Hidden in the Blood: A Novel of the Terribly Acronymed Detective Club (Book 5)

Chapter Nine: Al, Summer, 1979?

"What about you, Sunny?" Al asked. "I'm starting to get tired, here."

"Sorry, buddy, I'm too busy being a City Councillor."

"Oh, did you win the election?" Al asked in surprise. "I must not have been around for that."

"Of course you weren't. You haven't been around for a lot since the accident. But don't worry, we all had fun without you."

"What was that about the accident?" Al asked, but before he could get an answer, the boat ground against the shore of Poplar Island. That was fast. He didn't need anyone to help him row after all.

"It's go time," Lauren said, leaping from the boat and drawing her grandfather's samurai sword. "Stay close to me. The treasure is guarded by hostiles. We'll need to coordinate our attack."

Sunny alighted beside her and his lightsaber burst into life, making that trademark swooshing, throbbing distortion noise. It looked deadly, and Al didn't want to get too close to it.

"What are we thinking?" Sunny asked. "Storm troopers or Tusken raiders?"

"Both, if I know Emperor Trybek." Lauren looked to Danny. "You better stay here in the boat with Al."

"Why should I stay in the boat?" Al asked. "We're the LSDC, aren't we? We fight together."

"You have no weapon," Joe said, stomping out of the boat. "I at least have superhuman strength. You did your part rowing us here, we'll take care of the rest."

Al felt inordinately angry at being dismissed, even if Joe was right. He didn't have a weapon. Didn't pirates at least have a flintlock or a cutlass? "Well, what about Rachel?" he asked. "She doesn't have a weapon."

"Oh, don't you know?" Rachel asked. "I was raised by wolves, so I can summon them to me. Come on, Sparky, let's get the pack together!"

She climbed out of the boat and Sparky followed, howling ominously. Al didn't remember Sparky as anything but a love sponge, docile and welcoming of belly rubs. This was a side of Sparky he never saw before, and he was reminded of...

Wait, was that Hunter and Duchess up ahead? "Hey, those are my dogs!" he shouted. "Are you summoning my dogs?!"

"They were never your dogs," Rachel said, rather cruelly. "They were your father's dogs. They just tolerated you because you were the family they were supposed to guard."

"But he's not my father!" Al protested. "I just learned that! So then they weren't his dogs!"

"Oh, grow up, Al," Dad said. "They respected the man, not the title. God, you were such a wimp, definitely Richard's boy. They were this close to eating you every minute of the day," he said, holding up his thumb and forefinger a centimetre apart.

"That's harsh," Al said. "Wait, Rachel! You're supposed to be scared of Hunter and Duchess! You always have been!"

"This isn't real!" Rachel called back as she walked toward the fray with her growing pack. "Here, I'm not scared of them!"

"I'm getting out," he said to Dad and Sam. "I can't miss the fun."

"Can I come with you?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, why not," Al said as he noticed, up ahead, figures moving in the trees, the enemy coming into formation. "I'm actually glad you're here, Danny. Did you get Rachel's message during the seance? We tried to contact you and let you know how sorry we were that we didn't do more to help you."

Danny shrugged. "What more could you have done? You were kids."

"Maybe if we were faster convincing Mrs. Anderson to foster you," Al said, watching his fierce friends approaching the enemy. The first thing to burst through the trees was a swarm of drones, and Sunny went after those, swinging that lightsaber like an experienced Jedi. With each swing of the weapon, a drone exploded and crashed to the ground.