Lost in the Maze

by Gary William Ramsey

  Moses and Zippy both made a squealing sound and departed. I guess that was there way of saying thank you and goodbye.

  I ate about half of the bird and drank some of the water from the gourd. My next task was to preserve the rest of my meat. I began talking aloud. I don’t know why.

  “Salting is the preservation of food with salt. It is related to pickling, preparing food with brine salty water. It’s one of the oldest methods of preserving food. Two historically significant salt-cured foods are dried and salted fish and salt cured meat.

  Salting is used because most bacteria and fungi and other potentially pathogenic organisms cannot survive in a highly salty environment, due to the hypertonic nature of salt. Any living cell in such an environment will become dehydrated through osmosis and die or become temporarily inactivated.” I remembered all that from my Navy survival training. I felt a little crazy taking to myself but it helped me to hear a human voice.

  I stuffed the rest of the bird in the remaining gourd, took it and the one with the rodent meat, and walked to the ocean. After filling the gourds containing the meat with salt water, I walked back to the shelter. As the salt water evaporates my food will be crusted with salt, which should preserve it.

  I threw another batch of thick branches on the fire and decided to get some sleep. Tomorrow I must leave my camp and explore the rest of the island. I have accomplished the first steps of survival, food, water, and shelter. Now it’s time to find a way to get back to civilization. As I lay in the shelter, I reached back and felt the sore spot on my head. Someone had whacked me on the back of the head and threw me overboard, leaving me for dead. I gritted my teeth, worrying about my wife and daughter.

  Exhaustion finally overcame me and I drifted off into a restless sleep.

  I was asleep before the sound of the low guttural growl came from the edge of the jungle. The jaguar crept forward. He had smelled the roasted meat. The big cat hadn’t eaten all day and he was frantic for food.

  Chapter 15

  The President of the United States, James Westley Helms, was thirty minutes late for the emergency national security briefing that he had urgently requested. Chief of Staff Roy Long was also missing. Already present in the meeting room were Vice President Alex Broome, National Security Advisor Jon Crawford, FBI Director Harold Stancil, CIA Director Henry Taylor, Attorney General Eric Lovelace and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Gilbert Herbert Stockman.

  They were meeting in the Situation Room on the ground floor of the West Wing of the White House. The room is sometimes called “the woodshed.” They were in the main conference room, which had six flat-screen televisions for secure video conferences, and the technology linking them to Generals and Prime Ministers around the globe.

  The participants were seated around two tiers of curved computer terminals that can be fed both classified and unclassified data from around the country and the world. The area also featured privacy booths for phone calls, windows with privacy glass (frosted at the flip of a switch), and procedures and technology to prevent unauthorized cell phone calls and text messaging.

  Participants were sitting silently wondering why they were brought here on such short notice and with such urgency. The President was in the last eighteen months of his second term and had been a lame duck for months.

  The door opened and the short stocky body of Roy Long rushed in. His bald head showed beads of sweat. He brushed it away with the palm of his hand.

  “The President is on the way. He apologizes for the delay.”

  “What’s going on Roy?” The Vice President asked.

  “Just wait,” was the curt reply.

  The door opened again and two secret service men entered. They walked around the room purposely viewing each participant as if to verify identification. After the inspection, they went back to the door and opened it. President James Helms walked in.

  His 6 ft. 4 inch frame was slouched, and his usually perfectly groomed grey hair was slightly mussed. He took his seat at the head of the conference table.

  “Gentlemen, in the past twenty-four hours extreme events have transpired. When the Attorney General brought it to my attention, I asked him and Director Stancil to keep it under wraps until we could determine if there were any connections between the two separate tragedies. Unfortunately the press got a hold of one of the catastrophes. Soon the other one will be public.

  In what appears to be separate and unrelated events, two of the top candidates for their party’s nomination for President have died.”

  President Helms took a deep breath and continued.

  “Governor Ellis Patton of Illinois died from the bite of a Brown Recluse Spider. There’s no evidence that any criminal activity was involved. The Illinois office of the FBI handled the crime scene and Attorney General Lovelace assured me that it was a tragic accident. We simply don’t know how several of these spiders got into his home, but they did.

  The other situation is different and is the explosive one. Senator Michael Roberts of North Carolina was involved. That situation is presently under investigation. The Attorney General has deferred to Director Stancil to update you on this event. Director Stancil, please update us.”

  Director Stancil nodded, stood and picked up his notes. “Thank you Mr. President. Special Agent Gerry Stewart, who is in charge of the Houston Regional Offices, is personally handling this investigation. He is exceptionally competent. The investigation is in progress as we speak with our best Agents and Forensic Teams on the scene. Unfortunately a publicly seeking Security Officer from the cruise ship held an unauthorized press conference. He reported to the press that after a drug induced violent argument, that Senator Roberts, in a fit of rage, stabbed his wife to death and then committed suicide by jumping off the ship. This has not been verified by our examination of the facts. What we know at this point is this; Mrs. Roberts is dead from multiple stab wounds. Drugs in the form of mushrooms were found at the scene. The Senator is missing. At the time there is no place he could have gone except in the water. His chances of survival are minuscule with the time that’s elapsed. Lisa Roberts, the 18-year-old daughter of Senator and Mrs. Roberts, is also missing. Odds are that she went overboard into the ocean. Why and how we don’t know. Gentlemen these are the facts that currently exist. Presently there is no credible evidence that the Death of Governor Patton and the incident with Senator Roberts are connected. I will entertain any questions you have.”

