“Did y’all press charges?”
“Naw, we rarely do. I went to court the next day, talked to the cops, and got him out. He had a broken nose and two puffy eyes. I drove him home and told him never to come back. I really kicked his ass.”
“So you work security?” Joey asked. “Thought you were building apartments.”
“That’s my day job. Sometimes I work the clubs. A guy’s gotta do something at night.” His cockiness had only grown worse with age. His father was the king of the underworld, with plenty of money and power, and now he was grooming his oldest son to learn the business. He paid him well and Hugh always had plenty of cash. And fast cars, nicer clothes, more expensive tastes.
They bantered back and forth, then enjoyed more of Hugh’s exploits in the clubs. He had the floor and relished telling stories about the shady characters he encountered on the Strip.
Keith listened, laughed, drank his beer, and acted as though all was well, but he knew these moments were fleeting. The friendships were about to change, or vanish altogether. In a few short months, his father, and his family, would be in the middle of a rough campaign that pitted new versus old, good versus evil.
For him and Hugh, it was probably their last beer together. The moment Jesse Rudy announced his campaign, the conflict would be clearly defined, and there would be no going back. At first, the underworld would be amused at yet another politician promising to clean up Biloxi, but that would soon change. Jesse Rudy had an iron will and a strong moral compass and he played to win. He would battle the crooks to the bitter end, all the way to the ballot box.
And his family would be at his side.
Keith wasn’t sure where the other friends would land. Denny was already bored with college but would not jeopardize his deferment. He and Hugh were talking about renovating some retail spaces together. Denny didn’t have a dime, so any financing would no doubt come from Mr. Malco. It was well known that he had his tentacles in many legitimate businesses and used them to launder his dirty money.
Joey’s father had once been close to Lance, but was a commercial fisherman and stayed away from the mobsters. Keith had no idea how Joey would deal with a split in the gang.
The thought of the friends dividing over politics was unsettling, but the fault lines were just under the surface.
They left the bar and piled into Hugh’s latest sports car, a 1966 Mustang convertible. He drove them to Mary Mahoney’s Old French House and paid cash for a big dinner of steaks and seafood.
Keith was prescient in his feeling that it would be their last night on the town together.
Part
Two
The
Crusader
Chapter 14
On a raw, windy day in late February, Jesse Rudy walked to the Harrison County Courthouse to meet with Rex Dubisson, the district attorney. His office was on the second floor, down the hall from the main courtroom. The two had known each other for years and had worked many cases from opposite sides. On four occasions they had squared off in the courtroom and fought over the guilt or innocence of Jesse’s clients. As expected, Rex had won three out of four. District attorneys rarely went to trial with cases they were not confident of winning. The facts were on their side because the defendants were usually guilty.
The two lawyers respected one another, though Jesse’s admiration was tempered by the belief that Rex had little interest in fighting organized crime. He was a good prosecutor who ran a tight office and boasted, predictably, of a 90 percent conviction rate. That sounded good at the Rotary Club lunches, but the truth was that at least 90 percent of the folks he indicted were guilty of something.
After coffee was served and they got through the weather, Jesse said, “I’ll not beat around the bush. I’m here to tell you that I’m running for DA and will announce my candidacy tomorrow.”