Knuckles said, “So he was here.”
Brett said, “And he used his phone to enter. Man, I wish we knew the name he put on that ticket.”
Ashley said, “So is that it?”
“No. We need to watch him until he leaves. Can you walk Creed to the next cameras step by step?”
She agreed and began working with Creed. They followed his path through the park, a snippet here, a split second there, until he entered the elephant community center. Knuckles saw him standing near two men and said, “Start that one from the beginning of his appearance.”
Creed backed up the video until he disappeared from the screen, then started it again. Knuckles saw the target walk in and move straight to two men. They held a discussion, then broke up, with the target moving to watch the elephants.
Knuckles said, “Those are the assholes mentioned in the Signal chat. He’s trying to convince them of something.”
After a couple of minutes, the men approached him again and they continued to talk. Eventually, the meeting broke up and they exited the building separately.
Brett said, “That was a final preparation meeting. They’re on the warpath now.”
Knuckles said, “Creed, get the best stills of those two UNSUBs you can find.”
He went to work and Knuckles turned to Ashley, saying, “We’re probably going to want to get back into your systems after we leave. Can you give Creed the security access so he can do it remotely?”
Ashley said, “Yes. Should I be worried now?”
Knuckles said, “If we can’t identify those two guys, yeah. Probably so.”
Chapter 75
Looking at the copilot’s flight tablet on the table in front of him, the Ghost said, “You’re sure you can land there?”
Sitting in a leather chair across from him, the copilot said, “The runway’s long enough, but I don’t know if it’s fouled. That’s not really an active strip anymore. Everything is at the international airport. It’s used for a single engine flying club and helicopter charters.”
“You’d better hope it’s not fouled, because that’s where we’re going.” He glanced out the window, seeing the sun dying in the sky, the short winter days compressing his plan, then had a thought.
He turned to the copilot and said, “They have helicopters for rent there?”
The copilot said, “Yeah, but we can’t land there after dark, that’s for sure. There aren’t any lights or navigation systems.”
“How much longer?”
“Thirty minutes, give or take.”
“You have Wi-Fi on this plane, yes? How do I get this tablet on it?”
The copilot took it and tapped a few settings, then passed it back, saying, “It’s on now.”
The Ghost pulled up a web browser and began typing. He found the page he was searching for and clicked on the contact link, then turned to the cockpit and shouted, “Omar! I need a credit card.”
Omar came to him and said, “The pilot’s got to start talking to air traffic control soon. Did you come up with any ideas? Everyone on the planet knows where we are. I don’t see a way out of this.”
“Give me your card. I think I found a way.”
“What can a credit card do? Our lifeline is getting to the safe house in Tierra del Fuego, but I don’t think we’re going to be able to use the four-wheel vehicles that are waiting for us when we land.”
The Ghost pointed at the tablet, and Omar picked it up, reading a website for helicopter charters. The Ghost looked at the copilot and said, “Do you have a cell phone that will work on the plane’s Wi-Fi?”
The copilot shook his head, but the Ghost could tell he was lying. He said, “Now is not the time to be a hero. Turn it on and put it in Wi-Fi calling mode.”
He reluctantly pulled a smartphone from his pocket, entered the code for the lockscreen, opened an app, then passed it across to the Ghost.
