"Then Mellish died.
Since Boukas never knew whom Mellish represented, he doesn't know whom to contact. Now he is left wondering where he stands."

If this was legit wouldn't the big wheel behind all this replace the dead person with a live one and continue on?

Maybe this Mellish guy was looking for a free drink.

It almost sounds like a script from Detroit 187.
"Disappearing Broker"
Plot: Local county executive offs broker to hopefully prevent sale and eventual move of sports team.