The Origin Of Murder (Roger and Suzanne South American Mystery Series Book 8)

by Jerold Last

  She came back to her chair, sat, and took another few sips of wine. “You’re looking for a needle in a haystack. I can tell you a little bit about the geography of the haystack. The dryland rim varies in width from a few hundred yards to almost 2 miles. It’s flat. It has a maximum elevation on some dunes on the ocean side of the rim of 30 feet above low tide. The narrow rim of coral atoll surrounds, and encloses, 90 percent of the lagoon. There are three small islets at the mouth of the lagoon: West, Middle, and East Islands. A fourth island shown on some maps, Anniversary Island, is half a mile southwest of Middle Island. It appears to be just a sand bar on satellite images. With the logistics of travel on Diego Garcia, if there’s a tortoise farm in the area it has to be on the main island and it has to be well concealed in a restricted area or it would be discovered. That’s why I’m guessing the needle is somewhere in the old plantation ruins near East Point.”

  Bruce scratched his head and shut his eyes to better visualize what he recalled from his visit to Diego Garcia many years ago. “I remember most of what you’ve described from when I was there. The bay or lagoon seemed to be pretty wide from one side to the other where we were anchored. I’d guess about five or six miles wide where we were. That’s about all I remember. They didn’t let us off the ship to see more.”

  Suzanne continued, “The landing strip is more than 2 miles long, and is just to the east of the anchorage area of the lagoon, a little bit less than half of the way down the eastern rim of the horseshoe. The plantation is across the lagoon from the airfield and about a mile or two further south. You’ll need rubber rafts to get across the lagoon, which would mean 4-5 miles of paddling across the lagoon from the end of the runway, or you’ll need motorized vehicles to drive around the horseshoe, about 19 miles from the airstrip on a well-paved road. I assume you’ll need a truck in case you find any Galapagos Tortoises you’ll want to bring back. There are some native sea tortoises on Diego Garcia, but they’ll be easy to tell apart. The Galapagos tortoises, even the young ones, are much larger than the local species.

  “There’s a vehicle maintenance facility about a mile or a mile and a half north of the runway. That may be the best place to borrow a truck. What’s the etiquette when you have an emergency landing on a restricted base, General Aleman? Will they search the plane or just let you and the co-pilot step out and entertain you while they arrange to put enough jet fuel into the empty fuel tanks to get you safely to Sri Lanka? Will Bruce and your men have a free hand and enough time to do their thing or is that another problem that will need solving?”

  The general thought for a moment. “I think we’ll get VIP treatment because my rank in the Ecuadorian Air Force outranks the base commander in the U.S. Navy. If we tell them there’s just two men on board when we make the distress call and only two of us disembark from the plane, they’ll probably take us by jeep to the base commander’s housing quarters to do our paperwork in comfort. I suspect they’ll put us up for the night while they check me and the plane out with the State Department, then refuel us after daylight and wish us a safe flight to Sri Lanka after the Government of Ecuador vouches for us. If all goes well, Bruce and my men could have at least six hours of darkness to search for the tortoise farm, requisition any Galapagos Tortoises they find, and sneak back onto the plane before we’re expected to fly away.”

  Suzanne finished up her theorizing about what they would find on Diego Garcia. “There’s about a mile or so of salt-water wetlands in the southern partof the lagoon, a few miles south of East Point. They’re small lagoons off of the main lagoon, filled with seawater at high tide and dry at low tide. The little pieces of land between the small lagoons might make good habitat, especially where there are trees and bushes growing for the tortoises, who are vegetarians, to eat from. That’s the only other place I can imagine starting a tortoise farm, but there’s a lot of people on a small island, so the odds of someone finding it while they’re driving by would be too high for me to risk using that area for something illegal.”

  Detective Obregon had been listening quietly to all of this. He nodded thoughtfully. His expression indicated he’d just connected some of the dots and now understood how something else fit into the big picture. He turned his attention to me. “I assume your question about which of the passengers in your group on the M/S Santa Cruz were in Ecuador before the cruise is related to the tragic death of the park ranger and the theft of tortoises from the park we’re discussing here now. Is that correct?”

  Honesty, even a few days late, is the best policy. “Yes, that’s why I asked you to check passport control information.”

  Obregon let me suffer just long enough to punish my not having been forthcoming when he interrogated me on board the ship. He finally responded. “It turned out to be an interesting question you asked, with some interesting answers. Raul Vonhorst has been here in Ecuador for the last two months. We haven’t any record of him entering the country prior to two months ago. The Sanchez’s and the Kaufman sisters cleared customs in Quito the day before they flew out to Baltra from Guayaquil. We don’t have records of any of them ever having been in Ecuador before this trip.

  “The Smarts entered Ecuador a couple of weeks before flying out to the Galapagos. This was their third visit here, over a period of the last year and a half. Those three visits certainly don’t fit their story of being honeymooners here in The Galapagos Islands for the first time. We don’t know what they did during their two-week visit before coming to Baltra. It could easily have been a boat ride to and from the Galapagos Islands. The Weavers and Rita Caldwell cleared customs a week before flying to Baltra. Neither of them seems to have ever been in Ecuador before this trip. The Schultz’s were also here in Ecuador for two weeks before coming out to Baltra, and we don’t know where they were or what they did during those two weeks. They’ve been here twice before, with dates that overlap the two previous visits by the Smarts. I think we might be able to start connecting a few dots here. What do you think?”

