Alpha Threat

by Ron Smoak

  Lee got up slowly from her chair. She left her notes and iced tea behind. “I found something earlier,” she added in a perplexed tone. “But I’m not certain what to make of it.”

  “What is it?” asked Ben.

  “I decided to do some research on the Internet regarding reports of men dressed in black in the Amazon,” Lee explained. “I know it’s a long shot but I found some rather sketchy entries in the expedition papers of two groups in the same general area of the Finleys. One note was from 1963. A Belgian group of eight scientists and several bearers went into the jungle and disappeared. There was a search team formed but no trace was found. They were old school. They carried no radios and no way to communicate back to civilization other than courier. When they vanished, no one really knew where to look for them. Their trail led into the jungle but was lost after several days. One of the natives in the group looking for the scientists reported seeing black-dressed men.

  “The second set of reports was from 1972, similar yet different. This time, four scientists led by Dr. Juan Perez of the University of Pittsburgh trekked a group into the same general area. This group did carry radios but only checked in for a week or so. One radio dispatch mentioned men dressed in black uniforms. After that they vanished. Neither report seemed to be taken seriously by the Brazilian authorities or anyone else for that matter. But both of these expedition parties were lost and never found. Each report mentions men dressed in black.”

  “Two reports nine years apart. I can’t say that that is a pattern,” Ben answered, rubbing his three-day-old beard.

  “I agree. That’s what I thought too,” said Lee. “But I can’t help thinking there may be something to this since both groups reported men dressed in black, both groups disappeared without a trace and both were in the same general area of the Amazon in Brazil. Additionally, only those two expeditions have gone into that area in the past forty years.”

  “Really,” questioned Ben.

  “The natives in that area aren’t even a major threat. All are relatively docile and are certainly not cannibals. Most are curious folks who have seen very little of the white man. I would find it hard for them to kill visitors and get rid of all traces. It does not make sense.”

  “That does sound odd. Do you think I should contact Princeton to see if they can get us more information?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt,” answered Lee.

  Ben decided to contact Dr. Edmund Dukes at Princeton and ask for his advice. Dr. Dukes listened to Lee’s information but wanted to take a different tack. He decided to speak with his contacts at the U.S. State Department and the Brazilian Consulate in Washington, D.C. to see if he could get some support from them. If the local authorities in Brazil were not going to do anything, Dukes figured he would use his considerable influence in Washington to put pressure on the local Brazilian authorities to get them involved.

  Several times a day Ben tried to contact the Finley party via radio. For days now there was no answer. He felt helpless. He held very strong suspicions his friends were in danger. But he had no immediate way to help them. Ben decided to make preparations to mount a rescue mission.

  After talking at length with Dr. Dukes and others back in the United States, Ben and Lee decided to contact Randall’s and Dana’s families. Ben felt he must let the families know what had happened. He did not want to raise any unwarranted fears, but the way he looked at it, if he was missing in the jungles of the Amazon, he would want his family to know, but know what? He had no answers. They knew their last known location from the GPS readings but beyond that, nothing. And their last known location was nearly a hundred miles from nowhere in the deep Amazonian jungle. Not an easy place to get to by a rescue team.

  Either way, he had to make the call.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Thursday, July 7, 2011

  Miami Beach Patrol Headquarters, Miami Beach, Florida; 9:25 a.m.

  “Another day in Paradise…” sang Hugo Winsor as he half danced through the door. He waltzed over and grabbed Sherrie around the waist and whirled her around. Hugo just returned from the beach checking out some of the newer lifeguards on the stands. Sherrie laughed as they danced across the room. Dane poured a cup of coffee from a fresh pot, smiled and took a sip.

  “You guys will never make Dancing with the Stars,” he laughed. Sometimes he wondered about those two. They made the perfect couple but knowing Hugo, Dane had to tell Sherrie to run away and run fast. Hugo loved the ladies and the ladies loved Hugo.

  The phone rang.

