Chapters (10)
CARTER: Let me just talk to her. She might come around.
VINNIE: I was thinking, you know—What I was going to tell you was that if you could get her to change her mind about me—Maybe get her to come over here and talk to me about the whole business—What I was thinking was—
CARTER: What?
VINNIE: That I’d hand over all—the stuff. Let you have it.
CARTER: All the negatives?
VINNIE: Everything.
CARTER: You’ve still got it all?
VINNIE: Yeah. It’s all in a shoe-box. It’s all stacked very neatly in there. Not a speck of dust on anything. I check it all on a regular basis.
CARTER: Good.
VINNIE: I check it every night before I go to bed. Some of—the letters—kinda take me back.
CARTER: You still have them? All the letters?
VINNIE: Every one.
CARTER: All the pictures?
VINNIE: Yeah. All but a couple.
CARTER: There’s a couple missing?
VINNIE: Two. Yeah. But I know where they are.
CARTER: You gave them to someone?
VINNIE: It’s all right.
CARTER: Who’d you give them to, Vinnie?
VINNIE: It’s all right.
CARTER: WHO’D YOU GIVE THEM TO!
VINNIE: Cecilia. She has them. She’s got them in a safe place.
CARTER: Why’d you give them to Cecilia, Vinnie!
VINNIE: Just—I loaned them to her as proof.
CARTER: Proof of what?
VINNIE: That I actually am a detective.
Pause.
CARTER: Give me her address.
VINNIE: You’re gonna talk to her?
CARTER: Just—give me the address, Vinnie!
VINNIE: You’re gonna talk to her about me or are you gonna ask her for the pictures back?
CARTER: I’m going to talk to her about you. I’m going to, very calmly, explain to her the roots of your particular insanity.
VINNIE: No, don’t tell her that. She already thinks I’m crazy.
CARTER: She’s right.
VINNIE: That’s not gonna help! I don’t want her coming over here out of pity!
CARTER: What difference does it make why she comes? Once she’s here you can line things out with her. Vindicate yourself.
VINNIE: I AM NOT GUILTY!!
Pause.
CARTER: No. No, you’re not, Vinnie. And I’ll make sure she understands that. I’ll make sure she sees that your downfall was the result of bad company. Nothing else. Just plain old bad company.
Pause. CARTER moves downstage, then suddenly remembers something and turns to VINNIE.
CARTER: What year was that Buick, anyway? You remember?
VINNIE: ’58.
CARTER: ’58. Well, maybe I’ll try to find you another one, Vinnie.
Blackout.