I felt the dull thud of dread drop into my stomach. I knew I could be on borrowed time.
“Most of the time, though, that doesn’t happen,” she continued. “Two or three days is what it will usually take on a rush. And if you want the whole package-casing and slug comparisons-it could take longer because the slug could be damaged and tough to read. They have to work with it.”
I nodded. I didn’t think any of that could help me. I knew they had recovered a bullet casing at the crime scene. If Lankford and Sobel got a match on that to the casing of a bullet fired fifty years ago from Mickey Cohen’s gun, they would come for me and worry about the slug comparison later.
“You still there?” Maggie asked.
“Yeah. I was just thinking of something.”
“You don’t sound so chipper anymore. You want to talk about this, Michael?”
“No, not right now. But if I end up needing a good lawyer, you know who I’ll call.”
“That’ll be the day.”
“You might be surprised.”
I let some more silence into the conversation. Just having her on the other end of the line was a calming comfort. I liked it.
“Haller, I should get back to my job now.”
“Okay, Maggie, put those bad guys away.”
“I will.”
“Good night.”
I closed the phone and thought about things for a few moments, then opened it up again and called the Sheraton Universal to see if they had a room available. I had decided that as a precaution I would not go home this night. There might be two detectives from Glendale waiting for me.
Wednesday, May 25
THIRTY-EIGHT
After a sleepless night in a bad hotel bed I got to the courthouse early on Wednesday morning and found no welcoming party, no Glendale detectives waiting with smiles and a warrant for my arrest. A flash of relief went through me as I made my way through the metal detector. I was wearing the same suit I had worn the day before but was hoping no one would notice. I did have a fresh shirt and tie on. I keep spares in the trunk of the Lincoln for summer days when I’m working up in the desert and the car’s air conditioner can get overwhelmed.
When I got to Judge Fullbright’s courtroom I was surprised to find I was not the first of the trial’s players to arrive. Minton was in the gallery, setting up the screen for his PowerPoint presentation. Because the courtroom had been designed before the era of computer-enhanced presentations, there was no place to put a twelve-foot screen in comfortable view of the jury, the judge, and the lawyers. A good chunk of the gallery space would be taken up by the screen, and any spectator who sat behind it wouldn’t get to see the show.
“Bright and early,” I said to Minton.
He looked over from his work and seemed a bit surprised to see me in early as well.
“Have to work out the logistics of this thing. It’s kind of a pain.”
“You could always do it the old-fashioned way and just look at the jury and talk directly to them.”
“No, thanks. I like this better. Did you talk to your client about the offer?”
“Yeah, no sale. Looks like we ride this one to the end.”
I put my briefcase down on the defense table and wondered if the fact that Minton was setting up for his closing argument meant he had decided against mounting any kind of rebuttal. A sharp jab of panic went through me. I looked over at the state’s table and saw nothing that gave me a clue to what Minton was planning. I knew I could flat out ask him but I did not want to give away my appearance of disinterested confidence.
Instead, I sauntered over to the bailiff’s desk to talk to Bill Meehan, the deputy who ran Fullbright’s court. I saw on his desk a spread of paperwork. He would have the courtroom calendar as well as the list of custodies bused to the courthouse that morning.
“Bill, I’m going to grab a cup of coffee. You want something?”
“No, man, but thanks. I’m set on caffeine. For a while, at least.”
I smiled and nodded.
“Hey, is that the custody list? Can I take a look and see if any of my clients are on it?”
“Sure.”
Meehan handed me several pages that were stapled together. It was a listing by name of every inmate that was now housed in the courthouse’s jails. Following the name was the courtroom each prisoner was headed to. Acting as nonchalant as I could I scanned the list and quickly found the name Dwayne Jeffery Corliss on it. Minton’s snitch was in the building and was headed to Fullbright’s court. I almost let out a sigh of relief but kept it all inside. It looked like Minton was going to play things the way I had hoped and planned.
“Something wrong?” Meehan asked.
I looked at him and handed back the list.
“No, why?”
“I don’t know. You look like something happened, is all.”
“Nothing’s happened yet but it will.”
I left the courtroom and went down to the cafeteria on the second floor. When I was in line paying for my coffee I saw Maggie McPherson walk in and go directly to the coffee urns. After I paid I walked up behind her as she was mixing powder from a pink packet into her coffee.
