The Lincoln lawyer - By Michael Connelly Page 0,143
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.
“What are you doing?”
I pushed him away.
“Stop touching me. We have new information we can’t bring up on cross.”
I focused on the judge.
“Any other witnesses, Mr. Minton?” she asked.
“No, Your Honor. No further rebuttal.”
The judge nodded.
“The witness is excused.”
Meehan started crossing the courtroom to Corliss. The judge looked at me and I started to stand.
“Mr. Haller, surrebuttal?”
“Yes, Your Honor, the defense would like to call D.J. Corliss back to the stand as surrebuttal.”
Meehan stopped in his tracks and all eyes were on me. I held up the tape and the paper Lorna had brought me.
“I have new information on Mr. Corliss, Your Honor. I could not have brought it up on cross.”
“Very well. Proceed.”
“Can I have a moment, Judge?”
“A short one.”
I huddled with Roulet again.
“Look, I don’t know what is going on but it doesn’t matter,” I whispered.
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter? Are you —”
“Listen to me. It doesn’t matter because I can still destroy him. Doesn’t matter if he says you killed twenty women. If he’s a liar, he’s a liar. If I destroy him, none of it counts. You understand?”
Roulet nodded and seemed to calm as he considered this.
“Then destroy him.”
“I will. But I have to know. Is there anything else he knows that could come out? Is there anything I need to stay away from?”
Roulet whispered slowly, as if explaining something to a child.
“I don’t know because I never talked to him. I’m not that stupid as to have a discussion about cigarettes and murder with a total fucking stranger!”