Martial Law

by Franklin W. Dixon

  “Dad, I need help!” I cried.

  He took one look at me and closed the door. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s for our ATAC mission,” I told him. I pulled the unmarked bottle of pills out of my pocket. “We need to know what these things are, stat.”

  Dad’s forehead creased with worry. “Are you boys in any danger?” he asked. “Between that killing yesterday and now—”

  “Dad, don’t worry,” I interrupted. “We can take care of ourselves. You know that.”

  “Hmph,” he said.

  “Listen, I gotta get back to the Rising Phoenix,” I said. “I don’t want to leave Joe and Chet alone.”

  “Chet?” Now Dad really looked worried.

  “He’s not too involved,” I assured him. “I mean, he thought he was, but . . .”

  “I don’t want to hear about it,” Dad said, shaking his head. “You make sure he gets un-involved, right away.”

  “We will.” As I left the room, he was already on the phone to ATAC, setting up lab time to test the pills.

  I barreled down the stairs and headed for the door.

  “Where is your gi?” Aunt Trudy cried from the kitchen. She gazed at me as if I’d lost my mind.

  “Oh. Uh . . . I guess I didn’t leave it at home after all,” I said. “I must have left it in my locker at school.”

  “Honestly, Frank, that sounds more like something your brother would do,” Aunt Trudy said. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine, Aunt Trudy,” I promised her. “But I have to run.” I gave her a kiss on the cheek and bolted.

  By the time I got back to the Rising Phoenix, class was half over. I just hoped Joe was okay in there. I pulled my motorcycle in next to his.

  Samantha was still hanging out in the parking lot. She rushed over, her face filled with worry. “What happened?” she asked. “What are those pills? What is this all about?”

  “Samantha, it’s too soon to know,” I told her. “The pills are being tested right now. You should go home and wait. I’ll call you when we find anything out.”

  “Oh, no,” she said. “My brother’s entire personality was changed by this place, and I intend to find out why. You guys don’t have any right to keep me out of the loop.”

  “Okay, but I need to get inside,” I insisted. “Joe and Chet could be in danger, for all I know. We think Huang suspects that we’re, uh, snooping around.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why do you think that?”

  “Because the student teacher attacked me earlier this afternoon,” I blurted out. “Now, please, go home. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Samantha cried. “I’m absolutely not going anywhere now. You could be in trouble!”

  “Fine. Stay. But I’m going inside.” I couldn’t argue anymore. As long as she didn’t go near Huang or Marty, she’d probably be safe. They didn’t know she was Russell’s sister, so they wouldn’t pay any attention to her.

  I pulled open the front door and took two steps down the hallway.

  Huang was dragging Billy into his office. I saw the kid’s frightened face for a split second, and then Huang slammed the door shut behind them.

  Uh-oh.

  I turned around and went right back out the door.

  “What are you doing?” Samantha asked.

  “Huang’s got Billy Lee in his office,” I said. “Something’s going down.”

  “So why are you back out here?”

  “I happen to know where the window of Huang’s office is. We can listen in to his conversation from there.” I led the way around the back of the building and down to the window I’d climbed out of a few days ago.

  It was open a few inches. Perfect! We’d be able to hear everything. I ducked down below the window so they couldn’t see me. Samantha did the same.

  “. . . gone too far,” a voice said. “You’re cut off.”

  “Is that Huang?” Samantha whispered, putting her lips right up to my ear.

  I shook my head. “It sounds like Finn Campbell,” I told her. “He’s the bookkeeper.”

  “What do you mean?” Billy asked, his voice thin and scared.

  “We’re not going to give you any more,” Huang replied. “You haven’t been paying, so you don’t get any more pills.”

  “But I need them!” Billy said loudly. Not exactly frightened anymore—more like desperate. “I can already lift twice as much weight when I work out, and I’ve only been taking the herbs for two weeks. You can’t cut me off!”

  I felt as if someone had just smacked me in the head. Why hadn’t I seen it sooner?

