Ghetto Kids

Scene One
Detective Ray has gone to the house of Izzy lane in the investigation of the murder of a woman named Michelle Colmbs. Michelle was an elderly woman who was found in her house dead, she taught middle school math and police have been instructed to question her students. Izzy Lane is a 14 year old girl and a student of Ms. Colmbs. The house is in a run down part of New York and is barely a house at all. Loud screaming is heard from inside:

Mr. Lane: Shit! Izzy, why can't you fuckin' do your chores when I tell you? The kitchen is still dirty you little bitch!

(Detective Ray knocks on the door and Mr. Lane opens it. He is drunk)

Mr. Lane: What you want?

Detective Ray: Is this the Lane residence?

Mr. Lane: Yeah. Who wants to know?

Detective Ray: The police department, sir. (He flashes his badge)May I come in?

Mr. Lane:I ain't done nothin. What you here for?

Detective Ray: I'm here to speak with your daughter Izzy.

Mr. Lane: Izzy? heh heh. what the little shit get caught with drugs or somethin? Izzy you get busted?

(Izzy enters)

Detective Ray: Are you Izzy?
(she nods)
Come outside and talk with me a minute. (They leave the house, Izzy is biting her lip and tugging at the sleeves of her long sleeve shirt that holes have worn through. Her eye is dark detective Ray thinks she's been beaten)

Detective Ray: Have you seen this woman?
(He holds up a picture of Michelle colmbs and Izzy nods)

Izzy: Yes. She's my math teacher.

Detective Ray: When's the last time you saw her?

Izzy: Last Friday. In math class. She gave me a test.

Detective Ray: Well Izzy, where did you go that night?

Izzy: I went home. My dad will kill me if I go anywhere else. Why are you asking me about Mrs. Colmbs anyway?

Detective Ray:Someone Murdered her, Izzy. Someone beat her up real bad. You have any idea on who might've done that?Did you ever hear any classmates threaten her?

Izzy: (Her eyes widen and her grip around her shirt sleeves tightens) Nah. I...I ain't never heard anything like that.

Detective Ray: Well we're pretty sure it was kids about your age that did it. Judging by the shoe prints in the hallway. If you think of anything let me know.
(Izzy looks at the ground)

Izzy: I will.

Mr. Lane: Izzy? I want you in here now! Finish up your God da...oh detective...you through with her yet?

Detective Ray: Yeah I think we're finished. Have a good afternoon sir.


Scene Two
Detective Ray has gone to question Emiline Vance. She and a kid named Lucas Reinhart are the last two students to question. Emiline's house is very large with a vast front yard and is upscale with a beautiful porch and swimming pool in the back. He walks to the door and rings he bell. Emiline answers it.

Detective Ray: Are you Emiline Vance?

Emiline: Yes. May I ask who you are sir?

Detective Ray: I'm detective Ray with the police department, would you mind if I asked you a few questions?

Emiline: No. Come in.

Detective Ray: Are you home alone?

Emiline: Yes. My parents are at work. They work on Saturdays and I stay here by myself.

Detective Ray: Alright. Well that's ok, I only need to talk to you. (He holds up the picture of Ms. Colmbs) Do you know this woman?

Emiline: Yes. That's Ms. Colmbs. She's my math teacher. I just saw her Friday...did she die?

Detective Ray: Strange you should mention that, because that is why I am here. She was murdered.

Emiline: (she sobs) Oh God...

Detective Ray: Emiline what's wrong?

Emiline: I knew they were gonna do it! I should have told someone...

Detective Ray: Knew who was gonna do what, Emiline?

Emiline: I don't know her name, but his name is Lucas. He sits by me in math and he's always talkin about how much he hates Ms. Colmbs...just cuz he's not smart and can't do math.

Detective Ray: What did you hear?

Emiline: Lucas and this one girl were talking at lunch one time. I don't sit with them because they are ghetto kids, and I'm rich but I had to talk to Lucas about an assignment that he missed, because Ms. Colmbs told me to remind him. So I went over to their corner, and I heard Lucas say, if that bitch gives me one more math test, or says one more thing about my family and my clothes, I'm gonna let her have it. And the girl just laughed like it was no big deal. And she says, " My dad punches up on me when he's angry. If I were big and powerful, I'd beat her, and then maybe Dad wouldn't dare mess with me." And Lucas gets this look in his eyes like scary and excited and he says, "That's not a bad idea."

