen had to have cut the neckline of her tight polo shirt to reveal more skin. It fit with the skirt that usually barely covered her ass cheeks.

Belinda eventually caught on to the teasing. Slyly slapping the sexpot’s arm, she mouthed at Elexis to knock it off. The discovery also led the experienced bartender to end the storytelling.

“Sorry, guys, Jake needs to get to work.”

“I can fill you in about the rest later. I promise,” Jake told a whiny Hickey before asking Belinda about his chores for the day.

“Steve’s downstairs checking inventory. We’ll need to restock after last night.” Belinda paused as the teen groaned. “Stop your bellyaching. We don’t need any kegs hauled up. Just cans and bottles.”

Sighing with relief, Jake grabbed a paper pad and checked the coolers at the back of the bar. Crouching down, he made a list of the needed beer cans. He had to stop, recount the cans, and recheck his list three times because he had lost his train of thought after getting distracted by Elexis and Danica’s bare legs. The former wore her usual black skirt, while the latter rocked a pair of tiny black shorts. Attempting to move on, Jake noted which sodas could use some extra stock. Finally, the teen checked the tall glass refrigerator, jotting down which bottles needed replenishing. Finished, Jake headed for the door that led to the basement.

Magnum’s biggest issue came from storing most of the backstock in the basement. Jake wondered if his dad had considered knocking down another wall and adding the adjacent empty storefront. It had been sitting unrented for months, and Marvin had purchased the whole building long ago.

Fortunately, Marvin’s bad knee had led to a workaround solution, but it also brought some other difficulties. Taking the wide stairs, Jake’s father had cut them down to add a ramp on one-third of the old setup. While it provided a much easier way to push cases or kegs up by a handcart, it also left the rest of the stairs relatively narrow.

Carefully descending, Jake found a handcart near the bottom of the stairs. Knowing where everything should be, the teen raced the dolly over to the far corner, nearly hitting Steve Saunders in the process. Apologizing, Jake had a brief chat over nothing with the bar’s assistant manager. A lanky twenty-eight-year-old with short, light blond hair and gray eyes, Steve had played wide receiver in high school and at a small college. Like many of Marvin’s ex-football hires, Steve’s college career hadn’t panned out, and for reasons unknown to Jake, the wide receiver dropped out of school after his sophomore year.

Jake spent the next forty minutes wheeling cases of beer, soda, and a box of liquor bottles up the stairs. Elexis continued to tease him purposely, while Danica did so unintentionally. A brush of his crush’s hip against his thigh sent his heart racing, and a hand on his shoulder as she passed the kneeling teen caused his shoulder to heat up. Deliberate back arches and thrust-out asses by the seductress sent Jake’s head spinning. Once he’d fully stocked the coolers, the teen headed off to sweep and clean the backroom. A relatively simple job, Jake didn’t mind the chore or the break from the sexy employees.

However, the owner’s son cursed loudly when he learned the next item on the list was to clean the restrooms. Well-acquainted with the mess drunk men made while missing the toilet, Jake started with the women’s restroom. Twenty minutes into the cleaning, with the door open, Jake heard his name called while he mopped the floor.

“Yeah?”

“Is it cool if I use the men’s room?” Hickey asked. “I gotta take a leak bad.”

“You’re good. I haven’t started yet,” the teen told his father’s old friend, who raced off in relief.

Currently an insurance salesman with an office kitty-corner to Magnum’s, Hank had lived a tragic life. An above-average high school quarterback with a promising college career, it unfortunately ended due to a significant elbow injury during practice. However, the true tragedy occurred when Hank’s parents drove to his far-off campus to check on their injured son. A truck driver working on about two hours of sleep over two days had crossed the median to slam his semi-trailer directly into the Hickeys’ car, instantly killing them.

Despite back-to-back blows, Hank buried the anguish and focused on finishing college. The lawsuit settlement with the trucking firm didn’t bring his parents back, but it did provide some comfort and opportunity for Hank and his longtime college girlfriend. However, closing in on his wedding day post-college, Hank had been rocked when Justine’s suspicions proved correct. Hank’s girlfriend only started dating the quarterback because she thought he might be rich someday. Ready to break up after his injury, the gold digger stuck around after realizing Hank might get a payday from the accident.

Devastated to learn he’d been cheated on for years by his two-faced girlfriend, Hank drowned away his sorrows. Now a functioning alcoholic after several failed rehab stints, Hank often spent his free time at Magnum’s, where Marv and Rita worked to keep his drinking to a minimum. The kind of guy everyone loved, Hank found a support group in other regulars at the bar.

