“What is the status of your case?”
“I still got the charges against me, but it looks like if I complete my program I’ll be able to get a break on them. The drugs, at least. I don’t know about the burglary yet.”
“But I have made no promise of help in that regard, correct?”
“No, sir, you haven’t.”
“Has anyone else from the district attorney’s office made any promises?”
“No, sir.”
“I have no further questions.”
I sat unmoving and just staring at Corliss. My pose was that of a man who was angry but didn’t know exactly what to do about it. Finally, the judge prompted me into action.
“Mr. Haller, cross-examination?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
I stood up, glancing back at the door as if hoping a miraclewould walk through it. I then checked the big clock on the back door and saw it was five minutes after ten. I noticed as I turned back to the witness that I had not lost Kurlen. He was still in the back row and he still had the same smirk on his face. I realized that it might have been his natural look.
I turned to the witness.
“Mr. Corliss, how old are you?”
“Forty-three.”
“You go by Dwayne?”
“That’s right.”
“Any other names?”
“People called me D.J. when I was growing up. Everybody called me that.”
“And where did you grow up?”
“Mesa, Arizona.”
“Mr. Corliss, how many times have you been arrested before?”
Minton objected but the judge overruled. I knew she was going to give me a lot of room with this witness since I was the one who had supposedly been sandbagged.
“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.”
