The Runaway Jury (26 page)

But the juries in those trials did not award the plaintiff’s.

No former employee, though, did as much damage
as Lawrence Krigler. The infamous memo from the 1930s had been seen by a handful of people, but never produced in litigation. Krigler’s version of it for the jury was as close as any plaintiff’s lawyer had come to the real thing. The fact that he’d been allowed by Judge Harkin to describe it to the jury would be hotly contested on appeal, regardless of who won at trial.

Krigler was quickly escorted out of town by Rohr’s security people, and an hour after finishing his testimony he was on a private plane back to Florida. Several times since leaving Pynex he had been tempted to contact a plaintiff’s lawyer in a tobacco trial, but had never mustered the courage.

Pynex had paid him three hundred thousand dollars out of court, just to get rid of him. The company had insisted he agree never to testify in trials similar to Wood, but he refused. And when he refused, he became a marked man.

They, whoever they had been, said they’d kill him. The threats had been few and scattered over the years, always from unknown voices and always dropping in when least expected. Krigler was not one to hide. He’d written a book, an exposé he said would be published in the event of his untimely death. A lawyer had it in Melbourne Beach. The lawyer was a friend who’d arranged the initial meeting with Rohr. The lawyer had also opened a dialogue with the FBI, just in case something happened to Mr. Krigler.

MILLIE DUPREE’S HUSBAND, Hoppy, owned a struggling realty agency in Biloxi. Certainly not the aggressive sort, he had few listings and few leads, but he worked diligently with what little business
came his way. One wall in the front room had pictures of available OPPORTUNITIES thumbtacked to a corkboard—mainly little brick houses with neat lawns and a few run-down duplexes.

Casino fever had brought to the Coast a new herd of real estate swingers unafraid to borrow heavily and develop accordingly. Once again, Hoppy and the little guys had played it safe and got themselves squeezed even further into markets they knew all too well—darling little STARTERS for the newlyweds and hopeless FIXUPS for the desperate and MOTIVATED SELLERS for those who couldn’t qualify for a bank loan.

But he paid his bills and somehow provided for his family—his wife Millie and their five kids, three at the junior college and two in high school. At any given time he had attached to his office the licenses of a half a dozen part-time sales associates, for the most part a downhearted bunch of losers who shared his aversion to debt and forcefulness. Hoppy loved pinochle, and many hours were passed at his desk in the back over cards as subdivisions sprang up all around him. Realtors, regardless of their talent, love to dream of the big score. Hoppy and his motley gang were not above taking a late-afternoon nip and talking big business over cards.

Just before six on Thursday, as the pinochle was winding down and preparations were being made to end another nonproductive day, a well-dressed young businessman with a shiny black attaché entered the office and asked for Mr. Dupree. Hoppy was in the back, rinsing his mouth with Scope and hurrying to get home since Millie was locked away. Introductions were made. The young man presented a business card which declared him to be Todd
Ringwald of KLX Property Group out of Las Vegas, Nevada. The card impressed Hoppy enough to shoo off the last of the lingering sales associates, and lock his office door. The mere presence of one dressed so well and having traveled such a great distance could only mean serious matters were possible.

Hoppy offered a drink, then coffee, which could be brewed in an instant. Mr. Ringwald declined, and asked if he’d come at a bad time.

“No, not at all. We work crazy hours, you know. It’s a crazy business.”

Mr. Ringwald smiled and agreed because he too was once in business for himself, not too many years ago. First a bit about his company. KLX was a private outfit with holdings in a dozen states. While it did not own casinos, and had no plans to do so, it had developed a related specialty, a lucrative one. KLX tracked casino development. Hoppy nodded furiously as if this type of enterprise was altogether familiar to him.

Typically, when casinos move in, the local real estate market changes dramatically. Ringwald was certain Hoppy knew all about this, and Hoppy agreed wholeheartedly as if he’d made a fortune recently. KLX moved in quietly, and Ringwald emphasized just how utterly secretive the company was, a step behind the casinos, and developed shopping areas and expensive condos and apartment complexes and upper-end subdivisions. Casinos pay well, employ many, things change in the local economy, and, well, there’s just a helluva lot more money floating around and KLX wanted its share. “Our company is a vulture,” Ringwald explained with a devious smile. “We sit back and watch the casinos. When they move, we go in for the kill.”

