(EIGHT reaches casually into his pocket and withdraws an object. No one notices this. He stands up quietly.)
FOUR. Aren’t you trying to make us accept a pretty incredible coincidence?
EIGHT. I’m not trying to make anyone accept it. I’m just saying it’s possible.
THREE (shouting). And I’m saying it’s not possible.
(EIGHT swiftly flicks open the blade of the switch-knife and quickly jams it into the table next to the first one. They are exactly alike. There are several gasps and everyone stares at the knife. There is a long silence.)
THREE (slowly, amazed). What are you trying to do?
TEN (loud). Yeah, what is this? Who do you think you are?
FIVE. Look at it! It’s the same knife!
FOREMAN. Quiet! Let’s be quiet!
(They quiet down.)
FOUR. Where did you get it?
EIGHT. I got it last night in a little junk shop around the corner from the boy’s house. It cost two dollars.
THREE. Now listen to me! You pulled a real smart trick here, but you proved absolutely zero. Maybe there are ten knives like that, so what?
EIGHT. Maybe there are.
THREE. The boy lied and you know it.
EIGHT. He may have lied. (To TEN) Do you think he lied?
TEN (violently). Now that’s a stupid question. Sure he lied!
EIGHT (to FOUR). Do you?
FOUR. You don’t have to ask me that. You know my answer. He lied.
EIGHT (to FIVE). Do you think he lied?
(FIVE can’t answer immediately. He looks around nervously.)
FIVE. I … I don’t know.
SEVEN. Now wait a second. What are you, the guy’s lawyer? Listen, there are still eleven of us who think he’s guilty. You’re alone. What do you think you’re going to accomplish? If you want to be stubborn and hang this jury he’ll be tried again and found guilty, sure as he’s born.
EIGHT. You’re probably right.
SEVEN. So what are you going to do about it? We can be here all night.
NINE. It’s only one night. A man may die.
(SEVEN glances at NINE for a long while, but has no answer. EIGHT looks closely at NINE and we can begin to sense a rapport between them. There is a long silence. Then suddenly everyone begins to talk at once.)
THREE. Well, whose fault is that?
SIX. Do you think maybe if we went over it again? What I mean is—
TEN. Did anyone force him to kill his father? (To THREE) How do you like him? Like someone forced him!
ELEVEN. Perhaps this is not the point.
FIVE. No one forced anyone. But listen—
TWELVE. Look, gentlemen, we can spitball all night here.
TWO. Well, I was going to say—
SEVEN. Just a minute. Some of us’ve got better things to do than sit around a jury room.
FOUR. I can’t understand a word in here. Why do we all have to talk at once?
FOREMAN. He’s right. I think we ought to get on with it.
(EIGHT has been listening to this exchange closely.)
THREE (to EIGHT). Well, what do you say? You’re the one holding up the show.
EIGHT (standing). I’ve got a proposition to make.
(We catch a close shot of FIVE looking steadily at him as he talks. FIVE, seemingly puzzled, listens closely.)
EIGHT. I want to call for a vote. I want you eleven men to vote by secret ballot. I’ll abstain. If there are still eleven votes for guilty, I won’t stand alone. We’ll take in a guilty verdict right now.
SEVEN. Okay. Let’s do it.
FOREMAN. That sounds fair. Is everyone agreed?
(They all nod their heads. EIGHT walks over to the window, looks out for a moment and then faces them.)
FOREMAN. Pass these along.
(The FOREMAN passes ballot slips to all of them, and now EIGHT watches them tensely as they begin to write.)