Music Box Page #5

here today are not definitive, are they?

Ln my opinion, they are.

- Ln your opinion?

- Yes.

Mr. Nathanson, are you Jewish?

Objection, Your Honour. The witness's

religion is not relevant here.

Lt relates directly, Your Honour,

to his objectivity as a witness.

He just stated he was offering

an opinion.

He offered conclusions

based on 30 years of experience...

- ...in the Justice Department.

- Overruled.

You may answer the question.

I'm Unitarian.

But I am part Jewish

on my father's side.

- Yeah.

- No further questions, Your Honour.

- Mr. Burke?

- Nothing further, Your Honour.

We will adjourn until

tomorrow morning.

First witness, and her bottom line is,

"Are you Jewish?"

Yes!

Georgine, find out where the witnesses

from Hungary are staying.

I wanna know who they see

and what they talk about.

They're gonna be speaking

Hungarian.

I understand Hungarian.

Don't I, Papa?

You wear a suit tomorrow. You sit

next to me, like Annie. Both my kids.

- It's in the dry cleaner's, Pop.

- Well, get it out.

Hi, Grandpa. I saw you on TV again.

- Hey, honey.

- Hey, Mom.

Let me see.

- What's the matter with your eye?

- Nothing.

- What happened?

- I'm fine.

- Lt was just a fight at school.

- Show me.

- Let's put something on it.

- I'm fine.

Sons of a b*tches!

- Goddamn them to f***ing hell.

- Good night, Mr. Laszlo.

Why, you!

Hon, put this one on. This is fresh.

Oh, Mikey. Why do you watch them?

They're so violent.

- No, they're not. They're funny.

- No, they're stupid.

Can I go to the trial with you?

It's not for kids, honey.

I already know all about

that stuff anyway.

- Yeah?

- Grandpa told me all about it.

What did he tell you?

It's a secret

just between him and me.

You can't tell me?

He said it's all a big exaggeration.

The Holocaust and stuff.

It's all made-up.

He said that?

You're not gonna say anything,

are you?

Keep that on your eye.

- Just keep it on your eye.

- Wise guy. I'll plank him.

Turn this off, Mikey.

You've got homework.

- That was a stupid thing to say.

- What did I say?

What you said to Mikey

about the Holocaust.

- I didn't say anything to him.

- Don't lie to me, Papa.

- I'm not lying to you.

- He just told me.

He didn't!

Grandpa Talbot.

You said you wouldn't say anything!

All rise.

- Come, sit up here.

- Please be seated.

Just keep your mouth shut today.

Call your next witness, Mr. Burke.

May we see you in chambers,

Your Honour?

You may.

All rise.

- What's going on, Annie?

- I don't know.

- What's going on, Pop?

- I don't know.

I have some good news,

Your Honour.

The Hungarian government

has turned over...

...the Special Section ID card itself

to the Justice Department labs.

Maybe that will clarify everything.

Do you have a problem with that,

Mrs. Talbot?

No, Your Honour.

It's funny. I score some points

on one of your witnesses...

...and they throw something

in the pot from Budapest.

They prosecuting the case,

or are you?

Come on. We've been working

for months...

...through the embassies

to get the original card.

The way you've been carrying

on about Photostat...

...you should be jumping with joy.

I'll let your forensic-documents man

examine it first.

- Will a week be sufficient?

- Yes, Your Honour. Thank you.

Mrs. Hollo, tell us what happened...

...on the afternoon

of January the 11 Th, 1945.

I worked at the steam dry cleaners.

I left work early that day because

the bombings were especially heavy.

Do you approve

of the translation, Papa?

- All the buildings were on fire.

- Yeah.

There was smoke everywhere.

The air-raid sirens were on.

Lt was at Kalvin's Square

where I saw them.

Who did you see?

I saw three men in black uniforms.

I knew they were Special Section

Arrow Cross.

- This one can't even speak English.

- Karchy.

Karchy.

Shut up.

They were talking to my neighbour,

Mrs. Canter, and her 10-year-old son.

Then one of them yelled

at the woman, "You gypsy whore.

- What are you doing here?"

- What did Mrs. Canter say?

She started to cry and she said,

" No, I'm not a gypsy."

Then he yelled at her,

" If you're not a Jew...

...tell your boy to say

the 'Our Father."'

She started to cry so hard

she couldn't even speak.

And the others just laughed.

It's all right. Take your time.

What happened?

He shot her in the head.

Then the boy threw himself

on top of her...

...and then he shot the boy

in the head also.

Then one of them said,

" Mischka, let's get out of here."

And they just walked away.

He called him Mischka?

Yes.

Mrs. Hollo...

...is this the man...

...that shot the mother and the boy?

Yes. This is the man.

He walked right by me

when they left.

He was so close I could have

reached out and touched him.

No further questions, Your Honour.

Your witness.

Mrs. Hollo, you must have

an amazing memory...

...to recognize a face you saw only

briefly 40 years ago.

- Your Honour?

- Yes.

Mrs. Hollo...

...did you place a phone call

to Budapest last night?

Objection. Irrelevant and immaterial.

This woman is not on trial here.

Relates to the witness' state

of mind.

The witness' state of mind

is not the issue here.

- I will allow it. Get to the point soon.

- Did you place a call to Budapest?

Yes. I spoke to my son.

And what does your son do

in Hungary?

Objection. Her son's life

has no bearing on this trial.

Overruled.

What does your son do?

He's deputy to the assistant

agricultural minister.

- He's a Communist official?

- Objection. This is red baiting.

I must be able to question this

witness regarding motivation.

Excuse me, how would you know

she made a phone call?

Counsel, would you approach

the bench, please?

- How do you know she called?

- I was fishing, Your Honour.

Yeah. What did you do,

wiretap the room?

If Mr. Burke is accusing me

of an illegal act...

- ...he should do it formally.

- She'll turn this into a circus.

- You'd like that, wouldn't you?

- Mr. Burke, in this courtroom...

...address your arguments to me,

not to opposing counsel.

Mrs. Talbot, you may pursue

this line of inquiry...

...but do it quickly,

and make your point.

Thank you.

- My objection stands, for the record.

- Objection is overruled, for the record.

Ls your son a Communist official?

Government officials are

members of the Communist party.

Mrs. Hollo, when you identified the

photograph of my father in Budapest...

...did you speak with your son

about it?

Yes.

And did your son tell you...

...that my father had once

been arrested...

...for disrupting the Hungarian National

Folk Dancers?

- Objection, Your Honour.

- Overruled.

- Did he?

- No. He did not.

But you know it now.

Yes.

But this has nothing to do

with my testimony here.

No?

No further questions,

Your Honour.

- Mr. Burke?

- Nothing further, Your Honour.

We will recess for one hour.

Georgine Wheeler, please.

Pop, I've got a lot of good

salami sandwiches here.

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