Page 3 of Depths of Destruction

"Why not? It's no different from the prison story I uncovered."

"It is."

"Ezra, this is our job."

"Sometimes you need to look the other way, Naomi. This is one of those times."

"You don't mean that."

"I do."

This isn't the Ezra I know who seeks truth and justice for the people.

I can't believe these words are coming out of his mouth.

He scowls. "You have something else to say?"

"No." I pick up my papers, and Ezra yanks them out of my hand so fast, I get a paper cut. "Ow!"

"I said you're done."

"Those are my notes. My property."

"The station pays your check. These stay with me. I won't have your death on my hands."

"Fine." I have copies in a safety-deposit box. The only person who knows about the documents is my sister, Emilia. I instructed her to release them to the public secretly should I end up dead. But I don't want Ezra to know my secret, especially now.

I never would have expected Ezra not to bring truth to the people.

Now he's going to take my evidence and do what with it? Destroy it?

On the way out, I stop at my desk to collect my purse and laptop. It's past midnight; even the nightly news reporters have all gone home. Cubicles sit empty, and almost all the lights are off. The only other person I see is the janitor who vacuums the carpet and smiles at me as I wait for the elevator.

Another example of a hardworking person who deserves to know the truth.

The elevator opens and I step in. It's an older model and creaks all the way to the underground parking garage.

My level of disgust grows the more I rehash my conversation with Ezra.

The country of Belize will never rise out of poverty if Jonas Torres and Santiago Gómez continue to own its leaders and terrorize its citizens.

Over the last decade, Torres's drug cartel has risen in international strength. Santiago Gómez doesn't like the share of the drug market Torres has acquired, and the fight between the two cartels sheds blood almost daily.

My investigation revealed substantial amounts of money is funding political campaigns for Belizean officials from both Torres and Gómez. This information helps explain why the death rate has increased.

If the murders in Belize were only taking down drug cartel members, I wouldn't be as interested. However, every day, innocent citizens are being killed or severely harmed. Kidnappings have risen, only for maimed bodies to be found in the jungle. Shootings in the street are nothing out of the ordinary anymore. Homes get broken into at all hours of the day, the victims left bloody and bruised. Women and children aren't excluded from the crossfire, either.

Last month, the Belizean government captured Nicolas Gómez, and he's been sitting in prison in a secret location since. He is Santiago's brother and most trusted man. What I haven't figured out is why the politicians who are taking his drug money allowed his incarceration.

Santiago Gómez isn't someone to piss off. It's well-known he killed his father, Alejandro, to gain control of the Colombian cartel. He's ruthless, stopping at nothing to dominate everyone and everything around him.

But he's no different than Jonas Torres.

The elevator shakes, comes to a stop, and the doors slide open. I step into the dimly lit parking garage and walk toward my car with my keys in my hand.

"Naomi Salazar," says a gruff voice with a Spanish accent, sending chills down my spine. He could be from Belize, as some people don’t speak English even though it’s our native tongue, but my gut says he isn’t.

I click the lock to my car as I turn my head toward the voice but increase my pace.