“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 theminefield who had just heard theclickcome from beneath my foot. In my peripheral vision I noticed Minton’s body posture tightening.
“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.