“Sweet ’N Low,” I said. “My ex-wife used to tell me that’s how she liked it.”
She turned and saw me.
“Stop, Haller.”
But she smiled.
“Stop, Haller, or I’ll holler,” I said. “She used to have to say that, too. A lot.”
“What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be up on six getting ready to pull the plug on Minton’s PowerPoint?”
“I’m not worried. In fact, you ought to come up and check it out. Old school versus new school, a battle for the ages.”
“Hardly. By the way, isn’t that the same suit you were wearing yesterday?”
“Yeah, it’s my lucky suit. But how do you know what I was wearing yesterday?”
“Oh, I popped my head in Fullbite’s court for a couple minutes yesterday. You were too busy questioning your client to notice.”
I was secretly pleased that she would even notice my suits. I knew it meant something.
“So, then, why don’t you pop your head in again this morning?”
“Today I can’t. I’m too busy.”
“What’ve you got?”
“I’m taking over a murder one for Andy Seville. He’s quitting to go private and yesterday they divided up his cases. I got the good one.”
“Nice. Does the defendant need a lawyer?”
“No way, Haller. I’m not losing another one to you.”
“Just kidding. I’ve got my hands full.”
She snapped a top onto her cup and picked it up off the counter, using a layer of napkins as insulation against its heat.
“Same here. So I’d wish you good luck today but I can’t.”
“Yeah, I know. Gotta keep the company line. Just cheer up Minton when he comes down with his hat in his hand.”
“I’ll try.”
She left the cafeteria and I walked over to an empty table. I still had fifteen minutes before the trial was supposed to start up again. I pulled out my cell and called my second ex-wife.
“Lorna, it’s me. We’re in play with Corliss. Are you set?”
“I’m ready.”
“Okay, I’m just checking. I’ll call you.”
“Good luck today, Mickey.”
“Thanks. I’ll need it. You be ready for the next call.”
I closed the phone and was about to get up when I saw LAPD Detective Howard Kurlen cutting through the tables toward me. The man who put Jesus Menendez in prison didn’t look like he was stopping in for a peanut butter and sardine sandwich. He was carrying a folded document. He got to my table and dropped it in front of my coffee cup.
“What is this shit?” he demanded.
I started unfolding the document, even though I knew what it was.
“Looks like a subpoena, Detective. I would’ve thought you’d know what it is.”
“You know what I mean, Haller. What’s the game? I’ve got nothing to do with that case up there and I don’t want to be a part of your bullshit.”
“It’s no game and it’s no bullshit. You’ve been subpoenaed as a rebuttal witness.”
“To rebut what? I told you and you already know, I didn’t have a goddamn thing to do with that case. It’s Marty Booker’s and I just talked to him and he said it’s gotta be a mistake.”
I nodded like I wanted to be accommodating.
“I’ll tell you what, go on up to the courtroom and take a seat. If it’s a mistake I’ll get it straightened out as soon as I can. I doubt you’ll be here another hour. I’ll get you out of there and back chasing the bad guys.”
“How about this? I leave now and you straighten it out whenever the fuck you want.”
“I can’t do that, Detective. That is a valid and lawful subpoena and you must appear in that courtroom unless otherwise discharged. I told you, I will do that as soon as I can. The state’s got one witness and then it’s my turn and I’ll take care of it.”
“This is such bullshit.”
He turned from me and stalked back through the cafeteria toward the doorway. Luckily, he had left the subpoena with me, because it was phony. I had never registered it with the court clerk and the scribbled signature at the bottom was mine.
Bullshit or not, I didn’t think Kurlen was leaving the courthouse. He was a man who understood duty and the law. He lived by it. It was what I was counting on. He would be in the courtroom until discharged. Or until he understood why I had called him there.
THIRTY-NINE
At 9:30 the judge put the jury in the box and immediately proceeded with the day’s business. I glanced back at the gallery and caught sight of Kurlen in the back row. He had a pensive, if not angry, cast to his face. He was close to the door and I didn’t know how long he would last. I was figuring I would need that whole hour I had told him about.
I glanced further around the room and saw that Lankford and Sobel were sitting on a bench next to the bailiff’s desk that was designated for law enforcement personnel. Their faces revealed nothing but they still put the pause in me. I wondered if I would even get the hour I needed.
