Page 48 of Camino Ghosts

When they were finished, Lenny walked them outside, handed each a business card, and said the closing would take place whenever Aurelia was ready. The condo would be finished in sixty days and she could move in at her convenience. As she looked around and took in the noise—cement trucks roaring by, hammers pounding away, saws screaming, workers yelling—she decided she was not in such a hurry.

She asked, “I might wait a few months before I move in. It’s awfully busy out here.”

Lenny laughed and said, “Yes ma’am, it is. There are sixteen condos on this street, then we move to the next.”

“How many of these are sold?”

“About half.”

Aurelia laughed and asked, “Do I have the right to approve of my new neighbors?”

Lenny laughed too and said, “I assure you they’re all nice people.”

“Whatever. I’m in no hurry. It’ll take a year to sell my house anyway.”

3.

Steven’s favorite escape from the office was a long walk along Main Street to a coffee shop. He usually dropped in to Bay Books and said hello to the staff. If Bruce was in, which he usually was, they might gossip for a few minutes.

He found him in his office, poring over an old book with a magnifying glass.

Steven said, “I got some dirt.” Code for We need to have a quiet lunch.

Bruce smiled and said, “What a coincidence. So do I.”

They met at noon the following day in a pizza joint around the corner. It was early March and the wind was blowing. No one was eating outdoors. The wine list left much to be desired, so they ordered sparkling water.

Once confidentiality was established, and Bruce could be discreet when necessary, Steven replayed the troubling conversation he’d had the previous week with Judge Salazar.

He said, “She was completely out of line. No judge, regardless of how big or small the job is, should ever discuss a case with one of the lawyers without the opposing lawyers present. Most states have laws on the books prohibiting attorneys from trying to hustle or influence or curry favor with a judge. In the common law, which we inherited from England, there was even a term for it. ‘Earwigging.’ It was illegal and certainly unethical to earwig a judge.”

“But you weren’t the one doing the earwigging,” Bruce said.

“Exactly. I can’t understand why she felt the need to inform me that she thinks my case is weak. What did she gain? I’m really baffled. I’ve been here only six years and I rarely appear in her court. I’ve talked to a couple of local guys who do a lot of chancery work and it seems as though she has a reputation for loose lips. She’s well regarded and there are few complaints, but she drops comments from time to time when she doesn’t like a lawsuit or the testimony of a witness. I guess that doesn’t matter. What matters is that she tipped her hand in favor of Panther Cay.”

“And if you called her out?”

“It would only make things worse. As you know, there’s no jury. She is the sole decision-maker. The verdict belongs to her. We can always appeal, but the Florida appellate courts rarely overturn a Chancellor in matters like these. She has enormous power and her verdict will be given great deference on appeal.”

“Hard to believe she would bring this up at a bar lunch.”

“Well, the lunch was over and we were alone. Still, it was strange. And I got the clear impression that she sort of wished she hadn’t said anything.”

“Lucky she did. At least you know where you stand. Can’t you ask her to step aside?”

“That rarely works. In fact, it usually backfires. When you ask a judge to recuse herself, guess who makes the decision. The judge. And if she says no, then you’re stuck with a judge who’s really pissed off at you.”

The pizza arrived and they had a bite.

Steven said, “And your dirt?”

“Nothing compared to this. Just a bit of gossip, which, oddly enough, is related to Her Honor. Do you know Aurelia Snow, lives in that big blue Victorian on Elm Street?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Nice lady. Husband’s in memory care or one of those places and she’s downsizing, selling the big house and moving into a new condo. She wanted Noelle to buy back a boatload of French antiques she’s collected over the years. Anyway, Noelle drove her over to see the new place yesterday. It’s in Old Dunes, the latest planned development on the back bay.”

“I know all about it. We thought about stepping in, filing suit, trying to fight it, but found nothing to hang our hat on. Just another development, one of too many, and we decided to keep our powder dry.”

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