Chapter 5: The Burglar

Jake slowed down on 34th Street as they reached Madison Avenue. Peering down the block, they saw the flashing lights from a pair of squad cars parked in front of the third home down from the corner. As one patrol vehicle sat slightly in front of the second house, where Jake usually parked, he agreed with Phinn’s suggestion to leave his sedan on 34th, parking across from the Plouffes on the corner.

With Phinn speed-walking around the sedan and across the street, Jake found himself hurrying to match his best friend’s stride. Reaching the sidewalk, the jovial teen spotted young Howie, aka Hawk, Plouffe staring out his second-floor bedroom’s window in awe. A friendly wave from his next-door neighbor would hopefully reassure the kid.

“Phinny!” Pamela cried, spotting her son approaching.

Jake noticed his mother walk over to talk to a newly arrived third squad car, where Officer Luecke stood. His father and Phinn’s dad stood on the Magnums’ driveway, near their porch, discussing the situation. Despite the draw of getting the lowdown from his dad, Jake felt the tug to follow Phinn toward his mother, where she milled around with several neighbors, including a consoling Mrs. Nook from across the street.

“What happened?” Phinn questioned, getting straight down to business before his mother hugged him.

“W-We came home to find the backdoor window had been smashed in,” Pamela recounted, regaining her composure after initially stammering. “Your dad checked inside while I ran across to call the police from the Nooks.”

Jake nodded, surveying the watching crowd. While smiling at the Kings and Mr. Nook, he realized his parents probably arrived after Phinn’s. His dad would’ve wanted to double-check on the bar tent shutdown before departing.

“Where’s Pug?” the bespectacled sleuth inquired.

“He shouldn’t see this. I sent him around the block to the–”

“Yeah, yeah, fine,” Phinn responded, cutting his mother off. Phinn wholly doubted his little brother needed protecting. Still, Putnam would’ve been his first suspect. He wouldn’t put it past the kid to break into his own home to test what worked and didn’t as a run-through for next time elsewhere.

“Phinny! Where are you…Get back here!” Pamela called after her son as he crossed Madison Avenue to walk up his driveway.

“Crap,” Jake hissed, chasing after his partner.

“Farris, you can’t go inside,” Officer Luecke stated, attempting to step in front of the teen.

“Try stopping me,” Phinn snapped, weaving around the patrolman.

“Tom, maybe you should give Pam an update,” Justine Magnum suggested, sharing a quick look and nod with her son.

“Well, I don’t…Shit,” the policeman swore. Having dealt with the teen detectives many times in the past, the experienced officer decided to let someone else deal with the uppity brat. “Fine. Do you have any questions, Mrs. Farris?”

“Uh, Phineas, I don’t think–” Fraser Farris called after his son.

“Don’t worry. I got this, Dad,” Phinn reassured, never slowing down as he reached the end of his house.

“I got it,” Jake repeated, actually meaning his reassurance with a hand gesture toward his father.

The stocky sleuth rounded the corner to find his best friend studying the rear door. A glass pane above the doorknob had been shattered. Gently pushing the door in, Phinn jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

“They likely used one of those flowerpots, or used that rock over there.”

Jake turned to find a baseball-sized rock lying on the edge of the patio. Swinging back around, he swore as Phinn attempted to step over the broken glass to enter his home.

“Jesus, Phinn,” Jake hissed, but repeated his friend’s route. Once inside, he watched as the scrawnier teen patted his pockets with a mumble. Only after Phinn switched on the mudroom’s light did Jake realize his partner hadn’t brought a flashlight with him to the fireworks, which seemed very unlike him. “Uh, I don’t think the police want the lights on.”

Jake dropped the line of argument as Phinn flipped on the kitchen lights. At least he used a Kleenex to turn them on. The cops might want to dust for fingerprints.

“Huh?” the stocky teen sounded, catching sight of all the open kitchen cabinets. Several had tossed aside pans or equipment in front of them. Somebody had searched through seemingly every inch of the kitchen.

“Fake,” Phinn declared, exiting the kitchen through the door to the dining room.

After a brief check on the refrigerator and freezer doors, Jake followed. Although the Farris dining room only contained a tall curio cabinet and a short, long cabinet, both had all their doors open.

“Fake,” Phinn repeated before walking through the hallway and into the living room.

“Oh, hey, guys,” Officer Wishkoski greeted kindly but nervously. “Say, I don’t think they want you two in here right now.”

