Phone Call from a Stranger Page #5

They got guards.

Excuse me.

Yeah?

Oh, yeah?

Hold it a minute.

They got him over at Pedro. Pier 75.

- The watchman's holding him for you.

- Seventy-five?

- That's right.

- Thank you.

Hello, Art?

Be right over.

This him?

- Jerry?

- Who are you?

If you'reJerry Fortness,

I'm a friend of your father's.

I was on the plane with him

the other night.

- You were in that crash?

- That's right.

Your father and I became

very good friends that night.

That's why I'm here-

to see if you and I can't get together

and talk this thing over a bit.

- You mean with Mother?

- I should think so.

How did she know where I was?

She didn't.

It was my idea.

Won't you come back with me now?

No. Not to her.

I told her I'd never go back to that house

again, and I won't- not as long as I live.

After we've talked about it...

if you still want to go away,

I'm sure she won't object.

- I'll bet.

- You rather go to the cooler?

You can't put me in jail.

I haven't done anything.

- You sneaked on this pier, didn't you?

- Oh, sure, but-

Then you can go to the cooler.

What do you think that's up there for?

- I didn't see that.

- That's another charge.

- Not noticin'.

- Why don't you come back with me now, Jerry?

You got two choices. Go with him like

he says, or I can ring for the wagon.

Whichever you want.

All right, then.

But I'm not gonna stay there.

It's up to you.

I'm only interested in tonight.

Much obliged to you, Officer.

He'll be all right.

He's not a bad kid.

- How'd you figure this thing?

- Just took a chance.

Your father told me

how you used to take trips together...

how the big plan was to sail away

to South America someday.

So, here we are.

- That was pretty smart figurin'.

- Thanks.

Jerry! Darling!

I'm so glad to see you, darling.

- Are you all right?

- Oh, sure.

Are you hungry?

Would you like something to eat?

No, I'm not hungry.

- I'm terribly sorry.

- Leave me alone, will ya? I'm all right.

- How did you do it?

- Just luck.

I'm not gonna stay here, you know.

I told him already.

- Why not?

- She knows.

- Are you sure she does?

- Why shouldn't she? She knows the whole thing...

but that didn't stop her from sending him

out ofhis own house.

If he hadn't had to keep going away all the time,

he wouldn't have been on that plane.

You think I don't know why he kept going away,

too, but I do. I've known it all along.

He went away to drink, didn't he?

Yeah.

But he couldn't help that.

I know what drink is.

It's a disease.

He couldn't help himself

any more than you can help from...

getting T.B. Or pneumonia

or anything like that.

You're supposed to feel sorry

for a man like that...

not drive him away from

his own home to be sick.

He went away... because he didn't

want you to know, darling.

Oh, sure. Everything was his fault. You didn't

do anything. You just wouldn't talk to him.

All you did was

make him like a ghost...

walking around all the time

without saying anything.

And all the time he loved you

more than he did me.

He never said it, but he did.

I could tell.

And my loving him

just wasn't enough for him.

If you would prefer to leave,

Mr. Trask-

I'd still like to talk to him.

- Jerry, darling.

- I'm getting out of here!

- Jerry!

- Let me go!

- Not until you promise to behave for a few minutes.

- Let me go!

And get it through your head

I didn't chase you to Wilmington...

just to come back here and listen to

a lot of whining nonsense.

I know that you mean well, Mr. Trask,

but... that is not the way to handle my son.

Would you be good enough

to leave now?

In just a few minutes.

I promise you.

But not until I've explained

one thing to him about his father.

- I don't want to hear it.

- I'm afraid you'll have to, Jerry.

What about his father?

The other night, Dr. Fortness

engaged me as his attorney...

for a matter that

I'll explain in a minute.

This, I believe, gives me something more

than simply a busybody position here.

I can't guarantee, of course, that this is precisely

what he'd want me to do or say...

but if I learned anything

during our few hours together...

it was that I was with a man who was

prepared to go to any lengths...

to make up in any way whatever...

for the cruel, shocking,

almost irreparable harm...

he'd done to the love

and respect ofhis family.

- That's not true.

- What's not true?

That he ever did

any harm to his family.

Five years ago, your father was in

a dreadful automobile accident.

- Do you remember that?

- Of course.

Three people were killed

in that accident.

Two in the other car and his friend

Dr. Brooks, who was driving.

- Is that right?

- Yes.

That's when all your trouble

started, wasn't it?

Yes. I guess so.

Were you at the country club

that night?

No. I was home in bed. Why?

Then you wouldn't know whether

your father was drunk or not, would you?

- Who says he was?

- Wait a moment.

- Yes?

- What are you trying to do?

Straighten him out.

That's all.

But you mustn't, like that.

I won't permit it.

It'll only make things worse.

How can things be worse?

But you have no right

to shake his faith in his father.

Why, it's the most important

thing that he has left in his life.

I forbid you to say

such things to him.

But what if I told you that this is exactly

what his father was planning to do...

only a thousand times

more shockingly?

I don't know what

you're talking about.

You know the whole story

of that night, don't you?

- Of course.

- Then you know a lie.

It wasn't Dr. Brooks that was driving the car

that night. It was your father- drunk.

Did she tell you that?

Of course not.

He did.

I don't believe it.

Is it true, Mrs. Fortness?

Yes.

And it was your mother

who knew better...

who heard your father

tell that lie to the police...

and then lied herself

to protect him.

I can't believe it.

It's true, Jerry.

But when you're thinking about it...

try to understand this:

It was an indecent thing

that he did...

but that didn't make him

an indecent man.

An indecent man would have

enjoyed his escape.

Only a decent man

would have been lost...

in the shame and the horror

of what he had done.

I know all this, Mrs. Fortness,

because Dr. Fortness engaged me...

to go with him to the district attorney

to tell him the whole story.

And whatever

that would have meant-

and I assure you he had no delusions

about the possibilities-

it would have been

worth it to him...

if it brought back

your respect for him.

Good-bye.

Thank you.

Good-bye, Jerry.

- Mr. Trask.

- Yes?

Tell me. Was he-

Was he drinking

when he told you this?

Of course not.

I don't take cases from drunks.

Now, now, darling.

Hempstead 3449, please.

Hempstead. That's right.

- Club Carr.

- Is Mr. Michael Carr there?

Just a minute.

Somebody wants to talk to Mr. Carr.

I'll take it.

Yeah. Who wants him?

He doesn't know me.

Is this Miss Carr?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes