INFINITY HOLD3

by Longyear, Barry B.

  She walked back to her place among the spectators. Everyone was looking at me. I stood up and walked until I was standing where Alna had been. The cockroaches were looking very frustrated. I spoke to them. "Pendril, Rossiter, since we don't have a jury yet, that leaves me as the only person who might change his mind by whatever points you might bring up or muddy up through cross examination. But there's only one thing I really need to know right now." I looked up at Abe Lyles.

  "As far as you know, is everyone who rapes a compulsive sex addict?"

  He was silent for a long time. Finally he held out his hands and said, "I don't know. That'd be like asking if everyone who takes a drink is an alcoholic. For taking a drink, I don't think every drinker is an alcoholic. But rape is something sick in itself. To do it at all you have to be some bent." He shook his head. "But I don't know."

  I scratched my head and faced Lane Rossiter. "How about your pigeon? Does he claim to be insane?"

  Lane Rossiter got to his feet. "Our position is that no rape was committed. If it is the judgment of this investigation that a rape was committed, however, we'll keep our options open."

  There were snickers from the dunes. I said, "You mean to say my client isn't guilty, but if he is guilty, it wasn't his fault because he was crazy."

  "As I said, it's an option."

  I laughed. "Not on this griddle, buddy. You pull that kind of shit with the paper wizards back on Earth. This is no debating match. Your job here isn't to see what you can get away with. Your responsibility here is to plead the truth as you see it. Either he raped the guy or he didn't. If he did, maybe he was crazy. Don't come at us here with any of that down-home he didn't do it, but if he did do it, he didn't mean it smoke."

  Rossiter and Myerson whispered among themselves for a moment, then the roach faced me. "Innocent. We hold that no rape was committed."

  I nodded and leveled my gaze at both of them. "Then to you it really doesn't matter what the max payback for rape is, right?"

  Rossiter sat down without answering. There was just one more thing I had to bring up. I faced Abe Lyles again. "Abe, for someone in the middle of this disease, you hold that it's like for any other kind of addict—there is no choice. Without help it can get so the compulsion must be acted out. Did I understand you right?"

  "Pretty much so."

  The dunes seemed to wobble a bit and I got very lightheaded. I needed sleep and lots of it. When Tartaros resumed its normal spin, I asked Abe, "Can the sufferer of this disease choose to get help?"

  "Sure."

  "Then by choosing not to get the help, you could say the rapist chose his disease and its consequences."

  Lyles thought for a long time, and then he nodded. His voice sounded very rough. "I think you're right."

  I bit at the skin on the inside of my lips as I faced Pendril. "Is there anything you want to add?"

  "No, but I certainly want to underscore Alna M—"

  "Underscore on your own time, Pendril. All we need right now are new points. Keeping in mind rule number thirty-one, which says 'Trials that are unnecessarily delayed by one party will be decided by default in favor of the other party,' Do you have anything new to add?"

  Pendril sat down and I turned around and faced Nance. "I want to put it to a vote. Up or down, death is the max payback for rape."

  "Right now?" she asked.

  "Right now. We have almost everyone here. If the vote is so close that the others would make a difference, we can send out runners."

  "Can't you just make a decision? You know I'll back you."

  "Nance, I've never been raped. I don't think I'm qualified to decide what a rapist takes from a victim."

  She frowned as she got to her feet and stood between the dunes. She looked over the faces, then nodded. "Okay. The max payback for rape is death. All those in favor, stand up." I was one of the ones who was standing. It was an effort to find the ones who weren't standing.

  "All those against." Everyone sat down and about a hundred sharks got to their feet. To his credit, Abe Lyles was one of them. Right then I made up my mind to go to one of those CSA meetings to see what was going on there.

  Nance faced me. "There's your second law, Bando. The max payback for rape is death." She went back to her place on the dune.

  I glanced first at Bennet and then at Myerson. "Are you both agreeable to me settling this matter?"

  They both wanted a jury trial. I faced the crowd. "The penalty for being a false witness, an errant juror, or delaying the proceedings in this case, is death." I pointed to the area between the dunes. "All those who want to be jurors, grab some sand and line up there."

