William Gaddis - J R

— Hello? this man’s looking for the Bast house, do you…

— So am I where is it!

— Just a minute officer, who’s…

— Wait who are you buddy what’s the…

— But I’m that’s who I am Bast I’m Edward Bast I’m…

— Mister Bast good heavens! you, I’m Mister Coen the attorney for your…

— But where’s the house where’s my, where’s where’s anything where’s the…

— I’m equally confused Mister Bast yes, I recalled it being just off this corner behind a long hedge but the officer here says all he knows is that this is the new Cultural Plaza, I’m afraid we’re both mis…

— Hedge the hedge yes where’s the hedge where the trees where’s my, wait he’s the you, you you’re one of them one of the police you were here that night the barn, the studio, right here a big room right here you were standing in it a big stone fireplace there was a piano right here right where this car is, a grand piano you told me to get it boarded up you, books there were books torn up all over the floor you said some kids had broken in can’t you…

— Get calls like that every night buddy, want to stop in the precinct check the records if anybody turned in a complaint…

— I want to know where my house is!

— Told you all I ooph! All right you’re coming in…

— Ow!

— No wait officer please! he’s, I’m sure he just slipped he’s obviously quite distraught if you’ll just let him come with me I’m an attorney, he’s needed on an urgent matter I fine thank you around this way Mister Bast thank you officer…

— Just get him out of here.

— Fine yes thank you no this door Mister Bast, be caref…

— Who are you.

— I’m the, my name is Coen Mister Bast please get in, I tried to reach you some time ago your aunts must have mentioned my…

— Where are they!

— I don’t know Mister Bast I have no idea, I’ve tried to reach them or you all day I was told the phone had been taken out that’s why I finally drove out here to please Mister Bast get in, you’re soaking wet we can’t stand here it’s beginning to that’s it yes, just get your hand in so I can close the…

— Where the trees.

— My coat’s on the back seat there put it around you before we, yes could you move your feet I can’t drive if you…

— What’s that thing! that, thing…!

— That yes it’s some sort of a huge metal sculpture that’s what brought the police here, there’s a child caught in it they’re waiting for the insur…

— Look!

— Where oh, the shopping center yes I confess I don’t recall it across from your Mister Bast close it! Close the door you can’t, you could have been badly injured please, you must…

— The hedge where’s the, flowers that was a field dahlias chrysanthemums and dahlias where, where…

— If you can just sit back Mister Bast yes I think we turn up this way, I’m afraid I have some extremely unfortunate news to…

— Stop the car stop the car…!

— Mister Bast it’s sleeting quite heavily, I don’t think we…

— I’m going to be sick stop the car!

— Wait wait yes, yes I’m stopping no push that down, yes down that’s, yes can you lean a little further out over the, that’s it yes just get this coat sleeve out of your, there, there yes that ought to, let’s hurry yes we’re right in front of a church they might misinterpret the, you’re sure that’s all now? Yes just just before you wait wait here’s a don’t have a handkerchief wait just, wait here it’s just a polishing cloth if you can wipe off your, you’re sure that’s all? If you can get your here let me slam this door a little harder there, feeling better now? Get that coat around you yes if you can just settle back, it’s quite difficult to see the road…

— There it is! stop there it is! there it is!

— What there’s what what…

— The house stop we just passed it!

— Mister Bast please we can’t keep, I can’t drive if you…

— I saw it we just passed it I saw it!

— Just push this down make sure your door’s locked Mister Bast I may have been mistaken in recalling your house being right off that corner back there but I’m absolutely certain it was not practically next door to a Catholic church, in fact the vehemence with which your aunts expressed their aversion to…

— You a lawyer Mister Coen?

— Why I yes that’s precisely why I…

— Ever handle a bankrup?

— Why why yes it’s quite a routine procedure Mister Bast but I’ve come out here on an extremely urgent matter concerning your cousin’s husband Mister Angel, I take it you haven’t heard…

— Get to start over right?

— Pardon? oh, oh in a bankruptcy yes in a manner of speaking Mister Bast but your cousin’s husband Mister Angel is in the hospital I, I take it you don’t know what’s happened…

— What’s happened wait. Sixteen die in Chicago plane crash?

— No, no he wasn’t in a…

— Sixteen die in Chicago plane crash I saw it in the paper, don’t you believe me?

— Why why, why yes but that’s not the, you see Mister Angel is in a coma as the result of a gunshot wound and Mrs Angel your cousin, your cousin Stella, the police have…

— Get to start over, right?

— Mister Bast perhaps I, I mean you are Mister Bast aren’t you? Edward Bast?

— With an e Edwerd with an e, Ed…

— An, an E of course yes you understand meeting you for the first time under these somewhat extraordinary circumstances it just occurred to me I might have picked up some wandering please your foot! I can’t drive with your foot under my, that’s better yes of course if I’d left you to that policeman and you really are the Edward Bast I’ve no no be careful! we almost went off the, a terrible cough yes you’re really not well you, you’re not going to be sick again are you? Try to, here pull the coat around you you’re shivering let me turn up the heat, now. Your cousin Mister Bast, your cousin Stella, Mrs Angel? The shock has shaken her severely as I’m sure you can understand, the initial shock of the, the discovery itself of course and then the ordeal of the police investigation questioning, taking descriptions photographing the crime search scene as they re…

— Get the whole place boarded up.

— Pardon?

— Dry place to screw where they won’t freeze their nuts board the whole place up.

— Mister Bast I’m trying to, I’m talking about Mrs Angel your cousin Stella, when I left she’d gone in for a paraffin test whose results I have no doubt will prove negative, howev…

— Weather like this find a dry place to…

— However since her husband’s chance of survival appears extremely slim, and as a matter of course such situations become the province of homicide investigation and are approached as assault with intent to commit murder until any such possib…

— You a lawyer Mister Coen?

— Yes I am a lawyer Mister Bast! and I, this is an extremely grave situation in which I am trying to be of assistance. When I left her, Mrs Angel appeared unable to distinguish between the likelihood of being called as a material witness and the idea of being held on suspicion and I thought, I had hoped that if you would talk to her it might…

— Don’t need to go around thanking everybody?

— No I hardly think that would, Mister Bast I meant only that if you were willing to talk sensibly with Mrs Angel I believe we should be able to secure her release. Otherwise even in the absence of sufficient evidence to detain her on suspicion, the probability of her commitment to Bellevue for the standard ten day observation period would be…

— Get to start over right?