“Not yet. Never forget, Stofer, that these guys’ll kill you in an instant. Never drop your guard.”
Chapter 27
In May of 1973, Jesse and Agnes, along with their two daughters, Laura and Beverly, made the six-hour drive from Biloxi to Oxford for a weekend celebration. Keith was graduating from law school at Ole Miss, with honors, and the family was rightfully proud. As with most classes, the top students were headed to the larger cities—Jackson, Memphis, New Orleans, maybe even Atlanta—to work by the hour in big firms that represented corporations. The second tier generally stayed in-state and worked for smaller firms specializing in insurance defense. The majority of the graduates went home, where they joined the family firm, or knew someone in an office on the courthouse square, or gamely hung out a shingle and declared themselves ready to sue.
From the first day of classes, Keith knew where he was going and never bothered with a single interview. He loved Biloxi, worshipped his father, and was excited about helping build Rudy & Pettigrew into an important firm on the Coast. He studied hard, at least for the first two years, because he found the law fascinating. During his third year, though, he fell for a brunette undergrad named Ainsley and found her far more interesting. She was only twenty, younger than both Laura and Beverly, and with two more years of college she and Keith were not looking forward to a long-distance romance.
The spring graduation was a time of law school class reunions, alumni gatherings, judicial conferences, bar committee meetings, and parties and dinners. The campus and town seemed choked with lawyers. Since Jesse had not attended Ole Miss, but rather had pursued the more challenging route of night school at Loyola, he felt somewhat like an outsider. He was pleasantly surprised, though, at the number of judges and lawyers who recognized his name and wanted to shake his hand. Barely a year and a half in office, he had received more attention than he’d realized.
Over drinks, several lawyers joked with him about cleaning up the Coast. Don’t get too carried away, they deadpanned. For years they had enjoyed sneaking away for a night or two of fun. Jesse laughed along with their silliness, more determined than ever to resume his war.
After Sunday’s cap-and-gown ceremony, the cameras came out. In every shot of Keith, with his family and friends, Ainsley was by his side.
Driving home, Jesse and Agnes were convinced they had just spent the weekend with their future daughter-in-law. Laura found her adorable. Beverly was more amused by how smitten their big brother was with the girl. The romance was his first serious one and he had fallen hard.
* * *
When Joshua Burch had finally emptied his impressive bag of delaying tactics, and when Judge Nelson Oliphant had finally had enough of said tactics, the matter of the State of Mississippi v. Ginger Eileen Redfield was set for trial. Jesse’s patience had gone out the window months earlier and he was barely speaking to Mr. Burch, though he considered it unprofessional to bicker and pout with opposing lawyers. He was the district attorney, the representative of the State, and it was incumbent upon him to at least strive to behave better than the rest.
On a Wednesday afternoon, Judge Oliphant summoned Mr. Rudy and Mr. Burch to his chambers and handed them the list of prospective jurors he and the circuit clerk had just finished compiling. It had sixty names, all registered voters in Harrison County. Fully aware of the defendant’s background in the underworld and the crowd she ran with, Judge Oliphant was concerned with protecting his pool from “outside influences.” He lectured both lawyers on the pitfalls of jury tampering and threatened harsh sanctions if he caught wind of improper contact. Jesse took the lecture in stride because he knew he wasn’t the target. Burch absorbed it too without objection. He knew his client and her ilk were capable of anything. He promised to warn her.
Two hours later, Deputy Kilgore parked behind Red Velvet, entered through an infamous yellow door that was partially hidden by some old shipping crates, and hurried to Malco’s office.
In the haste to rebuild after Camille, the contractor misread the floor plans and installed a door that was not called for. However, it proved invaluable as it became the secret passage for upstanding men who didn’t want to be seen coming and going through the front door of the club. To visit their favorite girls, they parked in the rear and used the yellow door.