  Dane took a quick sip and grabbed the phone. “Beach Patrol Headquarters, Skoglund speaking.” Dane’s smile began to fade as he listened. He put down his coffee and sat down.

  “Mr. Skoglund, this is Ben Jamison in Brazil. I’m the Base Camp manager of the Finley Expedition in Brazil. You are Mr. Dane Skoglund, brother of Dana Finley, correct?”

  “Yes, I am,” a clearly concerned Dane answered. “Is there a problem?” Dane knew there was. This guy Jamison was not calling just to say hello.

  “I’m afraid there is. We lost contact with your sister and her husband’s expedition,” Jamison explained. “We last talked to them several days ago by radio and haven’t heard from them since.”

  “I see. Any chance of this merely being a radio issue?” asked Dane.

  “Mr. Skoglund, I wish it were but I don’t think so.”

  “Please call me Dane, Mr. Jamison. What makes you think that?” queried Dane.

  “You can call me Ben. We got a message from Randall Finley three days ago. He reported their position and related that they ran into a group of armed men deep in the jungle. I checked with the local authorities and they are not aware of anyone in that area.”

  “So you think those men have something to do with you losing contact?”

  “Yes, I do. I don’t have anything specific but it is not like Randall or Dana to drop out like that. There must be something very wrong. Besides, not only did we lose radio contact but their GPS system went dead as well.”

  Dane sat up straight and tried to figure out what he could do. The look on Dane’s face caused Hugo to notice.

  “What’s up, Boss?” he asked, walking over to Dane’s desk. Sherrie also turned and started over.

  “My sister may be in trouble,” Dane said quietly to Hugo, holding his palm over the telephone. “They lost contact with her and her husband in the Amazon.”

  Hugo frowned and turned away. “Damn, that jungle can be a bitch.” He looked at Sherrie, who was just coming over, and said, “Dane’s little sister is missing in the Amazon.”

  “Missing? What do you mean missing? They can’t find her?” Sherrie’s questions were coming fast and furious. Sherrie met Dana about a year ago when the Finleys stopped over in Miami for a few days of rest and recreation before going to some other god-awful place. Dana and Sherrie hit it off like sisters. While Dane and Hugo helped Randall with a few things, Sherrie and Dana went shopping and did those other girl things that brought them closer.

  “We don’t know yet,” said Hugo, talking to Sherrie while keeping a watchful eye on Dane. “Dane is talking to someone on the phone in Brazil right now. We’ll know more in a second.”

  Sherrie pursed her lips and walked over to the huge window overlooking the beach. Hugo followed.

  “You all right?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Dana is a good friend. She’s like a sister. I am scared.”

  They stood side by side while Dane talked with Jamison on the phone.

  “Ben, who else have you contacted besides me?” asked Dane.

  “As I said earlier, I have talked with the Brazilian authorities. Frankly, they were no help at all. They want to take a wait-and-see attitude, the useless bastards. Oh, sorry, I meant they were no help.”

  “Not a problem, Ben. I know how you feel,” Dane said.

  Ben continued, “Their take is that they can’t go running off into the jungle every time some group of scientists stubs their toe and
are late getting back to their base camps. I also spoke with Dr. Edmund Dukes at Princeton. He is in overall charge of the expedition from the university’s side. He has contacted the State Department and other contacts in Washington, D.C. The Feds are poking around and making some official contacts with the Brazilians as well. But all of this takes time, as you well know.”

  “Yeah, and Dana and Randall may not have the luxury of time,” Dane said with a clear note of concern. “So what is the next step?”

  “Well, I’m the only one down here at the moment. I’m covering the base camp and handling communications. So to be honest, I’m as helpless as tits on a boar hog. That’s why I wanted to call you to get your input.”

  “So you have not contacted anyone else in our family?”

  “No, Dane. I thought it best that I talk to you first. I got your contact info from Dukes.”

  “Thanks, Ben. I appreciate your calling me first. I will handle the rest of the family,” Dane said quietly, still deep in thought.

