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Lacy made a note on her legal pad and said, A quick question.
The phone you used fifteen minutes ago had a different number than the phone you used last week.
Is that a question?
I use a lot of prepaid phones.
And I move around all the time.
Im assuming the number I have for you is a cell phone issued by your employer, correct?
We dont use personal phones for state business, so my number is not likely to change.
Thatll make it simpler, I guess.
My phones change by the month, sometimes by the week.
She said, Okay, Mr.
Mix, at this point Hugo and I go silent.
You were coy enough on the phone to lure me here.
Mix looked at Hugo with a smile and asked, She always this blunt?
Hugo, unsmiling, nodded yes.
He folded his hands on the table and waited.
Lacy put down her pen.
Mix swallowed a mouthful of beer and began: I practiced law for thirty years in Pensacola.
Small firmwe usually had five or six lawyers.
Back in the day we did well and life was good.
I never trusted the guy but he was making so much money I finally took the bait.
I started dreaming of getting rich, which, in Florida anyway, can lead to serious trouble.
My friend was cooking the books and taking on way too much debt, stuff I didnt know about.
A lot of folks got burneddevelopers, bankers, realtors, lawyers, and other shysters.
Lost my license and made a lot of enemies.
Now I lie low.
I applied for reinstatement and got my license back.
I have one client these days, and hes the guy well talk about from now on.
From the empty chair, he retrieved an unmarked file and handed it to Lacy.
Heres the scoop on me.
Newspaper articles, my plea agreement, all the stuff you might need.
Im legit, or as legit an any ex-con can be, and every word Im saying is true.
Whats your address now?
I have a brother up in Myrtle Beach and I use his address for legal purposes.
Carlita has a place in Tampa and I get some mail there.
Basically, though, I live on this boat.
I have phones, fax, WiFi, a small shower, cold beer, and a nice lady.
Im a happy guy.
We bounce around Florida, the Keys, the Bahamas.
Not a bad retirement, thanks to Uncle Sam.
Why do you have a client?
Lacy asked, ignoring the file.
My friend looked me up, then convinced me to take his case.
Dont ask for the clients name, because I dont have it.
My friend is the intermediary.
You dont know the name of your client?
No, nor do I want to.
Are we supposed to ask why or just accept this?
Gap number one, Mr.
Mix, Lacy said.
And we dont do gaps.
You tell us everything or well leave and take nothing with us.
Just relax, okay?
Mix said as he chugged some beer.
This is a long story that will take some time to unfold.
There was a long pause as Lacy and Hugo allowed this to sink in.
Finally, she asked, Then why are you in the game?
My client wants to pursue a claim under the Florida Whistleblower Statute.
He dreams of collecting millions.
Me, Ill take a nice cut, and if all goes well, Ill never need clients.
Then he must be a state employee, Lacy said.
I know the law, Ms. Stoltz.
You have a demanding job, I dont.
I have plenty of time to pore over the code sections and case law.
Yes, my client is employed by the State of Florida.
No, his identity cannot be revealed; not now, anyway.
We cannot proceed without a signed, formal complaint, Lacy said.
The statute, as you know, is very clear.
Ill sign the complaint.
Yes, as required.
I believe my client is telling the truth and Im willing to sign my name.
And youre not afraid?
Ive lived with fear for a long time.
I guess Im accustomed to it, though things could get worse.
Mix reached for another file and withdrew some papers, which he placed on the table.
He continued, Six months ago, I went to court up in Myrtle Beach and changed my name.
Im now Greg Myers, the name Ill use on the complaint.
A state employee too frightened to come forward.
A reformed lawyer so spooked that he went to court in another state and changed his name.
An ex-con with no real address.
He asked, Do you consider yourself to be in hiding at this moment?
Lets say Im just real cautious, Mr. Hatch.
Lacy said, Well, it certainly sounds like youre hiding.
Myers just nodded as though he agreed.
All three took a sip.
A breeze finally arrived and broke some of the humidity.
Lacy flipped through the thin file and said, A question.
Were your legal troubles in any way connected to the judicial misconduct you want to discuss?
The nodding stopped as he weighed the question.
He refuses to use email, snail mail, fax, or any key in of traceable phone.
Its awkward and time-consuming, but quite safe.
No trail, no records, nothing left behind.
And if you needed him right now, how would you find him?
I suppose I would call the middleman and wait an hour or so.
Where does this client live?
Somewhere along the Florida Panhandle.
Lacy took a deep breath and exchanged glances with Hugo.
She said, Okay, whats the story?
Myers gazed into the distance, across the water, beyond the boats.
A drawbridge was opening and he seemed mesmerized by it.
Finally, he said, There are many chapters to the story, some still being written.
Thats the real question right now: Do you want to get involved?
Is there judicial misconduct?
The word misconduct would be a massive understatement.
What I know involves corruption at a level never before known in this country.
You see, Ms. Stoltz and Mr. Hatch, my sixteen months in prison were not completely wasted.
