the Illegals: Carson Reno Mystery Series, #8
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About this ebook
Crime DOES pay – especially crime that has the support of our legal system.
Carson’s investigative work for Attorney Jack Logan runs smack into the path of the largest law firm in West Tennessee. Trying to stay out of their path only succeeds in putting Carson in the crosshairs of lawyers who want him out of the way.
Power struggles, infidelity, organized crime and eventually murder all appear to be somehow linked to this powerful law firm – McCabe, McCabe, Clark and Lewis.
This is a story of the small versus the large in a little West Tennessee community that has no idea of the crime and corruption that lay underneath their quiet daily lives.
Join Carson as he takes on the fight of his career when he challenges ‘the Illegals’.
Read more from Gerald Darnell
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the Illegals - Gerald Darnell
the
ILLEGALS
A Carson Reno Mystery
––––––––
Written by
Gerald W. Darnell
––––––––
the
ILLEGALS
Copyright © 2012 by Gerald W. Darnell
Published by cr press
ISBN: 978-1-105-56604-2
––––––––
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews, without written permission from the publisher.
cr publishing
Gerald W. Darnell
carsonreno@msn.com
––––––––
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Be sure to check out Carson Reno’s other Mystery Adventures
Murder in Humboldt
The Price of Beauty in Strawberry Land
Killer Among Us
Horse Tales
SUnset 4
the Crossing
the Everglades
Dead Men Don’t Remember
Fingerprint Murders
Reelfoot
Justifiable Homicide
Dead End
Murder and More
Cast of Characters
Carson Reno - Private Detective
Rita - Hostess Starlight Lounge
Marcie – Peabody Hotel Operator
Andy – Bartender Down Under
Mason ‘Booker-T’ Brown – Head porter Peabody Hotel
Nickie/Ronnie Woodson – Owners Chiefs Motel and Restaurant
Tommy Trubush – carhop Chiefs
Florence (Flo) – waitress at Chiefs
Mavis Wardlow– waitress at Chiefs
Dr. Harold Barker – Gibson County Coroner
Jack Logan – Attorney /Partner
Leroy Epsee – Sheriff Gibson County
Jeff Cole – Deputy Gibson County
Scotty Perry – Deputy Gibson County
Nancy Oakland – Deputy Gibson County
Elizabeth Teague – Airline Stewardess and friend of Carson’s
Mary Ellen Maxwell – Humboldt Socialite and owner of Maxwell Trucking
Judy Strong – Vice President of Maxwell Trucking
Gerald Wayne – Owner Wayne Knitting Mill
Nuddy – Bartender Humboldt Country Club
Joe Richardson – Associate Drake Detective Agency
Sinclair McCabe – Attorney
Gloria McCabe – Wife of Sinclair McCabe
Gordon McCabe – Attorney, son of Sinclair/Gloria McCabe
Turner Clark – Attorney
Leonard Lewis – Attorney
Mary Drummond – Attorney
Matthew Malansky – Attorney
Austin Boyd – United States Senator
Gray Nelson – Owner Nelson Engineering
Shelly Norwood – Humboldt resident
Yvonne Lighthouse – Neighbor
Charles Lawrence - The Butler
Carrie Mae Johnson – Maid
Viola Person – Maid
LaMorris Person – Husband of Viola
Raymond Griggs – Humboldt Chief of Police
Tony Bailey – Humboldt Police Officer
L.D. Newell – Mayor Humboldt
Mike Barker – Alderman Humboldt
Chip Falstaff – Captain Tennessee Highway Patrol
Darcille Moore – Shelly’s roommate
Tony Scarsetti – Mafia
Steve Carrollton – Memphis Mafia
Joey ‘Pots and Pans’ Rizzo – Mafia member
Frankie ‘Two Times’ Moretti – Mafia member
Beverly Singleton – Employee of ‘M.M.C.& L.’
