CECILIA: That’s not the reason I stopped.

CARTER: Oh, I didn’t mean—You’re not with a uh—“partner” now, are you?

CECILIA: Oh, no! Not now. I was talking about the past. The distant past. That’s why it was so great meeting up with someone like Vinnie. He kind of reminded me of myself.

CARTER: How’s that?

CECILIA: Just the way he was fishing in the dark, I guess. Experimenting.

CARTER: Oh, you mean the “detective” routine? Well see, that’s what he wanted me to try to explain to you.

CECILIA: You don’t have to explain.

CARTER: No, but see—

CECILIA: I don’t need you to explain him to me. In fact I wish you wouldn’t. I understand exactly what he’s going through.

CARTER: You do?

CECILIA: Yes. Of course.

CARTER: So, you’ve uh—dropped the charges then, I guess, huh?

CECILIA: What charges? (Pause.) Who are you exactly?

CARTER: I told you. I’m an old friend of Vinnie’s.

CECILIA: Anybody could say that, just to get in the door. Have you been observing me or something? Stalking me?

CARTER: No, look—I’m perfectly legitimate. I have full identification and everything. References if you want. I’m licensed to race in six states.

CECILIA: How can you identify your friendship? How is that possible? Do you have pictures of it or something? The two of you holding hands? Displaying strings of trout?

CARTER: No, I don’t carry pictures with me—Look—call him up if you don’t believe me. Go ahead and call him. Better yet, we could both go over there and meet him face to face.

CECILIA: You’re not getting me in a car alone, buster, if that’s what you think. I’m young but I wasn’t born yesterday.

CARTER: Whoa! Hang on a second. Let’s just slow down here, all right? I have no intention of harming you or molesting you or anything else. Let’s be very clear about that.

CECILIA: I suppose you’re a detective too, huh? Is that it? Partners in crime?

CARTER: No! I am not a detective and neither is Vinnie! That’s what I’m trying to get at here. Vinnie is a very sick individual and he needs serious medical attention, in case you didn’t know it.

CECILIA: Sick?

CARTER: Well—

CECILIA: He’s not a rapist or anything?

CARTER: No. Nothing like that.

CECILIA: I didn’t think so. I can usually tell when someone’s potentially harmful. I’ve developed a keen sense of that over the years. I got a sense of you too. Right off the bat. Soon as I saw you through my little window. A man in trouble.

CARTER: I’m not in trouble. Vinnie’s in trouble.