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"The buzzards lanced away toward the trees His pale face had gone ashen even under the blaring sun, and his blond hair was enerated frohtened his red-and-blue rep tie, and loosened his white button-down Oxford shirt at the collar, opening the top button, then wiped his hands on the pockets of his navy blue suit "Rebels sure have a helluva way toterritories"
"This was not rebels," the coroner finally said with conviction "This is not an international incident Don't make it one, either"
Slowly pushing himself up from his stooped position, the A his mouth with a handkerchief then with his forear not to breathe too deeply The air s flesh His eyes watered from the stench
The two CIA rilasses They looked almost identical, save one had brown hair, one was blond, but their just-the-facts facade was blown by the way their once-crisp white shirts clung to their bodies, sweat staining the them limp Heat wasn't the only culprit Their silent fear was palpable All the officials and authorities present shared the same quiet terror with the locals
"Looks like our National Geographic science tea with a knife could have dismembered these bodies like this All their expensive equipment and cameras are still here," one of the CIA h his perspiration-soaked brown hair "Even the local boys didn't disturb the site byin to fleece the bodies of valuables, which would have made for more paperwork So we can at least thank superstition" He walked around the res, there wasn't even time for them to defend themselves"
"Then, Se----or, make sure that this is what is said in your media This was no crime - just an unfortunate animal attack" The Brazilian police captain wiped at the trickle of sweat running from his temple with his forearm
"Proble left to ship ho his head at the remains "That will make the news If we don't tell it, one of the family members will"
"As long as it doesn't put a negative slant on our country," the Brazilian police captain said anxiously "Touris back very slowly, Se----or, especially with the A - "
"This was a freak situation," the e the terror-stricken expressions on the villagers' faces "The incidents in the regions of Belem, Manaus, Para, Salvador, and Maranhao were all locals ere deep in the jungle where o there The fact that this American team was attacked in the hillside areas near Rio de Janeiro - "
"Should not be ot it," the senior CIA official said i the bodies, inform the families, and we'll handle the media Case closed"
Los Angeles, California
Detective Berkfield studied the Internet report with care as he slowly sipped hishad even hit the US news Weird He could smell a coverup a mile away, and had it not been for his relentless search into obscure news for all things strange, he ht have missed it Ever since his encounter with Carlos Rivera, every bit of inforleaned froions for anything out of the ordinary, particularly bizarre murders, accidents, and deaths
His gaze darted nervously around the slightlyif it was tiun he wore just didn't see this type of news It re ago, and he thought that was all behind hi night them stop
"Do you believe this shit" he whispered in the vacant kitchen and read the tiny, alo, and we're just hearing about it?" Hislike this hidden in the middle columns of the papers, out of the headlines of the Brazilian press, and away from major news sources in the States There was only one plausible answer; it had to be one to such lengths to bury a story
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up He'd seen shit siht in his own backyard Kids with their throats ripped out and chests torn open, bodies ue The article said mutilated What did that mean? It hat the paper didn't say that disturbed him He'd seen plenty of madness that he still couldn't explain to a soul, much less himself Question here was one Carlos Rivera?
Maybe he'd have to go ask the only person that ht know - an always very hard to locate Damali Richards
You've got a piece of h pure hell?--Damali Richards, "Piece of my Soul"