Catch the Devil — Interactive Mindmaps

Key concepts: Prologue

1. Prologue

First Encounter with Skalnik

• Author meets convicted con artist in Texas prison
• Skalnik weeps, claims dying of cancer
• Boasts of fearsome reputation in Pinellas County
• Promises to reveal secrets only in person

Skalnik's Manipulative Persona

• Frail, obese man with sharp eyes in wheelchair
• Shows blood-stained rag as cancer proof
• Claims vendetta by ex-lover's daughter and marshal
• Boasts of offshore accounts and never losing cases

Elusive Truth and Evasion

• Skalnik dodges specifics on extracting confessions
• Deflects questions with smiles and promises
• Insists real stories require future visits
• Author leaves exhilarated but misled

The Slow Fade of Cooperation

• Author researches jail logs and trial transcripts
• Skalnik responds only about trivial prison life
• Excuses pile up: mailroom, sickness, unease
• Skalnik stops communicating, admits discomfort

Central Mystery Unresolved

• Skalnik's confessions may be fabricated
• Dozens convicted, one on death row
• Author realizes Skalnik never intended truth
• Sets up investigation for rest of book

Key concepts: Chapter 1: Skalnik

2. Chapter 1: Skalnik

Setting and Characters

• Friendswood, Texas, a quiet dry town in the 1970s
• Lisa Rogers, 14, prefers horses to people
• Penny Rogers, former dance show star, yearns for more
• Paul Skalnik arrives, promising a bigger life

Skalnik's Deception and Courtship

• Claims to be a top Southwest Airlines executive
• Whirlwind courtship ends in Las Vegas marriage
• Buys fur coats, microwaves, and a customized van
• Lisa notices contrast between tales and shabby family home

The Performance Unravels

• Tells grand stories about UT football and a Learjet
• Paces empty hangar, faking a phone call
• Drinks heavily, flies into rages, gives Penny black eyes
• Lisa feels his gaze in the shower; he offers a gold watch

Financial Collapse and Disappearance

• Bill collectors demand payment for bounced checks
• Letters from Amco Jewelry, Oshman's, banks, and more
• Skalnik leaves for work one day and never returns
• Penny offers no explanation; household slowly relaxes

Jailhouse Call to an Old Friend

• Kenny Rodgers, DA investigator, answers with cover name
• Skalnik calls from Harris County Jail
• They met as cadets at New Mexico Military Institute
• Skalnik promises info on a major criminal investigation

Key concepts: Chapter 2: Fool Me Once

3. Chapter 2: Fool Me Once

The Killing of José Campos Torres

• Army veteran killed by police on Cinco de Mayo 1977
• Beaten for hours then pushed into bayou to drown
• Body surfaced three days later with severe bruising

Failed Justice and Public Outrage

• All-white jury convicted officers of only negligent homicide
• Federal charges resulted in just one year each
• Moody Park riot erupted one year later
• City leaders blamed 'outside agitators' instead of racism

The Moody Park Three

• Three activists charged with inciting the riot
• Faced up to twenty years in prison
• More time than any officer served for killing Torres

The Unlikely Informant Paul Skalnik

• Former police officer turned con man in jail
• DA needed a witness for conspiracy charges
• Skalnik claimed to have gotten Hirschi talking

The Deal and Fabricated Testimony

• Skalnik got freedom and reduced charges for testimony
• He claimed Hirschi confessed to planning the riot
• Testimony was entirely fabricated
• All three activists were convicted

Skalnik's Betrayal and Arrest

• Skalnik moved into handler's beach house
• Stole deck chairs and used stolen credit card
• Arrested wearing Rodgers's clothes

Collateral Damage: Skalnik's Ex-Wife

• Skalnik drained Penny's accounts and wrecked her credit
• Became violent and controlling
• Domestic violence treated as private matter then
• Penny later wrote judge asking mercy for him

Key concepts: Chapter 3: Sunshine State

4. Chapter 3: Sunshine State

Florida's Promise of Reinvention

• Early Spanish explorers found only wilderness
• Railway in 1887 unlocked tourism and citrus wealth
• Mid-century boom drew retirees, veterans, and dreamers
• Land of new beginnings attracted both honest and predatory

Skalnik's Fraudulent Arrival

• Arrived in 1980 for fourth wedding to Suzanne Bourdeau
• Posed as devout Christian and law student
• Arrested for grand theft and fake diamond ring fraud
• Suzanne bailed him out; he violated bail

Manipulation in Jail

• Worked in law library to access inmate documents
• Claimed confessions from three murder defendants
• Prosecutors eagerly accepted his dubious information
• Plead guilty to grand theft for leniency deal

Exploitation of Legal System

• Testified against fourth defendant in drug case
• Tried to discredit insanity defense despite evidence
• Prosecutors overlooked his documented dishonesty
• Rewarded with probation instead of prison time

Pattern of Deception Rewarded

• Prosecutor praised Skalnik as essential witness
• Judge gave lightest penalty despite criminal history
• Suzanne tried to rebuild marriage after sentencing
• Skalnik secured job with private investigator