They never came back. Their boat was found weeks later, empty and completely undamaged, drifting on the currents through a shipping lane hundreds of miles north of Timor. There were still tents, cell phones, food and water in the boat, as if the girls had stepped out for a quick paddle in the surf and never returned.
The authorities were no help. As soon as I told them the girls had gone to the island the case was closed. Casey and April's parents were fed a line about a shark attack, and I was told in no uncertain terms that bad things would happen to my family if I disagreed with that conclusion. I fled Timor soon after, fearing for my life.
Now, three years later, I was back on assignment for National Geographic. After months of pitching I'd been contracted to write the story of the Ape Men of Timor-Leste. My job - one that I'd already completed - was to interview locals and build a picture of the legend that has taken hold in this part of the world.
My secret mission, though, and one that my employers at Nat Geo don't know about, was to finally learn the truth about what happened to my friends.
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