  After a moment of silence, VP Alex Broom spoke up. “Is there anything in the background of the two men that may shed some light on the situation? Did they have anything in common? Were they connected in any way?”

  “We can find no connection except for their political importance, and that they were leading in the polls for the nomination in their respective parties in the next Presidential election. They have very different backgrounds. Senator Roberts was raised in the small town of Monroe, North Carolina. His mother worked in a cotton mill and his father left when he was two years old. By todays standards his family would be classified as poor. He overcame the adversity of his underprivileged place in life, and graduated from Benton Heights High School with honors and was the President of the Student Body his senior year. He worked his way through Western Carolina University in the mountains of North Carolina, achieving the honor of being elected Permanent President of his graduating class. After graduation he joined the Navy and was a decorated officer with Navy Seal Team Six. Subsequently he earned his Law degree from Duke University in Durham, N.C. After being elected and serving in the US House of Representatives for two terms, he was elected to the Senate twice and was in his eighth year of service. He was a tall lean man in very good physical shape.”

  Director Stancil reached over and grabbed another paper and continued.

  “Governor Patton had quite a different background. He grew up in the wealthy neighborhood of Lincoln Park in Chicago. His father was a highly successful investment banker and his mother was a Professor of
Economics at Wharton School of Business. He attended Yale University for his undergraduate work, and received his law degree from Harvard. He never served in the armed services. After a successful stent in his father ’s Firm, he ran on the Democrat ticket and won the elective office of Attorney General for the State of Illinois. He served one term in that office, then ran for Lieutenant Governor and won in a landslide. One term later he challenged the sitting Governor and won the election. He was reelected for his second term two years ago. His wife of twenty years, Donna, was visiting her mother in Florida when the incident occurred. His two sons are out on their own and both live in Texas. He was in decent health, however was about fifteen pounds overweight and was taking high blood pressure and cholesterol medication. Along with the venom from the spiders, there were traces of Ambien and alcohol in his system at the time of his death. Those are the facts without any speculation. I will report to the Attorney General as the investigations continue. Are there any further questions?”

  Jon Crawford spoke up, “With Senators Roberts’ background, it’s unbelievable that he would murder his wife and commit suicide. Don’t you find that absurd?”

  “I don’t deal in speculation,” Stancil replied.

  “Thank you Director Stancil,” the President said. “Gentlemen we have no option but to inform the press about the death of Governor Patton. That news release will go out at the culmination of this meeting. We must speak with one voice on this matter. I want you to refer all questions from the press to Roy Long. We will be inundated with conspiracy theories. I don’t think that at any time in history have two leading candidates for the Presidency died at practically the same time. Expect a press feeding frenzy. This meeting is adjourned.”

  The President and Roy Long left the room. The remaining participants sat in stunned silence.

  “Shit happens,” CIA Director Henry Taylor said, and left the room.

  The Controller stayed seated for a moment, then left as well. It was all he could do to keep a smile off his face. The rest of these suckers don’t have a clue what’s about to happen, he thought.

  Being represented by the Controller in the center of power in the United States Government was a goal of unprecedented stature accomplished by ISIS.

  However, the Controller had plans of his own.

  Chapter 16

  Special Agent Stewart’s phone rang as he approached the Senator’s stateroom to get an update from Garcia. The caller ID revealed it was from Director Stancil.

  “What can I do for you sir? I don’t have anything new to report.”

  “Gerry, I just wanted to give you a heads up. I just came out of a meeting with The President, Attorney General, and other Administration officials. Another incident has occurred but I was held to secrecy until now. As we speak, there’s a press release reporting that Governor Patton from Illinois died as a result of several bites from Brown Recluse Spiders. Since the Governor and Senator Roberts were ahead in the polls for their respective party nominations for President, this is going to result in a media frenzy. I’ll text you the details. At this point the Illinois Regional FBI Office sees no linking to your case. Just be aware and call me before you inform the press of anything concerning your investigation. I’m on the way to another meeting with the Attorney General so call me when you have anything new.”

  Stewart stood flabbergasted as he heard the click, disconnecting the phone. He took a moment and it crossed his mind that the two deaths were too much of a coincidence for his liking.

  Agent Dan Garcia saw him standing at the doorway and approached him.

  “Gerry, you looked stunned.”

  “Dan, I just found out the Governor of Illinois was found dead. Since both he and the Senator were running for President, this situation stinks. Have you uncovered anything yet?”

