“You know you can’t take him with us, right?” frowned Ham. Trak just stared at him, not giving anything away at all. If he wanted the cat to go, it would go. Ham just shook his head, making sure everyone had food and water.
“Comms? Anything on the drones?” asked Gator.
“A lot of jungle. We’re using lidar and heat signature to try and find humans but it’s difficult. You guys stay where you are a for a bit. We’ve got clear signals on you. If we can find the others, you’ll be in good shape.”
There was no arguing with that. They were happy to take a break and catch some sleep. Something every man learned early on in their careers was that you take sleep when you can, where you can.
It could be ten minutes, an hour, or five hours. If it was available, they took it. What puzzled most people was how they could sleep anywhere, on anything, and still close their eyes and actually sleep.
Oddly enough, it was when they came home that they struggled with sleep. Soft beds, warm covers, comfortable temperatures. Those were foreign to veterans and often caused them to struggle with sleep patterns.
Today would be a good day. With the rain positively unrelenting, they were able to get a solid four hours of rest. The minute the rain stopped, they headed back out. With darkness enveloping the jungle, most men would have waited until daylight.
Not these men. These men saw darkness as their friend and with Oscar and the other animals, they made their way easily toward the Ángeles. With a little luck on their side, and hopefully some help from home, they would find them before dawn.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“I feel so helpless,” said Lennon seated behind AJ, Tanner, and Hiro. “I’m used to being the one doing all the research. You guys are levels above me.”
“You’re doing your part,” smiled Hiro. “We always need extra help down here. Besides, your computer skills are excellent. Sometimes we have to resort to showing people how to use the systems. You’re doing fairly well.”
“You’re being nice,” she smiled. “I’m barely getting by over here. I don’t think I’ve ever struggled so much finding a trail for someone’s existence. Margarita Ruvienne literally feels not real. Maybe Margarita is a made-up name.”
“That’s possible,” said AJ. “It does seem too much like something someone would clasp onto in an emergency. Do we know how she and Carlos met?”
“All of my research told me that they met at a state dinner at the capitol. At the time he wasn’t president yet. But I can’t find anything that tells me whether or not they immediately connected or if they somehow knew one another from somewhere else,” said Lennon.
“Who else was at the dinner?” asked Hiro.
“The usual. Dignitaries, local authorities and politicians, the Bolivian Miss Universe contestant, a couple of Olympic athletes returning from the games, oh, and an American businessman.”
“What American businessman?” frowned Hiro.
“I’m not sure. It just says, ‘American businessman’. There’s a grainy photo but I can’t make it out,” said Lennon.
“Get the photo to Ivy. She’ll find a copy that she’ll be able to manipulate and get clarity for us. We’ll work on some of these others,” said AJ. Lennon nodded, glancing once more at the information on the computer.
“Hey. Something is strange here,” she frowned. “Almost all of these people died after the event.”
“What do you mean, they died?” asked Hiro.
“I mean, they died. It says it was suspected that the food was poisoned but no one could prove it since Ruvienne and a few others survived. No one was under suspicion and it doesn’t look as though there was a complete investigation.” The men nodded at her, frowning.
“We need to know why Margarita was there and who else survived that event. How long after that did he become president?” asked Tanner.
“I’m guessing from the date on the article, maybe two years,” said Lennon.
“Okay, follow that trail. If you need something or if you need help with any of this, just reach out to us. We’ll be here, Lennon,” smiled Hiro.
“I can’t thank you all enough for letting me be a part of this. I want to help Brooks but I’m not sure how to do that.”
“You’re doing it, hun,” said AJ. “Just keep digging and you’re going to find what you need.” She smiled at them, grabbing the laptop and heading back to the cottage to work. AJ stared at Tanner and Hiro, all of them waiting to hear the door to the office close.
“How long can we keep her occupied before she wants to know more about what’s happening?” asked Hiro.
“I’m not sure, but we promised Brooks we would keep her safe. She did find something we didn’t though. Whatever happened at that dinner positioned Ruvienne to become president and Margarita to become the first lady,” said AJ.
“Let’s give her a chance to figure that out and then we’ll revisit the timing and sequence of everything. I want her to feel useful,” said Tanner.
