Chapter 20: Party Line

“This is torture. That’s what it is,” Jake moaned, holding his hand against his body.

“It’s barely seven. You’ll be fine,” Phinn responded, sifting through additional property records as Johanna closed the front door.

The brunette waved a greeting over toward the television, where Ethan, Kody, and Wally congregated. The three guys had already agreed to spend another night over to placate Mrs. Farris. However, the late dinner they’d been promised hadn’t arrived yet. A tardiness that had Jake’s stomach growling.

“I don’t know. He looks pale. How many days are you going to keep this enforced starvation going, Phinn?” Wally queried, offering to check his friend’s blood pressure.

“Do you think it might be too low or too high?” Jake asked, appearing more concerned about the delay. “Phinn wouldn’t let me get an early lunch at Baron Broil’s, even though we sat in the parking lot for nearly fifteen minutes!”

“You monster!” Wally shrieked, jumping up to point at the scrawny sleuth.

“Please don’t encourage him.”

“And then, I only had time for a leftover bratwurst at home before I got dragged off to do his bidding.”

“You should get paid,” Kody commented, shaking his head at Phineas.

“He’s my partner, not my employee!”

“I meant from Mrs. Capshaw.”

“Have I mentioned that I feel like an employee often?” Jake muttered, addressing Ethan, Phinn’s friend.

“Well, I should get paid for my grunt work,” Johanna complained, falling onto a chair at the dining room table across from Phinn.

“Not only are you getting another exclusive, but you got more than enough celebrity interviews last week than you deserved,” Phinn declared.

“You wanna repeat that, Farris? I earned those interviews with all the help and equipment I provided for the other case,” the influencer pointed out, glaring at her classmate.

“Alright, whatever. How are your interviews proceeding?”

“Don’t you mean fake interviews??

“Look, Zay, you can use those interviews however you wish. We just need word to spread around the neighborhood about them,” Phinn reminded. “Take the credit for solving the crime away from Jake, if you want. I don’t care.”

“Whoa! I earned credit with my pain,” Jake insisted. Kody nodded in agreement.

“Stop whining about your sister running late. You won’t die from hunger.”

“I meant the ass-kicking that Masked Creep gave me!”

Phinn shrugged an apology while motioning for Johanna to carry on with her report.

“I talked to Alderwoman Annable, Eugene Gordon, Allison’s mom and grandma, and Mrs. Potts. Mrs. Yearwood didn’t have the time to talk, so she said. Nobody knew much about the Bethunes. Everyone except Mr. Gordon repeated the same line about them being a retired salesman and a homemaker.”

“What did Gordon say?”

“Merely that he could’ve sworn that he knew Gilbert by a different name in the past. Not that he really met the man earlier, but he sure looked like somebody else,” Johanna told Phinn with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Yes, I figured if anyone might have suspected something, it would be Gordon. That man’s seen some shit as a mail carrier.”

“Did anyone remember where they lived last?” Jake questioned, moving closer out of curiosity.

“I heard near Anchor Rock, near Darlingport, and in the western part of the county. So basically every direction possible,” the influencer reported. “You find anything?”

“Only that Ruthella Kronen is the owner of record for Lafayette Assets, which held seven commercial properties at one point. Ownership is down to three, including the building that Mimi von Essen was told to pay at, and where Tully was murdered,” Phinn divulged. “I can see holding onto the murder site if there is evidence located there. The other two places do intrigue me as to their worth.”

“You think they bought all those properties with their blackmail windfalls?” Kody asked. “Maybe they think the market will go up on those two.”

“I don’t know. Probably. I meant that I wonder why they haven’t sold those two other buildings. Everything else was divested around seven years ago,” Phinn disclosed.

Suddenly, Bandit woke from his nap on the chair next to Phinn. His excitement foreshadowed the front door opening by nearly thirty seconds. Libby and Sydney entered, carrying two long party sub sandwiches from Fielding’s.

Already rushing over to grab his dinner, Jake fortunately reached Sydney before she dropped the long sandwich in shock upon noticing the picture-lined clotheslines that filled the living room.

“Ohmigawd!” the usually confident lifeguard squawked in shock.

“Goddammit! You left them up?!” Liberty screeched, glaring at her brother until he turned to carry the sandwich to the dining room. With his back to her, the older sister turned her evil eye toward Phineas.

