by Jerold Last
When Suzanne revealed that the Kaufman sisters were FBI Special Agents investigating Raul, who was investigating them at the same time, everyone had a good laugh. In later years, whenever we met Sophia and Eduardo, Sophia liked to point out the expense of these two investigations to the U.S. taxpayers who got the bills for travel, tours, meals, and lodging, but at the moment it was just funny. When Suzanne pointed out these were two highly intelligent women rapidly moving up the chain of responsibility in the FBI, we both saw Eduardo making a mental note about a potential resource for the future.
Of the original members of the Frigate Birds, Suzanne, Robert, Bruce, and I were going home with fond memories of the Galapagos Islands, the gratitude of the Ecuadorian government, and several new friends. The Kaufman sisters would return to FBI agent work in San Francisco and the odds were good we’d meet again. The Weavers, who were probably involved in the conspiracy, were dead. The Schultz’s, who were certainly involved in the turtle theft conspiracy, were in an Ecuadorian jail, where they’d probably remain for the rest of their lives. The Smarts were on their way to a U.S. Federal prison, where they’d be able to celebrate their honeymoon separately for the rest of their lives.
Suzanne observed, wryly, “The Smarts are one pair of Frigate Birds who aren’t going to get to keep the fish they stole out of the boobie bird’s mouth after all.”
The Sanchez’s were probably innocents abroad from their native Uruguay, and almost certainly went home with a lot of stories to tell and snapshots to share. Aunt Sophia had her Bowman baby fix. All in all this seemed to have been a typical South American vacation for Suzanne and me.
Epilogue
Several hundred miles east of Diego Garcia, in international waters, three helicopters, two empty and one full of commandos of indeterminate nationality, landed on the deck of a rusty and battered tramp steamer heading west. They offered the ship’s captain a choice of helping them load all eight illegally smuggled tortoises from their cargo hold onto the helicopters and forgetting about the whole episode, or of being tragically killed by pirates venturing far from their usual bases in the Horn of Africa. The captain and crew, who’d already been paid for transporting the illicit cargo, were fully cooperative. The tortoises were loaded onto helicopters and flown to Diego Garcia, where they were transferred onto a large U.S. Air Force cargo plane en route to South America. The commandos remained on the freighter until they received word the tortoises were safely in flight and had cleared British Territorial waters, then flew back to their base. General Aleman received a radio message to prepare to receive the last of the kidnapped tortoises on Baltra.
FROM THE AUTHOR
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The Roger and Suzanne mystery series currently consists of eight books, all published on Amazon KDP. In chronological order, they are:
The Ambivalent Corpse. The dismembered body of a young woman is discovered in Montevideo, Uruguay. Who did the brutal murder, and why? $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/Ambivalent-Corpse-Crime-Meant-ebook/dp/B0060ZFRQG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319989507&sr=1-1
UK, £1.93: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ambivalent-Corpse-Crime-Meant-ebook/dp/B0060ZFRQG/ref=pd_sim_kinc_83
The Surreal Killer. What motivates a serial killer? The answer to this question is the "whydunit" that leads Roger Bowman and Suzanne Foster to "whodunit", the solution to a series of brutal murders in Peru, Chile, and Bolivia. This tightly written mystery story will keep you guessing all the way to the thrilling conclusion. $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/The-Surreal-Killer-ebook/dp/B007H21EFO/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330988453&sr=1-2.
UK: £1.93: http://www.amazon.com/The-Surreal-Killer-ebook/dp/B007H21EFO/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330988453&sr=1-2.
3. The Body in the Parking Structure. A hard-boiled mystery novelette that features characters from the author's popular South American mystery novel series working on a murder case at home in Los Angeles. The clues are all there: Can you figure out whodunit before Roger does? $0.99. http://www.amazon.com/Body-Parking-Structure-ebook/dp/B008PDV9WC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343432381&sr=1-1&keywords=the+body+in+the+parking+structure
UK: £0.65 http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Body-Parking-Structure-ebook/dp/B008PDV9WC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1343488846&sr=1-1
4. The Matador Murders. A mystery novel set in exotic Montevideo, Uruguay and Santiago, Chile, is a fast paced romp with lots of action and a good whodunit storyline. $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/Matador-Murders-American-Mystery-ebook/dp/B008QD4BJE/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343522003&sr=1-3
UK: £1.93 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Matador-Murders-American-Mystery-ebook/dp/B008QD4BJE/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343522003&sr=1-3
5. The Body in the Bed. A suspenseful whodunit novella, which brings Roger and Suzanne back to Montevideo, Uruguay where another bloody murder case needs to be solved. $0.99. http://www.amazon.com/South-American-Mystery-Series-ebook/dp/B00A1PZZ86/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1352084384&sr=1-6&keywords=the+body+in+the+bed
UK: £0.65 getBook.at/amazon-B00A1PZZ86
6. Five Quickies for Roger and Suzanne. An anthology of three short stories, The Haunted Gymnasium, The Dog With No Name, and Someone Did It To The Butler, plus two longer novellas, The Body in the Parking Structure (also available separately, see above) and a newly edited, shortened version of The Empanada Affair. Together, the collection of five stories is the length of a traditional novel. All five of the stories feature characters from the novels. The Haunted Gymnasium (Fortaleza, Brazil) and The Empanada Affair (Salta, Argentina) are set in South America, while the other three stories take place in Southern California. $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/Quickies-Roger-Suzanne-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00F7VRMKS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379311152&sr=1-1&keywords=b00F7VRMKS
UK: £1.93 http://www.amazon.com/Quickies-Roger-Suzanne-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00F7VRMKS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379311152&sr=1-1&keywords=b00F7VRMKS
7. The Deadly Dog Show. Roger and Bruce are hired to go undercover impersonating the owner and handler of a Champion German Shorthaired Pointer named Juliet. There’s murder and miscellaneous other crimes occurring at California dog shows, and who better to solve them? The reviewers are enthusiastic about this book, which should appeal to mystery readers, dog lovers, and anyone else looking for a fast paced, entertaining novel. $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Roger-Suzanne-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00E25BM3I/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374416914&sr=1-1&keywords=b00e25bm3i
UK: £2.04. http://amzn.to/15XmQd6
8. The Origin Of Murder takes us on a vacation cruise through the Galapagos Islands on a luxury ship that turns into a complex murder investigation in South America. Roger, Suzanne, and their friends uncover a deadly conspiracy while viewing the flora and fauna of Ecuador’s famous national park. This novel is available as a Kindle E-book from Amazon for $2.99. [This book]
There’s also a blog some of you might want to visit about the series, our dogs, South America, and writing mysteries at http://rogerandsuzannemysteries.blogspot.com. Stop by and say hello!