"Okay, Momma, I'll see you in the morning.” He’d tell her after breakfast about the interview.
Troy slipped into the bedroom and saw Gwen asleep, snuggled up with his pillow. He grabbed pajamas and took a shower. After turning off the lights, he slid in beside her. His arm wrapped over her, pulling her close.
Chapter 30
Sunday, June 3rd
The normally quiet executive floor was buzzing with the presence of the executive staff members and extra security. The morning was scheduled to begin with a video call involving the remaining executive staff.
Ian sat at the head of the conference table. “Good morning.”
“Greece’s mystery caller. What do we know?” Kip asked. “He persists on calling him Greece. He was responsible for the film release.The Real Businesspublisher is fighting our legal request, our FOIL request, and our offer to pay for the information. At Martin’s order, it was sent to DC tech.” The group knew they were trying to hack into their system.
“The majority of the calls went through Greece’s cell phone. The other calls went through Communications to Gwen’s voicemail or to her,” Martin added.
“Greece received that phone number when he arrived in Virginia,” Wes confirmed.
“Tech has identified every caller is different. The message is consistent. Gwenny has something, and whatever it is brings them back to Iraq and Saudi Arabia. We are attempting to identify the ISIS cell, and was she held in a CIA black site or was it a rogue operation at an abandoned site?” Zach offered.
“I spoke to five of the six Marines with Gwen the day she was kidnapped. Why Harry Desmond was alone with the target and Gwen isn’t clear. The five all indicated they had other contingencies. Harry Desmond is on leave and not due back for two weeks.” Zach inhaled harshly.
“Convenient,” Kip said.
“Kieran is pursuing Gwen’s Mosul mission’s paperwork from the Pentagon. We got a heavily redacted file.”
“I spoke with Denver again today. Gerald Billings will be here this afternoon. He was assigned to Silverton with Tango Team. Did someone leak something? Remy Mirouette confirmed he had no love for a female boss, and his feeling about my assault was it prevented me from being an effective boss,” Troy added.
“Boss, that falls on me. The report came in before Virginia; it got tabled. I’m sorry,” Blake said.
“Blake, we can’t discipline someone for having negative thoughts. He was transferred because he was insubordinate to Gwendolen and Remy,” Troy advised.
“The films were made in Silverton. I’d like to put the blame on the bad guys. But, Ian, we went through the files. The intersection between Gwen and myself started there. It continued to Denver, on to Virginia, to here. My phone was Virginia. Gwen’s ordeal started, I believe, at Pendleton. Maybe earlier at the Naval Academy. The person responsible intersects with all the circles.
“Yesterday, I had an odd conversation with Davidson Boyle. He passed on another stack of files. He said it was beyond his paygrade and mine. That tells me this goes high up in the command.
“One other thing: we confirmed with some of the male victims, including Richmond, that they were told there was no place for men like them in the Marines. One of the callers made a reference to ‘men like me.’ Richmond is a Guardian Angel—men who help women. Diana Ragbir was a battered woman. Were the other women?” Troy cocked his head.
“I’m looking at the list. All the women attacked were the rank of corporal or higher. Smart, talented women,” Kyle “Coop” Cooper, the head of licensing, said.
“Nice catch, Coop,” Wes praised.
When Zach tapped his finger on the table, Troy shook his head. “Ice, say it.”
“I listened to your interviews with Gwen. You culled important info. Look, there’s no other way to say it, but I think she knows more.”
Troy cut Zach off, “Since Jule is a football coach, can I be a baseball coach?”
With the exception of Zach and Kip, everyone looked confused. Zach sighed. “I won’t hurt her.”
“Do the job. We need to solve this, for her and the others,” Troy said.
After a five-minute break, Kip picked up the meeting, cracking his knuckles. “Tonight, Troy is giving an interview to Alec Kunzleman from GNN. They began advertising it yesterday. Since then, we have received fourteen requests for follow-up interviews. All were refused. The San Diego building’s entrances are shut down with doubled security. Patrols are clearing the building every hour until the interview. The bridge to the health center has security at each end. I would think it might be best for all divisions to lock down,” Kip reported.
“I’ll send out the order. Troy, I’m putting it out there. You don’t have to do this,” Martin said.
“I know. Hey, everybody, the release of my story forced me to confront a lot. If I don’t do what I’ve asked countless victims to do, I will feel like a fraud. And if it means one victim will get help, then it’s worth it.”
“Alright, everyone. If there are no questions, I’m adjourning the meeting,” Ian said.
