After much discussion, everyone agreed to ride to Batur Lake in Liana’s limousine. Donny and Rial sat across from Liana, Budi and Greg, enjoying their first limo ride immensely.
“Greg and I have something for you,” Liana informed the teens as she reached into her purse, then handed them each a new passport.
“Here’s my contribution,” Greg added, handing them each an envelope containing a U.S. visa, a roundtrip plane ticket to San Diego, and a checkbook. “The visas are good for five years. The dates on the plane tickets can be changed for a small fee. I’ve deposited ten-thousand dollars in each of your checking accounts. That’s about a hundred million rupiahs. What you do with the money is up to you. When you arrive in San Diego, two teachers from the school where I taught will meet you. You can stay in my home while you go to the school where I taught. After you graduate, there are several nearby colleges you can attend if you wish.”
The boys were stunned. Neither had ever possessed so much money at one time since it represented the typical Indonesian’s salary for several years. They chattered in Bahasa, then Donny said, “Thank you Madam Director and Pak Simmons. We very much grateful.”
“Nothing for me?” Budi whimpered playfully.
“We’ve decided to let you live another day,” Greg teased Budi, stroking his face affectionately.
“You boys want a terrorist update?” Liana asked, receiving four eager nods in reply.
“The U.S. agreed to relocate Jaya and provide him with a new identity in exchange for his help. His information helped uncover a similar operation in Europe. We’ve arrested dozens of Aji’s operatives on Java and Sumatra based on information from Jaya.”
“I’m glad he’s being helpful,” Greg nodded.
Liana guessed what Greg was thinking. “It may seem like Jaya is not being punished for his crimes, but he is. He can never see his friends and family again. He’ll never be allowed to enter the U.S. or Indonesia again. If he’s caught trying to enter the States, your government will send him to Jakarta, where he’ll be executed immediately. He’ll spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder, wondering if someone from his past will catch up with him and slit his throat. It’s not a life any of us would want.”
“You’re right,” Greg agreed. “That’s punishment enough.”
“My government is grateful for your help, Greg, although there can be no public acknowledgement,” Liana reminded him. “You’ll always be welcome in my country, and will never have trouble obtaining visas, permits, or other government approvals.”
“Can I get through Customs without a shakedown?” Greg asked playfully.
“I’ll escort you myself!” Liana promised. “By the way, Jaya asked to speak with you, but the Americans won’t let him talk to anyone.”
“Nothing justifies what he did, but I believe healing starts with forgiveness, so I’ve already forgiven him. Can you see that he gets that message?” Greg asked.
Liana nodded. “Jaya turned over a target list containing the names, on-line identities, and biographical data for about five-hundred wealthy American, European, and Asian men over sixty who live alone. Their combined net worth is estimated to be more than ten billion dollars. They were......”
“Why did they just go after older gay men?” Greg interrupted. “There must be a lot of rich straight men and women who would be just as vulnerable to their scam.”
Liana nodded. “They were also compiling a list of heterosexuals. They targeted gays first to punish them for their sins. They’re targeting rich heterosexuals mostly for the money, but also to pay for the crimes of all non-believers. All potential targets are being discretely warned. Aji’s group had already lured fifty-eight men to Bali when we caught up with them. It was a bold and unique way to raise funds.”
“Were all the bodies they found in Trunyan’s graveyard American?” Greg asked.
“No, about forty were American and the rest were European. Jaya told us his European counterpart had a more difficult time finding rich gay men who would not be missed. Apparently Europeans have closer family attachments and also reveal less personal info on-line.”
“Being independent and self-sufficient got a lot of guys killed,” Greg murmured. “New subject? I’m still confused. Which terrorist group were we dealing with? ISIS, al-Qaeda, or the Indonesian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah?”
