Race Read Online Free Page A

check?
    SUSAN : Yes.
    HENRY : And had you had it in contention to give him a receipt ?
    SUSAN : Yes. I was writing him a . . .
    HENRY (To Susan) : What does it mean contractually , if you had accepted the check, and you had given him a receipt. Is there a technical term for that?
    (Pause.)
    SUSAN : It’s called a retainer .
    HENRY : And what is its definition?
    JACK : ALRIGHT, Hank.
    HENRY : Is it “a legal contract ?”
    JACK : . . . alright . . .
    HENRY : Which means we might be obliged to try his case?
    SUSAN : He gave a check to Greenstein . . .
    HENRY : I’m sure he did not .
    SUSAN : Why?

    HENRY : Because Greenstein’s too fucking smart.
    SUSAN : I was simply . . .
    JACK : No harm done, alright? We leave the check upon the table. No harm done . If he’s written the check, don’t touch it. (Henry shakes his head) I’ll take care of it. It’s alright, Henry. Jesus Christ . . .
    SUSAN (Pointing at the door) : Do you want me to . . . ?
    JACK : No, I’ll do it. Call Kelley’s guy. Tell him. We appreciate the documents . . . (He shows the file of papers)
    SUSAN : I didn’t get them from Kelley.
    JACK : No, from “Kelley’s guy.” Tell him we require no further—
    SUSAN : I didn’t get them from Kelley’s guy. He was not responding.
    JACK : You didn’t get the documents from Kelley’s guy?
    SUSAN : No.
    JACK : Where did you get them from?
    SUSAN : From the D.A.
    HENRY : You requested the documents from the D.A.
    SUSAN : Yes. (Pause)
    HENRY : Well, then you might as well take his check, because now we’re the Attorneys of Record. (Pause) What the fuck did you think we were doing in here? While you were asked, go out there, look pretty, and stall the fellow, while we decided . . .
    SUSAN : I believed I was doing as instructed . . .
    HENRY : While we decided whether or not to take the case.
    SUSAN : You instructed me—
    HENRY : Did you fucking go to Law School?
    SUSAN : I beg your pardon, you told me, to take him into the . . .
    HENRY : And give him a magazine . I’m going to tell you what, you went Blind. You went fucking blind. You saw, the Rich Man, Billionaire, flirted with you.
    SUSAN : I beg your pardon.
    HENRY : . . . that you tried how many Stupid Fucking Errors you could make in a ten-minute interval.
    JACK : Henry, she made a mistake . . .
    HENRY : What I know, that you do not know, is why she made it.
    JACK : Why did she make it?
    HENRY : Because she let her color jump on her intellect . (Pause) And all you had to do is give him a magazine. (Pause) Which.
Because of all your “Ivy League” training . . . It seems you found beneath you.
    JACK : Alright, alright . . .
    HENRY (Reads) : “And now I’m going to fuck you, you little nigger bitch . . .” (Pause) And that’s our case.
    (Henry puts down the pad. Susan picks it up, reads it, and puts it back down. Pause.)
    JACK : Will they swear to it?
    HENRY : Aw, come on , Jacky.
    JACK : Will he swear to it?
    HENRY : White clergyman gets to say “fuck,” “nigger” and “bitch,” in one sentence.
    (Pause.)
    JACK : Well : . . .
    (Pause.)
    HENRY : There are some things, One cannot say , Jack . . . And our client . . .
    JACK : He didn’t say it, it’s just “alleged” . . .
    HENRY : That one cannot “allege,” as the mob, fearful of itself , will as you say, turn on the alleged, and kill him. How do you defend this cocksucker? (Pause) I need to tell you something.
    JACK : She can stay.
    (Pause.)
    HENRY : I don’t think so . . .
    JACK : She can stay, Henry.
    (Pause.)
    HENRY : Alright. If we must. If we are, as it seems we are wedded to this case. (Pause) It has not been unknown. For Advocates.
To stage a less than Spirited Defense. Of those they clearly found objectionable . With results acceptable to all but the accused.
    JACK : What if he’s innocent?
    HENRY : Then tell me how we’re going to win this