“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.”