They put me in charge of the law library and I kept my nose in the books.
Ive studied every single case of judicial corruption thats ever been prosecuted, in all fifty states.
I have the research, the files, notes, everything.
Im quite the resource, just in case you ever need a know-it-all.
And the story I can tell you involves more dirty cash than all the others combined.
Theres a man rotting away on death row an hour from here who was framed.
The question is, do you want to get involved?
It could be dangerous.
Why not go to the FBI?
Ive dealt with the FBI, Mr. Hatch, and things went badly.
I dont trust them or anyone with a badge, especially in this state.
Lacy said, Again, Mr. Myers, we are not armed.
Were not criminal investigators.
It sounds like you need several branches of the federal government.
But you have subpoena power, Myers said.
You have statutes that give you the right to obtain subpoenas.
you might require any judge in this state to produce every record maintained in his or her office.
You have considerable power, Ms. Stoltz.
So in many ways you do investigate criminal activity.
Hugo said, True, but were not equipped to deal with gangsters.
If your story is true, it sounds like the bad guys are well organized.
Ever hear of the Catfish Mafia?
Myers asked after another long pull on the bottle.
No, Hugo replied.
Lacy shook her head.
Well, its another long story.
Yes, Mr. Hatch, its a gang thats well organized.
But, there is one enterprise in which theyve purchased a judge.
And that does concern you.
The Conspirator rocked in the wake of an old shrimp boat and for a moment all three were quiet.
Lacy asked, What if we decline to get involved?
What happens to your story?
If I file a formal complaint, arent you required to get involved?
In theory, yes.
We then notify the target, the judge, and ruin his day.
But we can also be very adept at ignoring complaints.
Hugo said with a smile, Oh yes.
We can duck and delay with the best of them.
You cant duck this one, Myers said.
If its so big, why hasnt it been discovered before now?
Because its still unfolding.
Because the time hasnt been right.
One of our very own?
When do we get his name?
Youre assuming its a male.
Were not assuming anything.
Thats a good way to start.
Lets take a stroll over to the restaurant there and have a drink, he said.
They have a bar inside with plenty of AC.
He clutched an olive-colored leather courier bag, well used and seemingly attached to his body.
Lacy wondered what was inside.
Cash, a fake passport?
As they walked along the pier, Lacy asked, Is this one of your hangouts?
Why would I answer that?
Myers retorted, and Lacy wished shed said nothing.
Hugo shook his head.
Lacy kicked herself in the rump.
The restaurant was empty now, and they took a table inside, overlooking the harbor.
After roasting in the heat for the past hour, they found the air almost too frigid.
Iced tea for the investigators, coffee for Mr. Myers.
They were alone; no one could possibly hear them.
What if were not too enthused about this case?
Then I suppose Ill eventually go to Plan B, but I dont really want to.
Plan B involves the press, a couple of reporters I know, neither of whom is completely reliable.
One is in Mobile, the other in Miami.
Frankly, I think theyll spook easily.
What makes you so sure we wont spook easily, Mr. Myers?
As weve said, were not accustomed to dealing with gangsters.
We have a full caseload anyway.
Im sure you do.
No shortage of bad judges.
Actually, there arent many.
Just a few bad apples, but there are enough disgruntled litigants to keep us busy.
Lots of complaints, most of which have little merit.
Myers slowly removed his aviator shades and placed them on the table.
It was obvious he rarely took the glasses off.
Hugo said, About this Catfish Mafia.
Myers grunted with a smile, as if he couldnt wait to spin a yarn.
You want the story, huh?
You brought it up.
The waitress placed their drinks on the table and disappeared.
Myers took a sip and began: It goes back fifty years or so.
Over time, they settled along the Mississippi coast, around Biloxi and Gulfport.
The ones who didnt get shot were indicted and sent to prison.
When gambling was legalized in Biloxi, it really knocked a hole in their business.
They made a lot of money, reorganized, and morphed into an outfit known as the Coast Mafia.
Hugo was shaking his head.
They dont advertise, and their names are never in the papers.
I doubt if a member has been arrested in the past ten years.
Its a small data pipe, very tight and disciplined.
I suspect most members are blood kin.
A bad dude but a very smart man.
They had a few good years, then things went to hell when they crossed up some Colombians.
His brother got shot too, except he didnt survive and his body was never found.
They fled Miami but not Florida.
Why am I not surprised?
As a whole, the Seminole casinos are grossing four billion a year.
Omar and his boys found the opportunity irresistible.
Thats a fair summary.
But the FBI has jurisdiction over Indian matters, Hugo said.
Plus, Mr. Hatch, and hey listen as I repeat myself, Im not dealing with the FBI.
They dont have the facts.
I do, and Im talking to you.
When do we get the whole story?
As soon as your boss, Mr. Geismar, gives the green light.
Hugo tapped his knuckles on the table and thought about his family.
Lacy watched another shrimp boat inch through the harbor and wondered how Geismar would react.
Myers watched them and almost felt sorry for them.
