“How many times have you been arrested before, Mr. Corliss?” I asked again.
“I think about seven.”
“So you’ve been in a number of jails in your time, haven’t you?”
“You could say that.”
“All in Los Angeles County?”
“Mostly. But I got arrested over in Phoenix before, too.”
“So you know how the system works, don’t you?”
“I just try to survive.”
“And sometimes surviving means ratting out your fellow inmates, doesn’t it?”
“Your Honor?” Minton said, standing to object.
“Take a seat, Mr. Minton,” Fullbright said. “I gave you a lot of leeway bringing this witness in. Mr. Haller gets his share of it now. The witness will answer the question.”
The stenographer read the question back to Corliss.
“I suppose so.”
“How many times have you snitched on another inmate?”
“I don’t know. A few times.”
“How many times have you testified in a court proceeding for the prosecution?”
“Would that include my own cases?”
“No, Mr. Corliss. For the prosecution. How many times have you testified against a fellow inmate for the prosecution?”
“I think this is my fourth time.”
I looked surprised and aghast, although I was neither.
“So you are a pro, aren’t you? You could almost say your occupation is drug-addicted jailhouse snitch.”
“I just tell the truth. If people tell me things that are bad, then I feel obligated to report it.”
“But you try to get people to tell you things, don’t you?”
“No, not really. I guess I’m just a friendly guy.”
“A friendly guy. So what you expect this jury to believe is that a man you didn’t know would just come out of the blue and tell you-a perfect stranger-that he gave a bitch exactly what she deserved. Is that correct?”
“It’s what he said.”
“So he just mentioned that to you and then you both just went back to talking about cigarettes after that, is that right?”
“Not exactly.”
“Not exactly? What do you mean by ‘not exactly’?”
“He also told me he did it before. He said he got away with it before and he would get away with it now. He was bragging about it because with the other time, he said he killed the bitch and got away with it.”
I froze for a moment. I then glanced at Roulet, who sat as still as a statue with surprise on his face, and then back at the witness.
“You…”
I started and stopped, acting like I was the man in the minefield who had just heard the
“Mr. Haller?” the judge prompted.
I broke my stare from Corliss and looked at the judge.
“Your Honor, I have no further questions at this time.”
FORTY
Minton came up from his seat like a boxer coming out of his corner at his bleeding opponent. “Redirect, Mr. Minton?” Fullbright asked.
But he was already at the lectern.
“Absolutely, Your Honor.”
He looked at the jury as if to underline the importance of the upcoming exchange and then at Corliss.
“You said he was bragging, Mr. Corliss. How so?”
“Well, he told me about this time he actually killed a girl and got away with it.”
I stood up.
“Your Honor, this has nothing to do with the case at hand and it is rebuttal to no evidence previously offered by the defense. The witness can’t -”
“Your Honor,” Minton cut in, “this is information brought forward by defense counsel. The prosecution is entitled to pursue it.”
“I will allow it,” Fullbright said.
I sat down and appeared dejected. Minton plowed ahead. He was going just where I wanted him to go.
“Mr. Corliss, did Mr. Roulet offer any of the details of this previous incident in which he said he got away with killing a woman?”
“He called the girl a snake dancer. She danced in some joint where she was like in a snake pit.”
I felt Roulet wrap his fingers around my biceps and squeeze. His hot breath came into my ear.
“What the fuck is this?” he whispered.
I turned to him.
“I don’t know. What the hell did you tell this guy?”
He whispered back through gritted teeth.
“I didn’t tell him anything. This is a setup. You set me up!”
“Me? What are you talking about? I told you, I couldn’t get to this guy in lockdown. If you didn’t tell him this shit, then somebody else did. Start thinking. Who?”
I turned and looked up at Minton standing at the lectern and continuing his questioning of Corliss.
“Did Mr. Roulet say anything else about the dancer he said he murdered?” he asked.
“No, that’s all he really told me.”
Minton checked his notes to see if there was anything else, then nodded to himself.
“Nothing further, Your Honor.”
The judge looked at me. I could almost see sympathy on her face.
“Any recross from the defense with this witness?”
Before I could answer, there was a noise from the rear of the courtroom and I turned to see Lorna Taylor entering. She hurriedly walked down the aisle toward the gate.
“Your Honor, can I have a moment to confer with my staff?”
“Hurry, Mr. Haller.”
I met Lorna at the gate and took from her a videotape with a single piece of paper wrapped around it with a rubber band. As she had been told to do earlier, she whispered in my ear.
“This is where I act like I am whispering something very important into your ear,” she said. “How is it going?”
I nodded as I took the rubber band off the tape and looked at the piece of paper.
“Perfect timing,” I whispered back. “I’m good to go.”
“Can I stay and watch?”
“No, I want you out of here. I don’t want anybody talking to you after this goes down.”
I nodded and she nodded and then she left. I went back to the lectern.
“No recross, Your Honor.”
I sat down and waited. Roulet grabbed my arm.
