The Mystery of Lawlessness: A Tale by a Fisher of Men - Softcover

Ramon, Alberto

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1450208436 ISBN 13: 9781450208437

Verlag: iUniverse, 2010

Inhaltsangabe

It is Friday, August 1, 2008 at 3:37 p.m. when defense Attorney Joe Gonzalez walks into a San Antonio courtroom and finds District Judge Galaviz lying on the floor, surrounded by his bailiff, attorneys, and others. Judge Galaviz is dead of a massive heart attack. When Kevin Helms, the head of a prestigious law firm, calls Gonzalez into his office the next day, he reveals that a large briefcase filled with fifty bundles of five thousand dollars each had been left in Judge Galaviz's chambers a few days before his death in a botched attempt to bribe him. The FBI is now involved and Helms wants Gonzalez to assume the duties of the now vacated bench in an effort to catch whoever wanted Judge Galaviz's attention. A reluctant Gonzalez finally agrees and must endure the criticism of those who do not think he is qualified to take over the bench while simultaneously becoming embroiled in drug trafficking and other issues taking place on the Texas/Mexico border. America and Mexico must work together to prevent a disaster to both countries while Gonzalez faces an epidemic of violence, political conflicts, and religious beliefs, all while focusing on just one goal-to stay alive.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Alberto Ramon is a former social worker who has been involved in the war on poverty and with programs for itinerant migrant children from South Texas. He is a criminal defense attorney and the author of the novel On Both Sides of the River.

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The Mystery of Lawlessness

A Tale by A Fisher of MenBy Alberto Ramon

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2010 Alberto Ramon
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-0843-7

Chapter One

The Song Of The Chilingn

Criminal defense attorney Joe Gonzalez was chatting with his staff.

"Mr. Gonzlez, did you hear about the Christ without a cross that was found floating in the river by the U.S. Border Patrol?" asked Becky Pealber.

"Yes. A friend of mine took a picture of it at police headquarters. He rushed over to see it with his own eyes. He had heard it was a miracle that it had not been scratched one bit by the rough currents of the Rio Grande River."

"Is it a miracle?"

"No, Becky. More likely, it is a trick, an explainable distraction, but not a miracle. There must be some explanation for its presence in the deadly currents of the river. Supposedly, it was circling around in the waters just below the International Bridge at the time U.S. Border Patrol agents manning a boat recovered it. My friend Humberto Ramos commented that whoever painted the Christ did a beautiful job. Whether the Christ was ever affixed on a cross before it was placed in the river, and eventually found, is intriguing, but it's not a miracle as the Roman Catholic Church would evaluate the event. Most likely, since it is made of balsa wood, it was used by irreverent criminals to float a person or a load of dope across the Rio Grande River. Once the crossing was completed, it was discarded and left to drift until it was eventually seen and retrieved."

"The recovery of the Christ without a cross was covered by Telemundo," said legal assistant, Gloria Macas. "The Christ without a cross has been linked by some to the plight of Mexican and other undocumented aliens-especially those who have drowned in pursuit of the American Dream."

"Mr. Gonzlez, it's time," said Becky, the legal secretary reminding her boss that he had a hearing before District Judge Antonio "Tony" Glaviz.

Joe Gonzlez grabbed his briefcase and exited the law office with a bounce. The crisp coolness of the early morning had quickly escalated into a sweltering afternoon. The panorama gleamed with inspirited sunlight, domed by a blue sky and adorned with wisps of pallid clouds painted ethereally against the majesty of the south Texas horizon.

The song of the male cicadas magnified the hot afternoon as Gonzlez strode briskly over the west sidewalk of the historic Maverick County Courthouse, eager to attend the hearing at the Maverick County Government Center.

August and September promised more of the hot lazy afternoons of July that ushered in the breeding cycle of the cicadas. In the midst of the slow descent of the cancula, the Apache cicadas continued to emerge from the soil to molt, sing, mate, and die.