  “Dr. Dukes is ready to send more folks down as soon as possible. He is waiting to hear back from me after I talk with you,” said Ben.

  “What are they going to do?” asked Dane.

  “Well, we do have the last GPS coordinates from Randall from a few days ago. Dr. Dukes wants to send a group into the bush to see what they find.”

  “I‘m not sure that is a good idea. If Dana and Randall are really in trouble with some renegade group in the bush, sending in another bunch of folks is probably not the best thing to do. Kinda like sending more lambs to slaughter,” said Dane.

  “I agree,” answered Ben. “But I really don’t know what else I can do.”

  After about ten more minutes of conversation, Dane thanked Jamison and hung up.

  “Well, Boss, what gives?” asked Hugo seriously. Sherrie was right on his heels.

  “Evidently, Dana and Randall are back in the jungle and ran across a group of armed men. They called their base camp and reported the situation and told the camp manager that they were going to lay low and backtrack their trail to get away. Their last radio contact said they saw the men but the men didn’t see them. That was three days ago. No one has heard from them since. Ben Jamison, the base camp manager, called the expedition management at Princeton, who opened up some communications with the Brazilian government and the U.S. State Department. Jamison thought I should know as well. He wants me to let my parents know.”

  “What are you going to do?” asked Sherrie.

  “Not much I can do now,” answered Dane, staring at the desk. “Not much I can do but wait.” Dane picked up his cell and walked over to the door to the balcony. “I need to let my parents know. I’ll be out here if you need me,” he said as he stepped out onto the outside balcony.

  Dane stood on the balcony for a few seconds looking at the beautiful beach. It is so peaceful here. But he wondered to himself what was going on with his kid sister. She had to be all right. He went through his iPhone’s contact list, found his parents’ number and pressed the number. It was still early in Washington State but he had to get this done now.

  “Hello?” a bright, chipper female answered the phone.

  “Hi, Mom. This is Dane…”

  All in all his parents took the news well. Without any specific information Dane’s dad felt Dana and Randall encountered radio issues and would be back at base camp any time now. Dane’s mom agreed although she fostered a higher degree of concern but didn’t show it. Dane felt better now that his parents knew the situation, but he did not hold the same level of confidence as his parents. But he was not going to tell them that. He told them he would keep them abreast of the situation as he learned more and hung up. Hugo and Sherrie were waiting on him as he walked back in from the balcony.

  “You said they have been missing for three days?” Hugo asked Dane.

  “Yeah, that’s what Ben Jamison said. But they were at least six or seven days back into the jungle from base camp. If they high-tailed it out of there, they still wouldn’t be back at base for four more days,” explained Dane. Sherrie bit her lower lip.

  “What are you thinking to do, Dane?” she asked.

  Dane looked up at both of them with a look of puzzlement. “Hell, I don’t know. I just don’t know.” He paused for a second and scratched his head. “But one thing is for sure. If she and Randall don’t show up at base camp in four days, my ass is headed to the Amazon.”

  Hugo looked Dane directly in the eyes. His face showed his seriousness. “If your ass goes, my ass goes.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that, but I do appreciate it,” said Dane with a meek smile.

  “You are not asking… and I’m going. You are the only family I have. It ain’t gonna’ happen any other way.”

  Dane smiled broadly and slapped Hugo on the back. “Damn you crazy Texan!”

  “What about me? Dana’s my friend too,” cried Sherrie.

  “Wait a second. No one’s going anywhere yet. And besides, we all can’t go. Let’s wait and see what comes up,” Dane said calmly.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Thursday, July 7, 2011

  Outside the Nader Home, Miami, Florida; 2:30 p.m.

  Wayne Johnson pulled up in front of the Nader home. He dreaded the next hour. But he felt he must do it. Nathan was a good friend and surely needed the support. There were a few cars parked in the driveway, two of them with out-of-state tags. The family had begun to arrive. Wayne trudged up to the door and rang the bell. He was genuinely happy and relieved for Nathan to answer the door.