Conrad Taylor – Private Investigator
Brett Lamar – Private Investigator
Jake Yardley – Private Investigator
Dedication
Janie Darnell, my mother
Contribution Credits
Elizabeth Tillman White
Judy Steele Minnehan
Mary Ann Sizer Fisher
Material Credits
Humboldt Public Library
Gibson County Historical Website
Humboldt Courier Chronicle
Strawberry Museum
Libby Lynch
Prologue
Crime DOES pay – especially crime that has the support of our legal system.
Carson’s investigative work for Attorney Jack Logan runs smack into the path of the largest law firm in West Tennessee. Trying to stay out of their path only succeeds in putting Carson in the crosshairs of lawyers who want him out of the way.
Power struggles, infidelity, organized crime and eventually murder all appear to be somehow linked to this powerful law firm – McCabe, McCabe, Clark and Lewis.
This is a story of the small versus the large in a little West Tennessee community that has no idea of the crime and corruption that lay underneath their quiet daily lives.
Join Carson as he takes on the fight of his career when he challenges ‘the Illegals’.
Chapters
Introduction
Retirement Party
Leonard Lewis
Mary Drummond
Matthew Malansky
Information
Humboldt
Murder
The Party
New Clients
Private Investigators
Christmas Day
Lawyers and Lies
The Help
Bad for Business
Searching for Answers
Dumb and Dumber
Strategy
Solution
Wrap Up
man_holding_gun_and_rose_silhouette_crf01312––––––––
Life is cheap – make sure you buy enough
Carson Reno
®
––––––––
It is possible that infidelity has made me what I am today. Not a rich man - it does, however, provide me with rent money and the satisfaction of providing a service to those in need.
––––––––
Carson Reno
Introduction
The firm of McCabe, McCabe, Clark and Lewis is unquestionably the largest and most prestigious law firm in Gibson County, Tennessee. Their main office is located at #2 Court Square in Trenton, Tennessee - just yards from the County Courthouse. With satellite offices in most every town in the county, they offer a legal staff of over 50 attorneys, 75 paralegal and 3 private investigators working from 10 offices scattered across West Tennessee. Their client list consists of senators, governors, judges, business executives and prominent citizens from all across the southern United States.
The firm of ‘M.M.C.& L.’ isn’t just smart, powerful and prestigious; they are also great at marketing their services. It’s illegal for lawyers to advertise in any public forum; however, they somehow convinced Southern Bell (the phone-company) they needed a separate telephone prefix for their many offices around West Tennessee. The standard exchange for Trenton was PEabody 2 (732). ‘M.M.C.& L.’ acquired the exchange of 668, to which they added 4589 for their main switchboard inbound telephone number. The telephone number of 668-4589 (NOT-GLTY) appears on all business cards, stationary, letterheads and any other printed material associated with the firm.
However, having money and needing an attorney did not necessarily guarantee you a place on the McCabe, McCabe, Clark and Lewis client list. They were very selective, and used specific processes and programs to assure their legal staff only took cases that were public, profitable and most importantly good for the growth of the firm. The weight of the case was much more important than winning. Weekly meetings held by the managing partners reviewed each prospective client, and their decisions were firm and final. They weighed the political implications, versus the publicity, versus the client and versus the impacts from a possible loss of decision. They didn’t win every case, but sometimes the loss might bring more to the firm than winning. ‘M.M.C.& L.’ considered all the angles, and made decisions on the long-range impact – not necessarily the ruling handed down by a judge.
For community support, they offered small ‘paralegal services’ that represented the little guy, the small fry who had money and wanted the ‘M.M.C.& L.’ clout behind their problems. This was considered charity, and treated that way by the managing partners. After all, they were a part of the community and wanted to be recognized as such.
Weekly and quarterly meetings by the Senior/Junior Partners rarely discussed these clients and their issues. Mostly they discussed expansion and opening more offices in larger metro areas. Memphis was scheduled next and Nashville would not be far behind.