“I’m sorry that you had to see those, Sydney, but we still need them available and easy to access,” Phinn explained.

“He’s right. I’m still working on identifying all the victims,” Johanna added. Her sheepish expression caused Libby to pause before Sydney spoke.

“No, it’s okay. I just didn’t expect to see them all,” the athletic brunette said. “Oh. My. Gawd. Mom told me the number that Grandma had, but seeing them all is crazy. Honestly, the whole thing feels insane.”

“I totally get it, Syd,” Jake called over his shoulder while going into the kitchen for a large knife and plates. “I can’t believe your grandma was involved.”

“However, we need you to understand that whatever Libby told you or that you hear here does not get repeated to your mother for now. We don’t need the Bethunes tipped off that we’re onto them. Got it?” Phinn queried.

“She knows,” Libby growled.

Yet, the brainy detective held his gaze until the bossy, elder Magnum sibling relented. Picking up on the fact that the younger guy wanted an answer, Sydney nodded and said that she understood. However, she asked how long the information embargo would last.

“Not longer than the weekend. We’ll have it wrapped up by then,” Phinn stated confidently.

The timeline came as news to everyone else. Wally and Kody shared a look while Ethan expressed his curiosity over the quick wrap-up. Johanna looked put out by the revelation, while Jake shrugged. Used to Phinn’s secrecy and confidence, his partner learned not to worry too much about the details, so he focused on finally filling his stomach.

Despite repeated questions while everyone ate, Phinn refused to budge, spending part of his time dropping pieces for Bandit to devour. That lack of a follow-up led the conversation to drift in multiple directions. Johanna repeated the names of her interview subjects to Liberty and Sydney, with the latter adding that her mother hadn’t told her father or sister about the blackmail yet.

With Wally struggling not to laugh, Ethan informed Kody that the books he kept asking about from several of the rummage sales weren't worth anything. The always desperate-for-cash football player moaned as he'd spent some money on a few hardcovers that turned out to be worthless when he hoped for rare first editions. The wishful thinking had even led him to bring along several purchases to show the experienced bookseller.

A buzzing alerted Phinn to an incoming call. Announcing it to be Dusty, Phinn grinned as Bandit started to bark at the name. After he hit the green button, the antisocial teen showed his softer side by telling his long-distance partner to say hello to the bulldog before holding the phone up to Bandit’s ear.

“Yeah, he sure misses you. His whole body is wagging with excitement. What? Who told you that? No, I did not endanger your dog the other night! He’s more my buddy than yours, too,” Phinn insisted, while ignoring Libby’s dirty look over lying about putting Bandit in danger. “Whatever. Jake and I have a bone to pick with you. We don’t like hearing from others when you tell them details about us.”

“Whoa, I never said that, Dust. I swear!” Jake yelled.

“Um, excuse me? Weren’t you pissed that Dusty talked to Leighton Ledford just a few weeks ago?”

“Oh, right. Yeah, I’m mad about that one. You owe us!”

“Dammit,” Phinn muttered, holding his hand over the phone. “Why did you go and say that? Now, I have to listen to another person call us ungrateful.”

Phinn shook his head from side to side until the rant ended.

“Look, Libby made Jake wait until fifteen minutes ago to have his dinner finally. Yep, he still gets cranky on an empty stomach,” Phinn said, chuckling while Jake mumbled about Dusty always calling Phinn and never him. “Okay, what’s up? You figure out who the Masked Creep might be?”

Phinn listened as Jake kept gesturing for him to turn on the speakerphone. Throwing his head back at a comment, the lead investigator defended himself.

“Hey, I’m not impatient. You called us, so I thought that was why. Yeah, we do have most of the old files, but they aren’t as organized as yours. Plus, I have this blackmail case to figure out, so that’s why Jake is supposed to be going through the files, but you know him.” Phinn paused to listen before pulling his phone away from his ear. He selected the option and held his phone toward his confused partner.

“Jacob Magnum, do your damn homework!” Dusty shouted over the speakerphone.

While everyone cracked up, Bandit barked in reply to hearing his favorite Busybody, Inc. investigator's voice. Flipping the speakerphone off, Phinn resumed his conversation.

