99. An expert analyst
Joss answers: “A private detective who arrested us way back.”
Rambo frowns: “He isn’t maybe an ex-recce veteran major?”
Joss suddenly sees light. Spyker and Recce know of Hunter but Rambo joined them later on and doesn’t know the whole history. Rambo was also a recce in the bush war and the name of Major Hunter is known to him.
Joss nods: “Yes. I hope it is not going to be a problem for you that Major Hunter is now our enemy. How well do you know him?”
Amazed Rambo widens his eyes but then looks down on the ground before him and continues formally on as if he hasn’t heard Joss’s question. “The limping man and the two dogs remained behind but the rest departed with the Casspir.”
Joss raised his voice to get Rambo’s full attention: “Rambo, look at me! I ask you again. Major Hunter is our enemy. Will it be a problem? How well do you know him?”
Rambo looks up and stares emotionless at Joss: “No, it won’t be a problem. We weren’t in the same unit but he had a reputation. That is why I know of him.”
“Something is bothering you. I can see it. What is it?”
“I understand now why our guests were freed so easily. Major Hunter is the last one you want as an enemy. Do Recce and Spyker know he is involved?”
Joss nods. “Yes, they know ...”
“And they told me bugger all?”
“We were all under the impression he doesn’t know of our existence. I do not know how or where he discovered our camp and we’ve just discovered and confirmed it through your tracking talent just now.”
“Well, I have still news for you. These tracks together with that information tell me a fucking whole lot. Major Hunter is a canny customer and evacuated everyone from here because he knew you know this place. Those two women whose children vanished would not agree to go with him because they knew the eight people we sent to search for them would bring them to our camp when they are found. They were anxiously waiting for their children there and when Hunter arrived on the scene, he must have convinced them to go with him.
Joss is flabbergasted: “Fuck yes, I haven’t even thought about this. How did he manage it?”
Emotionless Rambo explains further. “These tracks tell me everything. They have informed Hunter and now he knows of all our departures. I’m telling you now, that major is cunning like a fox and he must have convinced them that he will intercept their children before they reach our camp. And believe me, if Hunter promises something, he delivers. Look, he even takes trained dogs to sniff out the children if our people couldn’t do it.”
Joss’s face shows shock: “Fuck!”
“That Pappa Jack and his buddies only work with us because they don’t know where our camp, Pappa Jack’s wife, and that laaitie Billy’s mother are. When Hunter and Chloe with their three soldiers and four dogs surprise them and the two mothers are with them, it will be game over and Hunter is going to call the shots. Then the happy family will be together, I’m telling you, and then they will all kick Recce, Spyker, Tania, and Lesley’s asses and take them into custody as trophies for Colonel Morrison.”
Joss’s eyes widen: “Rambo, you recces are probably the most intelligent beings on this fucking planet. What in hell will I do without you?”
“One thing is bothering me because it doesn’t make sense.”
“What?”
“You say Paola didn’t see anything strange happening at the Eastwood Estate? No strange visitors or something? She wasn’t aware of any contact between Hunter and the colonel?”
Joss nods “Yes, why?”
“Three soldiers came out of the back. I wouldn’t know whether there were more inside, so we wouldn’t know how many are there. Whose Casspir was it and whose soldiers have departed with them? I’m telling you now, Paola knew of nothing, but I know the major and he is a master. He promised the colonel four mercenaries as prisoners of war. I am sure he and the colonel have a secret arrangement. That is how Hunter could get the Casspir and the soldiers. The colonel has a deep interest in Hunter's operation. They are in cahoots and you probably know what this means.”
“Tell us, genius ...”
“I think he informed the colonel of our base and arranged with him to plant those landmines and so to confuse us and to keep us busy and wondering while he was moving his hideout.”
Amazed Joss and Leo look at each other and then Joss asks: “Fuckit, do you think the colonel knows of Paola and feeds us shit?”
“I won’t know, maybe even his own people don’t know about the colonel and Hunter’s plans. They are both fucking cunning. It might be the reason why Paola knows nothing because Marco knows nothing as well. We will have to keep this possibility in mind in our planning. The colonel is the service of the old New World Order Elite. They were rotten, rogue rubbish but as you know, they were the people that dished out most of the money for groups like us that enjoyed doing their dirty work.”
Amazed Joss shakes his head: “What are we going to do now? The women are going to take Hunter directly to the farm from where our party of eight departed to look for the kids and he is going to fuck up all our plans if we don’t stop him. Furthermore, our camp is in danger. The colonel can strike there any minute.”
Rambo shakes his head. Joss asks: “What now?”
“Why do you think the colonel hasn’t yet attacked us? What do you think is most important to him? Remember, Hunter knows it and plays his cards according to it.”
Despondently Joss shakes his head. “Rambo, you surely know all the answers. Stop asking shitty questions and tell us what you think, you cunt.”
“Okay, the colonel is in the service of the remaining Elite pigs and his mission is to sniff out the Saviors. This will make him the most important man in their fight to win the world back. The colonel naturally is waiting for Hunter to deliver Tania, Lesley, Recce, and Spyker’s heads on a tray to him because that will be his trump card. In the meantime, he wants us to believe he knows nothing about us.
“I guess he and Hunter are going to use them as prisoners of war to lead us into a trap and to take over our camp. I think they reckon we are in the service of the Saviors and they will make contact with us very soon. They want to take over our camp before the Saviors arrive. I won’t be surprised if Hunter convinced the colonel to use us to lead the Saviors into a trap. When the Saviors visit us, I think they plan to force us to pretend everything is fine so that they can plant a tracking device on the Saviors enabling them to follow them up to their base.”
Leo wonders: “Damn guys. What are we going to do?
John is standing and staring at the three who are deliberating and he wishes he could hear what they are discussing but they have orders to stay where they are while Rambo studies the tracks. John peeps all around and only sees the bushes in between the high blue gum trees. It feels as if something is watching them all the time and he just can’t rid himself of the suspicion.
John is completely correct. Well hidden quite far apart the two massive Boerboels are lying and watching the party quietly; each under its own camouflaging bushes. Batista and Buddy, Robert’s two dog spies, are going to make sure the visitors turn around and depart before they are going to run and report to Robert, who with his sister Kennedy, the professor, and Martie, is waiting in a cab. Ready to get away very quickly from the neighboring smallholding if the unwelcome visitors come in their direction.
Hunter forced them to move just in case the Baxter brothers should turn up and now they are thankful. They only hope the brothers won’t advance to this neighboring smallholding thinking that they had gone far away. If they are now forced to speed away they will be on their own in a cruel world of man-eating monsters. They will have to fend for themselves and will have to leave all their provisions and their safety behind. They will have to depart only with the provisions they can pack quickly and they don’t even know where they will be going. They probably can go to Eastwood Estate as last resort, but this will hamper Hunter’s plans. Rather they will have to find another place.
Hoping for the best because there are no footprints from their old place leading to the place where they are now. They came with the two cabs up to here. The place had been prepared by Hunter in case it would be necessary. The chances are good that the Baxter brothers won’t guess that they are hiding nearby on the neighboring smallholding.
Anxiously they are awaiting the dogs to bring the good or the bad news. The Dodge cab has no canopy. If the dogs jump on the open backside, they will leave immediately. If the dogs come and greet them, they can get out. What would they have done without these wonderful, clever dogs of Chloe?