“All three,” Liana replied. “Aji was originally sent by al-Qaeda to coordinate the efforts of Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia. It was his responsibility to recruit, raise money, and carry out the al-Qaeda mission throughout Indonesia. Some of the men we captured told us was Yanto was the contact with Jemaah Islamiyah; all braun, and no brains. Aji became dissatisfied with al-Qaeda leadership, especially when he discovered it was easier to recruit and raise funds using the more militant ISIS rhetoric. He switched his allegiance from al-Qaeda to ISIS, but didn’t bother to tell al-Qaeda. In the end, it looks like Aji was loyal only to himself, not to any larger cause. He kept some of the stolen money for himself in his personal Cayman Islands bank account.”
“Do you think Aji’s plan to block chokepoints with briefcase bombs is feasible?” Greg asked. “Could terrorists really cause all the damage he claimed just by knocking out a couple critical passages?”
“The short answer is yes,” Liana nodded vigorously. “All national governments are regularly briefed on the status of major chokepoints. A recent study estimates the U.S. government alone has spent $8 trillion over the past forty years protecting the Straits of Hormuz, since a third of the world’s oil supply passes through it each year. Only the Russians and Americans admit to producing briefcase nukes, but several nations including North Korea are rumored to possess them as well. A suicide bomber in a silent plastic submersible cruising into the Straits of Hormuz with a small shielded nuclear device could do enormous damage. If all three attacks Aji planned were successful, it would be a global catastrophe. Your government is leading a crash effort to protect against this exact threat. Since one of the three major chokepoints is in Indonesian territory, my government is lending its full support.”
“Any sign of Aji?” Greg asked anxiously.
“Plenty of sightings,” Liana sighed, “but he’s always a step ahead of us. He’s obviously getting help from ISIS and al-Qaeda sympathizers. He was island-hopping in Indonesia for a few weeks, but seems to have jumped to the Philippines. He also made a sizeable withdrawal from one of his bank accounts before it was frozen.”
“Nothing worse than a fanatic with money,” Budi quipped.
Greg nodded with a tight smile. “I’m tempted to locate Aji myself to choke the life out of him with my own hands. What happens to any money that’s left from the millions Aji stole?”
“It’s a mess,” Liana admitted. “We’re still piecing together all his operations from the documents and computers we found at his villa. He had bank accounts in several countries. We’ll try to persuade each country to return the money voluntarily to a central account for distribution to the heirs, but it may require individual lawsuits. Fortunately, the bulk of the money stolen was in Indonesian banks, so my agency can seize and return those funds when we find the heirs.”
Greg inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I’ll sleep much better when Aji is back in custody or dead.”
Budi, Donny, and Rial nodded their agreement since they also feared Aji’s return.
“We scored a major victory,” Liana claimed, trying to reassure them. “Even though we haven’t got Aji, we’ve got many of his Indonesian followers, and they’ve been remarkably helpful. Records we seized helped round up terrorists in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Colombia, Canada, the States, and other places. Several military officers who sold weapons to terrorists in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia have been arrested. We hurt the global terrorist network. Our work is far from done, but we have much to be pleased about.”
When Greg failed to respond as Liana anticipated, she nudged his knee gently. “What’s wrong?”
Budi spotted the familiar pained look Greg got when he felt conflicted. “You should eat more fiber to avoid constipation!” Budi teased him.
“This is my worried look,” Greg shot back. “I’m still not sure my agreement to keep silent was the right thing to do. I think the American people have a right to know their government failed them on Bali.”
Liana moved quickly to ease Greg’s guilt. “Your government has already fired the top three people at its Bali Consulate. Now that we’ve shut down Aji’s operation, there’s no longer any organized threat to tourists on Bali. If you go public with the story, Bali tourism will suffer and you’ll become a terrorist target.”
Frowning, Greg appeared skeptical. “Is that the real reason both the Indonesian and American governments are so anxious to keep me quiet? Or are they embarrassed to admit their failure? The U.S. government spends a hundred billion dollars a year for Homeland Security, with about half dedicated to protecting air travel alone. We don’t have to worry about grandmothers boarding planes with sewing scissors, but there are still gaping holes in the system. How many other guys like Jaya are lurking out there? They don’t have bombs or prison records. Instead they have passports, work visas, good jobs, and live in nice neighborhoods. Their weapons are information and computers. Someone needs to tell the American people they’re no safer now than they were before 9/11, no matter how many billions their government spends. They may actually be less safe because the terrorists are a lot more sophisticated!”