“Yeah, we thought of that fake Frankenstein’s monster. No, I doubt it’s the Devil’s Lake Lunatic. Why? Because that was more of a Sassy Girls case. Well, yeah, I guess you did create the trap that caught him, but Jake and Ollie were mostly the bait. What? No, I was not the reason that Cammie and I were locked in that wooden cage! Out of shape?! Oh, that cheerleader is going to get a pom-pom upside her head the next time I get close,” Phinn vowed.

“Somebody put him in a cage?” Johanna questioned with a sinister grin.

“None of your business, Internet Girl!” Phinn snapped before continuing the phone conversation. “Yeah, the Masked Creep does sound as huge as the Wild Huntsman, but we never encountered him. Mistaken identity? Really? No, Seaweed Jones was not big,” Phinn replied. Looking over at Jake, they shared an expression of disbelief.

Shaking his head vigorously, Jake called out loud enough to be heard. “Maybe for your tiny butt, he was big. Seaweed was a pretty small guy.”

“I’d estimate Captain Mudd as about average size, and he was larger than his assistant,” Phinn said, pulling the loud phone away from his ear.

“Somebody sounds pissed,” Libby chuckled.

DING DONG.

“Somebody get that,” Phinn directed before moving the phone back to his ear. “Fine, fine. It doesn’t matter. Although we also thought up Oberst from that robbery crew and Vidal Ianni’s henchman as possibilities. Yes, we can remember past cases. I don’t think Masked Creep or Angelo Manfredi are connected to this blackmail case. Well, it’s mostly a hunch for now, as nothing fits together.

“We didn’t call her!” Jake screamed after Kody let in a new guest. “Blame her if anyone!”

“Me? I didn’t do anything,” Johanna insisted, reacting to Jake’s finger point.

“What? It’s nothing. Erin just walked into the house. Oh, yeah, I’m throwing regular parties these days, didn’t you hear? We got Ethan, Kody, Wally, Johanna, Sydney, Libby, and Bandie,” Phinn listed.

“I taped a confession from her. Listen!” Jake exclaimed, rushing off to get his phone from the kitchen.

“Well, I guess,” Phinn replied. Holding out the phone, he told Erin Donnelly that Dusty wanted to talk to her.

DING DONG

“Now what?” Phinn asked in exasperation. Shooting a look at Erin, she shrugged. “Somebody get that. It’s turning into an actual party.”

Jake returned while searching for the conversation with Verity Walcott from this morning. Once he found it, the concerned gumshoe thrust his phone in front of the school newspaper editor and hit play. Almost simultaneously, Kody opened the door to reveal Allison LeClaire.

“Yeah, apparently, your boys met up with Walcott this morning. No, I think they might have turned into sea wolfmen after their couple’s retreat with Ledford and Ellison,” Erin remarked, eliciting laughter on the other end of the line.

“Leighton matured, but Paisley is as frigid as ever,” Phinn appraised quietly. He waved a greeting at the gymnast before sitting straighter as another voice called out from behind, while Jake yelled at their ex-partner.

“Hey, you’re the one who set us up for Leighton, Benedict Arnold!” Jake exclaimed.

“Sorry, Phinny, I forgot to stop by this morning with…Holy cats! It looks like a detective’s office in a movie!”

“Indeed. He is getting red-faced. What? No, Allie and Melody just arrived. I know! Who would’ve thought that Phinn had this many friends?” Erin remarked.

“Melody, don’t look at those!” Phinn shouted, causing the ditzy blonde to drop the box she held to cover her eyes. “Dammit, Zay, we should’ve taken down those photos.”

“Me? You’re the one who…what the?” The influencer watched as the scrawny sleuth bustled over to the honey-blonde cheerleader.

“Geez, these are some photos,” Allison commented, leaning forward to study a few. Then, her eyes flickered over at Sydney with a sympathetic expression.

“Don’t look, Allie!” Melody warned, still covering her eyes while Phineas escorted her to the dining room.

“Are those donuts?” Wally asked, peering over at the box that the cheerleader had dropped. A clear plastic center on top let customers see their purchases.

“Donuts?” Jake perked up.

“Sorry! Mom told me to drop them off this morning, but I waited because Tara showed up and–”

“No need to explain,” Jake interrupted upon hearing his ex-girlfriend’s name.

