Once you catch up withChapter 1andChapter 2, enjoy your first taste of Chapter 3, below.
He always asked for a few more bucks, and he always received a few less.
Such was the life of the director of an agency that most lawmakers did not even know existed.
He needed more staff but there was no money.
When the Board met for official business, it borrowed a conference room in the Florida Supreme Court building.
Hugo was saying, The guy checks out.
Weve talked to contacts in Pensacola, people who knew him when he was a lawyer.
Nice reputation and all, at least until he got indicted.
He is who he says he is, albeit with a new name.
Lacy added, His prison record is spotless.
Hugo replied, I dug deep enough to verify what Myers said.
He squealed on everybody else in the indictment, especially Kubiak, and did some major damage.
Probably a good thing that hes hiding on the high seas with a different name.
He got only sixteen months.
Everybody else got at least five years, with Kubiak taking the grand prize.
Lacy replied, Two divorces, single now.
Wife number two left him when he went to prison.
One son from the first marriage, guy lives in California and owns a restaurant.
When Myers pled guilty he paid a fine of a hundred thousand.
At his sentencing, he testified that his legal fees were about the same.
That plus the fine wiped him out.
He filed for bankruptcy the week before he went to prison.
Hugo tossed around some enlarged photos and said, Which makes this somewhat intriguing.
I snapped a picture of his boat when we met him.
Regardless, it feels like an expensive lifestyle.
So the obvious question is, how does he afford it?
Lacy took the handoff.
Theres a good chance he buried some of the loot offshore when the FBI came in.
It was a big RICO case with a lot of casualties.
He says a lot of the defendants were trying to hide cash.
But, well probably never know.
If the FBI couldnt find it seven years ago, its safe to assume we wont find it now.
Geismar mumbled, As if we have the time to look.
So this guys a crook?
He glanced at Sadelle and offered a quick smile, one that was not returned.
Im not sure I buy the theory of hidden money.
Would the guy run that risk?
Hugo replied, I dont know.
He seems pretty careful.
And, keep in mind, hes been out of prison for six years.
You gotta wait five years in Florida before you might reapply for admission to the bar.
While he was waiting, perhaps he was making a buck here and there.
He seems pretty resourceful.
Lacy asked, Why does it really matter?
Are we investigating him or a corrupt judge?
Good point, Geismar said.
And he implied the judge is a woman?
Sort of, Lacy replied.
He wasnt real clear.
She inhaled with effort and spoke with the usual raspy voice, one ravaged by nicotine.
There, out of six hundred judges, about a third are female.
With nine casinos scattered over the state, its a waste of time to start guessing.
And this so-called mafia?
She sucked in as much as her lungs could hold and said, Who knows?
It looks like most of them were long on legend and short on criminal efficiency.
Just a bunch of Bubbas who liked to sell whiskey and break legs.
Not one word anywhere of a so-called Catfish Mafia, or a Coast Mafia.
Not to say it doesnt exist, but I found nothing.
Her voice collapsed as she gasped for breath.
Not so fast, Lacy said.
I ran across an article in the Little Rock newspaper from almost forty years ago.
Seems he sold catfish out the front and bootleg liquor out the back.
They eventually settled around Biloxi.
Sadelle announced, Well, I stand corrected.
Thanks for the enlightenment.
Hugo asked, May I ask the obvious question?
Myers cant stop us at that point, right?
Of course not, Geismar said.
And thats exactly what will happen.
He does not control the investigation, we do.
And if we need help, well certainly get it.
So were going to do it?
Damned right were doing it, Hugo.
We really have no choice.
Lacy, any hesitation?
If he wants to hear my voice, then get him on the phone.
He said he was tied up with business matters and would call back later.
The connection was weak and scratchy, as if he was somewhere far from land.
An hour later, Myers called Lacy again and asked for a meeting.
He said he wanted to see her and Hugo again and discuss the case.
He would refuse to sign and file the complaint unless they met with him.
Geismar said go, and they waited for Myers to pick his spot.
Hundreds of kids splashed and played in the water as their mothers sat under large umbrellas and sipped bev-erages.
The Meadows had survived the Great Recession and been remarketed as a multiracial community for young families.
Hugo and Verna Hatch had bought there five years earlier, after child number two.
Now that they had four, their 2,200-square-foot bungalow was crowded.
Moving up, though, was not an option.
Pippin was a month old and so far had been an extremely cranky child.
Lacy occasionally babysat the Hatch kids so their parents could have a break.
Babysitters were usually not hard to find.
Both grandmothers lived within thirty miles.
Occasionally, Verna and Hugo needed a hand with the kids but wanted to avoid the relatives.
She took Pippin as Verna went to fetch drinks.
There were no other singles present, no prospects, though Lacy had not anticipated any.
She seldom dated because there were so few eligible men, or so few who appealed to her.
Verna returned with two beers and sat across from her.
She whispered, Why does she always get quiet when you hold her?
Lacy smiled and shrugged.
At thirty-six, she wondered every day if she would ever hold a child of her own.
She didnt have the answer, but as the clock ticked she worried that her chances were getting slimmer.
Verna looked tired, as did Hugo.
They wanted a large family of their own, but, seriously, werent four kids enough?
Lacy wouldnt dare start that conversation, but to her the answer was obvious.
But how can you possibly expect to afford tuition for four kids?
Lacy was surprised because Hugo was a firm believer in leaving his work at the office.
That, plus the BJC stressed confidentiality for obvious reasons.
Lacy said, It could be big, or it could turn into nothing.
He hasnt told me much, he never does, but he seems to be a little worried.
Whats odd is that Ive never considered your jobs to be dangerous.
Were not cops with guns.
Were lawyers with subpoenas.
He said he wished he could carry a gun.
That really bothers me, Lacy.
You gotta promise me you guys are not getting into something dangerous.
Verna, Ill make you a promise.
If I ever feel the need to carry a gun, Ill quit and find another job.
Ive never fired a gun in my life.
Pippin, asleep for all of fifteen minutes, suddenly erupted with a screech.
Verna reached for her and said, That child, that child.
Lacy handed her over and went to check on the burgers.