Lost in his thoughts about his dad’s good friend, Jake finished the last of the women’s restroom before a voice startled him. Turning around to find his crush standing in the doorway, Jake told Danica the restroom was ready for use.

“I’m good. But I thought you might want a break,” Danica responded. “Rita called. You want to deliver a few lunches for Smash’s?”

“Sure,” Jake replied, forcing his eyes up from her perky chest to her gorgeous face. “Make sure nobody trashes this bathroom while I’m away.”

“I’ll try,” Danica replied, throwing her hands out. “Luckily, no guys are catching Lexi’s eye today. Besides you, of course.”

Gawking at the implication of his crush’s words about the sexy–some might say slutty–bartender, Jake willed himself not to get hard while washing his hands. Yet, his mind couldn’t wander into the fantasy of taking Elexis for a ride in the stall.

Blaming his increased horniness on his failed threesome from a few days ago, Jake hurried out of the bar and across the street. Entering Smashburgers, the worked-up teen found another familiar face with a fantastic body smiling at him.

“Oh, my! If it isn’t our savior’s son!” Farrah Styles greeted her classmate.

Besides the hostess, a high school-aged waitress giggled with a flirtatious smile before rushing off to check her tables. Unfamiliar with the cute girl, Jake assumed she attended South High, although the private Hilltop Academy could also be a possibility. Dragging his eyes off the girl’s curvy ass, Jake’s eyes found Farrah’s knowing gaze.

“Never gonna change, aren’t you, Mr. Hero?” the dark-skinned teen commented, clucking her tongue.

“Like you’re any better,” Jake shot back. His response wasn’t wrong. Farrah had been kicked off the cheer squad last year for offering a post-game reward to the school’s quarterback in the locker room. “How are you feeling?”

“So far, so good,” Farrah replied, meaning the flu. “Reed didn’t get so lucky. She had to go home last night.”

“Ah, man. That sucks. I heard you had a cook and a waitress go down sick,” Jake said. Reed Frye was the girl everyone in school loved and thought would make the perfect girlfriend.

“Two waitresses last night with another one on Friday,” Farrah listed. “You coming to work too?”

“I guess to deliver some lunches,” Jake shrugged.

“Mrs. Evans?”

“Oh, yeah, probably,” Jake said, realizing the elderly woman was likely the person. Spotting his dad joking around with a table in the rear, he asked about Rita’s whereabouts.

“In the kitchen, I think.”

With a thanks, Jake tried to head straight to the kitchen. However, several classmates, classmates’ parents, and complete strangers stopped Jake to congratulate him on the recent case. Eventually, Marvin came over to extract his son from the admiring public with a joke about it being time to stop playing celebrity.

“He’s only taking after you, Marv,” the customer Jake didn’t know commented, chuckling.

Able to slip away, Jake found Magnum’s manager inside Smashburgers’ kitchen. A petite forty-three-year-old with medium-sized breasts and a toned ass, Rita DeRicco currently had her hair dyed a black cherry. A cougar by any definition, Rita took advantage of the nearby yoga and dance studio to stay in tip-top shape. Before her dark brown eyes saw him, Jake had already averted his focus from her compact curves.

“Stopped to flirt with Farrah, didn’t you?” Rita said as her greeting.

Not waiting for an answer, she pointed the teen toward several insulated bags. Briskly crossing the room, Rita pulled several containers out of the food warmer and handed them to Jake to place into the other bags. Rapidly, she rattled off the three nearby locations he needed to stop at.

Nodding, Jake exited the restaurant through the exterior kitchen door. Despite not delivering food, Smashbugers and Magnum’s made exceptions for nearby businesses. The first stop on the list sat directly south of the restaurant.

Crossing Bell Avenue, Jake walked around the corner to enter the front door of Pellinger Furniture. The high-quality furniture store had been an Uptown staple for over 75 years, situated in a large building that occupied the entire block between Bell and Forward Avenues. Strolling past desks, dressers, tables, and chairs made by the finest woodworkers in the region, Jake eventually reached the store’s cash register in the rear.

“Eek!” a cute strawberry blonde two grades below Jake squeaked after looking up to see him standing by the counter.

“Hey, Stace. How’s your summer going?” Jake inquired politely. He watched Stacy Pellinger’s face blush hard enough to match her strawberry-blonde hair.

