Paula Galloway and the FBI had adopted the strategy of using two indictments. The first was the most urgent and important, and also the easiest. With the testimony of Zeke Foreman and Clyde Westbay, the case for murder was clear and the proof appeared to be beyond a reasonable doubt. Assuming Dubose and his boys had no idea what was coming, they would be arrested within days and locked away with no chance of bail. At the same time, the FBI would raid their homes and offices, along with those of Claudia McDover, Phyllis Turban, Chief Cappel, Billy Cappel, and the lawyers in Biloxi who had represented Dubose for twenty years. Every business that had been identified so far as being part of the organization would be raided, and many of them closed temporarily. The casino would be swarmed by agents with search warrants. The U.S. Attorney was trying to convince a federal judge to close it indefinitely. The second indictment, for racketeering, would include a wave of arrests that would be coordinated with the raids, with McDover getting top billing, and perhaps the Chief right behind her.
Lacy said, “Myers liked to call it a RICO cluster bomb. That’s what nailed him.”
“And a pretty good description. It will be two inches thick. So as Dubose is just finding his way around his jail cell and wondering how in the hell he got charged with murder, he’ll be handed a little RICO gift.”
“He’ll need ten lawyers.”
“True, but he can’t hire them. All of his accounts will be frozen.”
“Myers, Myers. I wonder where he is. I really liked the guy.”
“Well, I doubt if you’ll see him again.”
“Will we ever know what happened to him?”
“I doubt it. The police in Key Largo have found nothing. It’s a cold trail and if Dubose was behind it, we’ll probably never know, unless one of his hit men can be convinced to come clean.”
She poured more wine. The grand jury would work tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday if necessary. The urgency was obvious: a protracted investigation with witnesses being hauled before the grand jury could cause a leak and tip their hand. Those who worked for the organization had the means and the expertise to disappear instantly. Once the Cousins were arrested for murder, their managers, errand boys, drivers, bodyguards, and couriers might feel the need to start running. After eight days of intensive, around-the-clock eavesdropping, the FBI had twenty-nine names on its list of likely gang members.
“So you shoot first and ask questions later,” Lacy said.
“Something like that. And keep in mind, we can always amend an indictment. We can always add or dismiss defendants. It’s a massive investigation and it’ll take a long time to sort through it, but we plan to hit hard and get everybody locked up before they can tamper with evidence. I’m starving.”
“Did you have lunch?”
“No. I had a greasy burger from a drive-thru.”
He tossed the salad as she scooped up the cioppino and filled two bowls. “This is a tomato sauce so I’m thinking a red might be better. You have an opinion?”
“I’d go with red.”
“Good. Open that Barolo over there.”
She pulled a buttered baguette from the oven and served the salads. They sat across the table and sipped the wine. He said, “Smells delicious. Thanks for waiting.”
“I didn’t really want to eat alone.”
“You cook often?”
“No. There’s no need. Gotta question for you.”
“Fire away.”
“At this point in the investigation, how does the informant figure into it?”
“Which informant?”
“The mole, the one close to McDover, the one feeding details to Cooley, who passed them on to Myers.”
Allie chewed on a mouthful of salad and studied her face. “He’s not important right now, but we’ll need him later.”
“He’s a she, and she called me yesterday, really frightened. Someone broke into her house and went through her things. She sees McDover daily and thinks the judge is suspicious.”
“Who is she?”
“I swore not to reveal her identity, at least not now. Maybe later. As I said, she’s frightened and confused and she doesn’t know who to trust.”
“She’ll eventually be an important witness.”
“I’m not sure she’ll come forward.”
“She may have no choice.”
“But you can’t make her testify.”
“No, we can’t, but there are ways to convince her. This stew is delicious.” He dipped a piece of bread into the broth and ate it with his fingers.
“I’m glad you like it. So are you working tomorrow?”
“Oh yes. The grand jury convenes at nine. I have to be there at eight for what should be another long day. Sunday as well.”
“You guys always work like this?”
“No, but then we rarely get cases this big. The adrenaline kicks in. Like this morning when I was in the back of the van with three of our technicians, temperature about 120, and we listened to Westbay as he met with Dubose. That can really get your heart rate up there. It’s a rush, and one of the reasons I love this job.”
“How much can you tell me?”
Allie glanced around the kitchen as if spies were at hand. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything. What did Dubose say?”
“It’s beautiful.”
39
Lacy slept until almost seven Saturday, a late hour for her, and even then wasn’t ready to start the day. However, her dog, Frankie, was going through his usual early morning routine of sniffing and snorting and making sure she couldn’t sleep because he needed to pee. She finally turned him out and went for the coffee beans. While it was brewing, her iPhone buzzed. Allie Pacheco, 7:02.
“Enjoyed dinner,” he said. “Sleep well?”
“Great. You?”
“No, too much going on. Look, we picked up some chatter last night that is troublesome to say the least. I don’t suppose the informant you mentioned last night would be a court reporter.”
“Why?”