Ezra's uncle comes to town
I remember reading a work where an uncle of Ezra's comes on the stage. It brings back memories of when he used to beat Ezra when he was a boy and stayed with him. The uncle somehow gets Ezra and/or one or two of the others, he has Ezra beaten, I forget why, but the rest of the boys have to find and rescue them. It was set in the old wet setting.