“Good! Howsyoursummer–Crap! ImeanIloveyourpictureinthepaper!” the incoming sophomore rattled off at superspeed. If it hadn’t been evident years earlier, the Pellinger girl had a massive crush on the football player.

“Thanks. Is this lunch all for you?” Jake teased, knowing he had three meals in the bags for the store.

“No!” Stacy squealed before giggling after spotting his grin. Holding up a finger, she scurried off to find her mother.

Grimacing, Jake fought the urge to follow the younger girl’s perky butt. Despite his willpower holding at the moment, Jake was more concerned about the future. If the girl turned into anything close to resembling her mother, Jake knew that starting two years from now, he’d better be careful about losing control around Stacy. He never wanted to take advantage of her crush on him.

Speaking of her mother, Jake groaned as Stefanie Pellinger walked around the corner with a broad grin. Even worse for Jake’s returned hard-on, the sexy as fuck MILF bypassed the counter to approach the teenager.

“Jake! We’re so proud of you and Phineas. What you did is amazing,” Stefanie declared proudly, wrapping her arms around the young man for a celebratory hug.

“Thanks, Mrs. Pellinger,” Jake groaned.

“Oh…my. Now, Jakey, you know to call me Steff,” the MILF reminded, her grin growing wider after feeling the staff that poked into her. Slightly turning her body, Steff’s hips brushed against the teenager’s stiff dick as she addressed her daughter. “Did you still want Jake’s autograph?”

“Moooom!” the embarrassed girl moaned.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. Do you, Jake?” Mrs. Pellinger asked, looking over her shoulder as she shifted her body until her pencil skirt-clad ass pushed into the star athlete’s bulge.

“N-N-No. I wouldn’t mind,” Jake stammered as Steff leaned forward to pick up Sunday’s newspaper. Her ass never lost contact with his groin.

“Th-Thanks,” Stacy squeaked, looking down at her hero’s signature splashed under a different picture of him in the diving suit.

Finished with her surprising flirtation, the mother and wife moved around the counter to pay the bill. While counting the cash, she inquired about his appearance. Stefanie expressed delight at Jake's news while handing the amount over with a healthy tip.

“How wonderful! Oh, I don’t mean the flu, but that we might see you around more often this summer. I bet Stace will love that,” Steff stage-whispered the last line.

“Mother!” the short girl hissed, glancing up from Jake’s signed picture.

“Well, I’m not sure how long I’ll be helping out,” Jake admitted.

“Oh, phooey!”

“He’s got mysteries to solve,” Stacy stated, her eyes filled with pride and hero worship.

Saying goodbye, Jake hurried out of the furniture store, nearly running into Mr. Pellinger near the front door. Saying hello, the teen didn’t stop. His painful erection and who caused it meant he didn’t want to talk to the husband and father.

“Fuck me,” Jake groaned aloud once he reached the sidewalk.

You need to get laid and get laid soon, man! Even Stacy looked pretty delectable, and her mom…Damn!

After the abrupt ending to his first-ever potential threesome, Jake fought to stamp out the visions of the Pellinger women filling those two slots someday. Running across 55th Street, Jake continued down Bell Avenue. Passing Dirty Dingy, a corner tap, the teen walked to the other side of the building and entered the door on 54th Street.

“Well, I’ll be damned! Look, everybody, it’s the ghost!” the owner of Buzzbeak Barbershop announced.

"Hey, Mr. Beeks," Jake greeted, clasping hands with the older, dark-skinned man. After the handshake, the local hero shook hands or waved to several other customers and a second barber.

“Your old man was always straight, but it feels weird to see a mini-Morgan who’s not bent,” Mr. Beeks remarked, shaking his head with a chuckle as he handed over some cash. The barbershop owner was an old acquaintance of Jake’s grandfather, Moe, and seemed to have had his hand in a few sketchy schemes back in the day.

“How do you think the kid’s so good at catching felons, Buzz?” a middle-aged customer joked.

Throwing up his hands, Jake left the barbershop. Crossing 54th Street, Jake continued down Bell Avenue for another two blocks before taking a right. Walking down to the corner of Wagner Avenue, Jake took another right up a sidewalk to a small white house.

A buzzer rang, bringing a tiny but not frail woman in her late eighties to the door. Her eyes lit up when she recognized the teenager.

“Little Jakey Magnum. What a pleasant surprise! Come in, come in.”

