Dixie Under Siege (A Warrior's Passion #2) - Natasza Waters Page 0,111

Ditz asked.

Josh thanked Sabrina when she returned to their table with coffees.

“One more?” she asked, gazing at Ditz.

“Could use a cold drink and lots of it,” he said.

The caffeine slid down Josh’s throat and landed on an empty stomach. “I’ve been listening to the media. Not a damn word about the dirty secrets in the Kallis family. Every news outlet is pointing the finger at Dixie, slamming her with Chandler’s death. How hard would it be to start an anonymous campaign? And we need it to go viral.”

Ditz narrowed his eyes. “You want the world to know the truth about Chandler and his father. The white underbelly.”

“Exactly. The senator prides himself on a squeaky clean image. He’s crafted a pyramid of lies and deception. It’s time the truth leaked out.”

Ditz sat back in the leather chair and thought about it for a second. “The problem is his political allies. Anyone he has on the hook will immediately scream conspiracy theory. A catch-phrase that makes people instantly refute the claim, even when it’s the truth.”

Josh considered the comm expert’s concerns. “Doesn’t matter who believes it or not. It’s the unveiling, and the senator won’t want that. Besides, takes a lot of resources and phone calls to derail the conspiracy theory train, doesn’t it?”

Mace grinned. “I see what you’re doing. You want so many leaks in the senator’s boat, he won’t know what to plug first.”

“Exactly. Pandora’s Box is just that. A box. With enough cracks, the containment fails.”

Tinman stretched his broad shoulders while palming his cardboard cup. “How does any of this help Dixie prove her innocence? They’ve got that one locked down.”

Josh glanced out the window at people going about their daily lives. She needed her life back. He needed her back. “This is still the United States of America, Petty Officer Bale. It’s not about Dix proving her innocence, it’s about the police proving she’s guilty. If it wasn’t for the senator’s interference, she’d be free. If we air the senator and his son’s dirty laundry, Kallis will figure out the leak is coming from our side of the fence. He thought he could hang his son’s murder on Dixie and no one would bat an eye. He’ll soon learn differently. Then he has to make a decision. If he keeps using his influence to railroad her, we’ll keep the pressure on. Not only does his reputation go down the tubes, but the Feds might get involved. If they investigate, who knows what they’ll find.”

Ditz nodded. “Any idea who killed Chandler?”

“We have to wait and see. Medical Examiner hasn’t released his findings. In the meantime, is it possible to peel the layers off the senator and put the truth out for public consumption?”

“Yes, sir.” Ditz nodded his thanks to Sabrina when she set his drink on the knee-high table. “Give me a few hours.”

Josh’s cell rang and the caller ID read Berrywhite.

“Hello, Mr. Berrywhite, this is CDR Hunter.”

“I’m sorry to bother you. I was notified about Captain Reynold’s passing. We’re all shocked.”

“As am I,” Josh said. “Gesem was a wonderful woman.”

“She was and she’ll be missed, but that’s not why I’m calling.”

“I’m sitting with some of my Special Operators who are working with me to uncover what we can about her murder. I’m going to put you on speaker.”

“That’s fine.”

Josh checked the customers in their vicinity then put Gesem’s boss on speaker. “Go ahead, Mr. Berrywhite.”

“Since you’re involved with solving Capt. Reynolds’ homicide, I thought you should know that I contacted the DOJ. When I came to work this morning, I found an email from her. Gesem wrote it before leaving for San Diego. I can only assume if she had returned safely, she would have recalled the email.”

Josh’s gut tightened. “Gesem was always a smart woman. Shall I go out on a limb and guess the email was in regards to Senator Kallis and her suspicions that he’s involved in human trafficking?”

A long pause followed. “Exactly.”

Josh shot a look at his SEALs, who listened intently. “She sent you that email in case she didn’t return.”

“I can’t divulge the exact details,” Berrywhite said. “But the DOJ was extremely interested in what she’d found. An investigation has been opened. In her email, she admitted Senator Kallis threatened her life when she confronted him.” The man paused, as if deliberating. “I respected Miss Reynolds. We knew each other quite well.” Berrywhite cleared his throat. “I know she was conflicted over choosing her career and, to be quite open, her fondness for