The Racketeer

passport?”
    “That’s him. He’s looking at twenty years in a Jamaican prison, so he might make this easy for you. My hunch is that Nattie will happily plead guilty to a life sentence in a U.S. prison, noparole of course, anything to get out of Jamaica. Offer him a deal, and you won’t have to bother with a trial.”
    There is a long pause as they catch their collective breath. Finally, Vic asks, “Is there anything you have not thought of?”
    “Sure. But I’d rather not share it with you.”

CHAPTER 43
    M y storytelling talents hold them spellbound, and for an hour they pepper me with questions. I slog through the answers, and when I start to repeat myself, I get irritated. Give a bunch of lawyers the rich details of a mystery they’ve lost sleep over, and they can’t help but ask the same question five different ways. My low opinion of Victor Westlake is raised somewhat when he says, “That’s it. Meeting’s over. I’m going to the bar.”
    I suggest the two of us have drinks alone, and we return to the same table by a pool. We order beers and gulp them when they arrive. “Something else?” he asks.
    “Yes, as a matter of fact, there is something else. Something almost as big as the murder of a federal judge.”
    “Haven’t you had enough for one day?”
    “Oh yes, but I have one parting shot.”
    “I’m listening.”
    I take another swig and savor the taste. “If my time line is correct, Judge Fawcett was accepting and hiding pure gold in the middle of the uranium trial. The plaintiff was Armanna Mines, a consortium of companies with interests around the world. However, the majority partner is a Canadian company based in Calgary, and this company owns two of the five largest gold mines in North America. The uranium deposits in Virginia alone are worth an estimated $20 billion, but no one really knows for sure.If a corrupt federal judge wants a few gold bars in return for a payoff of $20 billion, why not do it? The company gave Fawcett his jackpot; he gave them everything they wanted.”
    “How much gold?” Westlake asks softly, as though he doesn’t want his own hidden mike to hear.
    “We’ll never know, but I suspect Fawcett received around $10 million in pure gold. He cashed in here and there. You have the informant in New York, but we’ll never know if it went elsewhere and traded on the black market. Nor will we ever know how much cash was in the safe when Nathan finally got to it.”
    “Nathan might tell us.”
    “Indeed, but don’t count on it. Anyway, the grand total is beside the point. It’s a lot of money, or gold, and for it to travel from Armanna Mines into the somber chambers of the Honorable Raymond Fawcett, someone had to be the bagman. Someone arranged the deal and made the deliveries.”
    “One of the lawyers?”
    “Probably. I’m sure Armanna had a dozen.”
    “Any clue?”
    “None whatsoever. But I’m convinced a massive crime has occurred, with serious implications. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case this October, and given the pro-business leanings of the majority, it’s likely Fawcett’s gift to the uranium miners will stand. That would be a shame, wouldn’t it, Vic? A corrupt opinion becomes a law. A huge mining company bribes its way past the statutory ban and is given carte blanche to wreck the environment of southern Virginia.”
    “Why do you care? You’re not going back there, or so you say.”
    “My feelings are not important, but the FBI should care. If you launch an investigation, the case could be seriously derailed.”
    “So now you’re telling the FBI how to run its business.”
    “Not at all. But don’t expect me to remain quiet. Have you heard of an investigative reporter named Carson Bell?”
    His shoulders sag as he looks away. “No.”
    “
New York Times
. He covered the uranium trial and has followed the appeals. I would make an incredible unnamed source.”
    “Don’t do that, Max.”
    “You can’t stop me. If you don’t investigate, I’m sure Mr. Bell would love to. Front page and all that. FBI cover-up.”
    “Don’t do it. Please. Give us some time.”
    “You have thirty days. If I hear nothing of an investigation, then I’ll invite Mr. Bell down for a week on my little island.” I drain my beer, smack the table with my glass, and get to my feet. “Thanks for the drink.”
    “You’re just getting revenge, aren’t you, Max? One last shot at the government.”
    “Who says it’s my last?” I say