“Happy Sunday, Mrs. Evans,” Jake greeted, entering a time capsule. The Evans’ living room looked the same as it did in the 1950s. The little old lady, the widow of the bar owner who sold his business to Marvin roughly two decades ago, pointed at the Sunday newspaper.

“I see you and your friend are still causing your mothers to pull out their hair,” Mrs. Evans commented.

“Pretty much,“ Jake admitted, handing over the bag. With a mention of finding her purse, the teen hastily reminded, “There’s no charge, Mrs. Evans.”

Marvin and Geno had loved to share stories with the Evanses, and after Mr. Evans died, the two men continued to watch over his widow. Before his dad broke down and hired a lawn service, a younger Jake often mowed the widow's grass besides his family's. To this day, either Smashburgers or Magnum's would make a special chicken cutlet only for Mrs. Evans. Usually, Rita would drop off the lunches as she often drove the older woman to the grocery store.

“Nonsense,” Mrs. Evans insisted, forcing a tip into Jake’s hand. “A young man like you needs a little pocket money to take out all those lovely young women.”

When she left the living room to put her lunch in the refrigerator, Jake stuck the money in the cushion of her favorite chair. Knowing she’d find it later and assume she’d dropped it, Jake smiled at the deception. Despite treating Marvin’s children as if they were her grandchildren, Jake and Libby preferred that Mrs. Evans spend the money on her great-grandchildren whenever they visited from different towns.

The athletic teen spent five minutes describing his recent case and then spent another ten minutes browsing through new pictures of the extended Evans family. Mrs. Evans focused on two of her great-granddaughters, who were close to Jake’s age and who would visit later this summer.

Offering his apologies as he needed to get back to Magnum’s, Jake promised to stop by again later this week. So, with a warm smile after brightening up the elderly woman’s day, the teen returned to the sports bar.

“How many pictures did she show you today?” Hank questioned from a table where he sat with several other regulars and old friends watching a baseball game.

“A few,” Jake responded, downplaying the number.

Moving around the wall, Jake’s good mood vanished immediately. Standing near the bar, a meticulously dressed man around twenty-six leaned over to kiss one of the bartenders. Although the handsome man with short, stylish, dark blond hair and blue eyes seemed pleasant enough, Jake disliked Brett Utley immensely out of envy.

Why? Because the bartender Utley kissed was his girlfriend of almost a year, Danica Bisco.

“Jake!” Danica yelled, gesturing for him to come over. “You gotta tell Brett all about your case.”

“What I read in the paper sounded quite exciting,” Brett commented, shaking the teen’s hand. “The whole firm was talking about it by Friday.”

Brett had started as a young attorney last year at Dowell, Robburn & Eisenberg, a respected law firm in Edgewater that focuses on business matters rather than criminal law. Despite Justine Magnum practicing criminal law, she knew everyone in the small legal community of Edgewater. So, her son knew that the fresh-out-of-law school attorney mainly worked on real estate law so far, a specialty that Justine found excruciatingly boring while in law school.

Jake gave the quickest rundown possible despite his crush’s prodding. Begging off, the teen realized he forgot to bring the money for the food to Smashburgers. The fast trip across the street and back bought Jake enough of a distraction to avoid Brett on his return. The young lawyer sat at one of the small tables with his breathtaking girlfriend while she enjoyed her break. The teen scowled as the fancy attorney sipped on his expensive, highfalutin lager.

“Fuck. I need to get in on the ground floor with a guy like that one of these days. He’s going places,” Elexis commented.

“One of these days?” Jake responded, raising an eyebrow.

“Shit, I’m not ready to be locked down with a ring yet. I need to sow plenty more wild oats,” the current ash blonde remarked, running a hand down the teen’s stomach. The tantalizing touch nearly reached Jake’s groin before Elexis practiced the art of the tease by removing her finger at the last second.

“Don’t wait too long. Aren’t you getting old? Almost thirty?” Jake queried with a shit-eating grin.

“No, I’m not that old, and you know it!” Elexis screeched, playfully slapping his chest.

Jake silently thanked himself for the joke as he watched her D-cups bounce around in the way-too-small polo shirt.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Lexi. I just can’t imagine being your age. I worry about my arms and knees giving out by then.”

“I’m only five years older than you. And I’ll show you how to wear out your hands and knees,” the sexpot suggested saucily before rolling her eyes.

Catching the eye roll, Jake turned to find Danica kissing Brett again. Feeling a surge of jealousy, the teen sought to hide it by making another comment.

“I’m sure Danica’s not thinking about locking down a guy with a promising career.”

