Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness Read Online Free

that I recall."
    "Treasury agent. Formerly in Chicago. Provided the testimony that got Capone indicted on Volstead and conspiracy allegations."
    Burton thought for a moment. "Didn't they put Capone away for income tax evasion?"
    "Yes. They could never make the other charges stick. But Ness and his so-called Untouchables hounded him for years. And Ness got a lot of favorable coverage in the process. The press loves this man. That baby face and unassuming modesty make for a very appealing image. He can afford to be modest-his accomplishments speak for themselves. Dwight Green, one of the prosecutors in the Capone case, gave him a ringing endorsement. William Clegg, foreman on the Capone grand jury, was also a big booster. I've talked to them both. They tell me you couldn't find a straighter arrow if you searched the world over. They call him an American hero-maybe the last of his kind. Hardworking, honest to a fault. He's been offered all kinds of bribes and payoffs. Turned them all down."
    "And you want me to bring him to Cleveland?"
    "Read the article, Harold. He's already here. Has been for months. The Alcohol Tax Unit posted him here as a special-investigator-in-charge."
    "Why here?"
    "Because according to the Feds, we have more bootleg liquor passing through our town than anyplace else in the country. And from here it flows into all the major eastern cities."
    "Then maybe we should let Mr. Ness do the work he's been assigned."
    "I hear he's frustrated. Thinks he can do more. Applied for the FBI. Got turned down."
    "If your man is so amazing, why would the FBI turn him down?"
    Lawrence inched forward. "This is just between you and me. But what my sources tell me is that J. Edgar Hoover doesn't like agents who attract more publicity than he does. While Hoover 's made a name for himself catching hick bank robbers, Ness went after organized crime, which according to Hoover doesn't exist."
    Burton snipped off the end of a cigar and lit it, puffing till it caught. "I'm not so fond of people who attract better publicity than I do, either."
    "No need to worry. He may be good with the press, but he's politically inexperienced. Doesn't understand the machinery."
    "And I do."
    "You have me to advise you."
    "Still sounds like a potential scene-stealer."
    "But don't you see, Harold? If you appoint him, anything good he does is a feather in your cap. You benefit even more than he does. And if he fails, well, it wasn't your fault. You did everything you could."
    Burton puffed on his large, long stogie. "I like that part." He thought a moment. "But I think Safety Director is too high profile. I'd rather have someone safer. Maybe Robert Turkel."
    "Turkel is a desk man. You need someone more visible. Ness hates to be deskbound. Always goes out on the raids with his men. Been shot at more than half a dozen times."
    Burton mulled it over, rolling the cigar between his fingers. "Maybe I could just put him in the police department. Make him some kind of special investigator."
    Lawrence shook his head vigorously. "How can he clean up the police department if they can fire him? Plus, he would be limited to police duties, and they can't improve the traffic fatalities or the congestion or the exhaust fumes so thick you can't step outside without getting nauseated. No, he needs to be completely independent. And he needs all the executive authority you can give him. All the powers and support of the mayor's office."
    Burton blew a cloud of smoke into the air. "That's a lot of power to give an unknown variable."
    "It takes a lot of power to accomplish a big job. And right now, Cleveland is a big job."
    Burton leaned across his desk. "Now you're sounding like you really think this Buster Brown can clean up Cleveland."
    "Sometimes underdogs prevail."
    "I don't see it happening here."
    "No one thought Braddock could take down Baer, either. But he did."
    "On points."
    "No one thought Omaha would win the Triple Crown."
    "This isn't sports, Wes, and I'd like