“Brilliant,” Hoppy offered, unable to control himself.

However, KLX had been slow to move on the Coast, and, confidentially, this had cost a few jobs back in Vegas. There were still incredible opportunities, though, to which Hoppy said, “There certainly are.”

Ringwald opened his briefcase and removed a folded property map, which he held on his knees. He, as Vice President of Development, preferred to deal with smaller realty agents. The big firms had too many people hanging around, too many overweight housewives reading classifieds and waiting for the slightest morsel of gossip. “You got that right!” Hoppy said, staring at the property map. “Plus you get better service from a small agency, like mine.”

“You have been highly recommended,” Ringwald said, and Hoppy couldn’t suppress a smile. The phone rang. It was the senior in high school wanting to know what was for supper and when might Mother be coming home. Hoppy was pleasant but short. He was very busy, he explained, and there might be some old lasagna in the freezer.

The property map was unfolded on Hoppy’s desk. Ringwald pointed to a large red-colored plot in Hancock County, next door to Harrison and the westernmost of the three coastal counties. Both men hovered over the desk from different sides.

“MGM Grand is coming here,” Ringwald said, pointing to a large bay. “But no one knows it yet. You certainly can’t tell anyone.”

Hoppy’s head was shaking Hell No! before Ringwald finished.

“They’re gonna build the biggest casino on the
Coast, probably middle of next year. They’ll announce in three months. They’ll buy a hundred acres or so of this land here.”

“That’s beautiful land. Virtually untouched.” Hoppy had never been near the property with a real estate sign, but he had lived on the Coast for forty years.

“We want this,” Ringwald said, pointing again to the land marked in red. It was adjacent to the north and west of the MGM land. “Five hundred acres, so we can do this.” He pulled the top sheet back to reveal an artist’s rendering of a rather splendid Planned Unit Development. It was labeled Stillwater Bay with bold blue letters across the top. Condos, office buildings, big homes, smaller homes, playgrounds, churches, a central square, a shopping mall, a pedestrian mall, a dock, a marina, a business block, parks, jogging paths, bike trails, even a proposed high school. It was Utopia, all planned for Hancock County by some wonderfully farsighted people in Las Vegas.

“Wow,” Hoppy said. There was a bloody fortune on his desk.

“Four different phases over five years. The whole thing will cost thirty million. It’s by far the biggest development ever seen in these parts.”

“Nothing can touch it.”

Ringwald flipped another page and revealed another drawing of the dock area, then another for a close-up of the residential section. “These are just the preliminary drawings. I’ll show you more if you can come to the home office.”

“Vegas.”

“Yes. If we can reach an agreement on your representation, then we’d like to fly you out for a few
days, you know, meet our people, see the whole project from the design end.”

Hoppy’s knees wobbled and he took a breath. Slow down, he told himself. “Yes, and what type of representation did you have in mind?”

“Initially, we need a broker to handle the purchase of the land. Once we buy it, we have to convince the local authorities to approve the development. This, as you know, can take time and become controversial. We spend a lot of time before planning commissions and zoning boards. We even go to court when necessary. But it’s just part of our business. You’ll be involved to some extent at this point. Once it’s approved, well need a real estate firm to handle the marketing of Stillwater Bay.”

Hoppy backed into his chair and pondered figures for a moment. “How much will the land cost?” he asked.

“It’s expensive, much too expensive for this area. Ten thousand an acre, for land worth about half that much.”

Ten thousand an acre for five hundred acres added up to five million bucks, six percent of which was three hundred thousand dollars for Hoppy’s commission, assuming of course no other realtors were to be involved. Ringwald watched poker-faced as Hoppy did the mental math.

“Ten thousand’s too much,” Hoppy said with authority.

“Yes, but the land is not on the market. The sellers don’t really want to sell, so we have to sneak in quickly, before the MGM story leaks, and snatch it. That’s why we need a local agent. If word hits the street that a big company from Vegas is looking at
the land, it’ll go to twenty thousand an acre. Happens all the time.”

The fact that the land was not on the market caused Hoppy’s heart to stutter. No other realtors were involved! Just him. Just little Hoppy and his full six percent commission. His ship had finally come in. He, Hoppy Dupree, after decades of selling duplexes to pensioners, was about to make a killing.

