Chapter 4: Phinnstradamus

After Jake yelled “Duck” and dove to the ground, his actions set off a chain reaction of events. Kody half-crouched next to the front of the game booth, Wally’s head swung around wildly as if he expected a wild beast or spooky alien to appear, and Bandit began barking excitedly. Allie tried to shush the bulldog while Piper raised her fists.

On the other hand, Phinn slowly but steadily scanned the makeshift concourse. While technically not a full-blown carnival, the 4th of July event did have carnies running carnival games. This came from a minor uproar roughly fifteen years ago in Anchor Rock, where its citizens rebelled against long lines for the carnival rides at the holiday show. After a few years of letters to the newspaper and complaining callers to talk radio, city leaders cut a deal with the leading carnival tour operator in the region. Anchor Rock would get a whole carnival for the holiday, along with the additional rides from a second traveling tour. That left the other tour’s games available for Edgewater. This fact had been heavily discussed by Busybody, Inc., after their second wacky and dangerous carnival case. With carnies having the long-held superstition of trouble occurring in threes, the trio of sleuths had prepared for the worst.

“What is it?” Corky whispered, pulling out a pair of mini-binoculars. “Has the elusive Mindy Moon returned? Did Monster Manfredi engineer his jailbreak to get **** on you? Or is it another of Randall Repington’s cultists back to finish you off?”

“Shhh!” Phinn hissed, finishing his slow twirl to face the other end of the concourse. That’s when he spotted a teen with golden brown hair approaching as part of a group. “Tara.”

“Oh,” Corky sounded as Kody and Wally relaxed somewhat. However, the twelve-year-old knew better. “Uh-oh.”

“Hang on…What did you say about Angelo Manfredi?” Phinn questioned once the immediate danger he had been concerned about had died down.

“He broke out of Mug Jug last week,” the fan club president revealed, referring to the nickname for the state prison. “Not only did he vow to get ****, but he’s a master of disguise. Maybe he’s that clown!”

Following the pointing finger to a clown about a hundred feet away, Phinn’s short-lived tension faded. “Relax. That guy has the wrong build.”

“Excellent deduction,” Corky praised before a blonde blur dashed in front of him.

“I’ll help, I’ll help!” the honey blonde insisted. Although clad in a light-colored floral sundress, Melody Mercer dropped to her knees beside the hiding Jake. “Are we looking for clues or evidence?”

Phinn didn’t need to hear Jake’s mumbled reply. Instead, he wondered what lie his best friend came up with on the fly as the cheerleader started searching the grass with her hands. With a can-do spirit, Melody fit the cheerleader stereotype almost perfectly. Gorgeous with the aforementioned honey blonde hair, she also had medium-to-large breasts and an infectiously positive attitude. A former classmate at Marshall Elementary, Melody was also one of the sweetest and most innocent people the boys had ever met. One could also call her the ditziest person the detectives have encountered. Yet, the blonde airhead had proven to be helpful in the past.

Unable to fight off a grin, Phinn temporarily forgot about the two fellow cheerleaders who’d been approaching with Melody. A familiar and unwelcome voice gave him a reason.

“I don’t think Mercer will help much on The Case of the Missing Farris Family Balls,” Rick Valance cracked, his voice slurring slightly as he reappeared with Shane Grogan and Todd Haldorn.

“Would Melody even know what to do with them?” Todd asked, snickering.

"Oh, I'd show her how mine works," Shane chuckled.

“What did you say?” Phinn challenged, focusing on Todd.

“Touch a nerve?” Rick asked, but the junior investigator ignored him by glaring at his neighborhood nemesis.

“C’mon, man. You were there in first grade when the birdbrain thought babies came from storks,” Todd reminded, his boisterous laugh enhanced by his inebriation.

“Didn’t you say that she believed in Santa Claus until–” Shane began to ask.

“Silence, simpleton!” Phinn roared while marching over toward Todd.

“Ooh! You sure did strike a nerve,” Rick mocked, acting scared. “Better watch it. Farris hits like a girl.”

“Hey, wanna bet?” Piper asked. The hellcat gymnast raised a cocked fist menacingly.

Despite being drunk, Rick immediately sought to rectify his mistake. Slipping back into his smooth operator role, he apologized.

“Sorry! Just a figure of speech. No harm meant, ladies.”

“Whatever. He talks to me like that again, I’ll show him a real punch,” Grogan vowed.