Detective Ray: What did you do?

Emiline: I ran away. Cuz I was scared.

Detective Ray: Why didn't you tell anyone?

Emiline: Because Lucas talks a lot of crap. I don't know...I wasn't sure, and if I would've gotten him in trouble, He would have beaten me. He's a ghetto kid. They all like to hurt.

Scene 3
Detective Ray has found that the size of Lucas' shoe matches the kind of a print found in the hallway in the Ms. Colmbs house. He has gone to Lucas' house to arrest him.

Detective Ray: Lucas Reinhart you are under arrest for the murder of Ms. Michelle Colmbs. You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to an attorney...
( He arrests Lucas and Lucas smiles the whole time he is being cuffed)

Scene 4
Detective Ray is questioning Lucas. The room is cold, loveless, and silent.

Detective Ray: Why'd you kill her Lucas?

Lucas: She was a bitch.

Detective Ray: I'd hardly call a helpless old lady a bitch...
(Lucas spits in his face)

Lucas: Fuck you. She wasn't helpless. She fuckin' hated me.

Detective Ray: Calm down.

Lucas: No, you calm down. How the hell you expect ME to calm down...and just cuz I killed some old woman who got what she deserved? It was hilarious man! You shoulda' seen the way her eyes popped outta' her head. I laughed at her!

Detective Ray: So, what'd she do Lucas? What'd she do to deserve that kind of degradation huh? Flunk you?

Lucas: No. I don't care about grades. She hated me. You don't know what its like every time you walk into class and your teacher makes you sit in the front, but you ain't done nothin wrong. Then in class when Emiline Vance makes some comment about your ripped jeans, and your ugly shirt, you see her in the corner smirkin at you like she's given Emiline a gold star for citizenship, Good Ole Emiline! Makin fun of the ghetto kids! And you don't know what its like to hear her saying, Lucas I don't expect you to pass my class. Your father was stupid too. And she ignores you cuz what you got to say don't matter. Cuz guess what? Everyone ignores you when you're poor. You ain't got money to talk with so they don't pay attention. I broke that old lady's wrist, and watched her scream, then I made her look me in the eyes as I choked her. She was screamin and cryin but it didn't make no difference to me. It was my turn to ignore her. (He smirks)

Detective Ray: Well you've certainly made your statement. Funny thing is Lucas, I got no sympathy for you. You killed. You took a life. And you laughed at it.

Lucas: At least ya heard me.

Detective Ray: You weren't alone though.

Lucas: Yeah I was. I did it by myself.

Detective Ray: No. There were bruises on this woman made with a crow bar. As far as we can tell, you only killed her. That's all you said you did. You didn't say you beat her. Is there more to it that I need to know?

Lucas: I ain't sayin nothin.

Detective Ray: We're gonna find out. But if we don't find out it's gonna make it that much worse for you Lucas. You'll get charged with assault as well as man slaughter and since you say you were the only one, they'll convict you for both. Come on kid, you're bein punished for your crimes...don't you think the other kid should pay for his? You had to go through all this shit, and you're just gonna let your partner get off, like they didn't do anything?

Lucas: She did it cuz her pops beat her. She did it cuz Ms. Colmbs made fun of her when she tried to tell her about it. Mrs. Colmbs laughed at her. Called her a liar.
(He's crying)
I ain't gonna tell on her for that. You go arrest her fuckin father is what you do. He's the one that made her feel like shit. He's the one who hit her!

Detective Ray: Who's she?

Lucas: (he hits the table) I ain't gonna tell. I'll take it to my grave.
(he is determined with tears on his cheeks)

Scene 5
Lucas Reinhart was charged with murder and sentenced to death. Months later, Izzy Lane walks to his stone cold grave. Detective Ray knows she's going to be there and he waits.

Detective Ray: You helped him kill her.

Izzy: I know.

Detective Ray: He wouldn't tell on you. And he's dead. How do you live with that?

Izzy: (she shrugs) I cry. A lot. But he tells me I had to. There was no other way. And I cry some more.
I ran from my father. I'm doing better on my own. Lucas gave me the strength. He showed me I could do it.

Detective Ray: by letting you beat a woman with a crow bar? Yeah, you're a lot better than your father then aren't you?

Izzy: I am. Because I didn't beat the innocent.
(She lays flowers on Lucas' grave and walks away)