Chapter 10 Rick on the Hunt
Angela and Rick were back in Zamboanga City after having traveled to Borneo and the tiny sultanate of Brunei. Rick has been on operations in Indonesia years ago and reached out to former colleagues for help. None had heard of Salem Albadar or his other known aliases. All would watch for the Nashib.
As a woman, Angela could not travel alone into the ISIS-held areas in the south and southeastern Mindanao. Rick and Stefan Roxas, Angela's Philippine bureau head, covered those areas.
All three had been on the hunt for several months. They visited large and small ports, talking with fishermen and boat servicing businesses, and port authorities looking for the Nashib. They found nothing new.
Before Rick left on missions, he received briefings with intelligence gathered through various sources. The Rangeman search engines provided more. Since they had no government backing, they had to collect information themselves. When actively working as a Black Ops contractor, Ranger had the patience to work through the job. This time was different. Stephanie was now his wife and life. He knew he was extremely fortunate Angela had found him years before in Columbia before he succumbed to dehydration. Now it was his turn to find Stephanie before she was lost.
The only reliable information on Salem was he had sailed from Zamboanga City, southwest Mindanao's biggest port months ago soon after the kidnapping. Rumors abound the Nashib had been seen but there were not official harbor master logs. The large peninsula shaped like a giant male appendage sat well into the Sulu Sea. ZC was at the tip ideal for sailing to hundreds of islands and countries. From here a large boat, like the Nashib could sail thousands of miles in any direction. If one had to disappear, the Philippines, Borneo, or Indonesia were ideal hiding places. They would need a Nashib sighting to determine where to concentrate their search.
An even bigger problem was trying to remain under the radar of various governments including the US. They did not want suspected traitors in Aunt Madge's office or elsewhere in the government to know where they were. They especially didn't want friends of Salem to catch whiff of their presence.
While Angela and Rick scoured the far Pacific for Salem, each Rangeman office had contributed one or two men to form a team to travel to Central and South American to look for leads to Salem's location. Frequently observed by the US, and other country's agencies, they were playing a game. The Rangemen let themselves be seen infrequently, but enough to hold the watchers' interests but not often enough to give their game plan away.
Meanwhile, Bobby was getting frustrated. He had determined parts of the drug were plant-based, but there were too many missing links. He had been spending more time in Houston's Tropical Disease Research Center going through research journals. After months of work, Bobby had a problem. His research's next step was either to a research center in Zambia in Africa or to Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in the greater Manila, Philippines area. He dare not led his "watchers" to Manila where Rick and Angela were working.
After discussions with Tank and the heads of the other Rangeman offices, they concluded there just wasn't enough money to justify continue having a team bashing through the jungles in Central and South America and to send Bobby to Africa. The other three offices were actually miffed at the money spent to find Lester Santos.
Suddenly word came the government was willing to fund Bobby's travels to Africa. What agency was suddenly interested in Salem Albadar's research? Remembering Aunt Madge's admonition to destroy the work lest it fall into other agency hands, Bobby had a bad feeling again about Aunt Madge's office associates and who was talking with who.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, a Cholera outbreak was running rampant in parts of Zambia. Bobby had a legitimate excuse not to travel to Africa in the near future. In the meantime, Hector continued his research on Congress and intelligence agencies.
"Madre mia," Hector started in his briefing with Bobby and Tank. "The whole place should be paved over. That place is a warren of deceit, payoffs, and immoral behavior. The pedophilia ring makes my head ache. Imagine the worse and multiply it by ten or one hundred."
"Do I really want to know?" Tank asked.
"No. It disgusts me I know. Anyway, I have leads on the three idiots in Madge's office. The rumpled brown suit does work for a California Congressman. Her husband is making millions, if not billions on information she shares with him. She wants power, he wants skirts and power his wife doesn't know about. He has contacts all over the world and I believe selling information.
"Mr. Blue suit is pretty straight forward. He has cozy ties with an international pharmaceutical company. He came to work for Madge about the time Ranger returned to Colombia. I'm suspecting he's the one who indirectly tipped off Salem."
"Shit," was Tank's only replay.
Hector continued, "Mr. Grey suit, they all have names, but they are immaterial, Mr. Grey suit assumed he would get Aunt Madge's job when she took over the agency seven years ago. He had a heart attack just before the switch, and the higher powers thought him too delicate for the job. Grey suit stayed on acting as adviser or considering Washington as a whole, a consigliere."
"You are comparing government to the Mafia?" Bobby asked.
"Buying loyalties with lies and promises and padding their bank accounts, yeah. Except the mafia has a code of honor. Anyway, Mr. Grey Suit he did not get the big chair, his "work" is being sold to the highest bidder. He will retire in a few years and needs to secure lifestyle. The government retirement annuity won't be enough."
