“I don’t remember,” Skinner said.
“Is it, or isn’t it?”
“All I remember is waking up in jail this morning.”
“You don’t remember throwing that ash can through the window?”
“No, sir.”
“You don’t remember taking those overcoats?”
“No, sir.”
“Well, you must have done it, don’t you think? The off-duty detective found you inside the store with the coats in your arms.”
“I got only his word for that, sir.”
“Well, his word is pretty good. Especially since he found you inside the store with your arms full of merchandise.”
“I don’t remember, sir.”
“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”
“I don’t remember, sir.”
“What do you do for a living, James?”
“I’m unemployed, sir.”
“When’s the last time you worked?”
“I don’t remember, sir.”
“You don’t remember much of anything, do you?”
“I have a poor memory, sir.”
“Maybe the record has a better memory than you, James,” the Chief of Detectives said.
“Maybe so, sir. I couldn’t say.”
“I hardly know where to start, James. You haven’t been exactly an ideal citizen.”
“Haven’t I, sir?”
“Here’s as good a place as any. 1948, Assault and Robbery; 1949, Indecent Exposure; 1951, Burglary; 1952, Assault and Robbery again. You’re quite a guy, aren’t you, James?”
“If you say so, sir.”
“I say so. Now how about that store?”
“I don’t remember anything about a store, sir.”
“Why’d you break into it?”
“I don’t remember breaking into any store, sir.”
“Hey, what’s this?” the Chief of Detectives said suddenly.
“Sir?”
“Maybe we should’ve started back a little further, huh, James? Here, on your record. 1938, convicted of First-degree Murder, sentenced to execution.”
The assembled bulls began murmuring among themselves. Stevie leaned forward eagerly, anxious to get a better look at this bum who’d offered him advice.
“What happened there, James?”
“What happened where, sir?”
“You were sentenced to death? How come you’re still with us?”
“The case was appealed.”
“And never retried?”
“No, sir.”
“You’re pretty lucky, aren’t you?”
“I’m pretty unlucky, sir, if you ask me.”
“Is that right? You cheat the chair, and you call that unlucky. Well, the law won’t slip up this time.”
“I don’t know anything about law, sir.”
“You don’t, huh?”
“No, sir. I only know that if you want to get a police station into action, all you have to do is buy a cheap bottle of wine and drink it quiet, minding your own business.”
“And that’s what you did, huh, James?”
“That’s what I did, sir.”
“And you don’t remember breaking into that store?”
“I don’t remember anything.”
“All right, next case.”
Skinner turned his head slowly, and his eyes met Stevie’s squarely. Again there was the same mute pleading in his eyes, and then he turned his head away and shuffled off the stage and down the steps into the darkness.
The cop’s hand closed around Stevie’s biceps. For an instant he didn’t know what was happening, and then he realized his case was the next one. He shook off the cop’s hand, squared his shoulders, lifted his head, and began climbing the steps.
He felt taller all at once. He felt like an actor coming on after his cue. There was an aura of unreality about the stage and the darkened room beyond it, the bulls sitting in that room.
The Chief of Detectives was reading off the information about him, but he didn’t hear it. He kept looking at the lights, which were not really so bright, they didn’t blind him at all. Didn’t they have brighter lights? Couldn’t they put more lights on him, so they could see him when he told his story?
He tried to make out the faces of the detectives, but he couldn’t see them clearly, and he was aware of the Chief of Detective’s voice droning on and on, but he didn’t hear what the man was saying, he heard only the hum of his voice. He glanced over his shoulder, trying to see how tall he was against the markers, and then he stood erect, his shoulders back, moving closer to the hanging microphone, wanting to be sure his voice was heard when he began speaking.
“...no statement,” the Chief of Detectives concluded. There was a long pause, and Stevie waited, holding his breath. “This your first offense, Steve?” the Chief of Detectives asked.
“Don’t you know?” Stevie answered.
“I’m asking you.”
“Yeah, it’s my first offense.”
“You want to tell us all about it?”
“There’s nothing to tell. You know the whole story, anyway.”
“Sure, but do you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tell us the story, Steve.”
“What’re ya makin’ a big federal case out of a lousy stickup for? Ain’t you got nothing better to do with your time?”
“We’ve got plenty of time, Steve.”
“Well, I’m in a hurry.”
“You’re not going anyplace, kid. Tell us about it.”
“What’s there to tell? There was a candy store stuck up, that’s all.”
“Did you stick it up?”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
“We know you did.”
“Then don’t ask me stupid questions.”
“Why’d you do it?”
“I ran out of butts.”
“Come on, kid.”
“I done it ’cause I wanted to.”
“Why?”
“Look, you caught me cold, so let’s get this over with, huh? What’re ya wastin’ time with me for?”
“We want to hear what you’ve got to say. Why’d you pick this particular candy store?”
“I just picked it. I put slips in a hat and picked this one out.”
“You didn’t really, did you, Steve?”
“No, I didn’t really. I picked it ’cause there’s an old crumb who runs it, and I figured it was a pushover.”
“What time did you enter the store, Steve?”
“The old guy told you all this already, didn’t he? Look, I know I’m up here so you can get a good look at me. All right, take your good look, and let’s get it over with.”
“What time, Steve?”
“I don’t have to tell you nothing.”
“Except that we know it already.”
“Then why do you want to hear it again? Ten o’clock, all right? How does that fit?”
“A little early, isn’t it?”
“How’s eleven? Try that one, for size.”
“Let’s make it twelve, and we’ll be closer.”
“Make it whatever you want to,” Stevie said, pleased with the way he was handling this. They knew all about it, anyway, so he might as well have himself a ball, show them they couldn’t shove him around.
“You went into the store at twelve, is that right?”
“If you say so, Chief.”
“Did you have a gun?”
“No.”
“What, then?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing at all?”
“Just me. I scared him with a dirty look, that’s all.”
“You had a switch knife, didn’t you?”
“You found one on me, so why ask?”
“Did you use the knife?”
“No.”
“You didn’t tell the old man to open the cash register or you’d cut him up? Isn’t that what you said?”
“I didn’t make a tape recording of what I said.”
“But you did threaten him with the knife. You did force him to open the cash register, holding the knife on him.”