Liana nodded. “How do you think that knowledge would help most Americans?”
“I hope it’d make people more vigilant. Not so quick to trust anyone they meet on-line. Keep an eye on each other. Be wary of strangers.”
“Perhaps you could urge Americans to lobby Congress for tighter travel controls,” Liana suggested. “Have your government round up all the potential Jayas and boot them out of the country? Or jail them? Maybe monitor all e-mails and chats on the Internet so no one can ever be taken advantage of again?”
“No, that’s not what I want,” Greg insisted.
“It may not be what you want, but it might be what you get,” Liana argued. “If you scare people badly enough, they overreact. Tell them Muslim terrorists lured lonely old men to Bali, then killed them for their money, and I promise you a dozen mosques in America will be firebombed within a week. Christian Americans will refuse to ride in taxis driven by men with dark skin, even though some might be Hindu. That’s what our governments are trying to avoid.”
Greg knew she was right. “Part of me understands that. The rest of me feels there’s something more I should do.”
“Look at all the good you’ve already done!” Liana encouraged him. “My government likes the new U.S. Consul on Bali, especially since she’s Muslim with a Hindu mother. Your investigation forced our two nations to cooperate. They’re getting along better than ever.”
Greg nodded. “All true, but you deserve credit for that. You found the new U.S. Consul. You persuaded our governments to work together. You made the assurances which calmed both governments.”
“Perhaps there’s one more thing we can do,” Liana offered. “I have some friends who make documentaries. I’ll try to persuade them to make a Net scam documentary. We can show how teens and seniors are especially vulnerable. Document actual cases all over the globe, not just Indonesia or the States. We can make it available on YouTube. I don’t have much money in my budget for this kind of project, but I’ll do my best.”
“In English, too?” Greg asked.
Liana nodded. “English and Bahasa, with subtitles in several major languages.”
“I appreciate that, Liana,” Greg smiled as he squeezed her playfully. “Would a sizable contribution from my uncle’s estate help?”
Liana smiled. “I wasn’t fishing for a donation, but outside funding will make the project much easier to complete. We’ll start right away.” Liana nodded toward Budi, Rial, and Donny. “Can I count on you as technical advisors?”
Donny and Rial glanced at each other. “Technical advisor?” Donny repeated.
Budi rescued his sister. “Yeah, when they make the movie, they’ll ask us if they got the story right. Maybe we’ll even get our names at the end of the movie.”
“Our name on movie screen?” Rial squealed, patting Donny excitedly. “Yes! Yes! We are the technical advisor!”
“Me too, Gregyasanto!” Budi echoed.
“My new Indonesian name?” Greg guessed.
Budi nodded gravely. “It’s an ancient Javanese word which means Great White Bule Hunter.”
“You made that up!” Greg scoffed as Budi’s eyes betrayed his teasing. “Isn’t White Bule Hunter redundant? Bule and white mean the same thing, right?”
“That’s one interpretation,” Budi conceded. “It could also mean you’re white, and searching for the brown boys who look for white men.”
“Very clever,” Greg grinned.
Budi switched topics abruptly. “Sis, I have a question. Do you know who was following us and who blew up my motorbike?”
“BIN agents followed you in the silver Toyota,” Liana admitted. “I asked them to keep an eye on you, because I feared you might stumble onto something you couldn’t handle alone. We knew an unusual number of older white men were missing, but didn’t make the connection with terrorists. We were watching the bars and beaches, but never caught them doing anything more than having sex. We didn’t do the one thing we should have done. We didn’t get to know any of them personally to connect the dots the way you guys did. The Mercedes following you belonged to Aji. We’re not sure who planted the bomb used to blow up the motorbike. Our working theory is that Yanto planted the bomb to silence Rial, but we have no proof. I’m sorry for the secrecy, but I felt it was necessary at the time. How about an update from you, Greg?” Liana suggested.