"OK, so Madge's bureau is infested, what about the CIA and all the other alphabet agencies?"
"Depends on the level," Hector replied. "The higher-ups are selling their souls to the highest bidder. The workers in the trenches are generally clean-ish."
"Clean-ish?" Bobby repeated.
"Mold grows in strange places," Hector shook his head.
Tank stood and walked around. "So who do we trust?"
"Angela. She and Ranger, er, Rick were always an unbeatable team and the most honest people I've ever known."
"He's been out of the saddle for a few years," Tank said with full knowledge Rick was now a cowboy.
"I think he'll easily remount."
-0-
Angela and Rick returned to ZC after several days on nearby Basilan Island looking for leads. The search had revealed the Nashib had been to the island several times before and after the kidnapping.
"Just across the channel," Rick said disgusted.
"He had to anchor further out so avoid the shallows. It must have been important." Angela replied. "It's too difficult to resupply out there. He has to have another port. I'm still betting its here."
Angela's phone vibrated, a text was coming in. "We are going to lunch. We have a lead."
Entering a small café, the hostess took them a private alcove where they could eat. After placing drink orders, they moved to the food buffet to select raw meats and vegetables. Returning to their table, they carefully put the meat strips and vegetables on the propane-fueled burner. Red or green chili paste and various kinds of vinegars were set on the table to be used as condiments after cooking. He and Angela briefly conversed in Spanish, one of several languages spoken in the area. At one point, the hostess brought additional rice, red sauce, and passed a flash drive into Angela's hand before anyone else could see the action.
Returning to their hotel room, they cleared the room before Rick stepped out on the pretense of buying something. Stefan stepped out from a closet. "Angela," he said softly.
Angela pulled out her laptop and inserted the flash drive. Stefano bent over examining the photos. "Yes, that is the Nashib. We hear rumors he was moving this way. Who took the photos?"
"Farouk," Angela answered. "He owes us a few favors."
"The Malaysian is in ZC?" Stefan asked with surprise.
"He's chasing down missing medical supplies. The search includes the local university."
Stefano leaned in closer, "I count six crew members in the pictures. There may be more aboard we can't see."
Angela enlarged several photos. "Looks like provisions coming aboard especially fresh produce. What's that silver bucket?"
"Looks like a liquid nitrogen canister," Stefano said.
"So he has a lab wherever he is."
One picture showed Salem returning from the city carrying a bright pink bakery box.
Stefano chuckled, "Somebody having a party?"
"Or entertaining guests," Angela muttered.
"We have heard Salem was in Parang in Eastern Mindanao, but not recently. Did you learn anything about him in Basilan?"
"Not him, but the Nashib," Angela shook her head. "The closest we could come to a lead was some of the Nashib crew might be from there. We also were in Malaysia for a week, but the Nashib has not been there since before the kidnapping.
"The yacht has a cruising range of several thousand nautical miles. He could easily be up north in Palawan, Mimmaropa, west to Brunei, or Malaysia, though the later would require refueling."
"If he's refueling he could be anywhere in Southeast Asia or even Australia. I keep coming back to here, ZC city. If he was moving into the South China Sea why didn't he sail from Manila or Palawan? What brought him here?"
"ISIS?" Stefan asked. "But Rick and I didn't catch a whiff of him there for the last two years."
"Where would he get most of his supplies?" Angela was trying to nail down where Salem was concentrated.
"With a range like that, he could do his grocery shopping just about anywhere. If he is hanging around here, there is a reason. Yes, groceries are obvious. Another is ZC has an airport with cargo flights. These photos show the supplies waiting on the dock. That nitrogen container can't be bought in the local market. Salem or the crew must radio ahead. Radio signals have their limits."
"More likely he has a computer and satellite online shopping. We need to watch to see if he comes in regularly. That would place him nearby."
"Near-by is relative with that long cruising range."
Angela ignored the last comment. "He left the ship. He must have quite a hold over the crew that they do not steal the yacht."
Stefan leaned back from the desk, "We suspect he is using hostages or blackmail. Or his second in command is very loyal and controls the others."
"Assuming he comes back, we need to follow him when he leaves," Angela said.
"I'll have a boat ready for you at the wharf." Stefano left and melted into the crowded streets filled with pedestrians. Rick had remained down at street level and watched him disappear into the crowds. No one followed, so Rick rejoined Angela in their room.
She looked up as her cousin entered, "We've got pictures. Can you imagine why Salem stopped at a bakery?"
Rick smiled. "Stephanie has a sweet tooth."
"Assuming he's not buying sweets for his crew, then maybe she and Sandra are still awake."
They knew Salem was gay, but surely not all his crew-members. Neither spoke their fears the two women were entertainment for the crew.
