Case 14

Prologue

John always had a heightened sense of right and wrong.

He stood up to bullies all the time during school. I watched as Zack and his gang surrounded my brother at the gate after school and wondered if Zack knew what he was doing.

Zack was three years above him and in my grade. Tall and wirery with black hair and sharp grey eyes, he wore a smirk of "I own you" and was always with his muscle, Leo, a giant who looked more ape then boy. Leo was size XXXL and had a neck and arms of the same width. He rarely spoke unless you count grunts and laughing when he drops a kid into a rubbish bin but at the moment he was cracking his knuckles and closing in on John as he put down his bag on the sandy dirt.

A small crowd came to watch and Zack waited till John was against the wall till he said "how did you beat up Lenny? He's way stronger then some... some geek!" he paused for a second and sighed "it doesn't matter. I have six and you're just one weak kid. It's going to be fun"

He had a point. John was neither strong nor fast and with odds like this, he didn't stand a chance. He was 1'3, skinny with dark brown hair, a split lip and a black eye around his aqua green eyes that were scanning Zack and his gang. But what he did have was a very quick mind and i knew he wasn't looking round the gang in fear but searching for weaknesses.

"Get him!" ordered Zack and no one moved for a second, then a seventh grader jumped out of the sped fist raised and yelling. John grabbed the fisted arm and spun the boy face first into the fence witch clanged as it broke his nose. Everyone was shocked at what just happened but Zack recovered first and pushed two more forward.

They didn't know it but John was calculating their every move. The closer boy swung a head high punch with his right but he dodged to the side and half tripped his foot as he went by. He stumbled and aimed a straight punch at John's face but as he ducked the punch it connected with the straight punch the other boy was attempting sounding out a sickening crack that made the crowd flinch. John then held the ankle of the first boy and did a quick jab to the groin while pulling his ankle to trip him then quickly turned and grabbed the other boy's fist and judo tossed him over the shoulder onto the first boy.

When John regained his position he was shocked to see Zack calm and smirking still, he must have an ace up his sleeve. He ordered the next one forward, James. He was in John's year and shorter than him but he was scary. James's dark eyes lit up as he got a sharpened pen from his long sleeve and crept towards John. When he reached arms length he started jabbing at John who dodged the anticipated attacks until one got him in the arm. Blood staining his white school shirt he grabbed the next deadly thrust and spun the arm till it popped and the pen released then pushed James out of the semi circle of onlookers. He heard a yell but was focusing on Leo who was charging like a enraged rhino.

John figured Leo would charge. He kicked dirt into Leo's eyes and snatched up his bag in one movement. Leo growled in pain and ran arms outstretched to choke. But John slipped the bag straps over his arms and twisted locking them together making Leo hesitate. The hesitation was a huge advantage. John took this time to start kicking into Leo's groin getting ready for the final move.

Blinded, trapped and in huge pain Leo tries to ram his arms at John angrier than ever, but he sidesteps the charge and Leo's arms go in between the bars of the fence and slams face first into a bar. John knew it'll take a lot more than that so he reached around the gate when Leo was confused and kept pulling the bag so Leo would keep slamming into the fence.

He was almost unconscious when John was punched in the side of the head and was slammed into the bars himself. Knocked out before he hit the ground. As his big sister, I leapt in and pushed Zack away. He turned raising a fist then thought twice and lowered it, he knew I could kick his arse any day.

The show was over and the crowd cleared enough for me to wake John up. "I've told you before to stop the whole justice thing, there's a teacher for that."

"but i needed to know where they buried Luke's bag" protested John.

"and everyti... buried? What do you mean buried? And who's Luke?"

"buried as in buried Kelly. Well not buried really, its in the woodchip pile at bottom oval. Leo had woodchips on him and Luke was the only one in the crowd without a bag and looking sad."

"how did you kn..."

"he was in wood shop overalls with LUKE on them."

I paused and thought over my next question carefully. John sighed and grinned "go on, ask."

... "You're going to be a detective aren't you?"

Fifteen years later he was a detective working on his first case.

[uncompleted]