A Matter of Conviction

“And do you realize what this will mean?”

“What will it mean, John?”

“It’ll mean that every damn Puerto Rican in this city will think he can get away with murder! That’s what it’ll mean!”

“Haven’t you got your facts a little mixed up? It’s the Puerto Rican who was killed.”

“He came at them with a knife! Are you trying to tell me that decent citizens should be penalized for protecting their own lives? Or their property? For God’s sake, Hank, you’re opening the door for anarchy! You’re paving the way for jungle animals to take over the civilized world!”

“There’s an inscription outside the Criminal Courts Building downtown, John, at the south entrance hall. It says—”

“Oh, don’t quote inscrip—”

“It says, ‘Where law ends, there tyranny begins.’”

“What’s that got to do with what we’re discussing?”

“You’re talking about the civilized world. Law is the civilized world. Without law, we’ve got tyranny, and anarchy, and jungle animals. And you’re asking me to suspend law in favor of—”

“I’m not asking you to suspend anything! I’m asking you for justice.”

“What kind of justice?”

“There’s only one kind of justice,” McNalley said.

“Exactly. And she’s blind, and she doesn’t know the difference between a dead Puerto Rican and a dead native of this city. She knows only that the law has been broken.”

“How would you like your daughter marrying one of those Puerto Ricans?” Pierce said.

“Oh, nuts,” Hank answered.

“Well, how would you?”

“Stop worrying so damn much about the superiority of your sexual prowess. I imagine Puerto Rican men copulate much the same way that you do, no better, no worse. I doubt if we’re in any particular danger of losing our women to the alien hordes!”

“There’s no sense talking to him, John,” Pierce said. “There’s just no sense.”

“You can do what you want to,” McNalley said ominously. “I just want to tell you, Hank, that the opinion of this neighborhood—”

“The hell with the opinion of this neighborhood,” Hank said, rising, slamming down his glass. “And the hell with the opinion of the newspapers, which happens to be contrary to the opinion held by this neighborhood. I’m riding this particular jackass, and I don’t want to wind up in the river.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I’ll prosecute this case exactly as I want to, without any hints or advice from anybody! Is that clear enough?”

“It couldn’t be clearer. Come on, Fred.”

Without another word, both men stalked out of the house. Karin came in from the kitchen.

“Wow!” she said.

“Yeah. I’m going to have another Martini. You want one?”

“Yes.” She shook her head. “I had no idea... Have the newspapers been giving you trouble, too?”

“I saw a reporter this afternoon. Karin, there’s something you should know.”

“What’s that?”

He handed her the drink. “The mother of one of the boys — Mary Di Pace — is the girl... the girl I...”

“The girl you loved?”

“Yes.” He paused. “The newspapers will try to make something of it. I thought you should know.”

She watched him as he raised his glass. His hand was shaking. He downed the drink quickly and then poured another.

“I won’t even read the stories,” she said.

He shrugged and then wiped a hand over his face. Outside, the sky was beginning to darken with sudden summer rain clouds. He walked to the big picture window. Aimlessly, he said, “Rain coming.”

“Yes.”

She could see his face, could see the beginning of a tic at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t let them bother you,” she said. “McNalley or Pierce or any of the others. Just do your job.”

“Yes,” he said, and he nodded.

In the distance, lightning flashed across the sky, followed instantly by the low rumble of thunder. He turned to her.

“Karin?”

“Yes?”

“Could — could we go upstairs?”

“Yes, darling,” she said. She took his hand and led him to the steps. She could feel tension surging like electricity through his fingers. A lightning bolt crashed closer, and she felt him start unconsciously, wince when the thunder bellowed its near answer. He pulled her to him suddenly, fiercely. Standing on the step below her, he pressed his face to her bosom. His body was stiff, his jaws clamped together, the trembling visible.

“I need you,” he said. “Karin, I need you so much.”