The glistening golden walls of the restored courthouse amplified the vibration of the magical insect's tymbal into an irascible din-south Texas' symphony to philosophy. The reverberating echo of the incessant hiss composed an ascending and descending crescendo of eternal lamentations-an ode to death in one eulogizing note.

Eternally situate, even as Gonzlez moved past the symbolic courthouse, the mystery of lawlessness hovered pneumatically amidst the sharp vibes of the cicadas' requiem to human essence-to being, death, and resurrection.

The babble of the cicadas faded as Gonzlez turned and walked through the atrium to the open stairway of the Maverick County Government Center.

The spacious atrium was quiet.

People went about engaged in the business of ordinary citizens. Local news media personalities were meandering about in their usual friendly manner garnering tidbits of gossip or sniffing around for reportable news. The Texas attorney general's child support enforcement unit was litigating cases before Master Juan Jess Falcn in Commissioner's Court rather than upstairs in the courtroom because the District Court was in session.

As Gonzlez approached, the news team quickly activated the video camcorder and untangled the microphone's cord.

TV anchorman Fderico Cabrera asked, "Do you have some news, Mr. Gonzlez?"

Smiling, Gonzlez shook Cabrera's hand, but proceeded upstairs.

Dashing up the stairs, cameraman Pablo Marines asked, "Qu hay de nuevo?"

From the foot of the stairs, Cabrera entreated the old man, "Seltela, Jefe."

"No hay nada. Todo est muerto," Gonzalez said, still moving up the stairs.

When he reached the breezeway of the second floor, Gonzlez heard screams and the distinct din of panic inside the courtroom. Dropping his briefcase, he dashed forward and aggressively opened the courtroom door, which hit the wall with a resounding thud.

The bailiff and several lawyers and courtroom personnel, all familiar to Gonzlez, were hunched over around and behind the bench, where Gonzlez immediately concluded that his friend, District Judge Antonio Glaviz, had just collapsed.

The bailiff radioed for an ambulance.

Police officers and the fire department's paramedic unit arrived and checked the fallen body.

It was too late.

An era of outstanding public service had ended. Men and women were sobbing. The awesome void was poignant and so improvident.

The courtroom personnel embraced each other, trying to find some explanation for the troubling event.

Internally, Gonzlez nodded a profound "No" to God's will, and then pretended to resolve his true feelings by lowering his head with a recalcitrant, "Thy will be done."

Justice of the Peace Martn Elizondo pronounced District Judge Glaviz dead at 3:37 P. M. on Friday, August 1, 2008. He was almost 68.

More and more people arrived.

The body was removed for transfer to the Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center to await notification of next of kin.

J. P. Elizondo looked at Gonzlez with inquiring eyes.

"Raul was present; ask him. I arrived after Judge Glaviz collapsed."

"In an instant, it's over," Elizondo said, adjusting his glasses, which had slipped down his oily nose.

"Martn, La Pelona does not set an appointment."

Retrieving his briefcase, Gonzlez walked down the stairs.

The local media frantically gleaned details from the clerks, lawyers, and emergency personnel.

Friends, colleagues, and members of the general public congregated at the scene as the news of the tragedy spread. Many spectators were visibly moved by the demise of the familiar figure in Eagle Pass, Crystal City, and Carrizo Springs, the judicial district's three county seats where Judge Glaviz had presided over so many docket calls, hearings, and trials.

The scales of justice had been violently jostled.

Now, even as the grip of death imperceptibly stiffened the jurist's body, the statue of justice would be frozen in rigorous balance until the political will of the people, reflected in existing protocol and procedure, was spurred into motion to replace the jurist.

Gonzlez left the Government Center. The sun was still blazing, and the cicadas were still hissing as if an eon had transpired without a trace. He walked slowly in a lingering state of shock.

The man was pensive and, strangely, angry. Death had stolen some precious time, which his friend had undoubtedly hoped to spend in communion with himself enjoying the consummation of a life of service to his profession and his community.

The death of a friend is a draining and exasperating experience.

Antonio was robust and full...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: iUniverse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2010
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1450208436
• ISBN 13: 9781450208437
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 280
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Deutschland