“No.”
“Oh, you knew him, then.”
“I’ve met him, I wouldn’t say I knew him.”
“Where’d you meet?”
“I don’t remember exactly. Somebody’s house. Socially.”
“Come now, Mr. Jasper, it was a little closer to home than that, wasn’t it? Would you like to identify the name Elaine Seitzman for the committee?”
“She’s my sister.”
“Seitzman’s her married name?”
“Yes.”
“A housewife. And a secretary. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes.”
“A paralegal secretary. Howard Stein’s secretary for a while, isn’t that so?”
“Her firm did some work for him once. That’s a lot of years ago.”
“Got arrested with him, in fact. A public disturbance. Or maybe she was just on her way to work, too,” he said, smiling to the audience. “It seems to be an unlucky family that way. She introduce you to Howard Stein?”
“She may have. I don’t remember. I only met him to shake hands.”
“Even though she was working for him.”
“Her firm worked for him.”
“All right, I’m not here to contradict you. Her firm. She stay with them?”
“No, she left after she got married.”
“But she kept working. This time for the government. Care to tell us in what capacity?”
“As a paralegal.”
“I meant which branch of the government. Turns out it was the NLRB,” Minot said, picking up a note. “That’s the National Labor Relations Board, for anyone here doesn’t know. Is that where they’re recruiting now? Howard Stein’s office?”
Ben noticed Ostermann raising his head at this, interested.
“This was eight years ago,” Hal said.
“All right, we’ll bring things closer to the present day, if you prefer. You know the public record’s a useful thing. Memory can play tricks on us, but when you’ve got something down in black and white-I’m thinking now about a paid ad in the Los Angeles Times. Open letter to President Roosevelt with your name on it. Ring a bell? Organization called the Motion Picture European Relief Fund. Decent size, I guess. Whole bunch of names on the letter. Would you like to tell the committee what the fund was for?”
“To help refugees get out of Europe.”
“Get them here, in other words.”
“Here, Cuba, Mexico, whoever would take them.”
“These were Jewish refugees?”
“Not all.”
“Not all. What were you asking the president to do?”
“Change INS regulations. To allow more refugees in.”
“And did he do this?”
“No. There was congressional opposition,” Hal said, looking directly at Minot.
“Maybe they were a little uneasy, seeing who was making the request.”
“Those people died,” Hal said simply.
Even Minot paused. “Well, now I doubt that was Congress’s intention.”
“They still died.”
Minot nodded. “I think everybody here knows that, Mr. Jasper. We fought a war to stop it. All of us. But right now I’d like to look at that letter you were sending the president. Remember who was on the steering committee?”
“No.”
“You don’t. Well, like I said, have something in black and white and it comes in handy. Let me refresh your memory.” He picked up a piece of paper. “Quite a list, but I’d like to draw your attention to the S’s. Milton Schaeffer. Howard Stein.” He looked up. “Maybe this is where you met him. To shake hands.”
“What, Hal’s a Red?” Lasner said to Bunny. “Jesus Christ, this is the guy you said was going to help us?”
“Was.”
Minot was reading more of the names. “Gus Pollock. Passed away, sadly, but I’m sure you know Mr. Pollock wrote more than letters. In fact, he got a cowriter credit on Convoy.” He paused for effect. “It’s a small world, isn’t it? Mr. Schaeffer. Mr. Stein. Mr. Pollock. And of course yourself. All in the same letter. We could go on with this,” he said, raising the paper, “but I think you get the point. A small world. But you and Mr. Schaeffer never discussed any changes. A small world. But you didn’t know Mr. Stein from Adam in that street brawl.” He shook his head. “It’s quite a memory lapse we’re talking about here.” He glanced at the aide. “Why don’t we recess now for a few minutes.” He looked at his watch. “Say, fifteen. Give it some thought, Mr. Jasper. Maybe something will come back to you.”
There was a rush for the phone booths in the hall, the sound of matches being struck.
“We can go in here,” Bunny said, indicating a large room that had been set aside for witnesses and lawyers.
“I’m not going to sit around here all day,” Lasner said.
“Take it easy,” Fay said. “It’s one day.”
“If he gets around to it. We’re looking at lunch next. Then what? Forget it. I’ll be at the studio. Tell him to call me when he’s ready.”
“You can’t,” Bunny said.
“What, I’m under arrest?”
“You could be, if you leave.”
“Sit,” Fay said. “I know you like this. Sit down before you break something.”
“They have coffee,” Bunny said.
“I’m awake,” Lasner said. “So we just wait till he’s good and ready? To ask me what? Is Milt Schaeffer a Commie? He already said so. So what’s the news? And what the hell’s this about Hal’s sister? Who’s she supposed to be?”
“Rosa Luxemburg.”
“Who?”
“Nobody. He wants to play sheriff, that’s all.”
Lasner looked at him. “Sheriffs are the good guys. This isn’t right. A cutter, for chrissake. We’re supposed to protect our people.”
“He’s got four lawyers, Sol. Ours. All he has to do is be polite. Yes, sir. No, sir. Thank you. And it’s over.”
“That’s our legal strategy.”
“Sol.”
“All right, all right.”
Ben watched him go over to Hal, Lasner consoling and blustery, Hal’s shoulders sagging.
“Keep an eye on him, will you?” Bunny said to Fay. “He’s not happy.”
“Because he has to roll over and play dead? He’s not good at that.”
“Just don’t let him pick a fight. What do we win?”
“I have so much influence.”
“Minot wants to embarrass the studio. If Sol doesn’t-”
But now he was distracted by one of the publicists with a small stack of phone messages, Continental not yet running by itself.
“He listens to you,” Fay said to Ben.
“Sometimes.”
She patted his upper arm, a kind of reply, then went to join Lasner.
Bunny was looking at the top message. “Now Breimer in casting. He’s going right through the studio. Everybody who worked on Convoy.”
“You gave him Schaeffer,” Ben said quietly.
“Schaeffer’s at Fox,” Bunny said, an automatic reply, then looked up. “I didn’t ‘give’ him Schaeffer. They already had him as a Party member. Your wonderful brother probably. If you want to be technical about it.”
“You gave him the paperwork to set it up. And now he’s using it against the studio.”
“He wouldn’t be if someone hadn’t-” He broke off. “Isn’t it a little late in the day to be splitting hairs like this? Or is it all supposed to be my fault? Funny how things go missing. Maybe next time they should check the closet.”
Ben said nothing.
“I still don’t understand what she is to you.”
“Who?”
“Who.”
“Does it matter? She doesn’t deserve this.”
“Who does? Hal? My god, reaction shots.” He stopped, as if his train of thought had run out. “All right, I thought Schaeffer would buy us a little peace in our time and now it’s biting us in the ass. And now I’m the one putting out fires.” He held up the messages.
“I’m just saying, don’t give him any more.”
“I don’t have any more. Do you actually think there are Communists at Continental? Or did you find someone else on your brother’s list?”
“His list?” Ben said, looking up.
“Whatever he was feeding Minot. If there are, let’s not keep our cards too close to the vest. I’ve had enough surprises. Oh god, Liesl’s father,” he said, spotting Ostermann over Ben’s shoulder. “Down here with the field hands. He thinks I’m ruining her. Her Von Sternberg or something. Imagine. Run interference-I’ve got to call Breimer before he throws a fit.” He paused. “Look, blame who you like. There’s plenty enough to go around,” he said, looking pointedly at Ben. “But right now we’re circling the wagons. I could use some help. Go keep an eye on Mr. L, will you? He trusts you. I can’t think why.”