~
There are three Senior Partners at ‘M.M.C.& L.’ and three Junior partners:
Sinclair McCabe is a Senior Partner and Founder of ‘M.M.C.& L.’. Sinclair was a 1922 graduate from Yale.
Turner Clark is a Senior Partner and a 1935 graduate from Yale.
Leonard Lewis is a Senior Partner and a 1938 graduate from the University of Mississippi.
Mary Drummond is a 1948 graduate from Harvard and has been with the firm since graduation. She is also a Junior partner.
Matthew Malansky is a 1952 graduate from the University of Arkansas and a Junior partner.
Gordon McCabe is a Junior Partner and a 1959 graduate from the University of Tennessee. He is also the son of Senior Partner, and founder, Sinclair McCabe.
~
On the surface this was a large, successful and well managed law firm. The real truth is that Sinclair McCabe had no idea what was going on in this law firm of which he was so proud. Underneath the facade that everyone saw as ‘M.M.C.& L.’ were problems that dwarfed the personal and political squabbles that are typically found in a large firm with just a few controlling partners. The managing partners and controlling board were confident that sufficient rules and controls had been implemented to prevent any member straying into areas that didn’t meet the firm’s guidelines and charter. Unfortunately, they were wrong, and the struggles for control of ‘M.M.C.& L.’ made it impossible to see the dangers lying ahead. Events beyond their knowledge and control were about to challenge the dynasty known as McCabe, McCabe, Clark and Lewis.
~
It was snowing and snowing heavily. McCabe, McCabe, Clark and Lewis didn’t plan this and it wasn’t something they could control. However, this is December, and the snow added to the decorations scattered across the outside deck and patio of the Sinclair McCabe home, located just outside Trenton, Tennessee. For emphasis, the servants had placed lights in the trees and even a few ornaments on the evergreen shrubbery around the patio and party area. Sinclair McCabe had turned 66 last month and this was his retirement party; it was going to happen - snow or not.
This is where our story begins.
Description: Description: Description: Description: smallerRetirement Party
All the important people had been invited and most of them accepted. Present and former governors, senators, congressmen and even a few ‘small people’, who might carry some weight in their respective communities, had received gold engraved invitations to Sinclair McCabe’s official retirement party. This was official, because in reality Sinclair had been distancing himself from the firm for the past few years. He no longer handled regular business and only had a handful of high-profile clients on his ‘active’ list.
Sinclair had transitioned the day-to-day business control to Senior partner, Turner Clark. Turner joined the firm soon after its founding and had proven to be a very capable businessman as well as an outstanding attorney. In the beginning, Sinclair and Turner made a beautiful team. After all, they were both Yale graduates and brought the same high standards to their work. However, other than the Yale graduate logo, they had little else in common. Sinclair was a people person, relying on his personality and friendships to move the business forward and make it successful. Turner Clark certainly had people skills, but he relied on cunning and manipulation as the keys to success.
Turner Clark ruled with an iron hand, which was much different than the way Sinclair managed the business. Turner and Sinclair argued often about Turner’s demanding manner and his aggressiveness regarding growing the business. Sinclair believed the business would come if they served their clients well; Turner believed it was necessary to address, and if necessary, combat competition. Turner had a good point. The number of attorneys in the area had almost doubled in the past 10 years, while the local client base had continued to shrink. For this reason, and some others, Turner felt it was absolutely necessary to expand their business to the larger metro areas of Memphis and Nashville. These plans had been formulated and approved by the partners as well as the controlling board of directors. Reluctantly, Sinclair had agreed to the changes, but everyone realized his heart wasn’t in it, and rumors of his retirement floated about the office on a regular basis.
Obviously, Sinclair was aware of the rumors and finally made the decision to step down and officially retire. The date was set to be the end of the calendar year 1962 and this party was the culmination of that decision; however, there was another lingering problem.
