“No prison?”
“Not another day behind bars.”
Burch walked to the table and picked up the sketch. “Mind if I take this?”
“It’s your copy. Go show it to your client.”
“It’s blackmail.”
“？‘Ruthless’ sounds better, but I don’t care. You have twenty-four hours.”
* * *
Lance Malco stood behind his desk and stared at a wall. Nevin Noll sat in a chair to the side, puffing a cigarette. Hugh stood by the door and looked as if he wanted to cry. Burch sat in the middle of the room under a cloud of smoke. The sketch was in the center of the desk.
Lance asked, “How long would I serve?”
“Roughly two-thirds of the sentence. With good behavior.”
“That son of a bitch,” Hugh mumbled for the tenth time.
“Any chance of getting moved back here to the county jail?”
“Maybe, after a couple of years. Fats could probably pull some strings.”
“That son of a bitch.”
Lance moved slowly to his swivel chair and sat down. He smiled at Burch and said, “I can take anything they throw at me, Burch. I’m not afraid of prison.”
* * *
Burch called Jesse and tried to chat like they were old friends. The favor he wanted was a quiet and quick hearing to get it over with, but Jesse would have none of it. In his finest hour, he wanted a spectacle.
On May 12, a crowd gathered in the courtroom to witness history. The front row was filled with reporters, and behind them several dozen spectators waited anxiously to see if the rumors were true. Every courthouse had a collection of bored or semi-retired lawyers who missed nothing and were adept at spreading gossip, and all were present. Being officers of the court, they were allowed to enter through the bar, mill about with the clerks, even sit in the jury box when it wasn’t being used. Keith was not one of them but he found a chair near the prosecution’s table. During a casual glance at the crowd he made eye contact with Hugh. It was not a pleasant exchange. If looks could kill.
Carmen Malco was not present, nor were her other two adult children. Lance didn’t want them near the courthouse. The headlines would be brutal enough.
A bailiff called court to order and everyone stood. Judge Oliphant appeared and took his seat at the bench. He motioned for the crowd to sit and called Mr. Rudy to the podium. Jesse announced that a plea bargain had been agreed upon between the State and the defendant Bobby Lopez.
Joshua Burch bounced to his feet and strutted to the bench where he motioned for his client to join him. Jesse stood on the other side. The courtroom listened as the judge read the charges. Lopez pled guilty on all counts and was ordered to return in a month for sentencing. As he returned to his seat, His Honor called, “State of Mississippi versus Lance Malco.” The defendant rose from his seat at the defense table and walked forward as if he had nothing to fear. Dressed in a dark suit, starched white shirt, and paisley tie, he could have passed for one of the lawyers. He brushed by Jesse without making contact. He stood between Burch and the DA and looked arrogantly up at the judge.
After he pled guilty to one count of “having control over the use of a place and knowingly allowing another person to use said place for prostitution” he was asked if he was ready to be sentenced. Burch answered that he was. Judge Oliphant sentenced him to ten years in the state penitentiary at Parchman and fined him $5,000. Malco accepted the sentence without flinching and never blinked.
The Judge said, “I hereby remand you to the custody of the county sheriff to be transported to Parchman.”
Malco nodded, said nothing, and walked proudly back to his seat. When the hearing was adjourned, he was led by two bailiffs through a side door and taken to jail.