“It’s fine, Wish. Pretend you never saw us,” Phinn supplied, figuring the friendly cop needed a lie to protect himself.

“Uh, yeah, we’re invisible,” Jake said before adding a silent “Sorry.”

The living room looked worse than the kitchen. Piles of flung books lay in front of the empty shelf. The entertainment center doors stood open, with Fraser and Pam’s DVD collections thrown around. Even the couch cushions had been tossed aside.

“Fake,” Phinn declared for the third time before heading for the stairs.

“Wait up!” Jake yelled as Phinn ascended the stairs in a rush. “What do you mean by fake?”

Unfortunately, his partner didn’t answer as he spotted a flashlight beam bobbing from inside his bedroom. Dashing forward, Phinn continued to flip on light switches for the hall, bathroom, and Putnam’s bedroom until he reached his own.

“Out! Get out, Plante!” Phinn ordered, switching on the final light. “I won’t have you living up to your name in my bedroom.”

“Dammit, Farris, you’re the one who needs to leave!” Officer Plante counterordered. “This is a police invest–”

“Not in my bedroom. I’ll conduct any investigation in here, thank you!”

“Kid, this isn’t playtime. We need to ensure that the intruder isn’t still–” Officer Plante attempted to explain before the impatient teen interrupted.

“Excellent idea! But you should check the attic for the boogeyman. That’s where he’s probably hiding,” Phinn suggested before looking over his shoulder. “Jake, kindly show Plante to the attic door.”

“I’m not getting reprimanded because of your bull–”

“Officer, I’d check the attic if I were you,” Jake insisted. “It might have been Monster Manfredi who broke in.”

“No, I’m not going to listen…Wait, what did you say?” the police officer challenged, once the name sank in.

“We heard that Angelo Manfredi escaped last week,” Jake explained. “Well, it seems, um, that he threatened to get **** on us whenever he got out.”

“You gotta be…Shit!” Plante swore, pushing past Jake to exit the room. Immediately, they heard the chirp of his radio. “Dispatch, we might have a problem.”

“Real,” Phinn softly stated from inside.

“Whoa!” Jake exclaimed, finally able to see inside the room.

Phinn’s bedroom had been absolutely tossed; even the mattress lay against the wall awkwardly with a hole sliced through the bottom. Holding up a finger, Phinn grabbed a flashlight from the floor before entering his small closet. Milling around, Jake bent down to pick up a framed picture of Busybody, Inc. from their summer at Camp Little Weasel. A sad smile crossed the muscular teen’s face as the cracked glass fell to the floor with a tinkle.

“Alright, the motherfucker didn’t find my secret compartment, but they did–”

“Wait, you have a secret compartment in your closet?” Jake questioned, walking over to peer inside. “How come you never told me?”

“It won’t be inside there after tonight. Not since you know about it now,” Phinn stated. “And as I was saying, the asshole did steal my laptop.”

“Monster stole your laptop?!”

“Do not jump to conclusions,” Phinn warned, opening his nightstand drawer.

“Right,” Jake nodded. “This could’ve been a perfectly normal burglary. A random one that didn’t target you or me.”

“Wrong,” Phinn replied, kneeling to look under the bed. “Nothing about this intrusion is normal.”

“Shouldn’t we wait to see what else they stole before–”

“Jake, nothing else was stolen,” Phinn stated. “Well, it appears that a pair of my old journals is missing, besides the laptop.”

“Are you sure? The person or persons sure tossed your house,” Jake noted.

“Staged,” Phinn proclaimed. “The downstairs is entirely staged. Open cabinets, closets, and items thrown around. It was all done to give the impression that this might be a crime of opportunity rather than targeted.”

“Okay, maybe, but you should wait until your family can do an inventory,” Jake suggested.

“No need. Pug’s tablet is currently sitting out in the open on his bed,” Phinn revealed, motioning to the bedroom across the hall. “Didn’t you notice it when we walked past? Jake…”

“I’m more worried that Monster might be inside a closet like Michael Myers,” Jake shot back, somewhat chagrined by his partner’s disappointed tone.

“Let’s check,” Phinn suggested cheerily, holding up the flashlight in his hand.

Gulping, Jake watched in stunned silence as his best friend left the room. Suddenly, freaking out about the possibility of searching the attic for the master of disguise, the linebacker raced down the hallway…only to find Phinn descending the stairs instead.

