Collateral Damage

 "By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire!" Janine exclaimed, still trembling from the adrenaline. "I was watering the plants in the window, I looked up, and saw three guys pouring gasoline all over the leaf pile!"

 "Did you get a good look at them? " Sgt. Ryke asked.

 "No, They were wearing Halloween masks. Go figure!"

 "Any Tattoos or identifying marks of some sort?"

  "Nope, they looked like teenagers."

 Sgt. Ryke sighed, "Unfortunately, without a positive ID, the chances of catching them are pretty slim. I'm so sorry Janine."

 "I'm aware Matthew, thanks anyway," Janine sighed.

 Sgt. Matthew Ryke had gone to high school with Janine, he was pretty keen on her back then, always so poignant. At 48, Janine was still very attractive. Long brown hair, with natural highlights, curvaceous figure, and a smile that takes your breath away. Now days, he pitied her. She'd gotten a pretty raw deal. When she married Michael Price, everyone thought she'd struck gold. Good-looking, successful Realtor, athletic and charming. Seemingly perfect, until he wasn't.

 Two weeks ago, the body of 14 year-old Shaye Barnes, was found strangled and mutilated in a pine grove just outside the city. Shaye was a freshman at Rye Springs High School, a petite, mousy blonde. Her classmates described her as nice, but shy and mostly kept to herself. A single fingerprint was found on the duct tape across her mouth. They ran the print through the database and got a match. Michael Price. His fingerprints were in the system from a DUI he'd gotten when he was 21. Since his arrest a week ago, The Price home has been vandalized three times.

 Sgt. Ryke turned around just in time to intercept a frantic Kayla Price before she could reach the house. At 6'1, It was fairly easy to restrain the 5'5 Kayla. She was a spitting image of her mother, except shorter. Kayla has always been a bit feistier too.

    "Where's my Mom?" she screamed.

  "She's in the house, everything's OK. Some boys lit some leaves on fire in the yard but no one got hurt." Ryke explained, still holding on to Kayla, attempting to comfort and calm her.

 Kayla took a deep breath and headed for the front door. When she walked in, her mother was sitting on their black, leather couch with her head in her palms.

 "Was it that punk Derek again?" Kayla asked.

 "I don't know sweetheart," she murmured, "they had masks on."

  "I bet it was! Ugh, I hate that guy!" Kayla spewed before storming up the wooden staircase to her bedroom.

  Kayla and Derek have been in the same schools together since first grade. Derek has always been a troublemaker, last year he was suspended for starting a fire in the boy's bathroom. When they were in grade school, he used to pour glue in Kayla's hair. She had to cut her hair to a short bob twice because of it. Four days ago, he was caught toilet papering their house at 2 am.

 The next morning, Janine sat at the kitchen table with her coffee and stared out the window at the charred leaves in the yard. The last week had been a blur, the days seemed to melt together like images in a kaleidoscope. She didn't even hear Kayla come downstairs, so when she tossed her backpack on the table, Janine jumped.

 "Why did they find Dad's fingerprint on that girl?"

   "I don't know Kayla, I don't know," Janine whispered.

 Without responding, Kayla kissed her mother on the forehead and left for school.

 When Kayla got to school, she searched the parking lot for Derek. He was standing with a group of friends, laughing and making large gestures. Probably bragging about what he did, she thought. She was almost sprinting toward him. He didn't see her coming until it was too late. Kayla shoved him hard into his brand new Nissan Sentra.

 "What the hell Kayla?" He yelled.

   "Don't give me that crap, you know what you did!" She yelled back.

   Derek just smirked at her, "Prove it," he said.

   "You better watch it Derek, I'm serious," Kayla said, fighting back tears.

   "Or what? Your dad's gonna murder me too?"

  Every fiber of Kayla's body was on fire. She wanted to punch him. She forced her body to turn and walk away, holding up one finger as she left.

  It was noon, Janine had just crawled into her empty King sized bed for a quick nap when there was a loud knock at the door. She froze. Her heart was pounding as she grabbed her 9mm from the bedside table. She didn't care if they were teenagers, if they came in her house, they were getting shot in the knee. She slowly made her way down the stairs and into the foyer. She peered through the peephole but couldn't see anything but blackness.

   "Who's there?" she asked hesitantly.

   "It's Sgt. Ryke, Janine, we have a warrant."

 Janine set the gun on the lamp table and swung the door open, revealing half of the Rye Springs police department. "Are you serious Ryke?" She asked angrily.

 "Uh yes ma'am," he said, "I'm really sorry Janine. I know it's not a good time but the coroner found a lock of hair missing on the victim and Chief thinks Michael kept it as some sort of trophy. We gotta take another look around."

  Janine stared at him, horrified. "Wow," she said, fighting back tears. "Be my guest," she moved aside and waved them in.

   "Who's gun is this?" One of the officers demanded.

   "It's mine, OK?" Janine retorted, " you guys scared the hell out of me." The officer glared back at her but quickly turned and moved on.

   Janine sat on the couch in the living room, out of the way. She half expected them to find something, but at the same time, praying they didn't. An officer in the adjoining room was watching her go between fits of crying and an emotional coma. She's a wreck, he thought.

After almost three agonizing hours, Sgt. Ryke announced that they were finished with the search. He suggested that if either one of them came across anything suspicious, give him a call, then left. Janine sat in silence for a while, Kayla would be home soon.

The house was still a wreck when Kayla walked through the door. "What happened in here?" She asked her Mother.

  "The police happened," she replied as she walked into the foyer to grab her purse. She unzipped the inside pocket and pulled out a plastic bag.

   "And just what were they looking for?"

   "This," she said, handing her the plastic bag with a golden lock of hair inside. "Now burn it."

   "What about the rest of them?" Kayla asked.

   "Burn them too, we can't take anymore chances. This one was too close."

   "I still wanna know how dad's fingerprints got on that tape."

    "Me too, maybe you didn't wipe it off good enough," she joked.

    "So, what are we going to do about Dad?"

    Janine sighed, "Nothing, collateral damage I guess."

 Later that night, Janine and Kayla sat side by side in front of the fireplace, tossing in one lock of hair after the other.

   "Halloween is only three days away," Kayla exclaimed.

   "I know, but no more trophies. Agreed?"

   "Agreed!"

 They both raised their wine glasses in unison, "Happy Halloween Derek!"