Free Grave Shadows by Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry

myself.
    Jeff ordered a buffalo burger, and I had grilled cheese. Then all I wanted was to soothe my sore muscles in that hot water.

Chapter 58

    I called everybody I could think of, even the principal’s wife, but nobody knew anything about the building project at the school.
    “Saw your brother today,” Sam said that night. “Got close enough to see the smile on his face.”
    I wished I could have been there. The Gazette pictured the bicyclists arriving in Buena Vista and added that another report from Jeff and an in-depth story would follow the next day.
    Mom said a group from the middle school was planning to meet the riders when they finished the trip.
    I followed Sam to his office. I pulled a Post-it note from his stack and wrote down the license-plate number of the truck.
    “What’s this?” he said.
    “I’m trying to find out who owns this truck. It’s a suspicious vehicle.”
    Bryce and I tried not to ask Sam for help, but I knew he had contacts with the police.
    He handed me a business card. “You’ve met this officer before. I don’t think he’ll give you information, but you can try.”

Chapter 59

    The water felt so warm and good that when we started throwing a beach ball around, I almost forgot Jeff had cancer. We were just two kids having fun.
    Later we walked down some steps to a concrete walkway. The river running past the pools was filled with rocks, many arranged in circles.
    We scooted down the edge, hopping from rock to rock. I dipped a toe in one pool and pulled it back quickly. The water felt like it was boiling.
    “Try this one!” Jeff said.
    It was cooler. A few feet away the river was frigid, but here the water was toasty. A cool breeze blew, and goose bumps rose on my arms. A wave of warmth swept over me, and I realized the water was bubbling from beneath us rather than flowing from the river.
    “I heard Native Americans used to come to these pools because they felt the water would heal their diseases,” Jeff said.
    “Yeah, they probably stopped here on those long bike trips hunting buffalo.”
    I closed my eyes and put my head back against a smooth rock, and it felt like I was floating on warmed air. The curve of the rock fit my head and neck perfectly. “I wish I could take this pool home with me, complete with the rocks and sand.”
    When Jeff didn’t answer I opened my eyes and saw him staring across the stream. His mouth was open, and I was afraid he was having some sort of seizure.
    “What’s wrong?” I said, rolling over and splashing water on him.
    He pointed. “Look under that rock over there.”
    There were pine trees and several large rocks on the other side. Something was moving under one of the rocks. It looked like a long band of diamonds against a yellow background.
    “Looks like a bull snake!” someone downriver called.
    I didn’t care if it was a bull snake, a cow snake, or any other kind. I was done with the pool.
    “I have to write my column,” Jeff said.
    We grabbed our stuff and headed back.

Chapter 60

    I struck out with the cop, but Mom knew a social worker—Liesel Parrish—who investigates kids in trouble or families who abuse children. I remembered she once said she could run the license-plate number of someone she was investigating, so I called her.
    “Why do you want the info?” Liesel said.
    I told her the owner of the truck was a construction guy working near our school. “I think he might have taken some stuff from my friend’s house.”
    “Hmm,” she said. “If you promise you’ll contact the police if you find out anything and if you promise not to do anything dangerous, I’ll e-mail you the information.”

Chapter 61
    Jeff’s Diary
    by Jeff Alexander
    A 200-mile bike ride is a lot like having cancer. You’re never sure what the next day will bring. With a disease, you can lose your hair, go through surgery, feel fine, or get dizzy and fall a lot. With a bike ride, the road could be bumpy or smooth. The clouds could roll in