“I was going to wait to bring them over again tomorrow morning, but Mom said they’d be getting stale by then,” Melody continued.

“My mom and I stopped over at the Mercers, so I offered to come with. I wanted to see what she and Grandma were talking about,” Allie revealed.

“It’s thoughtful of you to stop by, but we can’t have you around those pictures,” Phinn explained, telling Melody that she could remove her hands. Worried about corrupting the innocent, air-headed cheerleader, the usually dickish detective distracted her with Bandit, who loved the idea.

“I totally understand. Detective business,” Melody declared, winking at Phineas.

Allie beamed at Phinn’s protectiveness over their long-time classmate while Johanna appeared shocked. But before either could comment, Libby barked at her brother.

“Don’t even think about it! You literally just finished all those sandwiches.”

“It’s dessert,” Jake argued, pausing with the raised top of the box about halfway up.

“No, she’s right. I don’t need you up all night with an upset stomach. Save them for breakfast,” Phinn ordered.

“Oh, no, a bad tummy would be a problem. But won’t they be stale by morning?” Melody asked Phineas.

“Don’t worry. We’ll gladly eat slightly stale donuts for breakfast,” Wally reassured the cheerleader.

“I’m looking forward to it. Your mom always buys the best,” Kody complimented.

“Oh! Are you having a sleepover, Phinny?”

“Sorta. My mom insisted that I don’t stay alone after the break-in,” Phinn explained to the honey blonde.

“I’m surprised that my sister isn’t here again,” Allie remarked.

“Cheyanne’s in the doghouse after Libby caught her playing with Jake’s–” Wally began to reveal.

“Football pads!” Phinn interjected. “Um, Cheyanne got tangled up in Jake’s equipment.”

“I’d say so,” Wally chuckled until Sydney kicked his leg.

“She was trying on Jake's football equipment? But she’s too old for Powder Puff…Oh! Are we playing an alumni team this fall?” Melody asked, referring to the cheerleader exhibition game.

“Shhh!” Phinn shushed. “It’s not a given. That’s why she tried them on.”

Shaking her head at the lie, Libby forced a smile on her face. Even though she knew Phinn would never date the ditzy cheerleader, she appreciated his protectiveness. And his behavior could help bring him a date or girlfriend later.

“Yes, you can ask Allie. Abby is also considering a return to take on your squad. But we need to keep that a secret,” Liberty said

“Mum's the word,” Melody agreed, miming herself zipping her mouth shut.

“This little guy can be your team’s coach,” Allison said, patting Bandit’s head to distract the naive cheerleader further.

“He is distracted, but you know how he gets around her. Yes, it is sweet. Alright, talk to you later,” Erin said, handing the phone back to Phinn.

“Talk to you later? Bunch of bullshit,” Jake mumbled.

Then, Allie elbowed him in the stomach, with approval from Phineas for the foul language in front of Melody.

“In Blueview? How? Who? Wait, who? The Brainstormers? I thought they were named the Brainteasers. Did they change their–Oh, Sangsom has a younger brother. That figures. Hold on,” Phinn said, turning to face Jake. “Some new group in Blueview supposedly saw Manfredi down there today.”

“In Florida? Whew! At least that’s over with.”

“Who’s Phinny talking to?” Melody questioned.

“Is that Dusty?” Allie asked Erin, who nodded.

“Don’t get your hopes up. They’re newbies and might have imagined it. Still, this might complicate my plan,” Phinn muttered. “Alright, thanks. Nah, I’ll worry about those two after we close up this old thing. No! I’m not asking Pearl for help. Because she gave me a hard time! That’s why! Of course, you knew that. Damn you!”

With that curse, Phinn planned to hang up on his second-best friend based on his pissed expression. Instead, he relented as Melody insisted that she wanted to say hello. Already out of patience, he handed her the phone before turning to demand what Erin wanted.

“We didn’t ask for Verity to show up, nor did we give her any information. Her grandmother called her, and she’d arrived moments before we did.”

“You did tell her Terry Tully’s name,” Jake reminded.

“I miss you so much!” Melody shouted into the phone.

“Because her grandmother would’ve anyway,” Phinn pointed out. “That tiny nugget might take her some time to investigate. By then, we’ll have already solved this whole blackmail ordeal.”

