CATCHING ON

A gruesome discovery is made in Oro Blanco.  The captain assists Flores’ hunt.

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Manuel Vargas sits on a camp stool in the Amazon, drawing in his sketch book and philosophising with Mark over life and death. The men and their guides look over an insect-crawling corpse of an Indian lying in the weeds before them. The decapitated figure had been dead for some time and is decomposing. Vargas’ sketches are extremely detailed.

Upon return to the Oro Blanco collection center, Ife, the top lieutenant, asks to see Vargas’s sketchbook. A strained moment follows as the artist opens the book and shows the pages where he has hastily sketched in flowers, butterflies and birds.  The moment is interrupted by an explosive blast. The sketchbook is closed and the men follow Ife towards the sound. They arrive at the pier where Arrube’s canoe is tied up.  From an antique launch floating in the river, Ruiz appears and calls out “See how it’s done!”  He then produces a stick of dynamite from a wooden crate on his boat. He lights the wick, waits a moment, then hurls it towards a pair of crocodiles basking on a nearby shore. Another loud explosion and the crocs are blown into the air in bloody pieces, sailing in all directions. Mark and his crew watch in disgust.

After a terrible dinner with the drunk and obnoxious Ruiz, Mark and Vargas retire to their beds in agreement. They had come this far to see the worst; they would have to stick it out a little while longer until they had seen the rest.

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At two in the morning, Flores comes up the gangway of the Lanfranc with two bodyguards. They are greeted by Captain Wilson who hands them a cabin key. In exchange, Flores hands him an envelope of cash. Flores promises to not disturb any others sleeping on board. That’s when Wilson explains Mark Mann boated off for an Indian girl the night before. Flores considers this, but keeps his eyes on the prize as his crew finds von Stimme passed out drunk in cabin four. They carry him from the ship. Flores scans the dark river, considering this new info on Mark.  “Indian girl?”

Von Stimme regains consciousness to find he’s been stripped and tied to a chair in Flores’s office. He whimpers in terror when Flores reveals his knife. The whimpers turn into screams as Flores castrates him where he sits. Von Stimme lapses into unconsciousness again, but is soon slapped awake. Flores takes great pleasure in the final slicing of his throat.

When finished, Flores instructs his crew to ready his boat (named the Felicidad) for an immediate trip to Oro Blanco.