Free Gem Stone by Dale Mayer

family from just out of Portland. His cousins weren't the brainiest, but they did what they were told, and didn't ask questions. Sure it had been a hasty plan, pulled together within minutes.
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    Thank God this uncle had been in town. Once he'd understood the seriousness of the situation, he'd stepped in to be the big boss, but then stepped back until needed again. Said it had been fun.
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    Then again his uncle found his fun in odd things. He was a forger after all, with a rap sheet for everything from fraud to assault. He'd also provided them with the Environmental Protection Agency IDs.
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    He grinned when he thought of the price the company was paying. Maybe, if he played his cards right, he could ditch this town in six months.
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    Now what the hell was he going to do with the kids? There were two problems here. One: Had the teens seen anything they shouldn't? Two: Had they been exposed to anything hazardous?
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    And if they had been, did it matter? The most recent water tests had all come back clear, now it was down to the kids. They were at risk. The company scientists had said anyone would show signs of exposure within the next few days, or not at all. Symptoms could start small like a skin rash over several days, or ulcers might form immediately. Each person was different.
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    He'd checked out the girl's flash drive that the cousins had retrieved before contacting his uncle at the waste disposal company. The pictures showed his cousins, but contained nothing incriminating. At least nothing clear enough that would stand up in court. But the pictures might raise a few questions…
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    He needed them kept under observation.
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    Old Creepers could do that if the kids were back where they belonged – at the correctional center. Like how hard could that be? Creepers should have shipped them back when he thought they were cheating at their schooling..
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    But no, Creepers hadn't wanted to be a hard ass. Why not? He was any other time. And Fixer had already warned him about the creek and to keep the kids away. It would have been so easy to have sent them back then. Damn it.
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    He could only hope after the mess last night, Creepers would do the right thing now.
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    Whether that was because they were in trouble, causing trouble or just to keep them safe, he didn't care. Fixer needed them sent back to juvie. The easiest way was to put the kids in danger. In order to send the kids back to the center for their own safety, he had to make it real. Make it fact.
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    That shouldn't be hard. If this plan didn't work out, they would be in real danger – he couldn't have them messing things up more.
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    The kid in the hospital wouldn't be out for a few days. He didn't know what drugs his cousins had used, but the girl had had some kind of allergic reaction to them. That was good news. One down – at least long enough to make sure her symptoms weren't from exposure to the shit in the creek.
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    He figured the kids were clear anyhow. The area had been thoroughly cleaned up, but they were paying him the big bucks to make sure.
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    Now he needed to figure out if they'd seen anything important, or not.
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    Thank heavens for insider information from the sheriff's office. From the kids' statements, it appeared they'd only seen his cousins standing around at the creek. Not incriminating in any way.
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    But the kids were from juvie. That made them liars and thieves. Who knew if they were telling the truth?
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CHAPTER FIVE
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    T he next morning Gem opened her eyes then slammed them shut again. She didn't want to be awake. She hated mornings at the best of times, but today her body fought wakefulness with everything it had. She rolled over and buried her face in her pillow.
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    Misty . She bolted upright and groaned. Everything ached. Grabbing her housecoat, she headed down to the kitchen. Mark, Reid and Doris were all there. "Any news on Misty?"
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    Doris offered a tired