  “Steroids,” Samantha whispered in my ear.

  I nodded. That’s what the pills were. I didn’t need a lab test to confirm it; Billy’s description was enough. Herbs to help him “bulk up”? More like illegal steroids that enabled him to lift more weight and put on muscle fast.

  “You don’t have to stop taking the herbs,” Finn said. “But you do have to start paying for them. For real, not just a twenty here and there. The pills are fifty dollars a week.”

  I glanced at Samantha. Her eyes were wide. Fifty bucks a week? That was pretty steep. Who could afford that? It’s not like Billy had time for a job in addition to school and all the karate classes he was taking. He was probably too young to work, anyway.

  “But I don’t have that much money,” he said, echoing my thoughts.

  “Well, you’ll have to find it somehow,” Finn told him.

  “If you don’t pay up, I’m afraid we’ll have to talk to your mother,” Huang added in that calm monotone of his. “And I doubt she’ll be very happy to hear that you’ve been taking steroids. They’re illegal, you know. You’re breaking the law.”

  “But . . . but you said they were just herbs. . . .” Billy’s voice cracked. It sounded like he was crying.

  My head spun. Finally I got it.

  Billy had been totally up front with us—he thought he was taking Chinese herbs because that’s what Huang had told him.

  “Huang gets kids hooked on steroids,” I whispered into Samantha’s ear. “He says they’re harmless herbs. Then, once the kids get used to taking them and like the results, he makes them pay.”

  “Not just that. He’s blackmailing this boy,” Samantha whispered back. “If he doesn’t pay, Huang will tell his mother he’s taking illegal drugs. He’ll get in huge trouble—but he didn’t even know he was doing anything wrong!”

  I nodded. Huang was nothing more than a drug dealer, preying on kids who were weak and lacked self-confidence. What a lowlife.

  It was time to call the cops. I reached for my cell phone—

  —and someone tackled me from behind.

  I fell to the ground, my face in the dirt. He was on top of me, pinning me down. I couldn’t move!

  “Hey!” Samantha yelped. She balled her hand into a fist and swung at him, managing to land a punch before his hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat. He shoved her back into the wall, her head smashing against the brick.

  I recognized that move. It was how the mugger had killed that private investigator. This was the same guy!

  Samantha’s eyes rolled up in her head and she dropped to the ground. Had he killed her?

  I crawled over and grabbed her wrist, feeling for a pulse.

  She was alive.

  “You’re next,” the guy growled.

  I jumped to my feet and turned to face him.

  It was Duke.

  15

  Rumble in the Dojo

  “I’m going after Billy,” I told Marty. “You can’t stop me.”

  The other students had all stopped sparring by now. They were watching us, totally confused.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Hardy,” Marty growled. “What happens between Sensei Huang and that little twerp is none of your business.”

  “What do you mean?” I demanded. “What’s going to happen between them? What is Huang gonna do to Billy?”

  “To
Billy?” Liz cried. “What do you mean?”

  “Huang’s a bad guy,” I said, turning to face her. I raised my voice so the entire class could hear me. “He kicked Billy too hard on purpose. I think he may be hurting him right now.”

  “You’re insane,” Marty said.

  “Fine. Then let me go see what’s going on in the office.” I moved for the door.

  Marty did a shiko tsuki. Luckily, I was expecting it. I ducked under the blow and turned on him with a punch of my own.

  I connected, hitting hard. He barely even flinched. The guy was pure muscle—it was like hitting a cinderblock.

  He attacked, the blows coming fast. Punches combined with kicks and other blocking moves I hadn’t even learned yet. I just kept blocking and ducking. I couldn’t even think about getting to the door yet—it took everything I had just to keep Marty from seriously hurting me.

  Chaos broke out around us. One or two of the kids tried to grab Marty and pull him back, but he shook them off like drops of water.

  I heard people shouting, but I tuned them out. I had to focus on Marty. His eyes never left my face, and they were filled with rage. He wasn’t about to stop until he’d pounded me into the ground.