  As I squatted down to pick up some sand for the choosing, Garoit came from behind the dune on my right, went over to Nance, and began whispering to her.

  She began leaving, and I asked, "What's happening?"

  "Later," she said, and they were gone.

  Were we being attacked? Had Bloody Sarah and the scouts uncovered the Hand's hidden armies? What was going on?

  I looked at the first applicant for the jury. It was Minnie McDavies back from her scouting mission. She was holding her face up with a big grin on it, and both of her fists out, knuckles down. I held out my hands and we both opened up at the same time. I had sand in both of my hands, she had none in hers.

  "You're in. Next."

  After the jury was in, Jim Bennet was his own first witness. "Last night when the column was halted, I wrapped up in my sheet to get some sleep. Vic Myerson and his two goons got me up, and Vic said to me, 'get your clothes off, sweet thing. It's time for love.' Bennet spat on the sand and looked at Myerson, who was smiling.

  "I told him no. I told him I didn't want to and to leave me alone. Then Huey held me and Lacy began pulling—"

  "Just a second," I interrupted. "Who are Huey and Lacy?"

  "Huey Garret and Lacy Moore."

  I looked at Pendril. "How come you're not charging Garret and Moore as accomplices?"

  Jason Pendril glanced at Jim Bennet and faced me. "Vic Myerson is the only one who actually achieved penetration. We thought—I thought going after Myerson would be a surer thing."

  "Are you being paid by the victory?"

  The roach flushed scarlet. "Of course not."

  I faced Bennet. "Jim, how do you feel about these two: Garret and Moore."

  "I don't know what you mean."

  "An accomplice is just as guilty as the perp. Do you want to charge them?"

  Jim Bennet glanced at Pendril, at Myerson, and looked at me. "Will it affect my chances of nailing Myerson?"

  "I don't know," I answered. "But they either did what you say or they didn't. So, do you want to charge them?"

  Jim Bennet's face was twisted into an expression of anger, fear, anxiety. In a quiet voice he asked, "What about witnesses who saw what was happening and didn't do anything to stop it? Aren't they accomplices? Even more than that, the ones who saw what happened and won't testify because they don't want to get involved. Aren't they accomplices?"

  "Accomplices are accomplices," I answered. "Do you want them charged?"

  "Yes."

  "Let's have some names."

  Bennet closed his eyes and attached names to the faces in his mind.

  "Haman Surus and Claudine Lowe. I called for help. I begged them to help, to get someone. They just walked off. Barth Lazar was there, too. I begged him for help and he said there wasn't anything he could do. Then he left. None of them are willing to testify."

  "Where are they?"

  Bennet looked toward Myerson and pointed. "Right there next to Vic. The fat goon with the bald head. That's Huey Garret."

  The fat goon grinned, cocked his thumb, and pantomimed shooting Jim Bennet. Bennet looked and pointed, toward the top of the dune behind Myerson.

  "Up there. The yard monster with the short black beard. That's Lacy. Lazar is up there, too. And on the other side near the top are Claudine Lowe and Haman Surus."

  I stood up and motioned w
ith my arm. "Lacy Moore, Claudine Lowe, Barth Lazar, and Haman Surus, come on down!" There was some nervous laughter, then Lacy stood up.

  "Why should I?"

  "I think you might want to get in on this, Lacy. You're facing the death penalty."

  "My ass."

  I grinned. "That might be the price. I want you all to come on down and enter a plea to the charges."

  "I ain't enterin' no damned plea," said Lacy Moore.

  I pulled out the Law of the Razai. "Rule nineteen: 'In a trial, not entering a plea is a plea of guilty."'

  Lacy Moore took a step down from the dune and shouted, "How 'bout I come on down there an' feed you your own damned foot, you goddamned cop sonofa—"

  Cap Brady stuck his rifle muzzle into Lacy's left ear. "You don't have to enter a plea, sonny, but if you threaten the chief, we'll have to invoke rule thirteen and snuff your candle."

  Lacy Moore's dark eyes darted back and forth in his head making him look like what he was: a trapped animal. "I thought we couldn't hold no prisoners."

