"That's right."
"What'd he want?"
"He told me he'd been visited by a detective. He said you'd called Santesson of the Circuit Court…"
"Yes, so…?"
"… and that Santesson assigned a detective to investigate."
"Yes, that's what I asked him to do."
"Investigate what, Jonah?"
"Third-degree assault."
"You're kidding."
"No, I'm not."
"Are we talking about the same accident?"
"I think so."
"There was no assault, and you know it."
"Sally, with all due respect, I hardly think you're familiar enough with the penal law to give an opinion on…"
"I read Section 24 this morning, after Hadad left. How do you figure there was culpable negligence?"
"He went through a full-stop sign."
"He didn't."
"Sally, you were asleep. I saw him."
"I was not asleep. He stopped the car just before he came onto the highway."
"He may have hesitated, but he didn't come to a full stop."
"Jonah, the district attorney would still have to prove disregard of the consequences and an indifference to—"
"Please don't throw precedent at me. Hadad went through a stop sign on a very dark night, driving his vehicle in a culpably negligent manner, and causing bodily injury to two other people. That's third-degree assault."
In the silence, she heard the wind sweeping around the corner of the courthouse. Crossing over from Centre Street, two obvious prostitutes ducked their heads against the sudden gust, one taking the other's arm as they stepped gingerly over the slush against the curb and then ran across Duane, probably on their way to the Criminal Courts Building. Behind them, a sailor looked up as he lighted his cigarette, decided to follow them, then decided against it, and turned and headed downtown toward City Hall. Sally put her hands in her pockets and looked at the tips of her shoes.
"Jonah, I don't see why you're doing this," she said.
"He violated the law."
"He's a poor slob who was coming home late from a—"
"I don't care what he is. He could have killed us both on that goddamn highway."
"But he didn't."
"He could have. He's guilty, Sally."
"I thought people were innocent until…"
"Now cut it out, will you!"
"Jonah, there's something behind this."
"There's nothing…"
"There's more than just…"
"There's nothing, I said!"
They fell silent again. The pigeons cooed around the bench. In the distance, they could hear the sound of heavy trucks rumbling toward the Brooklyn Bridge.
"We don't know each other well enough for this," Jonah said.
"No, we don't."
He rose suddenly, startling the pigeons, into frantic flapping flight. He stood before the bench for a moment, as though about to say something, staring down at her, his glasses reflecting the pavement — you can never see his eyes, she thought again — and then abruptly seemed to change his mind. He held out his hand. "Come," he said.
"Where?"
"I've got to get back."
They crossed over to the courthouse in silence.
"Will I still see you tonight?" he asked.
"Do you want to?"
"I want to."
"All right."
They stood on the courthouse steps without speaking. At last Jonah said, "He's guilty, Sally."
"The Egyptian?"
"No. James Driscoll."
He turned and walked up the steps.
"Mr. Driscoll," Brackman asked, "would it be fair to say that Lieutenant Alex Cooper is an idealistic afficer?"
"It would be."
"Were you an idealistic officer?"
"No, I was not."
"So on that score at least, Alex Cooper is not James Driscoll."
"That's right."
"Alex Cooper is single, is he not?"
"Yes."
"Were you single when you went into the Army?"
"No, I was married."
"Mr. Driscoll, did you have a love affair with an Army nurse while you were in Korea?"
"No, sir, I did not."
"But Lieutenant Cooper did?"
"Yes."
"You're familiar with Catchpole, I know, and I'd like to ask you now if you recall that Lieutenant Mason in that play is an idealistic officer. Do you recall that?"
"Yes."
"That he is an idealist? The same as your Lieutenant Cooper."
"He is an idealist, yes. He is not the same as Cooper."
"In what respect do they differ?"
"In many respects."
"They physically resemble each other, do they not?"
"Yes."
"They're both single."
"Yes."
"They both have an affair with a nurse."
"Yes."
"And they are both targets in a murder plot."
"Yes."
"In those respects they are similar, are they not?"
"Yes."
"Point of fact, in those respects they are identical."
"No. They are not identical. They are two separate men. I don't know who Constantine's hero is based on, but Lieutenant Cooper is based on me."
"Even though you possess none of these characteristics which can be attributed to him?"
"I possess most of the characteristics that can be attributed to Lieutenant Cooper."
"Like his idealism?"
"No, not that."
"Or his single state?"
"No."
"Or his love affair with an Army nurse?"
"Those are three isolated aspects of his character. For the most part, Cooper's mental processes are identical to my own, and he behaves as I might have behaved in the circumstances."
"But you were in identical circumstances, were you not?"
"I was in Korea, if that's what you mean."
"In a combat situation."
"Yes."
"As the officer in charge of an infantry platoon."
"Yes."
"Just as Lieutenant Cooper is in your book."
"Yes."
"And as Lieutenant Mason is in the play Catchpole."
"Is that a question?"
"It is a question."
"Lieutenant Mason is an officer on Eniwetok during World War II."
"But similar in all other respects."
"If you mean that he's in command of a combat infantry platoon, yes."
"A great many things happen to Lieutenant Cooper in the course of your novel. Did all of these things happen to you while you were in Korea?"
"No."
"You invented some of them, is that it?"
"Yes."
"Which of the events did happen to you, Mr. Driscoll?"
"Many of them."
"Well, let's just go over them one at a time, shall we? Let's try to find out which were based on your own experience and which were invented. To begin with, you've testified that you did not have an affair with an Army nurse, so I think we can safely conclude you invented that particular character and that particular event. Did you invent Private Colman as well?"
"Partly."
"You mean there was someone like Colman in your platoon?"
"No. But I'd met people like him before I went into the Army."
"But not in Korea, not in a combat situation?"
"No."
"Was there a troublemaker in your platoon?"
"No."
"Was there a homosexual?"
"No."
"Yet Colman is a homosexual troublemaker."
"Yes."
"You testified earlier that Sergeant Morley was based on a Negro who did in fact exist."
"Yes."