Before and After Page #3

in the building you see behind me.

Apparently he was hiding

in a friend's apartment.

We understand he is being held

in the juvenile detention center.

And it is expected that he will be

arraigned some time tomorrow.

This way.

Jake!

Jake, thank God you're safe.

How are you, son?

Where were you?

Jake, first off...

your sister, she wanted us to ask you,

if the postcards...

Were you really in all those places?

Or were you here the whole time

in your friend Darren's apartment, huh?

Your dad asked you a question.

Honey, are you going to talk to us?

You don't think you'll be able to

hold out like this forever, do you?

The policemen can't hear you.

We have told them nothing.

Are you still mad at me?

- Is that it?

- Your father has stood up for you.

Tell me, please.

- Do you realize that?

- Jake...

- Goddamn it, mister,

have you any idea

what you put us through?

Do you even know why you're here?

Have they told you?

Do you know what happened

to Martha Taverner?

- There's a warrant for you in Highland.

- But you may be able to come home.

First, they just have to have

a hearing in front of a judge.

And Wendell Bye will be

right there with you.

- Daddy and I will be right there.

- You better speak up then. In court.

Jakie?

Can you look at us?

What's the matter with you?

Think about what you're

going to say to Wendell.

Don't waste his time, too.

Let's go.

No bail! Killers in jail!

No bail! Killers in jail!

No bail! Killers in jail!

No bail! Killers in jail!

No bail! Killers in jail!

No bail! Killers in jail!

Look out, please.

Give us some room.

Jacob Ryan, you've heard

the charge against you.

In juvenile proceedings,

we enter a plea of true or not true.

How say you to this charge?

Not true.

Jacob Ryan is a longtime resident,

he's a fine student,

he's always been of flawless character.

And he is still at the moment a minor.

Therefore, we respectfully request

that he be released on bond.

Jacob Ryan is charged with a terrible

and almost unthinkable crime.

Moreover, the People will prove

that he exacerbated that crime after the fact

by his cunning, deliberate,

and cold-blooded destruction of evidence.

No parent in this town,

and surely no daughter,

could feel safe with Jacob Ryan

on the loose again.

The People urge that bail be denied.

Marion, I'm just not persuaded this boy

is a threat to the general community.

Your Honor, I was also thinking

of their threat to him.

Defendant, please rise.

Pre-trial release granted.

Bond set at $250,000.

You say I feel so destroyed

Now listen, mister,

you can do whatever you want

with your catatonic self.

But don't even think about

opening this door. You hear me?

Jude!

Jacob, I made you some cookies.

Jacob?

Maybe you wanna have some soup first?

A sandwich or something.

Mom, what's wrong with him?

I think we just have

to give him a few days, sweetie.

When we fought that morning,

I raised my fist to him.

I would've hit him.

And we both knew it, Carolyn.

I sent him out into the world

in that kind of rage.

But you didn't, Benny.

You didn't hit him.

And people do fight.

They argue all the time.

If I'm to blame for this,

how can I ever make it up to him?

We don't even know what happened yet.

If we start blaming ourselves

or each other,

how are we gonna get through this?

When he's ready and he's able,

he'll tell us what happened. He will.

Right now, the only important thing

is that we're together again.

And he's home.

He's home.

We've got eyewitnesses.

They're not claiming to have someone

who actually saw the murder.

At least not yet.

What exactly do these people

claim to have seen?

The two of them in his car,

I would guess.

His car stopped, maybe,

up on Poor Farm Road.

Prosecutor says they have proof

that Jacob destroyed evidence.

Well, she has to say that, doesn't she?

Still haven't found the murder weapon.

But surely that helps our case.

You're saying they've got a lousy case.

Circumstantial, yes.

I'm saying that's possible.

Then I don't understand, Wendell,

why are you dropping out on us?

I wouldn't, uh...

It's not that.

Look, I...

I do mortgage closings.

You need an expert now.

A criminal guy.

And believe me, this guy

I'm telling you about, he is the best.

Uh, Panos Demeris.

Greek-American lives over in Springfield.

He's lost maybe one case

in his whole life.

He'll have Jacob's jury

voting for sainthood.

What about the truth of what happened?

Doesn't that matter?

The truth, Mrs. Ryan?

The truth isn't always so simple.

I meant, do you have to believe

someone is innocent to take his case?

A lot of my clients haven't been innocent

of anything since they were 5.

They still deserve a good defense, right?

Do you mind if I eat while we talk?

Is this a late lunch, Mr. Demeris,

or early dinner?

This is breakfast, I think.

I had a pre-trial meeting

that never did stop.

Okay, so. Your son, Jacob.

Now, from what you've told me,

he seems like a pretty regular kid.

I mean, even these silences, you know.

Hoping if he hangs tough long enough

maybe this whole thing will just disappear.

Teenagers, huh? God, help us.

But, uh, let me...

Let me ask you something.

Please take this as a neutral question.

It's not an accusation of any kind.

Anger. Does Jacob have any particular

problem expressing his anger?

Does he tend to keep things bottled up?

Does he ever just explode?

See, I'm asking you because

if there's any history here,

even just a whiff,

I have to hear it from you.

- Not some prosecution witness.

- There's no history.

Jacob's a very kind person.

Decent and caring, you'd like him.

Sure, but you have

to understand, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan.

I'm sorry, is it mister and doctor?

- Ben and Carolyn.

- Okay.

You have to understand,

juries in cases of this nature...

They tend to be very emotional.

They tend to feel that

where there's smoke, there's fire.

Hey, I could be up there arguing that Jacob

is the most perfect kid in the world.

That's one strategy,

but what they'll be thinking,

what they'll see in their mind's eye...

and never forget is this.

You can't... you can't do this.

You can't just sit here and eat a sandwich.

How do you expect us to survive this?

Dr. Ryan, I'm not being unsympathetic.

Don't infer that.

This has got nothing to do with sympathy.

I thought you told me

you'd seen this corpse.

This is not just any corpse,

this is a girl I knew.

That I once treated. Just because

you see this kind of thing everyday...

You spend all your time with violent,

horrible people, but we don't, Mr. Demeris.

- We don't.

- Well, then you're very lucky.

There isn't much I haven't seen,

but this is my son you're talking about.

You may like to remember, Dr. Ryan,

it's always somebody's son.

Don't you patronize me, sir,

because I can...

Hey, hey.

Let's calm down. All of us, Carolyn.

This isn't getting us anywhere.

Come on.

I'm sorry, folks.

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