“Phinn!” Jake hissed, hopping down several stairs at a time to catch up. “Phinn!”

“Dammit, Magnum! Don’t scare us like that!” Detective McCall scolded. His right hand moved away from his holster. “What in the hell is wrong with you? Making a racket like that. Is your buddy rubbing off on you?”

“Each of the three has their own way of getting under your skin,” Officer Campen stated, replacing the sidearm he actually removed.

Several feet away, Phinn stood next to Wishkoski with a pleased expression. Immediately, Jake knew he was seconds away from opening his mouth to make matters worse with a smartass comment. A feeble attempt to stop the incoming missile failed.

“We’re just leave–”

“Wow, this is something. Is the rest of the **** busy responding to nuisance complaints about fireworks? I mean, why else would the lead robbery detective show up at my house for a simple break-in?” Phinn asked. “Or is something more sinister afoot? Is Asshall planning a trap to get me sent to juvie? Quick, check the flour, Jake.”

"Phinn," the other teen groaned.

After a loud sigh, Det. McCall ordered Officer Wishkoski to get the two punks out of here. Phinn assured them that an escort wasn’t needed as he had better things to do than watch an incompetent investigation at work.

“Um, sorry,” Jake apologized to everyone before following his best friend outside. “Would you act civil for once? They’re doing their job.”

“No, we need to hurry before a captain or Reyhall arrives,” Phinn said, stepping over the broken glass.

“What? Why would more higher-ups come here?” Jake asked, shaking his head in surprise as Phinn crossed from his backyard to Jake’s. Throwing his hands up in an I-don’t-know gesture at their fathers, he followed as Phinn turned left.

“Because you dropped Manfredi’s name,” Phinn explained. “A high-profile prison escapee might even bring out the chief. Even more so, if they’re worried we’re involved.”

Jake’s eyes widened as Phinn switched on the flashlight. His gaze moved from his friend to the back gate to the alley, and finally to the park behind the alley. A bad feeling washed over him.

“We’re not going to search the park or alley, are we? Monster might disguise himself as an animal or as a bush!”

“What? For fuck’s sake, Jake, relax,” Phinn responded, stopping before they reached the gate. Instead, he turned left again and saw a large barn-style shed that they rarely used these days.

“You’re checking Headquarters for Monster?” Jake asked.

“No, I’m checking to see if anyone broke into HQ,” Phinn explained, shining the flashlight beam at the padlock. “And stop calling Manfredi that.”

“Why? It’s his nickname. The guy commits his crimes by dressing up in costumes, Phinn! Mostly monsters at that,” Jake replied. “There was the bear, the moose, that pair of museum exhibits, the gargoyle, and the pterodactyl. Okay, that one was kinda dumb, but it worked initially.”

“Only because he faced the Plot Probers while dressed as a dinosaur,” Phinn reminded. “We’re not as gullible.”

“I don’t know. His gargoyle costume looked terrifying,” Jake recalled, shuddering. “I guess the Probers were kinda odd.”

“Either way, I doubt Angelo Manfredi is the burglar,’ Phinn declared, turning off the flashlight.

“Why would you say that?” Jake questioned, glancing over at the shadow-filled park.

“We encountered Manfredi twice. Both times were before Dusty moved, so we were using Headquarters. We know Manfredi knows about it, since he broke in during the second case. However, this lock looks to be in perfect shape. It hasn’t been picked or pried,” Phinn stated, holding up the padlock.

“Maybe he has a skeleton key,” Jake suggested as his partner pulled the double doors open. A musty smell immediately met his nostrils. “Yeah, we really should air HQ out one of these days.”

“See here? The dust hasn’t been disturbed,” Phinn pointed out.

“What about those footsteps?” Jake queried.

“Those? Oh, I left those after the Phantom Diver case. I wanted to file our report,” Phinn lied, hurriedly shutting the doors and re-locking Headquarters.

“Wait, we’re filing reports again?” Jake asked, wondering what motivated his semi-lazy friend.

“I think we should try.”

“We should probably clean up in there if we’re starting back up with reports,” Jake muttered, following Phinn back toward their houses. “You’re not taking Monster seriously enough. He threatened to get payback.”

“Only after the second time we caught him. I think he was more amused than anything the first time,” Phinn recalled. “A trio of kids. That’s why he kept chuckling to himself.”

“Right before he promptly escaped from the police van!” Jake reminded.

“We both know the EPD is incompetent.”

