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REMI
Anticipating an evening alone, I made a salad, went through a series of yoga poses, and then sat on my mat to meditate. Thinking about Colton made me feel good, but I knew I shouldn’t get away from the practice. It had become a habit over the years.
When my intercom buzzed, I startled.
Checking my messages, I saw that Colton had tried to get in touch with me, then said he’d stop by the apartment.
“Colton?” I asked, speaking into the speaker.
“Hope it’s okay I dropped by.”
“Of course.” I wanted to see him.
I opened the door before he made it up the stairs.
His expression was tight as if he were here in his official capacity as a police officer.
“We need to talk.”
Closing the door behind him, I said, “Is this about the graffiti?”
“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?”