“What you gonna do? Hit me?” Todd egged on, meeting Phinn’s glaring brown eyes. “You’ve always been sweet on the ditz. Does nitwit nookie turn you on?”

While Kody and Wally glanced over at the hiding Jake, Corky looked around for a weapon to give to Phineas. Allie strained to reel in the leash as Bandit pulled hard against her grip to join his favorite neighbor. Meanwhile, two additional young women joined the group’s fringes.

“I’m not going to hit you,” Phinn began in a calm tone that immediately turned cold. “However, if you ever speak another ill word about Melody, I’ll make you pay.”

“How?” Todd challenged, looking at his two friends with a ‘Who does this guy think he is?’ look.

“First, I’ll frame you for a crime. It won’t be difficult. You already have a poor reputation. I’m sure you think Reyhall will bail you out as always, but I’m smarter than the deputy chief,” Phinn began. “Perhaps, I’ll spread the word that we have a Peeping Tom in the neighborhood. I’ll build it up over months, until I expose you by entrapping you in a far more effective plan than yours with Old Man Mauldin’s house.”

“They’d suspect you as the pervert first,” Todd joked. However, his confidence seemed a bit shaken.

“Or I could plant stolen evidence on you. Did you hear the story about a semi-truck for a home improvement chain that got hijacked a couple of states over last month? No? Well, I did. I also happen to know the fence who has some of the stolen product. So don’t doubt that I can’t find the loot I need.”

“Bitch, please. You don’t know shit,” Grogan chortled, sneering at the teen.

“I know that you smoke weed during the offseason, Shane. I bet if Coach Turnbull even got a whiff of that allegation, you’d be on his shit list,” Phinn revealed. “Keep in mind, people. I know all your dirty deeds. Every. Last. One. Of. Them.”

“Does he?” Kody whispered to Wally, who shushed him.

“The second part that will happen to you, if you ever insult Melody again, will occur in prison,” Phinn continued, laying out the possible future. “Perhaps, you’ll get lucky to land in the county jail. Well, I’m very familiar with the local crooks. Maybe I helped put them behind bars, maybe I gave them a break. Either way, I can guarantee that someone in the detention area owes me a favor. And guess what I’ll ask for when I call in that chit?”

“Nobody likes you, freak,” Rick spat.

“I’m not talking to you, Owl Boy. Keep in mind, your fate will be much worse than Haldorn’s if I cared,” Phinn promised, still never breaking eye contact with Todd, who started to feel a lump in his throat. “Now, if you get sent to Mug Jug, Todd, a different situation awaits you there. See, I’m most definitely hated up there. Some might even say the inmates loathe me. Which will put you in a pickle when word gets out that we’re old pals dating back to kindergarten.”

“Y-You w-wouldn’t it…” Todd stammered.

“Oh, I would, and think of the nasty things that will be done to you,” Phinn replied. His sinister smirk added a diabolical gleam to his eye. Bandit chose that moment to add a growl.

“Fuck this!” Shane declared, moving to wrap his arms around Phinn’s. “Just hit the bitch, and get this over with.”

“Jake!” Cory yelled, watching as Todd snapped out of his frightful state and prepared to inflict pain on Phinn.

Okay, this might not have been the smartest move. My ribs are bruised, Phinn thought, watching Rick and Shane needlessly cajole Todd. The short, snot-nosed punk threw a right cross that connected with the sleuth’s cheek. Laughing, Todd made a show of backing up and turning to face the onlookers.

“How you like that, asshole? Somebody better tell the featherbrain she’d better help her hero. Ready for the next round?” Todd asked the growing crowd as he raised his cocked fist. “Yeow!”

Unfortunately for the pint-sized bully, the sole of a platform wedge sandal connected with his groin. Dropping to his knees while grabbing his manhood, Todd left himself wide open for the small clutch purse to slam brutally into his face. With an “oomph,” he toppled over to the ground in pain.

“Dammit, Yas, get Mel up!” Tara Hartel ordered, gesturing to where the cheerleader continued to help Jake search for clues between the two game stalls.

Another “oomph” left Todd as the oversized sandal slammed down onto his chest to prevent him from rising. Double-checking that Yasmine Greco followed her direction, the feisty, short-tempered ex-girlfriend of Jake Magnum let her gaze roam the crowd. Rick managed to avoid those piercing amber eyes by slipping away during the commotion. However, Shane froze until he winced in pain as a pair of sharp teeth dug into his ankle. Shaking Bandit loose, the linebacker staggered toward the front of a game booth.