“I’m not here for that, but it’s good to know I have you two frightened of me,” Erin noted, shooting them a mischievous smirk. “However, I stopped by because your social sensation is a shitty interviewer.”

Phinn threw up his hands, but Erin pointed out that Melody didn’t hear as she talked up a storm about Dusty’s new life and friends.

“How dare you?! I’m an exceptional interviewer!” Johanna insisted.

“Not when you’re supposed to be secretive. Both Mr. Gordon and Mrs. Potts informed me that you asked about the Bethunes. Not to mention that Mrs. Shepley told me all about your plan,” the inquisitive journalist disclosed.

“Are you fucking shitting me?” Phinn mumbled under his breath. Now it was Allie’s turn to throw up her hands defensively about Melody. “Does the whole fricking neighborhood know by now?”

“Seriously?” Jake addressed Johanna.

“You told me that Allie’s mom and grandma were cool!”

“Hey, are you saying they’re not?” the gymnast challenged.

For once, acting as the peacekeeper, Phinn laid a reassuring hand on her arm.

“Did you really think that you could conduct an investigation in my neighborhood and I wouldn’t find out?” Erin challenged.

“We sorta hoped so,” Phinn admitted before focusing on the influencer. “I hope you didn’t blow the case. Maybe we should start using Isla Insley.”

“That’s uncalled for!”

“Don’t worry. Mrs. Potts thinks she’s asking because Gilbert’s having an affair behind his wife’s back. She swears that she saw that coming for years,” Erin revealed.

“That would be rich if true,” Phinn remarked, pausing as Melody asked if Dusty’s new guy friends were hot. “What did Gordon think?”

“Not too far from the truth. He speculated that Gilbert Bethune is some long-lost criminal, like a DB Cooper-type, Erin recounted.

“Could be something else similar besides the blackmail. That’s why we’re asking around,” Phinn explained. Then, he watched as the cinnamon-brown-haired journalist tossed a folder onto the table in front of him. “Ah, I did wonder if…”

“What’s that?” Jake questioned, earning an eye roll from his partner.

“The file I have on the Bethunes,” Erin stated.

“You have a file on your neighbors?” Johanna asked, looking stunned.

“I thought we discussed ending this?” Allison whispered.

“She has files on many of our neighbors,” Phinn revealed, causing Jake to gently slap his forehead for forgetting that fact.

“I investigated them during their first year in the neighborhood,” Erin explained before defending herself. “Those investigations helped me hone my skills.”

“It’s a bit creepy,” Liberty commented.

“I don’t find them at all creepy,” Phinn responded. “Yet, I never did anything like that.”

“Only because I thought of it first,” Erin replied. “Dusty told me as much.”

“Traitor!” Phineas yelled over toward the conversation. Listening for a moment, he pondered if Melody could be used in an interrogation someday. The friendly, talkative cheerleader continued to pry out details from Dusty’s new life that he’d never heard before.

“As you can see, the farthest that I could trace them goes back to Anchor Rock,” Erin disclosed, beginning her summary with a reference to Edgewater’s larger neighbor to the north. “Purchased in the early 1990s, they lived there until the early 2000s, when they sold that home and moved to Cottonwood.”

“Hmm, the date is shortly after Tully’s murder,” Phinn noted, mulling over the timeline. “So after a scare, they moved to a small town west of here. Now, why did they take the risk to move to Edgewater roughly five years ago? Did small-town life finally bore them?”

“Harassment. Check out page six,” Erin directed. She waited until Phinn turned to the page. “A visitor to Cottonwood started to harass Ruth Bethune.”

"Ah, not too dissimilar to your grandmother's accidental sighting," Phineas told Sydney. "The man in this case insisted that he knew Ruth and Gilbert by different names. He claimed that they blackmailed his sister. However, as usual, small-town cops tended to believe the word of locals over that of an outsider. Restraining orders and an eventual arrest bought them time to leave town quietly without too many suspicions. How fascinating."

“They also never had any children, biological or adopted.”

“That would’ve been quite the twist.”

“Yes, it would’ve been,” Erin agreed, pausing. “You’re welcome.”

“Fine. What do you want?” Phinn sighed.

“Merely a look at those photographs…for now.”