  “Chet, call the cops!” I yelled.

  Marty flew at me, fists moving so fast I could barely see them.

  “Why are you doing this?” I gasped as I tried to block his blows. “Huang’s a loser.”

  “It’s my job,” Marty grunted.

  “He pays you to be a bully?” I cried. “Why don’t you just work at McDonald’s and save yourself the trouble?”

  “Sensei Huang is a great man,” Marty bellowed, stopping for a moment. “He changed my life! Before he gave me those herbs I was a total weakling. I got beat up every day. Now look at me!”

  “Yeah, now you’re the jerk beating other people up,” I snapped.

  “I don’t care,” he yelled. “I’m not going back to being a wimp.”

  Something clicked in my brain. “You’re not working for money,” I said. “You do what Huang says and he gives you those pills.”

  “I need them,” Marty growled. “I can’t afford to pay, so I work for them. There was no problem until you showed up. I knew you and your brother weren’t really here for classes. Why did you have to mess everything up?”

  He charged me again, spinning and kicking. I ducked to one side, then the other. But I was already winded. He was way too strong and way too fast.

  “You’re out of your mind,” I grunted. “Huang’s got you acting like a criminal.”

  “I don’t care,” Marty said. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  “Including mugging Russell Olwell a month ago?” I asked. “And attacking my brother today?”

  “You mugged Russ?” one of the other kids cried.

  “He was a snitch,” Marty said with a sneer. “He found out what he was carrying and he threatened to rat on Huang. He deserved it.”

  “You put him in the hospital,” I cried. “You’re a total thug.”

  Two of the other kids grabbed Marty’s arms and tried to pull him away again. The rest of the class was just sort of huddled in the back of the room. They looked seriously freaked. No one knew what to do.

  Marty roared like an animal and brought his arms together fast—slamming the two kids into each other. They both fell.

  He stepped over them, coming for me, his face twisted with rage. “I will not let you ruin this for me,” he snarled. “I will not go back to being a loser!”

  He jumped into the air, getting ready to kick. His foot came at my chest.

  I didn’t know how to block it. I felt too tired to move. He was going to get me this time. I waited for the blow.

  And that’s when Marty’s leg dropped. His jaw went slack. And he crumpled to the ground like a rag doll, unconscious.

  16

  Outnumbered

  Duke’s fists flew at my head. I ducked and covered my face, trying to punch him in the stomach or the chest. Trying to avoid the blows.

  But he was an expert fighter. He hit me again and again, his hands pummeling my face and shoulders.

  “Joe!” I yelled as loud as I could. “Get out here! Joe!”

  The window swung open. Was it my brother coming to help?

  No. It was Huang. He peered out at Duke and me. “What’s going on?” he snapped.

  “This jerk has been snooping around,” Duke told him. “He was listening under your window.”

  I was too exhausted from fighting to even try to get away. I just concentrated on catching my breath so I’d be strong enough to defend myself.

  “I’ll be right there,” Huang said grimly. He turned and ran for his office door. He yanked it open—

  —and Joe’s fist smashed into his face.

  I grinned. My brother was right on the other side of Huang’s door. He didn’t wait for Huang to recover. He punched him again.

  “You better hope the cops get here soon, Huang,” Joe snapped. “Marty just collapsed.”

  “It’s from steroids,” I yelled. “Right, Huang? You give kids steroids so they get big and muscular like Marty. But they’re unhealthy. They ruin your liver and weaken your heart. That’s why John Mangione collapsed when he was jogging. That’s why Marty just collapsed now. You’re lucky you haven’t killed anyone yet.”

  “That’s enough out of you,” Duke growled. He leaped into the air and aimed a kick at my head. I jumped to the side just in time.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Huang jump at Joe, fists flying.

  Before Duke could attack again, I grabbed the windowsill and heaved myself up. I swung over and landed inside Huang’s office. The sensei was an expert fighter, but together Joe and I should be able to take him.

  Somebody kicked me in the side.