“Listen up, people,” the honey brown-haired teen announced.

An attractive young woman with medium-to-large breasts and a toned rump, it was easy to see why Jake had dated Tara for almost a year. However, the scowl on her face hinted at the part of her personality that frightened the courageous detective.

“In case you didn’t hear, a vote was taken three days ago,” Tara continued. “There’s a new sheriff in town, and you’re looking at her.”

“Honestly, you’re the co-sheriff, or would that be deputy sheriff? We elected Sabrina as cheer captain. Tara is the co-captain. Plus, we only control the northside of town,” a slender, athletic teen with cappuccino-colored brown hair clarified to the crowd while holding Melody’s arm firmly.

“Yas!”

“Ooh! Can I be a deputy?” Melody asked, hopping up and down. The movement dragged most of the attention away from Tara as her breasts bounced under the sundress. Then, she created smiles and chuckles by miming a gun draw from an imaginary holster. “I’m Deputy Mercer, and I’m not here to take any guff from that varmint! How did that sound?”

“Great, just great, Mel.” Yasmine nodded, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

“Very intimidating,” Phinn agreed. “We’ll use you someday to arrest the culprit.”

“Phinny! Hi!” the cheery blonde waved, finally spotting her old classmate. “Don’t worry. I helped Jake clear the area for clues. Say, why is Tara standing on Todd? Bandit!”

“The hell? Hey! Are you pissing on me?” Todd screamed, struggling to roll away.

“What? No, I’m not…Oh. Yeah, that dog will do that,” the cheer co-captain admitted, spotting her ex’s bulldog behind her, lifting his leg to pee on Todd’s groin and upper thigh. Stepping off the asshole, she backed away to avoid any splatter. “Next time, I’ll let him crap on you for insulting my friend.”

“Oh, no. Bandit got away from me. Stop, Bandit, stop,” Allie said in a monotone voice, holding the handle of the retractable leash loosely.

“He just broke away from us,” Piper added, grinning over the additional lie.

“What did Todd say about you?” Melody whispered to Yasmine, who shook her head. Assuming that left only the two missing incoming senior-year cheerleaders, the blonde added, “Oh, he’s in trouble if he said something bad about Sabrina or Nikki.”

Spotting a perfect way to deal with two of the jerks, Phinn motioned for Corky to come closer. After whispering a few words, the devious detective added, “It’s snitching time.”

Corky scampered down the concourse to get the individual that Phinn had spotted.

“And that goes for you, too, Shane,” Tara warned, pointing at the linebacker, who pushed his urine-soaked friend away from him. “Where’s Jake? Jake! We need to have a chat about you dragging Thatcher into your mystery last month! Don’t try to get back at me through my little brother.”

“Perfect timing, buddy,” Phinn praised, kneeling to scratch the bulldog’s head. “Time for us to skedaddle.”

Taking the leash from Allison, Phinn passed a returning Corky with Officer Sally Jasso a couple of steps behind him. Taking his time, the boy and his friend’s dog strolled down the concourse as the police officer questioned Todd and Shane over a report of drunken, disorderly conduct by a pair of underage teens.

“Hartel attacked me, and Phinn’s dog pissed on me!”

“Did anyone see me attack him?” Tara challenged.

“I saw Todd trip and fall over his own two feet,” Piper replied. “Lightweight drunk.”

“And everyone knows that Phineas doesn’t own a dog,” Allie added.

“We all watched as you pissed your pants,” Yasmine added.

“We did? I don’t think–” Melody questioned until Yasmine’s hand muffled her voice.

Chuckling, Phinn waited until they passed five more booths before turning around to check out the result. Shane and Todd protested but complied when Officer Jasso grabbed their arms and led them to the temporary command center near the food trucks.

“Todd will probably get his citation knocked down thanks to Reyhall. Still, Gorgan might get in trouble with Turnbull since practice starts next month,” a voice estimated from next to Phineas.

“Taking notes for the big summer edition?” Phinn inquired as Bandit wagged his tail at the familiar face.

“The Sonar does not partake in gossip,” Erin Donnelly insisted.

“Doesn’t Bex?” the junior investigator asked. “I thought I put on a worthy show for your types.”

“Really? I’ve seen it all before.”

“Seriously? Huh, I thought I came off as menacing. I’ll have to work on that,” Phinn noted, shaking his head.

