Music Box Page #7

- Pushups.

Mischka like pushup.

He do pushup too. With bayonet too.

He had them doing the pushups

over the bayonet?

Till fall. We throw in Duna. Clean up.

- I do clean up.

- Thank you, Mr. Vamos.

Thank you very much.

Mr. Vamos, did you ever have

any occasion to speak to Mischka?

No can speak.

Once speak Mischka, hit with gun.

No can look. We look,

Mischka hit with gun too.

We were not permitted

to look into his eyes.

Was there a shortage of ammunition

while you were there?

Oh, yeah. Big trouble.

They no can shoot.

They take wire, wire people together,

shoot one, dump all in Duna.

Did you ever see the man

known as Mischka do that?

Oh, yeah. Many time.

Approximately how many times would

you say, Mr. Vamos? Approximately.

Twenty, 30.

River red.

Ice on side of river red.

Bodies on side of river blue.

Blue Danube was red.

Mr. Vamos...

...is this the man

that you knew as Mischka...

...at the Lanchid Interrogation Centre?

- Yeah.

- Mr. Vamos...

...would you mind looking

at the photograph?

Yeah.

Please, Mr. Vamos,

can you look at the photograph?

Lt is him.

No further questions, Your Honour.

Your witness.

I'm sorry to have to ask you

these questions.

Mr. Vamos...

...do you know Istvan Boday?

- I read in Budapest newspaper.

- She's going up the wrong tree.

We'll see.

- Did you know him in Budapest?

- No.

You never spoke to him in Budapest?

They tell us no speak to each other.

No me.

You never spoke to him

on the plane over here?

They have us come different plane.

- You never spoke to him in your hotel?

- Different hotel.

- So you've never spoken to Mr. Boday?

- No.

Are you telling the truth, Mr. Vamos?

I no lie to you.

Then would you tell us about

the meeting you had last night...

...in your hotel room

with Istvan Boday?

Objection, Your Honour.

The witness just said

he never spoke to Mr. Boday.

Overruled.

You did meet with him in your

hotel room last night, didn't you?

- Didn't you, Mr. Vamos?

- Yeah.

He come to my room.

Judas Priest.

So you were lying before

when you told us...

- ...that you had never spoken to him.

- Yeah, I lie.

Do you lie often?

Boday come to my room, he ask, he

want to know about wife and brother.

Did you and Mr. Boday go over

your stories together?

- Did you compare notes?

- No, he ask if I remember.

- He show wife's picture.

- He came to show you...

...a photograph of someone you

might have seen once, 40 years ago?

- Yes.

- And you didn't speak of anything else?

No further questions, Your Honour.

How you can do this?

I come here, I tell truth.

How it can be wrong? A man ask

about his wife. That's wrong?

You must step down, sir.

Go on, Mr. Vamos.

Everything will be all right,

Mr. Vamos.

- Come this way with me.

- I think this is Mr. Burke's last witness.

Your Honour, we have one

more witness, Mrs. Melinda Kalman.

Judge, a moment.

We have no witness statement.

We have no deposition.

I object to this witness.

A last-minute government witness.

Arrived last evening from Budapest.

She's a psychiatrist specializing

in rape trauma.

Judge Silver overruled vehement

Defence objections to her testimony.

A car stopped in the street.

There were two men inside.

They were wearing the uniforms

of the Arrow Cross.

They asked me for identification.

I had left my purse...

...at a piano lesson. I had no papers.

One of the men, he had a long scar

on the left side of his face.

He said:

" Look how pretty this pig is,

Mischka."

- He called the man Mischka?

- Oh, yes.

They said I was a Jew.

I told them I was Roman Catholic.

- How old were you then?

- I was 16.

Please continue, Mrs. Kalman.

They told me I was under arrest

and put me in the car.

They drove over the bridge...

...the Lanchid, and turned into

the buildings and the riverbank.

- At least she had a chance.

- Yeah.

They were quite friendly,

actually, in the car.

They asked me about

playing the piano.

They took me into the building...

...into a little room.

There was nothing in the room

but a mattress on the floor.

They told me to take my clothes off.

They told me to stand

against the wall.

I started to cry.

I told them I was a virgin.

They laughed.

Mischka said,

"We will teach you to play us...

...like you play the piano."

Mischka took out a revolver...

...and he forced it into my mouth.

The other one tore my clothes.

He lighted a cigarette.

He put the cigarette against my...

They took turns.

I passed out.

There were others...

...men who came into the room and left

and came back.

I lost track of time.

They burned me.

Someone took my picture.

The flash would awaken me.

Then, I don't know how much later...

...it was Mischka again.

" Pig, " he said.

"You have learned to perform

very well."

And he started again.

The other was there. He laughed.

They stood me up,

they carried me outside.

Lt was cold. Lt was so cold.

On the ground, in the snow,

there was a bayonet.

They told me to get down

on my hands and feet...

...over the bayonet.

They told me to exercise.

I heard them laugh.

Mischka said:

"A healthy body makes

a healthy spirit."

The bayonet was at my stomach.

I pushed myself up...

...once.

And then I fell.

I remember...

...nothing else.

I was told I was found

on the bank of the river.

Mrs. Kalman...

...is this the man...

...known to you as Mischka?

Yes. That...

...is the man.

No further questions, Your Honour.

Your witness.

- No questions.

- The government rests.

- Annie, what are you doing?

- Stand up, Karchy.

It's not me.

It's not me, Annie. It's not me.

I didn't do this.

- Papa.

- It's not me.

I didn't do this to you.

I am not a beast. I am a father.

I was a husband.

I loved my wife. My family.

- I couldn't do this to you!

- Papa.

Yes, you are the beast.

This man didn't do this.

- It's not me! It's not me!

- Come on now, Papa.

- Come on, Papa.

- It's not me! It's not...

- Pop!

- Papa! Papa!

- Get back.

- Pop!

I believe your father's had

what we call acute anxiety reaction.

I understand he's been under

a lot of stress lately.

Frankly, I don't know how much more

pressure his system can take.

Mr. Laszlo, if you promise

to go home and rest...

...I'll let you go home.

Thanks, doctor.

- I want to talk to Annie, Karchy.

- Why?

I understand, you wanna talk

to your lawyer now. Fine.

Annie...

...come here.

I know...

...what you think, Annie.

Plenty things...

...that makes it...

Lt sound to you...

I...

I see your eyes, Annie.

And you've got to answer

the question:

" Ls this...?

This my father?

This beast?"

No, Papa.

No.

Ln your heart, Annie.

You got to answer the question.

- Come on, Papa. Let's go home now.

- No.

I'm not going to hide anymore, Annie.

Come on.

- Grandpa.

- Oh, Mikey.

- Hi, Dean.

- Come on, let's go home now.

No, I'm going to my own home.

- No, Papa.

- I don't care what happens to me.

I'm going home.

Tibor Zoldan was killed

by a hit-and-run driver.

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