  “The Medical Examiner has determined that Mrs. Roberts died instantly from the puncture wound below the base of the skull. The other stab wounds were made after she died. We’ve done all we can here with her body. All the necessary photographs have been taken, and the area surrounding the body has been analyzed. We need to transport the body to a medical facility so an autopsy can be preformed. There was other evidence and skin particles beneath her fingernails. That has been collected. We must test her blood and stomach contents at a medical facility. By the way, we did recover two cell phones from the room. We’ll include them in the investigation.”

  “Go ahead and remove the body,” Stewart replied. “What else Dan?”

  “We collected several Psilocybin mushrooms commonly known as psychedelic mushrooms. These are mushrooms usually called magic mushrooms and ‘shrooms. About forty species are found in the genus Psilocybe. Psilocybe cubensis is the most common psilocybin mushroom in subtropical areas and the black market. They are used as recreational drugs, and could easily been purchased at one of the tropical islands where the cruise ship docked.”

  “What about the daughter’s room?” Stewart asked.

  “Nothing was disturbed in the room, and there was no sign of a struggle. Another cell phone was on the dresser. We stripped the sheets and comforter from the bed for analysis. We are fingerprinting both rooms. One of my technicians reported that he smelled a faint odor of chloroform. If that was used, there should be some residue on the pillow or sheets. If chloroform is present, it adds another possibilities to this case. Did the Senator chloroform her because she heard the commotion, and then throw her overboard? Why would he do that if he was going to commit suicide? To be honest this is too open and shut. I smell a rat, Gerry. This is not what it seems.”

  “How long will it take your team to finish the investigation of the crime scene Dan?”

  “Probably another ten hours.”

  Stewart’s cell phone rang. “This is Stewart.”

  “Gerry, Mitch Ratliff. We are about a quarter of the way through questioning the staff of the ship. Most of them know zilch and saw nothing out of the ordinary. I was notified a few minutes ago about a steward who experienced one incident in the early morning hours during the probable time of the incident. It may result in nothing, but I have him here with me now.”

  “Wait Mitch, where are you? I’ll come and talk to him myself.”

  “I’m in the Captain’s Quarters. He graciously allowed me to use his quarters as the hub of the interrogations.”

  “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

  Stewart made his way to the Captain’s Quarters and knocked on the door. Agent Ratliff answered. He stepped outside the door.

  “Gerry, as I mentioned, most of the questioning of the crew resulted in nothing out of the ordinary. The guy inside is the only one to report an odd occurrence. His name is Don Lurcy. He’s a Dutchman who has worked for the cruise line for three years. He’s a steward who primarily works with room service delivering orders to staterooms.”

  “Okay, let’s go. I’ll ask him some questions and you can determine if he’s consistent with what he’s said before.”

  Stewart and Ratliff entered the ostentatious Captain’s Quarters. The Steward was sitting at the breakfast table. He was sipping on a bottle of water. The Dutchman had curly red hair, blue eyes and a three-inch scar on the left side of his forehead.

  “My name is Gerry Stewart with the FBI,” Stewart said holding out his hand.

  “Don Lurcy,” the Dutchman replied, and firmly shook the outstretched hand.

  “Don, I want you to repeat to me what you told Agent Ratliff, and why it appeared strange to you.”

  “Well sir, I work the late shift for room service, eleven pm to seven am. We offer twenty-four hour room service to all our clients. The kitchen called me to deliver an order of ham, eggs, toast and champagne to stateroom 344 at about two am. The kitchen keeps a record and you can check to get the exact time. On the way to deliver the order, a drunken Russian approached me, said he was lost and needed help to get back to his room. He was badly slurring his words, but there was a distinctive Russian accent. He had short black hair
, a slim guy, and walked with a limp, or maybe he was just too drunk to walk straight. I told him to wait, and when I finished my delivery I would assist him. I passed him, looked back and saw him walking okay, no stagger, around the corner. The stumbling was gone. I thought at the time that he was faking being drunk for some reason. When I made my delivery and returned, he was gone. I just assumed that he found his way. I looked around the halls but there was no sign of him. I don’t know if that means anything, but it was a little strange.”

  Stewart sat silently for a moment. “Do your remember seeing him at any other time during the cruise?”

  “No sir, but that’s not unusual since there was about 2200 passengers on this cruise.”

  “Thanks Mr. Lurcy. We’ll check it out. We’ll be back in touch if we come up with anything. You can go.”

  “Gerry, There are 800 crew members on this ship. We’ve talked to about 25% of them. Most conversations last about five minutes. We’ve hit a dead end so far on all except for this guy.”

  “Okay Mitch, get with the Captain and secure a passenger list. I want to know all the passengers with Russian names. Have your men finish interviewing every crew member. Also have the Purser give you the names and address of all the crew members. I’ll set up my headquarters here in the Captain’s Quarters. Bring me anything you think is relevant.”

  “Yes Sir,” Ratliff said, “and you should know the press is clamoring for news.”

  Stewart dialed the Director Stancil’s private number.

  “Anything new Gerry?”

  “No Sir. We only have one lead at this point from a steward. It may be nothing. With your permission I need to meet with the press. I plan only to confirm that Mrs. Roberts is dead, and that the Senator and his daughter are missing. I’ll take no questions and tell them that the investigation is ongoing.”