Rick was flipping through the pictures, "Did anyone follow him when he was ashore?"
"A Malaysian agent took the pictures. We had nobody there. There was no backup. There will be next time including a ship to follow."
"Whenever that is," Rick mumbled to himself.
"Keep greasing the palms along the dock. When the Nashib is spotted, hopefully, they let us know. We might be able to get people further out as watchers."
Stephanie
Salem walked in as I was shaving Lester. The two men's beards had slowed their growth but, I feared they'd develop a rash if they weren't kept clean. Everyone had their teeth brushed though they were not eating food.
"You are taking care of them well. Why?"
"They are still human beings. They deserve their dignity even in this half-life you have them suspended in." Looking at the three, she asked Salem, "I don't understand. Why do you do this?"
"They are atoning for their sins."
"How would you know of their sins? Are you a confessor?"
"I've told you before, Santos and Turner were part of a team that tried to kill me. Maybe they were successful. I came back to life under the care of tribal medical men. During my death, I was tormented in darkness. I could not move, but my mind remained active. When my body healed and my sins forgiven, I was reborn."
That was Rick described his experience. He felt reborn, cleansed of his past sins.
"Are you going to release Turner and Santos after they atoned?"
"No. Like Manoso, they must die. It is a fitting punishment for killing me. These two men could live another 10 or more years, but care is expensive. My facilities are minimal. In the meantime, I am trying to find the solution to awaken them as the medicine men did for me. I could use it in future studies. Most likely, they will die of bad drug interactions or infections. Or I will tire of them and let them go to die of neglect as I did with Manoso. Allah will decide their fate and maybe a reward."
"What about Sandra? She never hurt you."
"I considered keeping both of you awake but decided two women would be more trouble. She will suffer the same fate as the others. Being a woman, she will die first. She is not strong like the men and usually woman do not have the emotional strength to last long. If she is truly sinless, her rewards will be great."
"Even for a non-believer?"
He did not answer.
"What about me? Why did you bring me here and keep me awake?"
"I was intrigued by you. When I put you to sleep while we traveled, you talked. Nobody has talked as much as you did. Initially I did not give you the final drug to put you down quickly. I'm trying to figure out why you are different from the others. You are the first one to remain awake with the blocker."
I was afraid to ask, "What did I talk about?"
"You loved Manoso but were hurt by him. At the cemetery, you told me he was only a friend. Yet, you deeply mourned his death. There was another fellow, Joe. You loved him as well but resented his hard ways and suspected infidelities. How hypocritical, you were lusting after both. You have survived the pain of their passing and now share your life with Enrique, Rick, and somebody named Bob. Do you always have more than one lover at a time? Does your husband knew….or actually, did he know?"
"Rick is a nickname for Enrique, the man you saw at Arlington and later killed. Bob is a dog! He belonged to Joe. When Joe died, he was given to me."
Salem started laughing, "A dog who eats pizza?"
"And furniture, he's not particular."
Salem walked away laughing. I was suddenly worried about my nocturnal tales. Would they reveal Rick and Ranger were the same, and Enrique was actually Jose? I had to double my effort to wash the name Ranger from my brain, quickly.
I turned back to finish tending my patients while I thought of what Salem said. If Lester and Sandra could still hear and understand, their will to live took a hit. I went up to each and reminded each quietly that Salem does not know people have survived his toxic brew. "You have to fight as the drug takes time to wear down." I had to stretch the truth a bit and indicate more than one person survived.
-0-
Rick became a well-known face on the docks. He took odd jobs and spent time in local longshoremen bars. A fisherman he had cultivated came up to him, "The Nashib, will enter the harbor within the hour." Rick paid the man and called Angela.
"Go to our boat and prepare to cast off. I will be there shortly. Stefan will follow him while he is on shore. We will try to follow the yacht when it leaves," Angela said.
"We could capture him."
"No, Rick, we can't capture him or injure him. The others die. We need to follow him back to his hideout to rescue the others."
Rick immediately realized he was wrong. He was letting his emotions get in the way again. Ranger-mode was years before. He had to get his head, not his heart, in the game.
Stefan and his team were at the docks. Once they spotted Salem, they began clandestine tails following Salem's movements. Salem appeared not to react to being followed. Instead he led his followers to several stops around the city before returning to the Nashib.
Ranger and Angela were at sea, but within sight of Zamboanga City harbor when the Nashib sailed back out, six hours later. Angela talked to Stefan on the sat phone before apprising Rick. "According to Stefan, Salem made several visits around the city including the bank and post office. He also went to the university. His and his men took turns going to a bathhouse to bathe."
"Then this is his home base. Good call, Angela. Do we know who he's meeting at the university?"
