Someone to Trust by Ginny Aiken

Author:Ginny Aiken
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense
Publisher: Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
Published: 2009-07-01T05:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

“Smurfs?” Rand asked. “What do blue cartoon characters from an old TV show have to do with skunk-drunk kids?”

The nurse who’d come out to speak with him gave him a humorless chuckle. “I wish it had something to do with Papa Smurf, or even underage drinking. Smurfs are pills with a silly nickname, but not so silly effects. They’re a cheap substitute for ecstasy and some other hallucinatory drugs.”

“What are the active chemicals?”

“Chemical. DXM—dextromethorphan. It’s the main ingredient in cough syrup and other cold meds. The problem is its high toxicity at the quantity they take to achieve their high. You saw how sick it made them. It can and has led to death.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Are these guys going to make it?”

“Two of them look like they’re going to be okay, but in a world of hurt for a few days, not to mention a ton of trouble.”

“And the other boy?”

The nurse glanced toward the ER. “That old cliché—time will tell. They’re doing everything possible for him.”

Anger filled Rand. “And you say the stuff’s easily available?”

“What happens a lot of the time is that one kid will make a big buy on the Internet, then sell it off to his buddies.”

Determination steeled Rand’s spine. “We have to find out which one’s doing the dealing.”

Footsteps approached. “Welcome to my nightmare, Captain.” Rand turned toward the newcomer. The tall, muscular man with his dark hair buzzed close to his head gave him a nod. “J.J. Colby, varsity soccer coach at Loganton High.” The men shook hands. “We’ve got a growing problem in town and I’m having a time trying to keep up with the guys who’re using.”

“I hear it’s not just the meth.”

“Meth’s not the first thing they try.” The coach pointed toward a pair of armchairs and they sat. “They either outgrow the weed they start with or they get tired of the nasty side effects of the over-the-counter stuff pretty fast. That’s the kind of thing these guys took and you can see the results.”

“That’s what I don’t get. Who wants to go through that?” Rand’s disgust grew. “I’ve never understood.”

The coach ran a hand over his short hair. “I gotta tell you, with as hard as those guys work on the field, how much they train, the way they’re so careful with their diet, I’ve never been able to understand how they can turn over control of their minds and bodies to this. Especially not Phil Britton and Dave Lawrence.”

“What about the meth problem?”

The taut lines of the coach’s posture screamed his frustration. “We’ve had a death and a near-miss at school. It’s there and growing.”

“You know about the fire and what we found at the theater, right?”

The coach nodded.

“I suspect you catch a lot of the buzz at school. What do you hear from the kids?”

“I hear plenty. Much of it is exaggerated or flat-out lies but unfortunately, some of it’s true. The problem is, I don’t have anything solid to take to my principal, much less the cops.

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