“Well, Monster is dangerous. We should be wary,” Jake suggested.

“Angelo is a thief. A damn good one, but he’s usually a hired thief. Getting caught is an occupational hazard,” Phinn said, brushing off his oldest friend’s concerns.

“He threatened us!”

“We get threatened every month,” Phinn chuckled.

“He tried to stab me!”

“A reactionary lunge,” Phinn dismissed. “Besides, I’ve had numerous stabbing attempts. A couple even made contact.”

“People don’t stab me. They like me!”

“Oh, so it’s okay if they try to stab me because they like you better?”

“Phinn, acting like a dick is practically asking for it,” Jake remarked.

“Oh, sure. Blame the victim,” Phinn deadpanned, rolling his eyes. Before he could needle Jake about his viewpoint when compared to victims of sexual assaults, the brainy detective noticed several additional police personnel had arrived, including a face they disliked immensely. “See? I was right.”

Groaning, Jake cringed as Deputy Chief Reyhall noticed their approach. Their central police nemesis abruptly broke off his conversation with a police captain. Shooting a glance at their fathers, the more outgoing sleuth really preferred if these encounters happened far away from his homelife.

“Farris! What have you done now?” Reyhall shouted. “Don’t give me that innocent look, Magnum! I know you’re up to your neck in this, too!”

“This should be fun,” Phinn mumbled to Jake before raising his voice. “Ah, Asshall, shouldn’t you be down at the station fixing Todd Haldorn’s ticket for underage drinking? Or did you already do that? I bet you have a standing order for that beloved juvenile delinquent.”

“Dammit, Phinn. Not now,” Jake hissed, wincing as the second-highest-ranking official in the EPD sped up his approach while growing angrier.

“That’s it! I’m hauling you two down to the station for questioning!”

“Excuse me, Deputy. I don’t understand how–”

“That’s Deputy Chief!” Reyhall roared, swinging around before his face blanched slightly at the person he shouted at. “Sorry, Professor Farris. I didn’t mean to–”

“Don’t listen to him, Dad! The man needs anger management classes,” Phinn interjected.

“Shut your mouth, Farris!”

“Deputy Chief, I will not stand idly by while you treat my son in that manner. We had a break-in at our home tonight. Our family has been a victim of crime, so I do not think my son needs to be shouted at. If I must offer an opinion, it’s quite rude and unprofessional of you,” Fraser declared. Always a polite, soft-spoken man, Phinn knew this was about as angry as his father could get.

“Sir, I understand that you’re a respected faculty member at Bentworth College; however, I think you’re somewhat naive when it comes to your son’s activities,” Reyhall said, fighting every urge in his being to say more.

“Naive? I take offense at the assertion,” Fraser replied stiffly. “I understand that Phineas’ puzzle-solving has led to a few minor incidents, but I do not think my son should be under suspicion for a burglary in our very own home.”

“A few minor…Your son shot a notorious robber just weeks ago!” Reyhall exclaimed.

“Justine!” Marvin Magnum yelled.

“I’m on it!” his wife replied, already crossing the street toward her driveway.

“Phineas explained the circumstances of that man’s injury, and while I’m not happy that he camped out in a cemetery on a lark, he assured me that the firearm went off after another miscreant dropped it,” Fraser repeated the tale his wife had told him. “I believe the Edgwater Dispatch had an account of this incident.”

Phinn refused to meet Jake’s gaze as he heard for the first time the story told to his clueless father. Honestly, Phinn didn’t know why his mom insisted on always covering up his exploits, but he found her increasingly tall tales amusing.

“What…How…That’s not at all how everything happened! If Mayor Broome and Chief Norberg hadn’t agreed to cover up the events, your son would’ve been charged with breaking and entering the historical society for starters!” Reyhall revealed, glancing around at the other officers in disbelief.

“Oh, boy. I can’t believe you said that about the mayor and the chief. I’d hate for them to hear that you’re spreading conspiracy theories,” Phinn said, slyly holding up his recording phone out of his father’s sightline.

“Don’t test me, brat! That’s it! Plante, get these two meddlers downtown,” Reyhall ordered.

“On what grounds?” Jake’s mom challenged, walking over. “You can’t possibly believe that Phineas and Jacob broke into one of their own homes, can you? Because if that’s the case, I’m sure that I can produce twenty or thirty witnesses that will attest to my clients having been at Wedison Park only a short time ago.”