“I’m sure it worked on most of them. I’ve just known you since you asked to go wee-wee at school,’ Erin pointed out, smirking.

“That was at the summer playground program at Marshall, and I was four. I had manners, unlike Jake,” Phinn shot back. “Don’t make me bring up your tendency to vomit back then.”

“I had a touchy stomach as a little kid,” Erin flung back before chuckling. “I remember the counselor scolding Dusty for playing lookout as Jake peed by the monkey bars. They were always even more trouble than you and Jake.”

“I doubt that. Fine. Truce?” Phinn offered before congratulating the newly announced school newspaper editor. “I heard Pendleton put the crown on your head. Shame. I had high hopes for Fairfax.”

“Bex? I thought you’d want Griff to get the job to spite me.”

“You know I can’t stand Griffin,” Phinn responded. “Bex would’ve shaken things up.”

“She’s our photographer, not a reporter.”

“Precisely,” Phinn noted, grinning. “Hey, did you hear that Angelo Manfredi escaped?”

“Sure, it happened last week. The news had his face splashed everywhere,” the cinnamon brunette recalled. “Wait, didn’t you know?”

“How? We didn’t have cell service or internet down in Lumlow, nor the time to sit down and watch the evening news,” Phinn explained. “Corky just told me.”

“Oof! That had to hurt,” Erin said before turning serious. “Didn’t he threaten to get even with you meddling kids?”

“He did. Jake’s not going to like this,” Phinn revealed, frowning slightly.

“Sucks to be you guys. It’s not like your lives ever get dull,” Erinn noted, watching as the group Phinn had left broke up. Kody and Wally glanced around before throwing their hands up in the air in defeat. Apparently, Jake had vanished. Eventually, they spotted Phinn and headed his way. “I hear you’re investigating a **** case from a half-century ago.”

“What? No, we’re not,” Phinn denied. “We merely found an old photograph in the–”

“Capshaw’s garage among the rummage sale furniture,” the teen reporter finished with a smirk.

“Dammit, which one of you has been talking?” Phinn yelled, causing Kody and Wally to halt. He knew Andre might tell Luke at the most.

“Bex told me. She heard it from Willow, who heard it from Ethan, and who heard it from Wally,” Erin relayed about the chain of events.

“Jesus,” Phinn mumbled. “Look, Kody found the photo, but it’s not like we have any leads.”

“Then it really sucks to be you. Much of Wedison Park is buzzing about your next case,” the new editor revealed. “This might be worth the Sonar’s interest. That's if you boys don’t hog the spotlight.”

Phinn told his old classmate to shut up as a commotion from the side of the nearest stall caused Bandit to wait patiently. He barked happily as Jake nearly tripped over an extension cord as he came into view.

“She gone?” the popular athlete asked his partner before spotting the girl standing with him. “I mean, no sign of that prowler sneaking around the booths. We heard a report of stolen prizes. You might want to write up a story about that.”

“Nice try. I saw and heard Tara’s arrival,” the girl with the cute librarian look divulged, folding her arms under her medium-sized breasts.

“Crap,” Jake groaned, kneeling to pet his dog. “Who’s a good boy? Yes, you are! You probably shouldn’t have bitten Shane. I’ll hear about that at practice, but did Phinn train you to pee on bad people?”

“No, I think your sister taught him that,” the bespectacled detective speculated.

“I’d believe that,” Jake agreed.

“Well, I'd better get back to the dunk tank. The school faculty is offering themselves up for charity,” Erin revealed, gesturing behind her.

“Miss Cabrera?” Jake asked hopefully. With a glint in his eye, he peered around them to search for the sexy teacher. “What about Pendelton?”

“You wish. No, Backman is supposed to go up soon,” Erin replied, referring to North High’s principal. “I'd better make sure Bex gets a bunch of pictures.”

“Ah, yes,” Phinn sounded, nodding. “Irwin gets easily distracted from other articles when his face is splashed in the same edition.”

“Alright, see ya!” the petite brunette said, waving as Kody and Wally approached, feeling safer with Jake around Phinn. Still, Erin paused to lean toward Phineas. “You did a good deed, standing up for Melody.”

“She’s a sweetheart to everyone,” Phinn replied, not sounding like his usual self.

“And I know that’s the reason why you do that for her,” Erin whispered, patting his cheek. “It’s nice.”

“What’s with that?” Jake inquired, meaning the cheek pat.

