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“Someone broke into Hailey’s this morning.”
“I heard.” I’d checked on her.
Colton stood in the kitchen, his feet braced, arms across his chest. “She tell you anything about the investigation?”
“She wasn’t sure she could talk about it because a child’s involved.”
He sighed. “Hailey pointed him out in a lineup.”
“That’s good, right?”
“He’ll be processed as a juvenile. I don’t think the court will waive him up, but the judge might.”
“Juvenile. Waive him up? What are you talking about?”
“Initially, he’ll be charged as a juvenile. The state’s attorney has the option of requesting he be charged as an adult.”
“I get that what he did was wrong, but don’t we, as the victims, have the option of not pressing charges?”
“That’s not how it works. The state’s attorney makes those decisions.”
“Will this state’s attorney talk to us?”
“He or she will want to know how much damage you sustained. How much restitution you want.”
At my confused look, he added, “Restitution is the damage you suffered.”
I shrugged. “For me, it was just some water and soap. I’m not out anything.”
Colton ticked off the list on his fingers. “There was the time it took away from work, the time your shop was closed, your loss of income. Didn’t he damage one of your refrigerators?”
Shaking my head, I said, “I’m not worried about that.”
“Hailey’s place was trashed.”
“She might want something, but I don’t. He’s not going to jail, is he?”
“It depends.”
“Even if he’s tried as a minor, won’t he go to juvenile detention? That’s like jail.”
He bristled. “It’s not supposed to be. Juvenile detention is rehabilitative in nature.”
I scoffed. “You know it’s not. It’s a locked facility.”
“Inside, they have access to services and help.”
I placed my hands on my hips. “Do they get it?”
“Why are you so worried about this kid’s fate? He did the crime. He needs to face the consequences.”
“We don’t know what his home life is like.”
“That doesn’t make a difference.”
“Doesn’t it? Maybe he was acting out for a reason. He needs attention.”
“That doesn’t give him an excuse to break the law.”