"Not the individual, only the medical department."
"Bathhouse would indicate they don't have bathing facilities where they are," Rick spoke.
Angela answered, "At least that one explanation." She let Rick fill in the possible sexual rendezvous.
They knew they could not get close to the Nashib but could follow for a short time to get a bearing on her destination before sailing away. They were not successful. In an attempt to shake any followers, the Nashib made several dramatic course changes. Angela and Rick had no choice but to sail away lest identified as followers. Others on the team on smaller fishing boats and Bangka's waited in the Sulu Sea to report seeing the Nashib. Spotters along the coast as well as several fishermen reported a white yacht far out, outside the shipping lanes. None could verify the Nashib, just a large white vessel. Ranger and Angela returned to Zamboanga City to replace their boat for another. The next time they spotted and followed Salem, they did not want to be recognized.
"How many islands lie beyond here?" Ranger asked.
"In this area, there are maybe up to one hundred ranging from a few thousand square feet to several square miles. Many are not habitable due to water issues or native inhabitants."
"Head hunters?" Rick asked.
"I don't believe there are any left. The unfriendliness I was referring to are reptiles; snakes and crocodiles; cobras and saltwater crocs. "
Ricky shuddered slightly. He had been in areas with both, but the crocodiles were worse.
When back in ZC, Anglea, Rick, and Stefan met. "Any chance of getting a tracking device on board next time," Angela asked.
Stefan hesitated, "They do an electronics sweep before they leave port. Added to the course changes at sea, they are cautious not to be followed."
"Can we get satellite tracking the next time he comes to port?" Ranger asked.
"Sure, I'll call up NSA and Aunt Madge," Angela chuckled. "Remember we are dark with regards to Aunt Madge."
"It's there another country we could use? Rick asked.
"Not for this mission. We'd need government clearance for anything regarding satellite time."
"How much fuel did they pick up?" Rick was calculating in his head the possible distance to the hideout based on the yacht's fuel consumption.
Stefano answered, "A full load plus propane. Either they are going over a thousand nautical miles out, or they are sailing to other ports."
Rick shook his head in dismay, "Damn. After all these months I was hoping we were zeroing in."
Angela spoke up, "If he's coming here to fuel up and traveling 500 to a thousand nautical miles, there are closer ports. I suspect he's in closer but planning a longer trip."
Rick though a minute, "Could he be using the fuel to run equipment at his location?"
"And using the Nashib as an oiler?" Angela laughed. "That is one very expensive oiler. But he might be getting deliveries."
"How many mobile marine service stations are there?"
"There are remote depots as well as regular delivery. The depots are used by locals with smaller boats and no deep harborage," Stefano answered. "Other islanders or coastal residents meet the oiler and transfer oil to barrels and transport them back to the area by their Bangka's to clear the reefs."
"A larger oiler would need a reef-free deep harbor. There can't be too many of those."
"Stefano, can you get people into the fuel depots?"
"Yeah, most have a bar or supply depot near them. We'll be talking to the natives out there."
Rick continued, "Could Salem have solar power?"
If he has significant electrical needs, it would be best to stay with fuel oil electrical generators. Many islanders have a panel or two for lights. If Salem has solar, he probably has a vast array."
Rick was back to thinking about satellite photos, "I need to talk to Hector. He might be able to sneak into other countries' satellite photos of the area for larger solar arrays."
Angela added, "While Hector is at it, he could be looking for piers or harbors. Hopefully, the island isn't so small it has been forgotten in aerial photography."
Three weeks later the Nashib returned to Zamboanga City. Angela's team had no prior warning this time. The surveillance team quickly went into track and search mode.
As before, Stefano met Rick and Angela in their apartment. "Once again he went to Allied Medicine Department at the local college. They are not a full medical school. Mainly they teach paramedics; nurses, and technicians. We believe he met with instructors in anesthesiology and pharmacology. Both instructors are retired from a university in Columbia."
Angela shook her head, "This is a long way from Columbia. There are better places to retire."
Rick spoke up, "Perhaps they are old FARC buddies or ISIS."
"Salem went to the mosque to pray and to talk with a gentleman in the courtyard after the service."
"Do we know the man's name?"
"Yes, he's a local physician. He is the only one in ZC with neurological training. As before Salem and his crew took turns going to the bathhouse."
Angela leaned back thinking, "Then he doesn't have a large supply of fresh water. He is desalinating and probably using the fuel oil to run the equipment. We definitely need to look for a pier to fuel deliveries. So, the bathhouse may be for bathing and washing clothes."
"You nailed it. Several of our guys went in and reported exactly that." Stefano continued, "He was also seen entering a woman's clothing store. Is he a cross-dresser?"
"No, but it might indicate the women are still alive and maybe awake."