Not to mention the “marketing of Stillwater Bay.” All those houses and condos and commercial properties, hell thirty million dollars’ worth of red-hot property with Dupree Realty signs hanging all over it. Hoppy could be a millionaire in five years, he decided on the spot.

Ringwald moved in. “I’m assuming your commission is eight percent. That’s what we normally pay.”

“Of course,” Hoppy said, the words rushing forward over a very dry tongue. From three hundred thousand to four hundred thousand, just like that. “Who are the sellers?” he asked, quickly changing the subject now that they’d agreed on eight percent.

Ringwald allowed a noticeable sigh and his shoulders sagged, but only for an instant. “This is where it gets complicated.” Hoppy’s heart sank.

“The property is in the sixth district of Hancock County,” Ringwald said slowly. “And the sixth district is the domain of a county supervisor by the name of—”

“Jimmy Hull Moke,” Hoppy interrupted, with no small measure of sadness.

“You know him?”

“Everybody knows Jimmy Hull. He’s been in office for thirty years. Slickest crook on the Coast.”

“Do you know him personally?”

“No. Only by reputation.”

“Which we’ve heard is rather shady.”

“Shady is a compliment to Jimmy Hull. On a local level, the man controls everything in his end of the county.”

Ringwald offered a puzzled look as if he and his company had no clue about how to proceed. Hoppy rubbed his sad eyes and plotted to keep his fortune. They made no eye contact for a full minute, then Ringwald said, “It’s not wise to buy the land unless we can get some assurances from Mr. Moke and the local people. As you know, there will be a maze of regulatory approvals for the project.”

“Planning, zoning, architectural review, soil erosion, you name it,” Hoppy said, as if he fought these wars every day.

“We’ve been told that Mr. Moke controls all of this.”

“With an iron fist.”

Another pause.

“Perhaps we should arrange a meeting with Mr. Moke,” Ringwald said.

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“Meetings don’t work.”

“I’m not following you.”

“Cash. Pure and simple. Jimmy Hull likes it under the table, large sacks of it in unmarked bills.”

Ringwald nodded with a solemn grin as if this was unfortunate but not unexpected. “So we’ve heard,” he said, almost to himself. “Actually, this is not unusual, especially in areas where casinos have appeared. There’s lots of fresh foreign money and people get greedy.”

“Jimmy Hull was born greedy. He was stealing thirty years before casinos appeared here.”

“He doesn’t get caught?”

“No. For a local supervisor, he’s pretty bright. Everything’s in cash, no trail, he covers himself carefully. Then again, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist.” Hoppy tapped his forehead lightly with a handkerchief. He bent forward and removed two tumblers from a lower drawer, then a bottle of vodka. He poured two stiff drinks and placed one across the desk in front of Ringwald. “Cheers,” he said before Ringwald touched his glass.

“So what do we do?” Ringwald asked.

“What do you normally
do
in situations like this?”

“We normally find a way to work with the local authorities. There’s too much money involved to pack up and go home.”

“How do you work with local authorities?”

“We have ways. We have contributed money to reelection campaigns. We have honored our friends with expensive vacations. We’ve paid consulting fees to spouses and children.”

“You ever paid bribes in hard cash?”

“Well, I’d rather not say.”

“That’s what it’ll take. Jimmy Hull is a simple man. Just cash.” Hoppy took a long sip and smacked his lips.

“How much?”

“Who knows. But it’d better be enough. You low-ball him up front, he’ll kill your project later. And he’ll keep the cash. Jimmy Hull doesn’t do refunds.”

“You sound like you know him rather well.”

“Those of us who wheel and deal along the Coast know how he plays the game. He’s sort of a local legend.”

Ringwald shook his head in disbelief. “Welcome
to Mississippi,” Hoppy said, then took another sip. Ringwald had not touched his drink.

For twenty-five years Hoppy had played it straight, and he had no plans to compromise himself now. The money wasn’t worth the risk. He had kids, a family, a reputation, standing in the community. Church occasionally. The Rotary Club. And just exactly who was this stranger sitting across his desk in the fancy suit and designer loafers, offering the world if only one minor agreement could be reached? He, Hoppy, would certainly get on the phone and check out KLX Property Group and Mr. Todd Ringwald as soon as he left the office.