“No, you can’t look at them. It’s detective business, Erin!” Melody declared, surprising Phinn with how she heard the quiet conversation while conducting her loud questioning.

“No, it’s okay. We’ll deputize Erin for now.”

“When’s my turn to get deputized? You’ve promised for years,” Melody pointed out before Dusty commented about a past case. “But that was before you moved away. Phinny promised that I could help again someday.”

“I’m waiting until the perfect opportunity to use your skill set,” the brainy detective explained, waving that he agreed with Erin’s demand. “We shouldn’t waste our secret agent on trivial matters, should we?”

Melody’s face lit up while Johanna’s jaw dropped upon hearing all the alleged skills that the cheerleader had, according to Phinn. The usually cranky teen felt an approving pat on his shoulder as Allison passed by. Finding the discussion amusing, Libby didn’t notice Sydney get up to join Erin in the living room.

“Whoa! Alieen Emmore?” Sydney exclaimed.

“Crap,” Libby moaned, jumping up. “You sure you want to look at those?”

“Okay. I’ll admit it. I did not have Mrs. Nunley on my bingo card for these pictures,” Erin announced.

“Our Mrs. Nunley?” Wally questioned, earning a slight nod from Phineas.

“No way!” Kody squealed, joining Wally to race over to Erin.

Even Ethan looked intrigued by the appearance of their former junior high school teacher in the blackmail photos. However, Libby immediately called them perverts before shoving Wally and Kody away.

BRRRING-BRRRING

“Crap. That’s probably my mom,” Phinn said, checking the time. “Um, who wants to talk to her?”

“I’ll handle it,” Libby said, far less afraid of Pamela than anyone else.

“What? Mrs. Nunley committed a crime?” Melody squeaked. Dropping Phinn’s phone onto the floor, the honey blonde looked close to tears.

“Fuck,” Phinn mumbled. Thinking fast, he spotted Bandit going over to sniff the fallen phone. “What’s that? You want to go for a walk, buddy? Well, I guess we can do that.”

The word walk sent the bulldog into excitement mode. As Allison picked up his phone, Phinn reassured Melody that her former teacher had done nothing wrong. The upset cheerleader calmed down only after Phinn suggested she and Allie join the walk.

“Is that wise?” Ethan asked, nodding toward the outside. Most of the room knew he referred to the Masked Creep.

“I can go with,” Jake offered.

“No, we should be fine. Allie can catch up with Dusty for part of the trip. If anything goes wrong, she can call you for help,” Phinn responded.

“But Masked Creep might–”

“We’ll be fine. Honestly, I’m a bit worried about that Manfredi sighting in Blueview. The plan forming in my head requires a police presence nearby. So I want to check if the chief still has a car or two watching the neighborhood,” Phinn revealed. “Oh, while we’re gone, think of a solid distraction. We might need a way to frighten the Bethunes.”

“Vampires.”

“Why vampires?” Phinn questioned Melody, while Jake nodded wholeheartedly. He ignored the muttering about still having his wooden stakes in his closet.

“Because they suck out your blood to turn you into one of them,” the cheerleader explained, shuddering.

“I don’t know…” Phinn hesitated to upset the honey blonde by shooting down her idea.

“Dusty said that the Bethunes might welcome immortality. They are approaching eighty,” Allie relayed.

“Ah, excellent point,” Phinn said, sighing in relief. “But keep on thinking of ideas, Mel.”

“No, Phinn took Bandit for a walk. Allison and Melody went along,” Liberty said, loud enough for Phinn to hear. “Yes, I do think it’s nice to see him associating with actual girls for once.”

Frowning at his old babysitter, Phinn eavesdropped before Libby covered the mouthpiece.

“Professor Pettit is delayed. She won’t return until late tomorrow night. Your mom might have Lance come over again instead.”

“Did you tell her who’s sleeping over tonight?” Phinn asked. After Libby nodded, Phinn started to leave the kitchen.

“What if the cops aren’t on stakeout?” Jake whispered when his partner allowed Allie and Melody to lead Bandit out the back door.

“Ghosts!” the cheerleader suggested, exiting the house.

“Then, we’ll need to enter the lion’s den tomorrow,” Phinn declared.

“What…you can’t…we’re going to police headquarters?” Jake questioned, his face showing his shock.