  I staggered into Huang’s office chair and turned to see Finn in a fighting stance. “I should never have let you two into the school,” he muttered.

  My whole body went cold. I’d forgotten Finn was in here. He was the one who’d taught Huang and Duke how to fight—he was probably better than both of them!

  While I was staring at Finn, Duke leaped over the windowsill like I had. He charged me, karate chops coming fast and furious.

  Forget about trying to fight these guys with karate! There was no way I could beat them like that. I grabbed the back of the office chair and spun it around, then shoved with all my strength, pushing it into Duke’s stomach. The back of the chair caught him right under his rib cage and he fell back with an “Oof!”

  Finn jumped over the desk and hit me with a one-two chop. I stumbled backward, pain buzzing through my abdomen. Over his shoulder, I saw Joe get up and grab the door frame. He swung himself through the air and kicked Huang in the head with both feet. The sensei staggered backward but didn’t fall.

  By the time my brother landed back on the floor, Huang was going for him again.

  Finn dropped into a fighting stance and started to swing at me.

  “Dad!” Liz shrieked from the doorway.

  Everybody stopped fighting and turned to look at her.

  She was staring at the mayhem with a shocked expression on her face. “What are you doing?” she cried. “You can’t fight with kids. You’re a black belt. You could kill them!”

  “That’s the idea, girlie,” Duke growled. He jumped at me, arm out for my throat. He’d crushed the PI’s windpipe. He could do the same to me.

  I ducked under his arm and slammed my head into his stomach, driving him back against a filing cabinet.

  “You’re a filthy murderer,” I yelled at him. “You’re going away for life.”

  “Not if you aren’t around to testify,” he sneered. He shot one finger out and drilled it into a point just below my shoulder blade. My muscles went slack, and I stumbled backward.

  Liz ran into the office, screaming. She leaped up and kicked Duke in the side, then spun around and hit him with a one-two chop.

  Part of my brain realized t
hat she knew a lot more karate than she’d let on. The other part of my brain was just trying to force my body to start working again. Duke must have hit some kind of pressure point and incapacitated me.

  “Hy-yah!” Huang yelled, kicking at Joe. My brother went down.

  Duke shot his arm up and blocked Liz’s blows with one hand. His other hand chopped her in the neck. Her head snapped to the side.

  “No!” Finn bellowed. He flew across the room and yanked his daughter out of the way.

  “She’s a liability,” Duke snarled. “We have to get rid of her.”

  “She’s my daughter, you Neanderthal,” Finn said, his voice calm and cold. “Touch her again and I’ll kill you.”

  “You’re in too deep, Campbell,” Huang said from the other side of the office. I couldn’t see Joe. He hadn’t gotten up again. Was he unconscious? Worse? “These kids can send us to jail. We’ve got to get rid of them.”

  Liz gasped. “Daddy?”

  “No,” Finn said. “I’ve let you drag me into enough trouble, Huang. This ends. Now.”

  “Yes it does,” said a new voice.

  My father stood in the office doorway, two cops behind him.

  Duke spun toward the open window, but another police officer stood outside, blocking it.

  “Interesting pills you’ve been giving to the kids at your school, Huang,” Dad said. “The lab tests show they’re illegal steroids. That makes you a drug dealer. Giving drugs to minors. You’re going away for a long, long time.”

  Dad leaned down and helped Joe to his feet. My brother looked pretty beaten up, but he was alive. Relief rushed through my body. We’d made it!

  17

  Three Great Detectives

  “Shouldn’t you put a steak on that or something?” Chet asked me the following Monday at lunch. He squinted at the green and purple bruise on my cheek.

  “Shockingly, the cafeteria wasn’t offering raw steak for lunch today,” I joked. “But really, it looks worse than it feels.”

  “Your aunt must be freaking out,” he said. “I know she hates it when you and Frank go out solving crimes.”

  “Yeah. We told her it was just a rough day in karate class,” I said. “So listen, my father found out more about Huang’s background. Turns out you were right.”