can’t search it all.”
“Could have used a trained canine on this op.” Josh had to prioritize what he wanted most. A visual of Chandler Kallis topped the list. Tinman held a military-grade camera with night vision capability and up to 128X zoom. He’d already taken several shots of the property to inspect later.
“Tinman, you up for a field trip?”
He grinned. “My wife’s an attorney, Commander. It’s all about plausible deniability. I’m in.”
Admiral Austen said, “Fox. Mace. Cracker. You’re with me. We’ll check out that grove.”
The last person who should be involved was Austen. “Admiral, I appreciate your help, but your wife would have my nuts in a vise if I put you in the middle of a controversy. Chandler’s father is a senator. He’s probably got friends in high places.”
Austen chuckled. “So do I, Commander. Chandler thinks he’s untouchable. We’re gonna give him cause for doubt.”
Greg LaPierre, who’d been relatively quiet, said, “Absolument, mon amie. Tex, Ditz and I will keep a bird’s eye view. We see trouble, we’ll let you know. Give you time to get the hell out of there. Cause a distraction if you need one.”
Lt. Bach pointed at the rough scratches in the dirt. “I’ll take Stitch and Tadpole. We’ll check out the exterior buildings and the compost area. A little manure and lye can decompose a corpse pretty fast.”
The admiral eyed Caleb Stone. “Stitch, if anyone should stay behind, it’s you.”
The redhead with half a year of medical school behind him said, “Look who’s talking. I might be a little rusty, but you’ve been sitting behind a desk for seven years. I’m not the only one that’s put on ten pounds.”
Admiral Austen lowered his chin. “Well at least if I get a bullet in the ass, you’ll be able to extract it.”
Stitch chuckled. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve pulled buckshot out of your hide.”
Against Josh’s better judgement, he knew together they’d find answers and nodded his thanks.
****
Josh and Tinman skirted the property with the shield of darkness. They identified security cameras under the eaves of the house and a couple hidden in the palm trees. Admiral Austen and Lt. Bach’s teams spotted a few more and called them in.
Josh and Tinman approached the home from the east. Shrubs and landscaping hid their approach.
No dogs or security guards roamed the property.
Once in position behind the house, Josh saw interior lights glowing from three rooms. With no window coverings, they viewed an empty kitchen. Two more rooms were lit on the far side of the expensive dwelling.
Josh pointed toward a sculpted group of bushes to their right.
Tinman nodded and they crouch-walked to their next location. Hunkering down behind the trimmed evergreens put them twenty feet from the stucco exterior of the building.
The shutter on Tinman’s camera clicked. Through the binoculars, Josh saw what looked like an office or library. Vera’s dress was gone and a blindfold covered her eyes. Palming the edge of the desk with her long legs spread and her high-priced ass in the air, she was ready to earn another monthly payment for her expensive car.
Josh shifted the field glasses and saw a dark-haired guy in his thirties sitting on a white sofa. A large flat screen hung on the wall behind the desk. You fucking asshole. Zooming in with the binoculars, he recognized the woman on the TV. His blood boiled. In slow motion, the video of Dixie lying on the beach in a bikini shifted to a set of still photos. All of them were Dix.
Kallis sipped from a glass tumbler and watched the images. In no hurry, he eventually placed the glass on the end table and turfed his clothes.
“That’s not Dixie in the room, sir,” Tinman said quietly. “Don’t lose your shit.”
“She is in that room. On the monitor and in his fucked-up mind.”
Chandler kept his attention on the video when he ran his hands up the whore’s body. He pinched Vera’s plump breasts then hammered his cock into the woman. His head rocked back, enjoying the ride.
He and Tinman watched the way Kallis handled the hired professional. Josh’s stomach turned. He must have ordered Vera to face him. When she obeyed, he wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed while he penetrated her with brutal thrusts. All the while, different images of Dixie flashed across the monitor.
“Guess I’ve seen worse, but this guy definitely has a fetish,” Tinman uttered. The camera clicked with rapid fire.
In the comm set, Admiral Austen said, “Fox found something.”
“Body?” Josh asked.
The show