  This time it was my turn to pause to digest his information before answering his rhetorical question. “The Weavers and Rita Caldwell were here long enough to have seen or heard something they shouldn’t have before the cruise began. We may never know what it was. The key question for me would be who might have been on the mysterious ship here in the Galapagos Islands last week stealing tortoises when the park ranger was killed. It sounds like the Smarts and the Schultz’s are both possibilities. The overlap on the timing of the previous visits for both couples suggests they probably knew each other before this trip, and could be working together on the tortoise thefts, which may have been occurring over a long time. That particular theory fits some other bits and pieces of evidence we have implicating both couples in a conspiracy to steal Galapagos Tortoises.

  “I think you might want to consider arresting the Schultz’s before they can leave Baltra and squeezing them as hard as you can to see if they break and implicate anyone else, or better yet actually confess. There should be a lot less blowback from the German government if you arrest two older German bird watchers than you’d get from the U.S. for arresting two high ranking naval officers who’ve been trained to withstand interrogation. We have some plans you’ve just heard about to get the evidence we would need to arrest the Smarts that don’t involve the Ecuadorian police. And you don’t want to officially ask any of us about those plans, which definitely skirt the edge of legality, or worse.”

  Obregon thought about my answer. “What about Raul Vonhorst? He’s been here long enough to be part of the conspiracy as well. Or the Kaufman sisters and the Sanchez couple, who could have become part of this group of conspirators somewhere else and come on this cruise to meet them?”

  “That’s very true. The answer is I don’t know. But I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, at least not yet. But Vonhorst’s another untouchable as far as your arresting him is concerned, so you might want to leave him to us for now. My gut feeling is he’s not part of the tortoise theft conspiracy, b
ut he could easily be guilty of something else, especially if it’s drug related. And as far as the two sisters, they certainly have acted strangely and seem to be hiding something. I think the sisters and the Sanchez couple still need to be on our list of possible suspects, but without any direct evidence yet to link them to the Smarts.”

  Chapter16.Bruce’s SEAL of approval

  Darwin: We will now discuss in a little more detail the Struggle for Existence.

  Detective Obregon had an expression on his face as if he’d bitten into a particularly bitter tasting fruit. “Pardon, mi Generál,” he began, “but I must assume you realize you are suggesting what some could consider an act of war by Ecuador on the United States. I very much doubt our political leaders would approve of such a reckless and illegal act.”

  The general smiled wolfishly. “That is why I am not proposing to ask the politicians for their permission, Juan.”

  “I must register my formal disapproval, mi Generál,” replied the detective. “This whole plan is completely illegal and the wrong thing to do.”

  “Thank you for your opinion, Juan. Your objections are duly noted. But we will go ahead with this plan anyway. Do you plan to stay here with us for the rest of this discussion?”

  Obregon nodded his head reluctantly. “Yes”.

  Aleman started scribbling notes on a convenient pad of paper that appeared, magically, in front of him on the table. “Claro. We will need a lot of help from Eduardo to make this work. Your job would be to get us satellite surveillance photos and convincing the Israeli government to request the French government’s cooperation for the two refueling stops on Tahiti. We’d need to refuel in both directions and wouldn’t want any delays if there are alarms after we leave Diego Garcia. Given that we’re proposing to mount a completely illegal raid on a United States facility on a British island, I assume you’ll get enthusiastic cooperation from the French, especially if you just tell them honestly and openly what your plans are. Bruce, your job will be to lead this raid. I’ll get you about half a dozen of Ecuador’s best soldiers to help, and make sure they’re all fluent in English.”

  Bruce smiled broadly again. “That’s OK, I’m fluent in Spanish. Let’s go for the best of your best.”

  Eduardo looked intently at him. “Since when have you been fluent in Spanish, Bruce? I don’t recall you ever telling me you spoke the language.”

  Bruce smiled again, this time a classic “gotcha” smile. “You didn’t need to know till now, Eduardo.”

  Eduardo spoke to Bruce in rapid fire Spanish, “What exactly would you need to pull this raid off, Bruce? And what, exactly, do you think we’ll find when you get there?”

  Bruce replied quickly in English. “Do you want me to answer in Spanish or English, Eduardo?” He opted to continue in Spanish. “We need the surveillance data and permission to refuel in Papaete, Tahiti. Can you do all this on no notice, Eduardo?”

  Eduardo nodded yes.

  Bruce scratched an insect bite on his shoulder while he thought about the rest of his answer. Then he continued. “The remaining stuff should be easy if I can just “Blue Sky” it. Can we requisition all the supplies we need from the base here on Baltra? We also need complete access to a satellite for photo recon over Diego Garcia just before we leave the Gulfstream to look for signs of activity. We should be able to do that over the Internet if we have access to the right codes. It would be nice to have the same satellite surveillance feed in real time to the plane we fly in on while we’re on the island so we have “eyes in the sky”. Perhaps most importantly, we can avoid tripping over a patrol or guards at checkpoints if we know what kind of security they have.”