“Mr. Minton,” the judge intoned, “does the state have any rebuttal?”
I turned back to the court. Minton stood up, adjusted his jacket and then seemed to hesitate and brace himself before responding.
“Yes, Your Honor, the state calls Dwayne Jeffery Corliss as a rebuttal witness.”
I stood up and noticed to my right that Meehan, the bailiff, had stood up as well. He was going to go into the courtroom lockup to retrieve Corliss.
“Your Honor?” I said. “Who is Dwayne Jeffery Corliss and why wasn’t I told about him before now?”
“Deputy Meehan, hold on a minute,” Fullbright said.
Meehan stood frozen with the key to the lockup door poised in his hand. The judge then apologized to the jury but told them they had to go back into the deliberation room until recalled. After they filed through the door behind the box, the judge turned her focus onto Minton.
“Mr. Minton, do you want to tell us about your witness?”
“Dwayne Corliss is a cooperating witness who spoke with Mr. Roulet when he was in custody following his arrest.”
“Bullshit!” Roulet barked. “I didn’t talk to -”
“Be quiet, Mr. Roulet,” the judge boomed. “Mr. Haller, instruct your client on the danger of outbursts in my courtroom.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
I was still standing. I leaned down to whisper in Roulet’s ear.
“That was perfect,” I said. “Now be cool and I’ll take it from here.”
He nodded and leaned back. He angrily folded his arms across his chest. I straightened up.
“I’m sorry, Your Honor, but I do share my client’s outrage over this last-ditch effort by the state. This is the first we have heard of Mr. Corliss. I would like to know when he came forward with this supposed conversation.”
Minton had remained standing. I thought it was the first time in the trial that we had stood side by side and argued to the judge.
“Mr. Corliss first contacted the office through a prosecutor who handled the first appearance of the defendant,” Minton said. “However, that information was not passed on to me until yesterday when in a staff meeting I was asked why I had never acted on the information.”
This was a lie but not one I wanted to expose. To do so would reveal Maggie McPherson’s slip on St. Patrick’s Day and it might also derail my plan. I had to be careful. I needed to argue vigorously against Corliss taking the stand but I also needed to lose the argument.
I put my best look of outrage on my face.
“This is incredible, Your Honor. Just because the DA’s office has a communication problem, my client has to suffer the consequences of not being informed that the state had a witness against him? This man should clearly not be allowed to testify. It’s too late to bring him in now.”
“Your Honor,” Minton said, jumping in quickly. “I have had no time to interview or depose Mr. Corliss myself. Because I was preparing my closing I simply made arrangements for him to be brought here today. His testimony is key to the state’s case because it serves as rebuttal to Mr. Roulet’s self-serving statements. To not allow his testimony is a serious disservice to the state.”
I shook my head and smiled in frustration. With his last line Minton was threatening the judge with the loss of the DA’s backing should she ever face an election with an opposing candidate.
“Mr. Haller?” the judge asked. “Anything before I rule?”
“I just want my objection on the record.”
“So noted. If I were to give you time to investigate and interview Mr. Corliss, how much would you need?”
“A week.”
Now Minton put on the fake smile and shook his head.
“That’s ridiculous, Your Honor.”
“Do you want to go back and talk to him?” the judge asked me. “I’ll allow it.”
“No, Your Honor. As far as I’m concerned all jailhouse snitches are liars. It would do me no good to interview him because anything that comes out of his mouth would be a lie. Anything. Besides, it’s not what he has to say. It’s what others have to say about him. That’s what I would need time for.”
“Then I am going to rule that he can testify.”
“Your Honor,” I said. “If you are going to allow him into this courtroom, could I ask one indulgence for the defense?”
“What is that, Mr. Haller?”
“I would like to step into the hallway and make a quick phone call to an investigator. It will take me less than a minute.”
The judge thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Go ahead. I will bring the jury in while you do it.”
“Thank you.”
I hurried through the gate and down the middle aisle. My eyes caught those of Howard Kurlen and he gave me one of his best smirks.
In the hallway I speed-dialed Lorna Taylor’s cell phone and she answered right away.
“Okay, how far away are you?”
“About fifteen minutes.”
“Did you remember the printout and the tape?”
“Got it all right here.”
I looked at my watch. It was a quarter to ten.
