dangerous they are. And you should have told me you were working on this."
"Ezra, our people are dying. The leaders we put in power don't care about us. They are lining their pockets at the expense of Belizean lives."
His scowl falls from his face. In his fatherly manner he says, "Certain things are beyond our level of impact. This is one of them."
"That's not true," I cry out.
"It is. They'll hurt you then kill you. If they even know you're digging into their business, you're in danger."
Silence ensues, which only serves to make the thundering of my pulse roar in my ears.
He takes a few deep breaths then in a calm voice, he asks, "Naomi, who else knows about this?"
"No one," I lie to him.
He focuses on the folder then closes his eyes briefly. Sighing deeply, he turns his fear-filled eyes on me. "I hope to God you've covered your tracks."
"I have," I assure him. “But we need to run this story."
"No. You're risking death if you do this."
"I told you to run it anonymously."
His eyes widen, and he throws his hands in the air. "You don't think they will come after me to find out who you are?"
"Then put my name on it. The station can get me a bodyguard. They've done it for me and other reporters in the past."
"No. Security can't protect you from these people."
"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.