Gem Stone by Dale Mayer Page B

pointed out, we've all been here before. We don't believe anyone, especially those three goons."
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    John's face wrinkled as if he had a belly full of gas. "Gemma, let's keep this nice."
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    Gemma didn't even look at him. John meant well. He'd given them a decent place to live and they all appreciated the change in their surroundings, but none of her friends were under any illusions. There wouldn't be a happy end to this evening. Not for them.
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    "We're not going to discuss these men. Suffice it to say, they've been cleared by our office. I can see however, that their behavior may have given you the wrong impression…and that set off the mess of events that followed."
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    "Ya think?" The police said they'd cleared these men. Still, Gem knew law enforcement when she saw it, and the three men weren't it. They might be secret government team shit, but she doubted it. She recognized their type. They were thugs.
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    "Try to forget their obvious lack of professionalism and please tell us what happened next."
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    Interesting wording. Next? He didn't ask about what happened earlier, so Gem decided to keep her after curfew jaunt with Misty out of it – for the moment. She relayed the series of events, commenting on the actions of each of the men up to the moment she'd found Misty.
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    The sheriff took notes, stopped her once or twice and let her run down.
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    "What I'm hearing from all this is that because you felt the men were responsible for Misty's disappearance, you did what you could to get away from them so you could find her yourself. Which you did, thankfully. You even went so far as to enlist some of the other kids to get inside their vehicle to look for her." He shook his head at that.
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    John sighed heavily. "Oh Gemma, your panic and fear for Misty definitely blinded you to who was on your side and who wasn't."
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    "Is that right?" She gave him a wry smile. "Don't tell me they were concerned about Misty. Those three goons were standing around the car talking while we were out looking."
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    "Do you have anything else to add to your statement?"
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    "Like what?" she responded coolly, one eyebrow raised.
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    The sheriff's lips quirked. A gleam of amusement shone in his eyes. In another lifetime, Gem might have even liked him. Not in this one though – he was the law.
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    "Any idea how Misty made it to where she was found?"
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    Maybe she wouldn't have liked him. He was too stupid for words. "Uh, carried there by some asshole? Most likely Humpty and Dumpty, the two hired muscles and their boss …the third man that came to the house."
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    "Gemma," chided John. "Language please."
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    Gemma sighed and shifted in her seat. "Well, she didn't walk there on her own. Someone big enough and strong enough to carry her, stashed her in the pump house, probably hoping to move her later tonight."
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    The sheriff looked her directly in her eyes. "Why would Misty have been taken in the first place?"
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    'Too stupid for words' was an understatement. And just like that Gem had had enough. They didn't care about those thugs being involved and they really didn't care about Misty. "Who knows, but I doubt it was for anything good." She stood up. "Are we done now?"
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    Pushing his chair back, John rose hastily. "Gemma, I know this is hard, but they are only trying to help Misty."
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    There was nothing she could say to that garbage. She stared down at the sheriff, a bored look on her face.
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    He stared back, then nodded. "For now. But…"
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    "Right. Don't leave town. I get it." She walked to the doorway.
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    Only he stood up in front of her, towering above her. Gem stuck her jaw out. She'd had more experience dealing with bullies than dealing with friends. Nobody was going to intimidate her if she could help it.
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    "I was going to say, that we might need to speak with you again." His voice had gentled slightly. That was unexpected. She studied him under