“Nothing. You’re pathetic, you know that, right?”

“It’s Tara!”

“She’s not Satan,” Phinn shot back at his best friend.

“Oh, I bet Jake will confirm that Tara is the devil in bed. Right?” Wally beamed.

“Are you insane?” the stocky tight end challenged, already surveying the area for his ex-girlfriend. “Don’t say her name and talk about sex!”

“Tara, Tara, Tara. Fuck, suck, cum,” Wally rattled off loudly, earning several dirty looks. “C’mon, Jakey. She’s not Beetlejuice.”

“Or the Candyman,” Kody added. However, he moved to put his back against the game stall.

“You summon her. I’ll abandon you,” Jake promised.

“You did that already,” Phinn noted. “Don’t think your mom won’t hear about how you ran away, leaving poor Bandit with Allie.”

“Don’t put that on me!” Jake exclaimed, causing his bulldog to bark before yawning.

“Whoa! Simmer down. The poor little guy is getting tired from the excitement,” Phinn admonished.

The four guys agreed to play a few games, even a begrudging Phinn, who wanted to keep his promise to Allison. They started with Water Race, a game of skill and speed where contestants used squirt guns to fill their designated balloons until the first one popped. Surprisingly, Kody won that game and wanted another chance to beat his friends, but the others passed. Wally dominated Milk Jug Throw and Bean Bag Throw, while Jake put on a clinic with an inflatable game called Batter Up Baseball. Phinn had to pick and hold Bandit to keep the bulldog from crawling into the inflatable game to chase the soft baseballs. Each game had its own rhythm, and each teen seemed to find one that they excelled in.

Eventually, Wally split off to watch Principal Backman get knocked into the dunk tank’s water. Without an attractive teacher scheduled for a turn, the others skipped the booth. Kody drifted over to a live-action version of Space Invaders. The shooting game, a homage to a classic arcade favorite, boasted a row of space-themed targets that danced and darted across the back wall, each hit rewarded with a satisfying 'ping' and a burst of lights. The operator, a lanky man with a greasy ponytail and a perpetual smirk, oversaw the booth with the air of a circus barker, his voice a siren's call to anyone with a dollar to spare. He nearly enticed Jake to try his hand at the game until Corky appeared. The young kid dragged the stocky teen over to Pirate Plunder. The game required players to pilot a remote-controlled ship through a sea of enemies. Each player received five cannon volleys to deal with a vessel or the final fort, where the treasure resided in a vault.

Failing miserably on his first two attempts, Jake began to sweat as people gathered around to watch him. Suddenly, with pride on the line because of the Phantom Diver case and its tie to an alleged pirate, Jake slammed down the money for a third turn. With Corky shouting suggestions, the recent local media sensation nearly won until the fort’s cannons “sank” his ship. Emboldened by his success and cheering supporters, Jake went a fourth time and eventually won the game.

Bored with Jake’s pirate adventure and uncomfortable with the growing crowd, Phinn moved down several booths until he found Saloon Shootout. A self-described shooting game set in an Old West setting, Phinn experienced initial success. Then, a competitor stepped up to the air-revolver beside him.

“Fancy, a showdown, pardna?” Quinn Rusch challenged.

Despite her summer attire of a small top and jean shorts, the hot nerd and star cosplayer at South High seemed to transform her body language into that of a female outlaw. Although Phinn lost a best-of-five challenge, he earned a pile of tickets, leaving him satisfied with the close loss. Quinn vanished into thin air while the teen talked to the carny operator.

“Damn, she’s a ghost rider,” the scruffy-looking man joked, actually wishing the attractive teen had stuck around longer.

“Corky!” Phinn yelled, bringing the copper-haired kid to his side. “Go find Allie and give her these tickets. I think I got her pretty close to her octopus.”

“Don’t you want to buy it for her? Maybe score a few brownie points?”

“I’m not Jake. I didn’t do this to land a date. Just go give them to her,” Phinn directed, confident that their follower would deliver the tickets.

As the carnival noises grew louder and dusk grew closer, Jake and Phinn left the game concourse to cut through the long arts and crafts aisle. The faint smell of paint wafted from several tables while Bandit and Jake felt the drag toward the aroma of the snack tables. Although both boy and dog had already eaten a large meal, Phinn reluctantly waited as Jake bought a sugary treat to share with his dog.

“Trying to butter him up?”

“It works for you,” Jake shot back.