“Of course, she’s not. That girl’s too sweet to think like that,” Elexis agreed. “But it’s her ease at finding what so many other women want that frustrates people.”

As if on cue, another attractive woman entered Magnum’s and joined Danica and Brett. Jake mentally cursed his need to find another summer fling as his motor revved up even more. A busty ginger with dazzling blue eyes and a magnificent pair of Double D breasts, Ashlynn Fairchild occasionally starred in Jake’s fantasies. That she also happened to be Danica’s roommate helped fuel specific sexual scenarios in his dreams. Only a few weeks back, a sexy negligee pillow fight with Danica and Ashlynn, facing off against their two other housemates, filled one such nighttime fantasy.

Shuffling his feet to hide his groin at the memory, Jake watched enviously as Ashlynn hugged Brett. “Lucky bastard” seemed to linger on his lips but never came out.

“It’s not polite to stare,” Belinda proclaimed, snapping Jake and Elexis from their musings. “And Lexi, you have tables to take care of.”

“Ugh! I hate when we don’t have any waitresses,” the bartender complained. But she **** a friendly smile to appear while checking on the customers in the other room.

Belinda waited until the ash blonde left before commenting on Jake’s interest.

“Danica and her friend are a bit old for you, buddy.”

“What? No…I know that!” the incoming high school senior protested.

“Sure, it’s not like you haven’t had a crush on them for years,” Belinda responded knowingly. “Better to focus your flirting on Kari or Cheyanne.”

“Shit, are you crazy? They’re Libby’s friends. I prefer not to wake up with my dick cut off some morning,”

“Isn’t the risk and sneaking around part of the thrill?” Belinda winked. “Still, I worry about Dani. She’s too young and innocent for a mature man like Brett.”

“Really? I think she’s wise for her age,” the teen replied.

“You’ll learn with age,” the older woman stated.

However, Jake doubted it and wondered if his dad’s longtime employee underestimated him. If anything, Jake thought he was a pretty good judge of people. Sure, Phinn said he gave too many people the benefit of the doubt, but their detective work taught him to recognize good character where it existed.

“It’s Utley I worry about,” Steve said, startling Jake, who hadn’t noticed him. “He comes across as too smooth. Something about him isn’t right.”

“No, it’s Dani…You know, you might be right,” Belinda said, suddenly changing her tone. “I have noticed his wandering eye at times.”

“What? He’d be crazy to cheat on Danica, of all people,” Jake insisted.

“Like I said, the thrill of sneaking around makes men and women do dumb things,” Belinda reminded him. Then, she nodded as Brett made a comment that caused Ashlynn to laugh loudly. “He’s quite touchy and flirty with his girlfriend’s roommate. Plus, you should see how he and Lexi go back and forth.”

“Lexi flirts with everyone,” Jake pointed out.

“True. But he does seem very taken with Ashlynn. Not that I blame him, but Danica’s a far better catch,” Steve responded. “A young cocky lawyer with money to burn. I’d be suspicious that he’s running around town with more than one girlfriend.”

“No way,” Jake said, hoping it wasn’t true for his crush’s sake.

“It’s too bad that we don’t have a way to be…Oh, wow, why didn’t I think of this before?” Belinda questioned herself while slapping her forehead.

“Huh?” Steve responded.

“Hey, Jake, how would you like a client?” Belinda asked.

“What? Who? Danica?” Jake questioned as the raven-haired bartender nodded at the table with her coworker.

“Somewhat. I’ll…We’ll hire you to check out Brett. If he’s legit, then we’ll all be relieved for Dani,” Belinda replied.

“Who’s we?” the teen detective asked.

“Me. I’m sure a few of the others would want to help Dani. You in, Steve?”

‘In how?”

“I assume a detective like Jake requires payment or at least a retainer,” Belinda guessed, reaching into her pocket. “Do you have a going rate?”

“Uh, not really. And I’m not sure I like the idea of investigating her boyfriend,” Jake admitted.

“Aren’t you worried about Dani like the rest of us?” Belinda challenged, slapping a pair of twenties on the bar. “Throw in, Steve. You know you want to.”

Sighing, the assistant manager checked the amount and added another pair of twenties.

“Is this good for starters? Or should we ask Lexi for some cash?” Belinda inquired.

“No, I guess that’s fine.”

“So, you’ll do it?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, I’ll look into Brett Utley,” Jake agreed.

Fuck. I suppose we do need some money, given that our reserves are drained. But I hate these crappy cheating cases.