Globe Tracers 1: The Case of Thomas Crain

Chapter 15: Innocence Lost

Kyle:

Allen finally did arrive again and we explained what happened, needless to say, my nervousness showed on my face. To top everything else off, there was a full investigation of the officer going on behind us as we talked, children being evacuated from the premise. 

"You two realize we're part of a secret organization... besides that, you took that man's life!" he said glaring at Jessica. "You, Jessica, need to rein in your shenanigans. You seem to think there is no end to the naivety of the people on this world. You don't seem to realize that adults may not always believe their children, but we do listen to them."

"Is this about the song on the bus?" she asked.

"Who cares about the song?" Allen asked angrily.

"Because if you're talking about what I did in attacking that man, he was scum."

"We don't get to decide who lives or dies Jessica," Allen said back. "We don't say whose life does or doesn't matter."

"Kyle was in danger. When that happens, I don't care who I hurt, I will save him."

Allen sighed. He looked up, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth. "I guess I understand that. The wolves will be keeping their ears open for any rumors about today. Burying your silly episode on the bus should be a simple matter of not bringing it up, but a man died out here today. His family will want answers and there will be investigations of this until doomsday. Do you know how serious this is?"

"What did we do exactly?!" I demanded, not liking this line of questioning.

"What do you think you did? You killed a man."

"We did not murder him!" I barely held myself back from shouting, realizing we were not yet in private. As long as we talked in normal tones no one was close enough to hear though. "We defended ourselves."

"Did I say murder?" Allen asked. "Any jury would have exonerated you two. You were after all attacked and you were trying to do the right thing right?"

"Of course," I replied. I started folding my arms as I spoke. "It's not like we wanted to kill him-"

"You cornered him and threatened him, what did you think was going to happen?" I had to pause at that one, my arms not quite folded. "Do either one of you think of your actions before you take them? You could have followed him, tricked him, found a way to reveal him to the authorities; any number of things you could have done, but you chose to confront him openly in a way that things had to come to a head."

"So what, another crook is off the street," Jessica said with a slight glare. "He won't steal any more kids."

"Not once have I said that that man was a good man. But there was a chance he could have been changed. If not that, there was a chance his family could have said goodbye before he went. What about them, did they deserve to have that taken from them?"

"Well... no." I began.

"No? I guess you're the one I'm especially disappointed in, Kyle."

"Me?" I asked.

"You think I haven't noticed? How could anyone not? You're the voice of reason here, aren't you? Jessica looks to you for guidance, or haven't you noticed? So where was that guidance?"

"I think the life of a little boy is worth a few tears-" I began, tears of my own starting to form. More tears of rage.

"More than tears," Allen interrupted. "It won't stop at tears. A man died out here. Everyone will see that, but no one can know who did it. Don't you realize what that means? Everyone can become a suspect except the guilty. And you think you're so not guilty? How guilty is the other officer who you knocked out? He'll be suspect number one and his only defense will be a story no one will believe. He and every man in his patrol group will now be investigated like criminals and even if no real crime was committed since no one can know that-"