“Okay, well, we’re in play here. Don’t delay getting here but then I want you to wait out in the hall outside the courtroom. Then at ten-fifteen come into court and give it to me. If I’m crossing the witness, just sit in the first row and wait until I notice you.”
“Got it.”
I closed the phone and went back into the courtroom. The jury was seated and Meehan was leading a man in a gray jumpsuit through the lockup door. Dwayne Corliss was a thin man with stringy hair that wasn’t getting washed enough in the lockdown drug program at County-USC. He wore a blue plastic hospital ID band on his wrist. I recognized him. He was the man who had asked me for a business card when I interviewed Roulet in the holding cell my first day on the case.
Corliss was led by Meehan to the witness box and the court clerk swore him in. Minton took over the show from there.
“Mr. Corliss, were you arrested on March fifth of this year?”
“Yes, the police arrested me for burglary and possession of drugs.”
“Are you incarcerated now?”
Corliss looked around.
“Um, no, I don’t think so. I’m just in the courtroom.”
I heard Kurlen’s coarse laugh behind me but nobody joined in.
“No, I mean are you currently being held in jail? When you are not here in court.”
“I’m in a lockdown drug treatment program in the jail ward at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.”
“Are you addicted to drugs?”
“Yes. I’m addicted to heroin but at the moment I am straight. I haven’t had any since I got arrested.”
“More than sixty days.”
“That’s right.”
“Do you recognize the defendant in this case?”
Corliss looked over at Roulet and nodded.
“Yes, I do.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I met him in lockup after I got arrested.”
“You are saying that after you were arrested you came into close proximity to the defendant, Louis Roulet?”
“Yes, the next day.”
“How did that happen?”
“Well, we were both in Van Nuys jail but in different wards. Then, when we got bused over here to the courts, we were together, first in the bus and then in the tank and then when we were brought into the courtroom for first appearance. We were together all of that time.”
“When you say ‘together,’ what do you mean?”
“Well, we sort of stuck close because we were the only white guys in the group we were in.”
“Now, did you talk at all while you were together for all of that time?”
Corliss nodded his head and at the same time Roulet shook his. I touched my client’s arm to caution him to make no demonstrations.
“Yes, we talked,” Corliss said.
“About what?”
“Mostly about cigarettes. We both needed them but they don’t let you smoke in the jail.”
Corliss made a what-are-you-going-to-do gesture with both hands and a few of the jurors-probably smokers-smiled and nodded.
“Did you reach a point where you asked Mr. Roulet what got him into jail?” Minton asked.
“Yes, I did.”
“What did he say?”
I quickly stood up and objected but just as quickly was overruled.
“What did he tell you, Mr. Corliss?” Minton prompted.
“Well, first he asked me why I was there and I told him. So then I asked him why he was in and he said, ‘For giving a bitch exactly what she deserved.’”
“Those were his words?”
“Yes.”
“Did he elaborate further on what he meant by that?”
“No, not really. Not on that.”
I leaned forward, waiting for Minton to ask the next obvious question. But he didn’t. He moved on.
“Now, Mr. Corliss, have you been promised anything by me or the district attorney’s office in return for your testimony?”
“Nope. I just thought it was the right thing to do.”
“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 miracle would 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.”
“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 click come 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. “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.
“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!”
“Mr. Haller,” the judge prompted.
I looked up at her.
“Yes, Your Honor.”
Carrying the tape and the paper that came with it, I stood up to go back to the lectern. On the way I took a quick glance across the gallery and saw that Kurlen was gone. I had no way of knowing how long he had stayed and what he had heard. Lankford was gone as well. Only Sobel remained and she averted her eyes from mine. I turned my attention to Corliss.
“Mr. Corliss, can you tell the jury exactly where you were when Mr. Roulet supposedly made these revelations to you about murder and assault?”
“When we were together.”
“Together where, Mr. Corliss?”
“Well, on the bus ride we didn’t talk because we were in different seats. But when we got to the courthouse, we were in the same holding cell with about six other guys and we sat together there and we talked.”
“And those six other men all witnessed you and Mr. Roulet talking, correct?”
“They woulda had to. They were there.”
“So what you are saying is that if I brought them in here one by one and asked them if they observed you and Mr. Roulet talking, they would confirm that?”
“Well, they should. But…”
“But what, Mr. Corliss?”
“It’s just that they probably wouldn’t talk, that’s all.”
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