Judge Terence Mann said: "There has been a good deal." Warner looked up quickly then; if his astonishment showed for a second, probably no one but Terence saw it. There was time to wonder how much of a surprise it was to T.J.--complete, very likely. And Terence Mann himself looked astonished at the swiftness and sharpness of his own words. "If there is any suspicion that a police officer has acted in that manner toward the defendant, the defense is well within its rights to pursue this line of questioning. The objection is overruled." _But Terry must know we can't prove it._ "Answer the question, Sergeant." Staring at the Judge, T. J. Hunter said slowly: "Exception." "Answer the question, Sergeant Rankin." Rankin too had gone quiet, no visible motion in him except a rhythmic twitch at the corners of his Boxer jaws. "Will you repeat the question, Counselor?" "I will. I ask whether Callista Blake said to you: 'Take your ugly hands off me, you fool!'" "She did not." "I quote to you these words: 'Look, I can give you a lot of breaks if you'll put out.' Did you say that to Callista Blake?" "Objection." "Overruled." "I did not." "You have no recollection of that?" "It didn't happen, that's all. I never touched her." "No? You didn't, a few minutes later, strike her across the face with the flat of your hand?" "Objection!" "Overruled." "I certainly did not. The whole thing is imaginary." "Did Callista Blake, while you had hold of her, tell you that she was ill, that she had had a miscarriage the night before?" "Objection!" "Overruled." _So Terry sticks his own neck way out, his own feelings involved, his judgment slipping, and where does that take us?_ "Exception." "She did not tell me that, Counselor. She had no occasion to tell me that. I say again, the whole thing is imaginary. I know my duties, and my position as a police officer. Nothing like that happened, and if the defendant says it did, she is lying." Except for that twitch, and the high tension of his blocky hands gripping the witness chair, nothing in Rankin's solid front suggested he might himself be lying. "You say the whole thing is imaginary. Really! Is it imaginary, just a bad dream cooked up by the defense--what do you take us for, Sergeant?--is it imaginary that you shoved Callista Blake down on the couch in the living-room, that she then told you she was ill, that in spite of that you went on trying to force her, that you exposed yourself, that she then said a certain thing which frightened you, so that you let her go, after first striking her across the face with the flat of your hand?" "Objection of course. Whole question improper and fantastic." "Overruled." _Terry, I don't know_-- "Exception." "Nothing like that happened. I deny it absolutely."