Noll stated the obvious. “But the election is irrelevant if we don’t have a horse in the race.”
Lance said, “We’ll find one. There are plenty of hungry lawyers out there.”
* * *
For decades the FBI had shown little interest in the notorious criminal activity in Harrison County. There were two reasons: First, the crimes violated state statutes, not federal; and, second, Fats Bowman and his predecessors didn’t want the Feds snooping around their turf and possibly discovering their own corruption. The FBI had enough business elsewhere and little desire to stir up more trouble in an unwelcoming jurisdiction.
Jackson Lewis was the only Special Agent from the Jackson office who ventured south as far as the Coast and he was rarely seen in Biloxi. Jesse had met him several times, even had lunch with him shortly after taking office. His goal during his next term, assuming he was reelected, was to establish a better relationship with Lewis and the FBI and lean on them.
In the first week of January, Lewis called and said he was passing through and wanted to say hello. The following day, he arrived at Jesse’s courthouse office with Spence Whitehead, a rookie agent on his first assignment. For almost an hour they drank coffee and chatted about nothing urgent. Whitehead was intrigued by the history of the Biloxi underworld and seemed ready to jump in the middle of it. There were hints that the FBI was being pressured to establish more of a presence on the Coast. Jesse suspected Governor Waller and the state police were having back-channel conversations with the Feds.
“When is the Malco trial?” Lewis asked.
“March seventeenth.”
“How does it look from your point of view?”
“I’m confident we’ll get a conviction. At least eight of the girls will testify against Malco and describe the sex business in his nightclub. One of his three managers has flipped and is cooperating. We’re squeezing the other two but so far they’re playing it tough. His prostitution racket has been common knowledge for a long time and the community is tired of it. We’ll convict him.”
The agents glanced at each other. Lewis said, “We have an idea. What if we drop in on Malco and have a chat? Introduce ourselves.”
Jesse said, “I like it. As far as I know, he’s never been confronted by the FBI. It’s about time you guys showed up.”
Lewis said, “Perhaps, but in all fairness the folks who control the Coast have never wanted us around. You’re the first person with real authority who’s had the guts to take on these boys.”
“Yes, and look where it gets me. These days I’m carrying a gun, one my wife knows nothing about.”
Lewis said, “Look, Mr. Rudy, we’re in town now. We’ll introduce ourselves to Lance Malco, Shine Tanner, and some others.”
“I have the list.”
“Great. We’ll knock on some doors, cause a little trouble, stir up the gossip.”
“I know these thugs. Some will scare easily, others less so. Malco is the toughest and won’t say a word unless his lawyer is in the room.”
Lewis said, “Well, we may go see his lawyer too. Just a friendly drop-in.”
“Please do. And welcome to Biloxi.”
Chapter 34
Lance Malco’s declining health took another blow when Jesse Rudy picked off another underboss. Ten days before the trial of Coot Reed, the longtime general manager of Foxy’s, the pressure finally got to him and he lost his loyalty.
Early on a Friday morning, Coot drove to Gulf Shores, Alabama, and found the beach cottage where Fritz Haberstroh was hiding. Fritz was under subpoena to return to Biloxi and testify against Coot, a scenario that neither wanted. During a long walk on a deserted beach, Fritz described the deal Keith Rudy had laid out for his brother George. Fritz was of the opinion that the same deal was on the table for Coot and Bobby Lopez, the other floor manager, whose trial was three weeks away.