“Sure,” Greg agreed, not sure where to start. “Settling Uncle Ted’s estate will take a lot of my time and energy for the next year or more, but I can handle most of it from here. His art collection is worth considerably more than I guessed, and he had investments in private companies, too. Even though he left money to a couple charities, most of his estate goes to me. Converting his real estate, art, and other investments to cash will take time. My lawyer’s best guess is that the estate is worth about $500 million. The lawyer advised me not to do anything too grand or impulsive, so I agreed not to make any big moves until everything is settled. However, we’re going ahead with the plan to open some rental units on Bali.”
“Wow, you’ll have more money than Dana!” Budi gasped. “Can I tell him?”
Greg shook his head. “What purpose would that serve? Impress him? Make him feel bad? Dana is not our enemy, is he?”
“No,” Budi replied quietly. “I guess that would be childish. Besides, I already have something he and Giordi will never have. I’ve got the best bule on Bali.”
“Exactly!” Greg grinned. “I’m hoping we can make Dana and Giordi our friends, so I’ll appreciate any help you can provide.”
“Where will you live?” Liana asked.
“I’m going to sell the home in Brentwood, keep my place in San Diego, and get a place on Bali,” Greg replied enthusiastically. “I just read Bali was chosen as the best island vacation spot in the world for the sixth straight year. Friendly people, superb beaches, excellent entertainment, and great climate once you adjust to the humidity. Budi and I are going house-hunting next week.”
Budi leaned against Greg, stroking his leg fondly. “Just a modest thirty-room villa is all I need to be happy, as long as I’m with the man I love.”
Liana reached over and poked her brother’s leg affectionately. “Cirque du Soleil must be missing a clown today.”
Ignoring his sister for the moment, Budi continued taunting Greg. “There are still lots of unusual things to show you on Bali. Did you know there’s a hotel where all the guests die once a year? There’s also a village on a small island just north of Bali where
two brothers predicted the exact date both world wars started.”
Greg looked to Donny and Rial for verification and they nodded solemnly.
“Truly,” Rial assured Greg. “Lady vampire hotel.”
“I wouldn’t mind chatting with those two psychic brothers,” Greg smiled, “but I’ll pass on the lady vampire hotel.”
When they arrived at Batur Lake, a forty-foot boat capable of doing fifty knots waited to transport them to Trunyan. The trip across the lake took just under fifteen minutes. A barricade separating Trunyan village from the burial ground had been erected. A few children peeked through the barbed wire and metal poles as the mourners arrived. Liana, Budi, Greg, Donny, and Rial marched solemnly through the open gate to the base of the ancient Trunyan tree. All the bamboo cages had been removed.
Ted’s body lay on a rectangular table, dressed in the new suit Greg had purchased for the occasion. Amazingly little decay had occurred and there was only the smell of the sweet Trunyan tree in the air. A Denpasar mortician had prepared Ted for the memorial service. A rainbow flag covered the lower half of Ted’s body.
Greg approached his uncle’s body, bent slightly, and touched the rainbow flag. His eyes teared up, but he wiped them dry so he could share some thoughts about his uncle with his friends. Turning to face them, he smiled a few seconds before speaking.
“I loved my uncle very much. Since I never knew my father, I was lucky to have Uncle Ted in my life. He had a very successful career, earned lots of money, and always made sure my mother and I had enough to live comfortably. Ted was a generous, kind, gentle man who didn’t deserve to die the way he did. I won’t remember Ted as my rich gay uncle who was left by terrorists to die of dehydration. Instead, I choose to remember Ted as the one who encouraged me to dream. When I was eighteen, I was a freshman at UCLA. Away from home for the first time, I discovered college was a lot different from high school. My first year grades were awful! I spent too much time partying, and not enough time studying. When I returned to San Diego that summer, a letter from UCLA was waiting for me at my mother’s home. They suggested UCLA was not the right place for me, and that I should consider a career which didn’t require a college education. I had always dreamed of being a teacher, and I couldn’t do that without a college degree. I moped around the house a few days, then Uncle Ted drove down from LA and suggested we spend an afternoon at the beach. He asked about school. When I told him I was thinking of dropping out, he told me something I'll never forget. I was so inspired, I went home and wrote down his words so I’d never forget them.
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