“Oh, they’re your clients now, are they?”

“Of course, Deputy Chief. Why wouldn’t I represent my son and his oldest friend?” the respected defense attorney queried. “In fact, I believe this matter has been discussed numerous times whenever you’ve attempted to have them questioned without their parents present.”

“Well, they’re eighteen now,” Reyhall stated triumphantly.

“Yes, they are. I’ve also compiled a list of the number of times you’ve harassed my son and his friends, including instances when Chief Norberg unofficially reprimanded you for this behavior. A fellow attorney of mine thinks we have ample evidence to file a lawsuit on their behalf.”

Jake grinned about his mom’s threat until he caught his dad shaking his head at him. Meanwhile, Phinn gestured at his dad and the conversation with a “You see what I have to deal with?” look.

“Counselor, you can make any threats you like, but your son himself told Officer Plante that they suspected Angelo Manfredi might have been the intruder. Our questions pertain to the precise nature of their relationship with an escaped convict,” Reyhall explained, almost gloating.

“I think you know the exact nature of their relationship with Manfredi. They helped catch him after the Zuuntronic theft. I hardly doubt you failed to remember that your men immediately let him slip through their fingers before even reaching the station,” Justine reminded.

“Hey, where’s Bandit? The poor guy is probably feeling neglected inside; he should be out here with us,” Phinn declared loudly, attempting to distract his father from the Zuuntronic theft. Then, he noticed the bulldog watching from a side window. “Oh, there he is…Hi, buddy!”

“The Zuuntronic theft was nearly five years ago. Why would your son suspect his involvement if there weren’t more?” Reyhall challenged.

“Jake can be a bit of a worrywart,” his mother acknowledged.

Her son appeared offended by the comment, his head rocking back before he raised a hand in protest. Next to Jake, Phinn nodded in agreement.

“See? Not just me.”

“Jake, Phineas, and Dusty were also the individuals who apprehended Manfredi after the Etzler diamond heist,” a new voice chimed in.

Everyone turned to find Chief Norbeg walking over, clad in a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts. The usually pale man already had a bright red face from too much sun.

“A thousand apologies, Chief. They shouldn’t have ruined your Hawaiian luau vacation. Not for this simple B&E,” Phinn commented before leaning over toward Jake. “Damn, that prototype teleportation device works.”

“Quiet,” his partner hissed.

“Manfredi got himself entangled in his own climbing gear. A bystander found him and called in an anonymous tip. The brats had nothing to do with it,” Reyhall repeated the official story.

“Chief Tarkham opted to keep the kids' involvement out of the papers,” Norberg revealed, referring to his predecessor’s final decision before retirement. “I thought most of the command staff recognized one of their trademark traps, Jerry.”

“It’s kind of Dusty’s thing,” Phinn agreed.

“And that’s why we called in the tip. Phinn wanted to have his big grandstanding moment of gloating, but Monster made a threat or two,” Jake revealed.

“He threatened you?” Justine questioned.

“Why would anyone threaten you, Phineas?” Fraser asked, appearing confused.

“No, not at all,” Phinn denied, shooting his best friend a dirty look. “Manfredi merely implied that we wouldn’t always get so lucky. We basically stumbled onto the theft because Dusty’s grandma knew the Etzlers.”

“Ah, right. Wisteria knows colorful people,” Fraser nodded, accepting the fabricated explanation.

“Now, why don’t I have a word privately with the boys. That’s if you don’t mind,” Chief Norberg asked of the three parents. Pamela hadn’t come over yet, leaving Phinn to wonder if she wanted to avoid any confrontations. “Jerry, have you started canvassing the neighborhood? You'd better do it before it gets even later. Have Campen and Luecke ask around to see which homes have security cameras.”

“Oh, I can help you with that, Chief,” Phinn announced, leading the older man toward the front yard. “The Plouffes, who live next door to Jake, have a doorbell camera. That’s mostly because they have three small children. Hey, Wish, you better write this down.”

The young officer glanced over at his superior for permission before pulling out a notebook.

“The Buteras across from them should have a similar setup. They’ve been accusing kids in the neighborhood for years of causing damage to their house. Between us, it’s falling apart on its own as they're lazy and don’t maintain it. Okay, the Nooks have a slightly better setup, as they’re the good portion of the neighborhood watch.”

Chief Norberg watched in amusement as Officer Wishkoski filled several pages as Phinn went down the whole street. The teen even provided details about houses on 34th Street before returning to the other home next to his.

