two
names on the signature cards or the names on the other paperwork.
Since she had lived and worked in Odessa I thought it worth a shot.
She took the names, said she would make a few calls and suggested I
come over for dinner to discuss them further. How could I
refuse?
“What I know is mostly
rumor and hearsay, so keep that in mind,” she said, sipping her
beer. “I didn’t recognize the name Darrell Swain, but the other
name on your list, Dayton Clark, is an attorney from
Odessa.”
Dayton Clark, a name I’d
first come across during my research at the library, had been
listed as agent or in some other capacity for each of the five
companies.
She went on.
“Clark handles some
criminal defense work now and then, but he spends most of his time
on one client; Sandy Doyle.”
She glanced up at me to
see if Doyle’s name elicited a reaction from me before
continuing.
“I seem to have heard that
name before,” I said.
“I thought you might have,
with that star you wore on your chest for so long and all. I’m sure
you already know, but it’s been said for years that Sandy Doyle
controls all of the drugs, gambling and prostitution in Odessa and
Midland.”
“Does he have any
legitimate businesses?” I asked.
“I don’t know how
legitimate it is, but he does have a payday loan business called
Doyle Finance. They’ve got a couple of storefronts in Odessa where
working people who don’t have bank accounts can go to cash their
paycheck for a huge fee. Or they can borrow against next week’s
paycheck and pay outrageous interest rates for the
privilege.”
“Sounds like he’s
providing a community service.”
“Yeah, finance,
pharmaceuticals and the best politicians that money can
buy.”
“Politicians?”
“Okay,” she said. “More
rumor and hearsay. Do you know who G. Travis Kirkland
is?”
“The esteemed United
States Senator with Presidential aspirations?”
Her eyebrows went up. “You
do have good sources, don’t you?”
“Remember, I’ve been
living in Austin the last couple of decades.”
“So, you’ve watched him go
from an obscure oil-patch hick to the toast of big money Texas
politics.”
“I haven’t really been
watching too closely,” I admitted. “But it’s hard to miss a guy who
gets his picture on the front page every few weeks.”
“How’d you hear that he
was being courted by the powers-that-be for a run at the White
House?” she asked.
“They hinted at it in a
profile of Kirkland in Texas Monthly a while back,” I said. “Not
too much of a surprise really. The guy has ambition written all
over him.”
“Well, the national party
leaders sure seem to think he hung the moon. My political
connections tell me there is big, big money lining up behind
him.”
“So, what’s his connection
to Sandy Doyle?” I asked.
“From what I hear, they go
way back. Kirkland and Sandy Doyle apparently used to pal around
together back when Kirkland was an ambitious young Ector County
Commissioner, probably twenty years ago.”
“About the time Sandy
Doyle was an ambitious middle-aged drug dealer and
pimp?”
“Exactly,” she said. “They
seem to have this relationship where they scratch each other’s
back. Doing things for each other that on the surface might appear
a little suspicious, but that can be explained as one friend
helping another out.”
“Like?”
“Like the airplane.
Kirkland likes to fly around and inject himself into the spotlight
wherever he can, but his travel budget just doesn’t allow for it.
So, Sandy Doyle has a three-million dollar jet that he lets
Kirkland use whenever he wants to.”
“And what does Kirkland do
for Sandy Doyle in return?”
“Sandy gets the appearance
of having a United States Senator in his pocket.”
“Hard to cash that at the
bank. Doyle strikes me as a lot more practical in his business
dealings.”
“Oh, I’m sure there’s more
that goes on behind the scenes. Or, Sandy may just be biding his
time until
names on the signature cards or the names on the other paperwork.
Since she had lived and worked in Odessa I thought it worth a shot.
She took the names, said she would make a few calls and suggested I
come over for dinner to discuss them further. How could I
refuse?
“What I know is mostly
rumor and hearsay, so keep that in mind,” she said, sipping her
beer. “I didn’t recognize the name Darrell Swain, but the other
name on your list, Dayton Clark, is an attorney from
Odessa.”
Dayton Clark, a name I’d
first come across during my research at the library, had been
listed as agent or in some other capacity for each of the five
companies.
She went on.
“Clark handles some
criminal defense work now and then, but he spends most of his time
on one client; Sandy Doyle.”
She glanced up at me to
see if Doyle’s name elicited a reaction from me before
continuing.
“I seem to have heard that
name before,” I said.
“I thought you might have,
with that star you wore on your chest for so long and all. I’m sure
you already know, but it’s been said for years that Sandy Doyle
controls all of the drugs, gambling and prostitution in Odessa and
Midland.”
“Does he have any
legitimate businesses?” I asked.
“I don’t know how
legitimate it is, but he does have a payday loan business called
Doyle Finance. They’ve got a couple of storefronts in Odessa where
working people who don’t have bank accounts can go to cash their
paycheck for a huge fee. Or they can borrow against next week’s
paycheck and pay outrageous interest rates for the
privilege.”
“Sounds like he’s
providing a community service.”
“Yeah, finance,
pharmaceuticals and the best politicians that money can
buy.”
“Politicians?”
“Okay,” she said. “More
rumor and hearsay. Do you know who G. Travis Kirkland
is?”
“The esteemed United
States Senator with Presidential aspirations?”
Her eyebrows went up. “You
do have good sources, don’t you?”
“Remember, I’ve been
living in Austin the last couple of decades.”
“So, you’ve watched him go
from an obscure oil-patch hick to the toast of big money Texas
politics.”
“I haven’t really been
watching too closely,” I admitted. “But it’s hard to miss a guy who
gets his picture on the front page every few weeks.”
“How’d you hear that he
was being courted by the powers-that-be for a run at the White
House?” she asked.
“They hinted at it in a
profile of Kirkland in Texas Monthly a while back,” I said. “Not
too much of a surprise really. The guy has ambition written all
over him.”
“Well, the national party
leaders sure seem to think he hung the moon. My political
connections tell me there is big, big money lining up behind
him.”
“So, what’s his connection
to Sandy Doyle?” I asked.
“From what I hear, they go
way back. Kirkland and Sandy Doyle apparently used to pal around
together back when Kirkland was an ambitious young Ector County
Commissioner, probably twenty years ago.”
“About the time Sandy
Doyle was an ambitious middle-aged drug dealer and
pimp?”
“Exactly,” she said. “They
seem to have this relationship where they scratch each other’s
back. Doing things for each other that on the surface might appear
a little suspicious, but that can be explained as one friend
helping another out.”
“Like?”
“Like the airplane.
Kirkland likes to fly around and inject himself into the spotlight
wherever he can, but his travel budget just doesn’t allow for it.
So, Sandy Doyle has a three-million dollar jet that he lets
Kirkland use whenever he wants to.”
“And what does Kirkland do
for Sandy Doyle in return?”
“Sandy gets the appearance
of having a United States Senator in his pocket.”
“Hard to cash that at the
bank. Doyle strikes me as a lot more practical in his business
dealings.”
“Oh, I’m sure there’s more
that goes on behind the scenes. Or, Sandy may just be biding his
time until
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