Read Online Clifford Irving's Legal Novels - 04 - BOY ON TRIAL - A Legal Thriller by Clifford Irving - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Clifford Irving
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“They’d think I was weird.”
I had to go to the bathroom. I didn’t want to smell up Amy’s bathroom so I excused myself and hurried out in the corridor to the Men’s Room. I put Iphigenia back in her bag because otherwise she might follow me. In the Men’s Room, after I’d finished, I washed my hands and looked at myself in the big mirror over the sink. Except for my hair standing on end, I looked pretty snazzy. I was still wearing my brown suede windbreaker, which I’d got from Aunt Grace for my birthday. I winked at myself. I was having a great time.
When I got back to the room, Carter Bedford was sitting at the foot of the bed. He wore a sailcloth shirt with oil stains, the sleeves rolled up so that the muscles of his arm bulged. He wore the same blue silk scarf he’d worn when I met him on our front lawn.
He turned and showed me those bathroom-tile teeth.
“Billy Braverman!” He shook a fist above his head as if he were cheering for his favorite team.
“Hello, Mr. Bedford.”
He shook hands with me and put his left hand on top of my hand, which is supposed to show sincerity. The knuckles of Carter’s right hand were skinned and it looked like some blood had dried there. I remembered that his hands were always picking up gooey garbage, and as soon as he let go of me I moved my hand toward my nose and inhaled through my nose to see what yucky thing it smelled of.
“Yeah,” Carter said, “I been fishing. You smelled it, huh?”
I nodded, glad that he hadn’t realized I was sniffing for the smell of garbage.
“I washed up with lava soap but you don’t get rid of that fish stink for days. You like to fish?”
“Not really,” I said.
“You remember Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn? They fished all the time.” He sniffed up a load of phlegm again, just like he’d done in our driveway, made that funny hard noise in the back of his throat, and swallowed it. I wanted to tell him, “ Spit , Carter. There’s a box of tissues right there on the table.” But I didn’t have the nerve.
He said, “I wish I could get Amy to read more. I tell her, ‘Broaden your mind, Amy. Accumulate knowledge. It’ll pay off.’” He leaned over and stroked Amy’s hair. Amy’s eyes had gone blank. She looked like a rag doll in a marionette show.
“I love my brave little girl,” he said. “And she got hurt.” His voice cracked on the last word.
Amy came out of her trance. “Carter, want to see something neat? Billy, show him the monkey.”
I took Iphigenia out of the gym bag and put her on my lap. Half the people who saw Iphigenia wanted to touch her. The other half thought she’d be smelly and maybe greasy. Maybe they’d seen monkeys at some zoo and remembered the jungle smell and the way the howlers and baboons shrieked at you.
“You want to play with her, Carter?” Amy asked. “She won’t hurt you.”
“Forget it.”
I thought it would be a good idea to change the subject. “What did you do to your hand, Carter?”
“Caught it between the boat and the pier. Would you mind putting that animal back in the bag? She makes me nervous.”
After I did that, Carter said, “Don’t think I’m not aware you’re the one found my little girl on the road. The Bedford family owes you a major thank you.” He smiled so that his lips were skinned back against his teeth. “I’m out there in the Atlantic, with my amigos. Drink a little beer, land a bluefin. We come back to Montauk, think we’ll watch some of the ball game, and I find out my daughter got stabbed. You imagine how I felt?”
“You must have felt terrible.”
He looked out the window. It had begun to drizzle. “How’d you get down here, Billy?”
“Taxi.”
“I’ll give you a lift home. I gotta leave in about ten minutes. Get back to feed the boys.”
“Well, I thought I’d —”
“Never mind what you thought. It’ll save you a lot of money.”
“Yes, it will. I can —”
I was going to offer him some money, and my mind
I had to go to the bathroom. I didn’t want to smell up Amy’s bathroom so I excused myself and hurried out in the corridor to the Men’s Room. I put Iphigenia back in her bag because otherwise she might follow me. In the Men’s Room, after I’d finished, I washed my hands and looked at myself in the big mirror over the sink. Except for my hair standing on end, I looked pretty snazzy. I was still wearing my brown suede windbreaker, which I’d got from Aunt Grace for my birthday. I winked at myself. I was having a great time.
When I got back to the room, Carter Bedford was sitting at the foot of the bed. He wore a sailcloth shirt with oil stains, the sleeves rolled up so that the muscles of his arm bulged. He wore the same blue silk scarf he’d worn when I met him on our front lawn.
He turned and showed me those bathroom-tile teeth.
“Billy Braverman!” He shook a fist above his head as if he were cheering for his favorite team.
“Hello, Mr. Bedford.”
He shook hands with me and put his left hand on top of my hand, which is supposed to show sincerity. The knuckles of Carter’s right hand were skinned and it looked like some blood had dried there. I remembered that his hands were always picking up gooey garbage, and as soon as he let go of me I moved my hand toward my nose and inhaled through my nose to see what yucky thing it smelled of.
“Yeah,” Carter said, “I been fishing. You smelled it, huh?”
I nodded, glad that he hadn’t realized I was sniffing for the smell of garbage.
“I washed up with lava soap but you don’t get rid of that fish stink for days. You like to fish?”
“Not really,” I said.
“You remember Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn? They fished all the time.” He sniffed up a load of phlegm again, just like he’d done in our driveway, made that funny hard noise in the back of his throat, and swallowed it. I wanted to tell him, “ Spit , Carter. There’s a box of tissues right there on the table.” But I didn’t have the nerve.
He said, “I wish I could get Amy to read more. I tell her, ‘Broaden your mind, Amy. Accumulate knowledge. It’ll pay off.’” He leaned over and stroked Amy’s hair. Amy’s eyes had gone blank. She looked like a rag doll in a marionette show.
“I love my brave little girl,” he said. “And she got hurt.” His voice cracked on the last word.
Amy came out of her trance. “Carter, want to see something neat? Billy, show him the monkey.”
I took Iphigenia out of the gym bag and put her on my lap. Half the people who saw Iphigenia wanted to touch her. The other half thought she’d be smelly and maybe greasy. Maybe they’d seen monkeys at some zoo and remembered the jungle smell and the way the howlers and baboons shrieked at you.
“You want to play with her, Carter?” Amy asked. “She won’t hurt you.”
“Forget it.”
I thought it would be a good idea to change the subject. “What did you do to your hand, Carter?”
“Caught it between the boat and the pier. Would you mind putting that animal back in the bag? She makes me nervous.”
After I did that, Carter said, “Don’t think I’m not aware you’re the one found my little girl on the road. The Bedford family owes you a major thank you.” He smiled so that his lips were skinned back against his teeth. “I’m out there in the Atlantic, with my amigos. Drink a little beer, land a bluefin. We come back to Montauk, think we’ll watch some of the ball game, and I find out my daughter got stabbed. You imagine how I felt?”
“You must have felt terrible.”
He looked out the window. It had begun to drizzle. “How’d you get down here, Billy?”
“Taxi.”
“I’ll give you a lift home. I gotta leave in about ten minutes. Get back to feed the boys.”
“Well, I thought I’d —”
“Never mind what you thought. It’ll save you a lot of money.”
“Yes, it will. I can —”
I was going to offer him some money, and my mind
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