Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline

.”
    â€œOh no.” Bennie couldn’t imagine the cruelty of the words to the grieving boy. “What happened after Richie said that? Did you hit him?”
    â€œNo, I started, like, crying.” Jason kept his head down, his lower lip trembling. “I was trying not to, but I couldn’t help it and then they started laughing harder, so then I dropped my tray and I shoved Richie, and he shoved me back.” Jason wiped his eyes with the palm of his hand. “Next thing I knew, I was on the ground and he was on top of me, and they called the police.”
    â€œDid you tell the cops?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œThe judge?”
    â€œNo, I was too scared. The courtroom was so big it looked like a castle!” Jason’s glistening eyes went wide again, this time with fear. “And the judge was sitting on this big tall desk, way up high like a king , and he started yelling right away. He came to our assembly last year, he goes to all the schools and he tells them, if you make trouble or break the rules, I’m going to put you in juvie.”
    Bennie wasn’t completely surprised to hear that the judge had spoken at school, because the judiciary in Pennsylvania were elected instead of being chosen by merit selection. One of the unfortunate results of the antiquated system was that judges frequently spoke at schools, Rotary Clubs, and even farm shows, pandering like common politicians, instead of guardians of the law.
    â€œYeah, and then they just put me in handcuffs and they even put them around my legs .”
    Bennie still couldn’t wrap her mind around putting shackles on a seventh grader. In the Philadelphia criminal system, shackles weren’t even used for accused murderers anymore.
    â€œI felt like I was going into a dungeon .”
    Bennie didn’t interrupt him, but from the looks of the detention center, a dungeon would’ve been an upgrade.
    â€œI couldn’t even walk, and I felt so bad. They got me out and I didn’t even get to say good-bye to my dad. He musta been embarrassed in front of his boss. All the people from his work, they came to my mom’s funeral…” Jason’s voice trailed off and he bit his lip. “I feel like I’m a bad kid, now.”
    â€œNo, you’re a good kid—”
    â€œBut I’m in jail . They lock us in our rooms, and the other kids in here, they’re bad kids. And they’re big , they’re all bigger than me. I’m the youngest. Even Richie is older than me.”
    â€œRichie is here, too?” Bennie questioned the wisdom of sending a bully to the same detention center as his victim. With adult offenders, she could have asked for a separation order, requesting a court to assign them to two different prisons.
    â€œYes, he’s on my hall.”
    â€œIs he giving you a hard time?”
    â€œYes.” Jason shook his head, still facing down.
    Bennie felt her blood boil. “Stay away from him. Try to avoid him, as best you can.”
    â€œI’m going to be here, like, forever. I’m gonna miss Christmas .” Jason bit his lower lip hard, but it trembled nevertheless.
    â€œI’m going to try my hardest to see what I can do about that. I’ll be here tomorrow to talk to you and tell you what’s going on.”
    â€œOkay. Thanks.”
    â€œGood, you hang in here.” Bennie collected her pen and legal pad, and slid them back into her messenger bag. “You’re not too old a kid for me to hug, are you?”
    â€œI guess not,” Jason answered, with a shaky smile. He got to his feet, and Bennie went over and gave him a hug, though she couldn’t remember the last time she’d hugged a child. She couldn’t deny a surprisingly maternal twinge she felt, especially when she realized that Jason was clinging to her, longer than necessary.
    â€œYou’re gonna be okay, buddy,” Bennie said softly.
    Praying she was