  "Why, you're not a prisoner, bucko. If you want to leave, leave. But if you start making threats again, I'll have to stick this in your ear again." He pulled his rifle out of Lacy's ear.

  Lacy looked down at me. "You tellin' me if I just walk, that's a plea of guilty?"

  "That's right."

  I looked at Lane Rossiter. "We already have a jury, and as soon as they make up their minds, the trial's over. The jury has seen and heard all of this. Don't you think you ought to nip on up there and talk to Lacy Moore? Right now he's doing his best to hang himself and the rest of you."

  A man and a woman came down from the left dune, and the woman spoke first, the tears in her eyes. "I'm Claudine Lowe, and I'm so sorry, but what could I have done? All I've ever been told in the crowbars was to mind my own business, and that's all I did. All I did was mind my own business. I was afraid and—"

  "We aren't in the crowbars anymore," I interrupted. "Are you entering a plea of guilty?"

  "No!" answered Haman Surus. "We are not guilty of anything!"

  I looked at the woman. "Does he speak for you?"

  "Yes!" the man repeated.

  I looked at the woman. "Claudine? Does this guy speak for you?"

  She nodded. "Yes he does."

  "Very well." I looked and saw Barth Lazar come down the dune and walk to the center. He looked as though he carried the sins of the world upon his back.

  "I'm guilty," he said.

  The silence following Barth's plea could have crushed solid steel it was so intense. You didn't have to be a cockroach to figure out if any one of the ones charged as accomplices were guilty, all of them had to be guilty.

  "Bando," called Minnie from where the jurors were squatting in the sand. "May the jurors ask questions?"

  "Sure."

  Minnie stood up and asked Barth, "You said you were guilty. Of what?"

  "Just what Jim Bennet said. Lacy and Huey were forcing Jim into position so Vic Myerson could rape him, and Jim asked me for help. I said I couldn't do anything." He folded his arms beneath his sheet. "I could've done something, but I was afraid." He glanced at Jim. "I'm sorry." He looked back at the sand.

  Minnie looked around at the jurors and back at me. "I think we're ready."

  "Wait!" Lane Rossiter was up like a shot. "You haven't even heard from the defendant yet, and there are still two pleas that haven't been heard."

  I looked at Huey Garret and up at Lacy Moore. "How about it? Guilty or not guilty?"

  "Not guilty," answered Lacy. He turned around and walked over the top of the dune, toward the point camp.

  "Huey, what about you?"

  "Not guilty." Huey remained seated. In his heart of hearts I don't think he believed that anything would happen.

  I glanced at Minnie. "We're still ready," she said.

  I scratched the back of my neck and looked at Rossiter. "Is there anything your client can say that might add to the jury's information?"

  "Of course." He gestured with his head and Vic Myerson stood up. "Just tell them what you told me."

  Myerson looked around, thrust his fingers behind his belt, and grinned. "You folks've been really taken in. What's going on here is nothin' new. I didn't just jump little Jimmy's bones out here in the sand. Jimmy and me have been gettin' it on for almost a year. The guys from Lewisburg Max know. And it's always the same thing with Jimmy. It's part of the game. I grab him, Jimmy cries a little and says 'no, no' and I rough him up a little. Huey and Lacy just add some to the excitement when they pretend to hold him down. They don't do any harm. It's all part of the sex play. Huey and Lacy can tell you. Lots of the guys from Lewisburg can tell you."

  I looked at Bennet, and he was so stone cold steady with rage, I don't even think he was breathing. "Did you want to say something, Jimmy?" I asked.

  He bunched up the sides of his sheet exposing his arms. He turned around once so that everyone could see the terrible bruises on his arms. So much for Lacy and Huey pretending to hold Jimmy down.

  "Vic," he began, "there were dozens of times back at Lewisburg when you wanted sex, and just as many times that I told you no, and just as many times that you and your goons forced me to have sex. I think you just confessed to raping me dozens and dozens of times."

  I glanced at Minnie. She turned and huddled with the twelve other jurors. When they were done, she faced me. "There's something the jury thinks needs to be said. If a person shows that he or she is unwilling to do sex, and you go ahead and force that person to have sex, that is rape. It doesn't matter if you've had sex with that person before, or if you're married. Rape is rape." She pointed her finger, "And you, Victor Myerson, and you Huey Garret, and Lacy Moore, wherever you are, are guilty."