  Bruce thought about his mental checklist before continuing. “We’re going to need some kind of transportation from here to there, which I assume will be the General’s Gulfstream. We need access to vehicles to sneak around the marine reserve once we get there, military grade SCUBA gear, weapons, and fake passports. I would also need at least three or four trained commandos who can dive at night in the ocean to go in there with me to check things out, especially if we have to paddle across the lagoon to get to the farm.”

  General Aleman spoke out. “Si, Bruce. I think we can get all that done from here in Baltra. The men are already here under my personal command and all of the equipment is also directly under my authority. If all goes well, what are you expecting to find?”

  Bruce finished his wine and answered with a smile. “I assume we’ll find a tortoise farm and as many as a few dozen Galapagos Tortoises. We want to bring them back with us on the return trip as evidence. It should make the Ecuadorian government happy to get their tortoises back, so maybe they won’t give us a hard time about the mission. We need whatever it takes to get the tortoises to our truck or rafts, and to feed and fly a lot of big turtles halfway around the world.”

  Suzanne spoke up. “You don’t have to worry about food or water, Bruce. Galapagos Tortoises can survive for a year between meals if they’re well fed and several months between drinks of water.”

  Bruce looked very serious. “Everyone realizes if we get caught we may have to do naughty things to U.S. Navy guards and personnel on a U.S. Navy base, don’t you?”

  Eduardo exchanged a look with General Aleman, who nodded to him, before he answered. “That’s your problem, Bruce. Do whatever you have to do. It would be better if nobody was killed since there’s going to have to be a big cover up by the Navy when this is all over and we’d prefer not to start a war between Ecuador and the USA if we can avoid it.”

  Suzanne frowned as she watched the direction this conversation was going. “Don’t let Eduardo’s warped sense of humor fool you, Bruce. This little outing to Diego Garcia you’re planning has the potential to get all of you in a lot of trouble if you’re caught. I know you have your SEAL training in stealth and getting in and out of tough places without getting captured or killed. I assume General Aleman’s commandos have some of the same training. But for this to work you have to figure out ways not to be caught and to avoid violence. If you really have to use force on U.S. Navy personnel on a naval base to get away from the island, do you really believe the politicians in the U.S. or Ecuador are going to ignore your illegal visit? I suspect you can guess who the scapegoat would be in that scenario!”

  Bruce looked directly at her. “Don’t worry, Suzanne. We’re all taking our mission very, very seriously. If I didn’t think we could pull it off cleanly, I wouldn’t go. And it’s important to save those tortoises from the poachers if we can. They’re an endangered species. Don’t confuse keeping cool under stress with being too casual in the planning. None of us are taking this lightly. And I’m well aware of the consequences if we get caught, especially for me as a U.S. citizen committing what could be called a terrorist crime on a U.S. military base.”

  Bruce was quiet for a minute or two, obviously working his way through his mental checklist again. “Another potential problem is my job. I’m supposed to be looking after Robert here.”

  Eduardo coughed discretely. “I can volunteer Sophia’s babysitting services for the rest of the trip. Quite frankly, she’d prefer that to being a tourist. I brought her along for company and to improve my cover, but she’s been asking me for more to do. And, as you know, she has some ideas of her own about Robert’s need for grandmotherly nurture.”

  “Is that OK, Suzanne?” asked Bruce. “After all, you brought me here to look after Robert, not to go out and have fun.”

  Suzanne spoke for both of us. “Yes, it definitely will be.” A tiny smile appeared on her face. “After all, an infant needs a grandmother’s care every now and then.”

  “Bueno. It sounds like that’s settled, Bruce,” announced General Aleman.

  Bruce’s mental checklist had one more entry. “How about the killer or killers? Who’s going to be looking for him, her, or them while we’re out freeing the tortoises?”

  Detective Obregon responded immediately. “I certainly haven’t forgotten about th
e murderer. That’s my job and you can assume I’ll be looking as hard as I can.”

  Suzanne had been looking very thoughtful as she listened to the exchange between Bruce and Juan Obregon. She looked directly at the detective to remind him of what she had said earlier. “Remember my suggestion that there was probably a major conspiracy going on here. Obviously your prime suspects are now a couple of U.S. naval officers from Diego Garcia, but that doesn’t rule out any, or all, of the others as being murderers or accessories to murder. I think you need to focus on all of the others while General Aleman and Bruce are taking their little jaunt around the world.”

  General Aleman spoke directly to the detective. “Juan, I think you can assume if things go according to our plan that the U.S. Navy will have to get involved. It’s hard to believe that our two honeymooners could have built and run a tortoise farm on an island as small as Diego Garcia without someone noticing something was going on. My guess is whoever is in command is not a big supporter of the Smarts, and would welcome an excuse to discipline them. In that case, we can assume the Navy will administer appropriate justice to one or both of the Smarts. Military justice is almost always a swifter and harsher justice than civilians get.”