Sinclair and Gloria McCabe’s only son, Gordon, had joined the firm last year, following his graduation from the University of Tennessee and the Memphis School of Law. Years earlier, Sinclair had added the second ‘McCabe’ to the name "McCabe, Clark and Lewis’, believing that it added prestige to the firm and also in hopes that his son would someday become the other McCabe on the ‘M.M.C.& L.’ letterhead. When that finally happened, Sinclair was as proud as any father could ever be. Unfortunately, he was in a minority.
Gordon came into the firm with high promise and praise, and it was Sinclair’s wish for Gordon to take the reins of ‘M.M.C.& L.’, so he was immediately named a Junior partner – that turned out to be a serious mistake. Not only was Gordon disregarded by the other attorneys, he was simply not respected – and he managed to live up to all these expectations! He drank too much; he partied too much and lost almost every case he handled. Sinclair failed to see, or refused to acknowledge, the shortcomings and misdeeds by Gordon. He continued to support him and offered praise at every opportunity. Sinclair’s planned announcement of Gordon as a Senior partner at ‘M.M.C.& L.’ was just another step in the wrong direction.
Gordon barely made it through college, finished last in his graduation class and (rumored) only passed his bar exam by one point. But, Gordon’s life had always been an easy one. When your father is Sinclair McCabe, you didn’t need to work hard – things just naturally came your way!
The clash between Turner and Gordon started on the first day and had only gotten worse with time. Everyone in the firm wondered how Sinclair’s retirement would affect this relationship and Gordon’s future with ‘M.M.C.& L.’.
~
The guest list was huge, but the Sinclair home was able to accommodate. A small band in the foyer played a mixture of slow waltzes and Christmas music, while the guests snacked, drank and told stories of bad judges, bad clients and good money! Everyone had assembled to wish Sinclair good wishes with his retirement, and to wish his wife, Gloria, good luck dealing with a ‘hard nosed’ lawyer who, seemingly had nothing left to do.
Gloria was busy mingling with the many guests, but continued to glance at her wristwatch and look around the room. Her son, Gordon, had not arrived. It was very important that he be at the party - and he knew it!
Sinclair was holding audience in the den and entertaining former Governors Frank Clement and Gordon Browning with some humorous stories of past clients and difficult cases. Sinclair was really a people person, and a large group of younger lawyers from ‘M.M.C.& L.’ had also gathered to enjoy the performance and rub shoulders with these former political giants.
If Sinclair was aware of his son’s absence, it didn’t show. Perhaps he wasn’t concerned, or perhaps he knew why he was delayed, or perhaps he still couldn’t recognize the failures of his only son.
Carrie Mae Johnson is the head housekeeper, and frankly, the success of this gathering was because of her tireless work. She ran a tight ship and knew exactly how Mrs. Gloria Sinclair wanted things, and made them happen that way.
Somehow, amidst the mingling crowd, Gloria managed to get Carrie Mae’s attention when she was replenishing one of the appetizer trays. She motioned toward the kitchen door, letting Carrie Mae know to meet her there promptly.
Gloria quickly walked into the kitchen and nervously sat down in one of the plastic cushioned aluminum kitchen chairs. She was shaking.
‘What’s wrong, Miss Gloria?" Carrie Mae quickly asked, as she entered the enormous kitchen moments later.
Gordon isn’t here,
she said almost out of breath. He knows how important this party is and he’s not here! Where is he? Has he called?
No ma’am, Miss Gloria, I haven’t heard from him. But you know the weather is bad, maybe Master Gordon is just having trouble with the icy roads,
Carrie Mae offered, trying to comfort.
That’s not it,
Gloria snorted. He’s off drunk somewhere and probably with that whore, Shelly Norwood. I know he is, and I know he’s doing it to spite his father and me! Oh, Carrie Mae, what am I going to do?
She started crying.
Carrie Mae put her arms around Gloria and let her cry on her shoulder as she