  “Hi, Nathan,” Wayne said quietly. “I thought you might like someone to talk to.”

  Nathan smiled weakly and stepped out onto the front porch. “Thanks for coming by. We can talk out here. Mom’s not taking this very well, as you might imagine. My aunt and uncle got here ten minutes ago so it’s pretty much a tear fest inside right now.”

  “Yeah,” Wayne said, looking out toward the driveway, “I bet it is. Jesus, Nathan, do you have any more information since we talked?”

  Nathan put his hand on Wayne’s shoulder and turned him toward the street. “Let’s take a walk.” The warm Florida sun filtered through the branches of the trees lining the street. Nathan wondered how the world was still moving ahead when his family was so devastated by his father’s brutal murder. But the world goes on; most everyone oblivious to the pain in his heart. He had a hard time trying to reconcile how everything outside of his house was so normal. Wayne walked with Nathan for about a half a block without saying a word.

  “They killed Dad in cold blood, Wayne. It was cold-blooded murder.”

  Wayne didn’t know how to respond.

  Nathan looked up into the palm trees lining the street and then down at the ground. “Wayne, I got more info from the Feds. Dad was deeper into this than I first thought.”

  “Your dad?” Wayne responded, genuinely surprised. “I can’t believe it. He was such a nice guy. I can’t believe it, no way.”

  “It’s all true. You would not believe what I learned from the FBI and Homeland Security. They have been watching Dad for months. The Feds say Dad worked with some group moving a lot of gold from South America to the United States. Dad told me about it two days before he was killed.”

  “Damn, did you tell the police?” asked Wayne.

  “I told them part of it but not everything. Frankly, I’m scared for Mom and myself. We could be next.”

  “We have to go to the police and get some protection,” said Wayne with a sense of urgency.

  “Yeah, but I think we are already being watched.”

  “Whoa, wait a minute, Nathan. Let me get this straight. You believe that whoever killed your father is watching you and your mom right now?” asked Wayne.

  “Yes. Last night and the night before, I saw a black car riding up and down the street past my parents’ house. I’ve been at home with my mother since Dad was killed. Sometimes during the day I have seen the same car parked down the street.”
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br />   “Why haven’t you gone to the police?” asked Wayne, suddenly looking all around for any suspicious cars parked down the street.

  “I told the Miami police I knew Dad was involved in some kind of group transferring large amounts of gold in and out of the country. The police called in the FBI and Homeland Security, who have been over to my parents’ house to talk with Mom. I’ve been down at FBI headquarters twice already since talking with you yesterday.”

  “And that’s when the FBI questioned you and filled you in?”

  “Yeah, but you know how they can be. They work like they do on TV. They listen and then make it sound like you are the cause of all of the crime and evil in the world,” explained Nathan with a sigh. “They also say they are working on Dad’s murder with Miami Police but they haven’t told us much at all yet.”

  “So this was definitely not drug related; right?” asked Wayne, stopping at the corner. “With the way… well, you know, the type of death, it certainly sounded like a drug cartel or something.”

  “No, Wayne; these guys are worse, much worse. I think they would kill their own mother to protect themselves,” Nathan said, clearly still hiding something. They continued walking.

  “You know who did this, don’t you?” Wayne asked quietly.

  “Let’s say that from what Dad told me, I have a pretty good hunch,” Nathan said, looking up at the sun. “It is a beautiful day, though, isn’t it?” he said, trying to change the subject.

  The two turned around and started back toward the house when Wayne saw the car. It was a black, non-descript Ford sedan parked at the curb two blocks up the street from the house. Wayne was not sure the car was there before he and Nathan left the house. He didn’t look up the street in that direction. But it was there now. Nathan saw it and froze. As the two men stood there, the car pulled away from the curb, made a U-turn and slowly drove off. Wayne and Nathan could not read the license tag but Wayne saw it was an out-of-state tag. Before they could snap a finger the car turned down a side street and vanished.