Bonnie was an avid and experienced diver who planned and coordinated dives throughout the Great Lakes in search of lost shipwrecks and valuable artifacts. Although Bonnie has been diving for 30 years, she has never found anything of special value, but she enjoys the chase and the experience. Just before her untimely death, Bonnie was planning a dive off the shores of Presque Isle State Park in search of the long coveted and searched for Griffin shipwreck. Known as the Holy Grail of shipwrecks amongst divers, the Griffin was last seen during her maiden voyage in 1679 after picking up animal furs and other valuable items in Wisconsin. Built by French explorer Robert de La Salle, the ship was the first European vessel ever to sail on the upper Great Lakes.The Griffon's age and elusiveness have contributed to its mystique. Most historians believe that the Griffin encountered a storm and sank in Lake Michigan or Huron, but Bonnie completed a dive earlier this year and witnessed something familiar to the Griffin’s description. Bonnie noticed a unique wooden figurehead lying within the debris field of a larger unidentified shipwreck which seemed to match the characteristics of the Griffin. She saw a gold doubloon lying near the figurehead, grabbed it as proof to her fellow divers, and began planning her first successful treasure hunt. Although gold doubloons were not initially suspected to be transported by the Griffin, Bonnie’s discovery could prove otherwise and her finding could be valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bonnie, being a historian at heart, had made arrangements for the Griffin’s artifacts to be donated to the Pennsylvania Historical Society for preservation.

Frank has been Bonnie’s best friend and dive buddy for nearly 15 years. Despite Frank's obnoxious attitude and distaste of authority, Bonnie always stood by him and was ready to have his back in any fight. Frank is a self proclaimed entrepreneur who makes his money through investments and by keeping a close eye on the stock market. Frank has a knack for selling just about anything to anyone, and always with inflated value. He has been known to have issues with the law in the past due to selling stolen property and selling over priced shipwreck pieces being passed off as artifacts to beginner collectors. He and Bonnie share the dream of finding the infamous Griffin shipwreck, but Frank would rather sell the artifacts to the highest bidder. Since Frank funded this weekend’s dive expedition to find the Griffin, he is looking forward to the financial gains he stands to make from locating and pillaging the Holy Grail of shipwrecks. And he has Pauline Plunder on his list of buyers.

Natalie is an upbeat gal who lives to explore the underwater world. She shares in Frank and Bonnie’s obsession with shipwreck diving, but would much rather investigate the fish and mussels living within the shipwrecks than the artifacts themselves. She has a gambling streak in her and has had a run of bad luck recently. She owes quite a bit of money to the town gambing circle, the leader of which remains a mystery to most in town. Without the additional income from gambling, she can’t afford to keep her expensive hobby of tropical fish keeping. Always looking to make a quick buck, Natalie will bet against you on just about anything. Natalie and Frank are frequently at odds because he has bailed her out of gambling debt numerous times. Their relationship has become tense lately, because Natalie yet again owes money to some dubious characters in town.

An aspiring young diver still working on her certification, Valerie is a fiercely independent young woman and recent college grad. She is determined to pay off her massive student debt as quickly as she can, which is why she offers to assist divers on the shoreline for a small amount of money on the weekends. She doesn’t enjoy lugging air tanks and equipment, but she wants to be rid of the student debt so she can open her own bakery and put her business management degree to work. She is interested in buttering up Pauline Plunder this weekend, should they cross paths, because Pauline is known to be quite charitable for noteable causes. Valerie thinks that with enough baked goods and sweet talk, she just might be able to convince Pauline into funding her future dreams.

Pauline is the gem of the town. She is beloved by the townsfolk for her charitable ways and eclectic personality, but she sometimes cashes in on favors when you least expect it. Pauline comes from a long line of Plunders who have lived in town for generations, and they own almost everything from grocery stores to restaurants. Pauline’s particular side hobby is collecting shipwreck artifacts from the Great Lakes. She has funded many searches, both successful and unfortunate, for many shipwrecks across the Great Lakes. She has been known to diligently catalog artifacts alone and turn them in to historical societies as donations. Pauline is not always the truthful character she portrays, however. Rumors around town indicate that Pauline has kept many priceless artifacts for a personal collection located somewhere on her estate. Although the historical society has filed many claims against her shipwreck searches and discoveries, they have never been able to provide sufficient evidence that any wrongdoing has ever occurred. Even though a diver has died during one of her previous funded expeditions.

Sheriff Jenny Jetsam is a small town sheriff who mostly handles small town crimes of stolen chickens and rowdy teens. She stays involved with small town gossip just in case she hears of any wrongdoing in the neighborhood. Jenny grew up in the town and went to the police academy to create a better place for her townsfolk. Seeing no real action on a daily basis, she is appalled to hear of the news of Bonnie’s death and is first on the scene. Although Jenny has a spotless record, she can be a little too light on the town’s dubious characters. Most believe that she is just too nice to put anyone behind bars.

Officer Terry, also known as Scary Terry to shady characters in town, is a no nonsense guy and known for disciplining townsfolk when Sheriff Jenny just can’t bring herself to do it. Although he can seem scary to criminals, Terry is known amongst the townsfolk as an upstanding gentleman who always volunteers to help someone with an odd job, and he always has their back when needed. He has been after Pauline Plunder and her rumored historical artifact smuggling for quite some time, but has never had enough evidence to prove it!

Dr. Faraday is an expert forensic scientist with an eccentric personality. She is passionate about fighting crime, and always gets to the truth behind a murder. Criminals shake in their boots when she handles their cases. If anyone can solve the murder of Bonnie Benz, it’s Fiona Faraday and her trusted lab assistant, you!