“Mr. Ben, what about the GPS?” Tecal asked. “Why have we not the GPS?”
Tecal was right. Even if Randall ditched the radio he still had a GPS unit small enough to be on Randall’s belt. They should be receiving GPS info all of the time. But there was no GPS signal at all. That worried Ben. He felt that something very bad had happened. Especially after hearing about the men dressed in black. Putting all of this together, Ben knew something terrible had happened to the Finleys.
The Finleys were at least three or four days back into the bush when they last contacted Base Camp. So logically it would take at least three days or so for them to return. If that were true, Dana and Randall should be back by tomorrow. Ben anxiously felt he could not wait that long. Hell, it would be five or six days total to initiate a rescue mission. That was too long to wait in his opinion.
Lee walked into the hut and sat down at the table. “Anything new?” she asked tentatively. She so wanted to hear there had been contact. Dana and Randall were not only colleagues but friends. One does not spend days and weeks with folks in the wilds of the Amazon without becoming close.
To Lee, Dana reminded her of her deceased daughter. If she had survived the car crash, Amy would be the same age as Dana now. Maybe that was why she felt so close to Dana. It gave her comfort.
“Not a peep,” said Ben looking up. “I can’t see a light at the end of this tunnel.”
“They are out there somewhere,” Lee said. “We’ll find them. I know it.”
“God, I hope so,” Ben said seriously. “What worries me is the GPS. That damned little unit is almost indestructible. Why aren’t we getting that signal? It must have been destroyed. That worries me.”
“I know. It worries me too,” said Lee softly.
“Well, I don’t know what else to do but send someone out to try to find them.”
Lee looked at Ben. “You think that’s a good idea? I mean, what if someone did kidnap them? We could be sending in more people into a trap… or worse.”
Ben thought for a second. “That’s true but we can send someone out to meet them. Maybe they are on their way back. We would know that much sooner,” answered Ben.
“Then let’s do it,” chirped Lee. “Let’s send Tecal now.”
Ben looked at Tecal. “We have to send someone out after the Finleys today,” blurted Ben. “I can’t sit here another minute without knowing something.”
“Yes, Mr Ben.”
“Get a few men and follow the Finleys’ trail. Take a radio and GPS and leave as soon as possible. Within the hour would be great. If they are out there and on the way back, you should find them within a day.”
“Yes, Mr. Ben,” agreed Tecal. “I get three men and leave quick. We can travel fast and make good time in the jungle. “
“Call me immediately on the radio when you find them. Otherwise radio me every four hours,” explained Jamison.
“Yes, Mr. Ben. We go now,” said Tecal as he raced from the hut to gather his men for the trip.
Ben sat back and wondered if it was too late. Possibly he should have done this yesterday. He might have known something by now. Dumbass, he thought. You are a complete dumbass! He should have acted on this earlier. God, he thought, I hope we are not too late.
It took Tecal only twenty minutes to corral three of his men, a bit of food and a handheld radio and GPS with a portable antenna. They were ready to go.
Tecal and his men walked over to the base camp hut.
“We are ready to go, Mr. Ben,” Tecal called inside.
Ben walked out onto the porch of the hut and smiled. Lee followed.
“Tecal, you guys are as fast as lightning. Everything’s set?”
“Yes, Mr. Ben. We leave now. We can travel very fast in the jungle. Tyana is one of the best trackers,” Tecal explained, patting the small native standing beside him on the shoulder.
“Great!” smiled Ben. “You go find the Finleys and be sure to call me every four hours.”
Tecal gave Ben a big grin and the foursome turned and trotted off into the jungle, Tyana leading.
“Good luck,” yelled Lee.
Suddenly, Ben felt there was some hope as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his sweating brow. He looked at his sister. Some hope…
Four hours passed. Right on time Tecal radioed Ben. No contact. They were moving fast. Ben was following the GPS signal. He was amazed at the speed Tecal and his men were moving through the jungle. Finally some progress.
Lee was plotting Tecal’s progress when the eight-hour check-in call came in. Tecal still found no sign of the Finleys. According to the map, Ben saw that Tecal’s group had gone two days deep into the jungle as the Finleys would have trekked. He was worried now. Ben knew the Finleys were not coming back in. Tecal should have found them by now if they were. He decided to have Tecal move on for four more hours. By then it would be dark.
After four more hours it was dark at the base camp. Lee and Ben waited intently at the radio. Lee checked the GPS system and plotted Tecal’s position. They had gone much further than Ben had hoped. They were within thirty miles of the Finleys’ last reported location. This did not look good, thought Ben as he held his head in his hands. The crackling of the radio startled him. It was Tecal reporting in. Lee ran over to the table.
The news was not good. Still there was no sign of the Finleys. They were able to track the group far into the jungle. They found their campsites but did not find them. Ben thought about sending Tecal on a bit further but decided against it. They had to have been captured or worse.
“We need to call Tecal back in,” Lee said dejectedly.
Ben did not want to give up. But he also did not want to lose anyone else. He had his answer.
Ben grasped the microphone and keyed it. “Return to base camp as soon as possible, Tecal.” Ben could not believe he was saying that. He looked at Lee. Both had tears in their eyes. Both felt horrible. But it had to be done. Tecal acknowledged the message to return.
That left one thing to do, one thing that Ben dreaded. He had to call Dane again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Normally Dane would be out to dinner on a beautiful vibrant Saturday night in Miami Beach. But tonight he worried about his sister and her husband. He waited to hear from Ben Jamison in Brazil about Dana and Randall. He hoped he would get word tonight that they were safe. He was so certain he decided to stay home and watch a little TV when the phone rang.
Dane answered, “Hello.”
“Dane, Ben Jamison here. Can you hear me?” he asked.
“Sure. What’s the news, Ben?”
“It’s not so good, I’m afraid. I decided to send a few of my guys out this morning hoping to meet Randall and Dana as they were coming back.”
“Sounds like a good idea, Ben,” Dane said. “What did they find?” he said, closing his eyes and praying for the best.
“My guys tracked Randall three days back into the jungle. They found no trace of them at all, nothing,” explained Ben. “They found their campsites and their trail. They also found a lot of blood but no bodies. There was no other trace. No tracks in or out. Dane, I think they are prisoners of those guys dressed in black that they reported.”
Dane’s mind swirled. After what he found out about the death of Nathan’s father he was more worried than before. It seemed more and more plausible that Dana and Randall had stumbled across the Germans in the Amazon. That was not good. But he decided not to let Ben in on his theory, at least not yet.