  She looked at Claudine Lowe and Haman Surus. "We find you two guilty, as well as Barth Lazar." Minnie turned toward me. "We don't know if we're allowed to recommend anything, but we think Barth should get some slack." She sat down.

  Rossiter looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel. I suppose that was understandable. In a Razai court all of his best material was unusable.

  "Jimmy," I said to the victim, "They are all guilty, and the max payback is death. What you do is up to you."

  Bennet went to the stacks and picked up a rifle. As he did so Haman Surus and Huey Garret took off in opposite directions. With two clean, unhurried shots, Jimmy drilled them both. As he was bringing down his weapon, he popped Claudine Lowe right between the eyes, then faced Victor Myerson.

  Myerson was crying and begging on his knees as the bullet went through his heart. As Myerson fell over, Jim Bennet faced Barth Lazar.

  Tears began streaming down the Jim's face. "You should've helped me! You knew better! Damn you, you should have helped me!" He pulled the trigger and Barth Lazar fell dead on the sand.

  I stumbled off into the dunes and puked until my nuts ached.

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  ▫

  The Meeting

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  It was something that I had to do, going to the CSA meeting. After the executions I had to face them. I didn't know if I could justify myself to them, I didn't know if I should justify myself to them. I didn't know if I would even have to.

  I sat on the sand next to Rus Gades. The pair of us formed part of a circle of close to forty sharks that was growing in numbers as I watched. As we cooked beneath the high sun, they began with a prayer. I was preoccupied getting acquainted with my new platoon of ghosts, so the words didn't register. I saw Abe Lyles there, as well as Marietta and Cap Brady.

  While they were reading some things out loud, I motioned for Marietta and Cap to come over. When they were next to me they stooped over and I whispered, "You two don't have to nurse me. I can take care of myself, so beat it."

  "Speakin' just for myself, chump," began Marietta, "this here is my club. I belong here. If I make you nervous, maybe you ought to leave."

  I
looked at Cap and he nodded back. "I belong here too."

  I waved them off and wondered what I was doing there. I didn't have long to wait, because there were some others wondering the same thing. After the readings, Rus Gades said "I'm an addict, my name's Rus."

  "Hi Rus!" answered the crowd. The introductions worked their way around to the left, and they had to go in and out of the ring several times there were so many there. By then there were close to a hundred.

  They introduced themselves as addicts, alcoholics, co-dependants, children of addicts, sex addicts, overeaters, workaholics, rageaholics, and so on. Marietta called herself an adult child of an addict. Cap said he was a rageaholic.

  After all of the introductions were done, everyone was looking at me. "My name's Bando," I said, and left it at that. There were a few greetings of "Hi Bando," but since the four who had said that were Cap, Rus, Abe, and Marietta, that left a bunch who didn't want me there. I wasn't really sure why I was there myself. I rubbed my temples as someone called out, "How did he get in here?"

  There was a muffled roar of agreement, and Rus Gades stood up. Into the following quiet he said, "Bando got in here the same way all of us did. Something pointed in this direction, and his feet brought him here." Rus looked down at me. "You don't have to speak, but do you want to say why you're here?"

  I nodded. Rus sat down and I spoke from where I sat. "I've heard of CSA for a long time. I don't know if I have your kind of problem. Of course, it's been pointed out to me that if I do have your kind of problem, not knowing about it is one of the big symptoms, which seems like some kind of no-win deal." Taking a deep breath, I continued. "Anyway, I'm here for another reason. I'm here to face you people and to take whatever it is you have to dish out. I listened to Abe, yet Vic Myerson, and a number of others, are dead right now. I don't know about explaining it or justifying it. That's the way it is." I crossed my legs and rested my elbows on my knees.

  "I heard Abe, I saw how he behaved and what he tried to do. I don't agree with him, but I liked what I saw. That's why I'm here."

  There was a long silence, as though everyone was afraid to speak. Finally, from the side of the circle across from me, a woman stood up and said, "I'm Ella. I'm an addict."