“Check the Rieses, and don’t take no for an answer. I’m certain those condescending Jesus freaks have a camera or two pointed at my house. They’re always trying to get me into trouble,” Phinn ranted. Suddenly, he raised his voice. “Yeah, I know you heard me! You probably saw the whole break-in. What’s the matter, too busy praying they didn’t go after your home next to call the cops, cowards?”

“Phineas,” Chief Norberg interrupted softly.

“Oh, right, sorry. Okay, that’s the list, Wish. If you want the homes over on the other streets, let me know,” Phinn added, patting the befuddled officer’s arm.

“Now, let’s hear it, boys. Why do you suspect Manfredi?” the police chief.

“He threatened to get ****,” Jake blurted out instantly.

“I don’t suspect him,” Phinn revealed.

“Monster tried to stab me!”

“Honestly, Jake’s a bit paranoid because we only found out earlier this evening that Manfredi escaped. We didn’t hear the news while down in Lumlow,” Phinn explained.

“Alright. Who else could it be?”

“C’mon, Chief. You know that’s a lengthy list. It could be anyone we’ve foiled,” Phinn admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

“And this current case you’re on?”

“Whoa! We’re not on any case right now, Chief,” Phinn denied. “I know some friends of ours started a rumor, but we merely found an item that might have been part of a **** scheme from fifty years ago. Even if it’s legit, the participants might have moved away or been long dead.”

“Be careful, boys. **** is a dangerous crime. **** people do deadly things,” Chief Norberg warned.

“You don’t need to tell us, sir,” Jake replied.

---

Yawning, Jake stumbled into the kitchen around one pm the following day. He found his sister standing at the back window, sipping from a glass of a fruity or vegetable concoction he assumed served as her hangover cure.

“About time you got up,” Liberty said, turning away from the window. “What the hell happened here last night?”

“Oh, right. You didn’t get home until after everything calmed down,” Jake replied, digging around in the refrigerator for anything to eat. “Mom making lunch or going shopping?”

“She’s down at Wedison Park with Dad. You know, all the stuff goes on until tomorrow,” Libby reminded. “Spill. Mom and Dad were very vague.”

“Somebody broke into Phinn’s house while everyone was at the fireworks. They made it appear to be a random burglary by staging the scene, but ended up only taking his laptop and a few old journals of his.”

“Somebody staged a burglary? Who did you piss off now?” Libby asked. “Wait, the only journals Phinn ever bothered to keep were of your old cases, right?”

“Yep,” Jake agreed, sniffing a couple of leftover hamburgers inside a Tupperware container. Shrugging his shoulders, he tossed them onto a paper plate and into the microwave while searching for a pair of buns. “Most of that stuff is also in the files that Dusty made. But Phinn spent a few years jotting down a play-by-play of cases until he felt he didn’t need to do it any longer.”

As the microwave beeped, Jake took out a pair of cheese slices to place on the hamburger buns. Retrieving the hot items from the microwave, he danced them around with his hands as he put them on the buns before burning his hands.

“Gawd, you’re an idiot,” the older sister commented, watching Jake blow on his hands.

Sitting down at the table, Jake got to two bites before he noticed something strange. Bandit hadn’t come racing inside to eat with him. The microwave's beeping always woke the bulldog, even from a deep sleep.

“Did they take Bandit with them?” Jake inquired, taking a third bite.

“No, he’s outside…with Phinn,” Libby revealed.

“Really?” Jake stood up, carrying his plate to the door to join them. However, after opening the interior door, he didn’t see the pair through the screen door. “Are they next door?”

“No, in the old shed. The one that Grandpa ‘bought’ for you,” Libby said, using air quotes about the mysterious pieces of a shed that appeared one day about seven years ago.

“Headquarters? But we stopped using it,” Jake responded. Chewing, he gave his sister a dubious expression.

“I’m not lying. I woke up to find Phinn sweeping.”

“Sweeping? No way,” Jake insisted, his mouth dropping open in shock.

“Eww! Close your mouth when you’re eating, freak!” Libby ordered, turning away. “Yes, Phineas Farris was out there at ten am performing manual labor. Bandit has been out there the whole time, minus treats and water breaks.”

“I need to see this,” Jake announced, hurriedly devouring the remaining hamburger.

“I’m leaving soon, so either watch Bandit or take him next door to see the kids for an hour or two,” Libby called after Jake, as he crossed the backyard.

