Seizure(17)

Jonathan had been devastated. He’d wanted to fight Nazis, had gone to enlist with the other able-bodied men. Brincefield remembered his brother’s torment when told he couldn’t serve. When left behind.

The army’s decision had eaten at Jonathan. Made him feel like a failure. Less a man. Ashamed.

For weeks, Jonathan had refused to leave the farmhouse. Bottle after bottle disappeared down his throat. Brincefield had feared for his brother’s life.

Until the day they heard the legend of Anne Bonny. Then everything changed.

“Obsession,” Brincefield whispered.

Jonathan caught pirate-treasure fever. Became fixated, to the exclusion of all else. No one understood it.

None but Rodney Brincefield. He knew his brother was haunted, that Jonathan needed to find Bonny’s treasure to expunge his disgrace. To show everyone the army was wrong.

For months, Jonathan spoke of nothing else. He ranged far and wide seeking stories, rumors, anything pointing to the treasure’s location.

The world thought he’d lost his mind.

I was the only one who listened, Brincefield thought. I was his sounding board. His confidant. Eight years old, and just as hooked. The treasure came to dominate my thoughts, too.

Brincefield saw the images clear as day. The little boy plotting with his adored older brother. The excited chats in the old barn behind the farmhouse. Bonny’s lost horde was the topic that bridged the age difference. That connected them more powerfully than their shared blood.

Those were the happiest days of Brincefield’s childhood.

Then, one day, Jonathan vanished.

He’d gone to chase down a lead. A real scorcher, he’d said. He’d left no clue about his destination, only hinted that he was closer than ever before.

Brincefield never saw him again.

No one did. Everyone assumed the Mad Clubfoot had finally despaired and taken his own life. They’d muttered condolences, held a Mass, and gotten on with things.

Not Brincefield. He knew better. The treasure had become too important to Jonathan. He’d never have stopped until it was his.

Brincefield felt his chest heave. The ache was still there, as strong as half a century before. Not knowing. It was terrible. He squeezed his eyes shut.

“Jonathan’s treasure.” Brincefield spoke to the empty dining room.

The old man turned from the windows.

“Jonathan’s treasure,” he repeated. Quiet, but firm.

“My treasure.”

Straightening his tie, Brincefield strode from the chamber.





“MAN, CHARLESTON WAS just silly with pirates.”

Coop cocked an ear, but quickly returned to chewing his rawhide.

“Well it’s true,” I said.

This time, not even a glance from the pup. Coop rolled onto his side, toppling a stack of reference books piled beside my desk.

“Watch it!” I scolded. “I’m not done with those yet.”

Since catching the altered parvovirus, I’d been researching like crazy. Behavioral studies of wolves. Canine anatomy and physiology. Viral epidemiology. I needed to learn everything I could about my new DNA.

The sudden flare at the yacht club had only increased my anxiety.

I’d decided to keep what happened to me a secret for the moment—the other Virals were worried enough already—but I had to find answers, and soon.

But that project had to take a backseat.

“Listen, dog-face, this stuff is interesting.” I tapped the computer screen. “Back when this city was known as Charles Town, it was a pirate magnet. They practically owned the place.”

Coop righted himself and, less than riveted, switched to gnawing the leg of my desk chair.

I swatted. Missed. Coop yipped once, then sauntered from my bedroom.

“Ungrateful mongrel,” I called after his retreating tail.

Safely back in my townhouse, I’d scoured the Internet for mentions of Anne Bonny. In the process, I’d unearthed a mountain of info on local buccaneers. Hundreds of links.

“This calls for backup,” I told the empty room.

Opening iChat, I checked to see who was available. Clicked Hi’s icon.

He’d recently switched avatars and was now the Green Lantern. I was still the Gray Wolf. Classics never die.

Wolf: Got a minute? I have a … plan? An idea. Sort of.

Green Lantern: Do I need life insurance?

Wolf: Haha. Come over now. Grab Shelton if you can.

Green Lantern: Boo. I thought you were hitting on me.

Wolf: Nope. Still intimidated by your good looks.

Green Lantern: Understandable.

Wolf: Try to grab Ben too.

Green Lantern: Will do.



Five minutes later, in strolled Shelton and Hi. Hi wore an eye-jarring orange Kool-Aid Man T-shirt, paired with khaki shorts. Shelton was sporting his favorite—a brown tee with “n00b” printed on it. Together, they looked like a Reese’s peanut butter cup.

Hi flopped on my bed and kicked off his shoes.

“Ahh! Lady pillows. So much fluffier than mine.” He took a giant whiff. “Why does everything girlie smell so delightful?”

“Because we acknowledge the importance of basic hygiene. And periodically clean our bathrooms.”

“Brilliant. I should write that down. After all, it takes a village.”