Bandit proved a hit with several groups of small children and vendors. Or he did until he darted forward to snatch a knit doll from a basket. Jake attempted to apologize, but the vendor wouldn’t accept the saliva-covered doll back. Eventually, Phinn played peacekeeper for once by purchasing the doll.

“Bandie, what did they spoil you with now?” Justine Magnum questioned after they returned to their families. Her little dog carried the doll proudly in his mouth.

“It couldn’t be helped, Mrs. Magnum. Jake can’t keep control of the little guy,” Phinn stated, earning a stiff elbow from his best friend.

“Yes, I heard all about your bar tent appearance,” Justine revealed, shaking her head at her husband. “Okay, buddy, time to put your doggie earmuffs on. You don’t like the loud booms.”

Pamela Farris laughed as her next-door neighbor placed the earmuffs on the dog. However, her mirth faded swiftly as she overheard her chemistry professor husband explaining how to make gunpowder for fireworks to her youngest son, for the umpteenth time.

“Fraser! Don’t give Putty any ideas!”

“Oh, now, Pammy. I doubt that Putnam would do anything dangerous,” the clueless father replied.

“Fuck, I'd better start putting my valuables in storage like Aunt Phillippa,” Phinn muttered.

“I hope he doesn’t blow up our house along with yours,” Jake whispered in reply.

“Oh, Phinny, you just missed Katie. She looked forward to seeing you today,” Pamela explained about young Professor Pettit.

Before Phinn could inquire about his favorite Bentworth College faculty member, the fireworks show began with loud hisses and bangs.

---

“You turned the wrong way,” Phinn pointed out, a few hours later.

The detective duo drove home in Jake's sedan after waiting for what seemed like forever to navigate the traffic-packed harbor area and downtown. At Jake's insistence, they'd milled around with a group of classmates for nearly thirty minutes after the show ended before heading to the car.

“Uh, well, you see…”

“Just spit it out.”

“Piper invited us to a post-fireworks party at her parents' house. They also watched the show from a friend’s ship out on the bay and aren’t expected back until morning,” Jake revealed.

“A party? Is that why we waited around, so that you could get the details?”

“It’s still part of the holiday. Some of the guys are bringing their personal stashes to set off. It’s like an extra show,” Jake argued.

“I suspect you want to go more on the slim chance that Abby shows up at her sister’s best friend’s home,’ Phinn guessed.

“Not really. Abby’s twenty-one, so she probably went to a bar,” Jake defended his unlikely hope.

“Come on, I’ve dealt with enough people for today.”

“But you behaved! For the most part,” Jake added, ignoring the issues with Todd. “I saw you getting along with Allie, Erin, Piper, and even standing up for Melody. You showed that you can be sociable, which isn’t normal.”

“So I get punished for being a good boy by having to go to a party afterward?” Phinn challenged. “No, I refuse. Not only did I use up my full allotment of people patience, but I also drained the reserves.”

“We’ll just make a quick stop. I swear.”

“You always say that, and I end up suffering for two hours,” Phinn argued until a way out emerged. “Did Corky tell you that Angelo Manfredi broke out of Mug Jug last week when we were helping Miss Ellison?”

“What? Monster Manfredi escaped?” Jake repeated, his mouth dropping open.

Suddenly, he slammed the brakes, halting the sedan in the middle of the road. Fortunately, no one had been following behind them. Hopping out of the car, Jake popped the trunk before racing around to fling the lid open. After a few seconds, he slammed the trunk shut. Next, Phinn waited as his paranoid partner looked under the running car. Satisfied, Jake returned to the driver’s seat.

“Was that necessary?”

“Manfredi is a master of disguise. He might have hidden in our trunk!” Jake insisted.

“Doubtful.”

“Oh. My. Gawd! He was probably at the park, and we never noticed him!”

“Settle down. Manfredi likely fled the state by now,” Phinn reassured, until his vibrating phone caught his attention. Glancing at the screen, he told Jake that it was his mom’s cell phone, which was odd as he assumed they’d arrived at home by now. “I hope they didn’t get into an accident.”

“Maybe Pug tried a homemade firework on the way home,” Jake suggested.

“You know that’s not funny,” Phinn said, hitting the answer button.

“True. I wouldn’t put it past him,” Jake admitted, but Phinn didn’t hear him.

Instead, his mother’s cry caught his attention.

“Phinny, someone broke into our home!”

---

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