Headquarters consisted of a barn-style shed that ran across the back of the Magnums' garage. The padlocked double doors opened near the gate that led to the alley. Directly across from the doors sat a tiny window that overlooked the main desk. Another desk under a long, narrow window faced the alley and park, with a futon across from it. A pair of filing cabinets filled the spaces around the desks. An armchair sat near one of the main doors, with a dog bed opposite.

Peering in, Jake found Bandit sleeping in his old dog bed while Phinn sat on a blanket spread over the floor. Although Libby said that his partner swept, HQ still appeared pretty dusty and dirty.

“What’s going on?”

“We’ll need to get a new cushion for Bandit’s bed. The old one looks terrible. I put a towel over it for now,” Phinn replied, gesturing to the bath towel under the sleeping dog.

"Uh, no, I meant with you being inside here," Jake clarified, wondering if his friend had lost his mind. "We stopped coming in here after Dusty moved, you know."

"Which feels somewhat ridiculous, if you think about it. Dusty didn't die or anything," Phinn noted, closing a folder before picking up another one.

"You're going through old case files, why?"

"Two-fold. One, I want to see which cases were in the two journals that the burglar stole," Phinn began to explain.

“Was Monster in both?”

"Angelo Manfredi and the Zuuntronic theft were in one of the journals, but not the Etzler diamond heist," Phinn explained. "The second reason I'm reading out here is to avoid the drama inside my home."

“Your mom freaking out about the break-in?”

"I'd say. Dad nudged me awake this morning with a warning. He informed me that Mom's having kittens," Phinn revealed, chuckling.

“What?!”

"You know my dad and his old sayings," Phinn said as an explanation. "Apparently, Pam couldn't sleep a wink last night. By this morning, she had made up her mind. My family is taking a vacation."

“What? Really? Where? When?”

“Tomorrow morning. Off to see Dad’s family in Indianapolis, Chicago, and Milwaukee. I think anywhere else, he’d have said no,” Phinn relayed. “The glass repairman should be here around now, which will lessen Mom’s stress. She claims that she doesn’t feel safe in her home right now. Something about the sanctity of her home being violated.”

“Oh, wow. I mean, I guess you know how people feel whenever you break–”

"I know! I tried to explain that people's homes get broken into every day. Unfortunately, in my drowsiness, I let it slip that I often conduct B&Es for our cases. I recovered, but she still knew what I meant."

“Damn, so you’re leaving tomorrow. For how long?” Jake inquired.

"I'm not leaving. I pulled the 'I'm eighteen now and have a say card.' They'll be gone for maybe ten days, tops. My refusal is what's added to the drama," Phinn divulged. "Dad is cool with my staying; someone needs to watch the house. However, Mom is panicking that I'll be here alone if that fiend comes back."

“So, you’re staying at my place?”

"Not at all. You'll be sleeping over a few times," Phinn announced. "I told her that I'd get you, Ethan, Galen, etc., to stay over. I think she's even going to have Katie Pettit stop by a few times to check on me. Lance might play babysitter, as well."

"How did you convince your mom to go with that?"

“I negotiated a deal. Oh, she’s not thrilled about my taking this risk, but I’ll handle the rummage sale portion that’s in our garage.”

"For all of next week? Uh, you know that you'll have to deal with people, right? People who are shopping, looking for deals, and attempting to negotiate," Jake pointed out, suddenly having a horrible feeling about the following week.

"Relax. Some of Mom's friends are going to help out. Plus, I think we should get Corky to man the tables if we need to leave to investigate," the strangely confident teen revealed.

“Investigate? Investigate what?” Jake questioned.

"If the blackmailer broke into my bedroom last night," Phinn stated. "I still think it's doubtful, as it doesn't explain the theft of my journals. However, the timing for anything else doesn't make sense."

“The photograph! Do you still have it?”

“No, I don’t have it, and they took the scanned copies on my laptop.”

“The photograph was stolen?!” Jake cried, waking up Bandit.

“No, no, I dropped the original copy off at our safe deposit box yesterday while you were at the parade,” Phinn reassured. “We also have the copies sent to our phones.”

"Oh, damn. Good call on dropping it off there," Jake responded, sighing with relief. He knew exactly where Phinn went and agreed with his choice.

"Now, we just need to decide where to begin when investigating a case that might be fifty years old," Phinn declared, frowning.