The Adventures of Miniator Chapter 20 -- The Man In Black

;The Man In Black

Swing, Narea, and Nimi drove back to the hotel, and took a couple of rooms to wait for information from the Dino's computer...

An hour or so later the computer reported that the Frete  Aeronave Pássaro Airfield does carry freight.. nationally and internationally. There was a long list of departures over the last days, both nationally and internationally, and to many destinations... Many to other South American countries, and some to the Carabean, and some to Europe. Yet none seemed to have carried very large crates big enough to contain Miniator.

So the only lead they now had was the licence plate number of the metallic-blue Jeep, and the name of the man in black, Senior M. Abalroado.

They checked his name on the Internet, and found that he had a website advertising himself has a special personal tour guide. There were pictures of him – always dressed in black – standing with different people by his side in forests or with mountains and rivers in the background. He was tall, with dark eyes, and a long sun tanned face. The text stated that he was fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, French and Italian. That he had knowledge of geography, history, and the cultures of Latin America, and with many contacts to cultural establishments across the continent.

The three agreed that this man was their best lead. There was a contact Email address on the website, but no telephone number. The computer could find no number registered under that name. The Dino's computer would report immediately when the hirer car had been returned to the company. Narea wrote an e-mail under the name, June Summer, to Senior M. Abalroado's website requesting to know when at the earliest date would it be possible to book his services as a forest guide.

She received a prompt reply stating he would only be available in three weeks time. If this date suited her, she should fill out the online form... leaving a contact telephone number, so they could arrange the meeting. Narea, filled out the form... so they now had to wait for his reply...

But they all agreed it was too long for them to remain idle. They had the Rio De Janeiro address from the man in black from the car hire firm. And they had photographs of him. So they decided they should now head for Rio De Janeiro.

They waited until nightfall before leaving. They abandoned their truck one kilometre from where they had left the Dino, and to look like tourists, they walked the rest of the way with their backpacks.

Once onboard the Dino, they made a shape-shift back to the spaceship's original form, and sped off towards Rio De Janeiro. Once there, they found that the city had a lot of forest area surrounding it. So they found a clearing deep in the forest, and again made a shape-shift into a form of a typical Brazilian house.

The next morning they hiked into the city suburbs, then took a train into the city centre. They had decide they would need a vehicle. They soon found a second hand dealer, and bought a five year old green BMW four wheel-drive car. They wanted to familiarised themselves with the location so they drove to Senior M. Abalroado's address in the district of the city called Taquara, and parked outside the house. The house was a single floor villa, with a garden at the front and back, and a garage connected to the house at the side. There was no activity. The blinds on all the windows were drawn. They didn't want to call attention to themselves so they didn't stay long. They then drove to the car-hire firm, which was situated in the city centre. Finally they drove back to the the spaceship.

They sat together in the communication room, Swing and Narea were a little despondent about the lack of leads to Miniator's whereabouts.

And they didn't feel any better after the computer reported, that it had hacked the Website of Manel Abalroado to no avail, there was no booking for his services during the last three weeks, so no name of the man in the camouflage clothes. If Abalroado did have a telephone it wasn't registered under his name. He seemed a very secretive man.

They decided the best thing to do was to keep strict observation of the house day and night. And watch for the return of the Jeep during the opening hours of the car hire company. They didn't want to miss the man in black if he returned and then left quickly again.
Nimi, not needing sleep could watch the house. They could buy another car for her, so she could drive by the house from time to time during the night, and park down the street from the house during the day and follow him if he did come and go. Swing and Narea could take turns watching the car company. They could keep in regular contact and ready to move if anything happened.

The next morning they drove into town to purchase another car: a small white VW, which Nimi then drove to Abalroado's house. While Swing and Narea sat in the sunshine on a park bench across from the car hire company. They took it in turns to go for walks and bring coffee and snacks.

Their surveillance continued for three days, until Swing and Narea got a call from Nimi at Abalroado's house. Abalroado and the man in camouflage suit had arrived at the house in the Jeep. They had taken bags from the Jeep and entered the house. One hour later she reported again that they had come out of the house. The the man in camouflage was now wearing blue jeans and a beige safari jacket, and carrying a suitcase. Abalroado had opened the garage and drove out a black Mercedes four wheel drive. The second man put his case in the Mercedes, but then got in the Jeep. They drove away, the Jeep following the Mercedes, and Nimi following them. They arrived soon after at the car hire firm. Narea secretly took pictures of them as they entered the office.
The new man looked around forty, was large, thick set, with blonde short hair, very athletic looking. They came out again with a man from the office, who looked over the Jeep and then handed over some papers to Abalroado. They shook hands and got into Abalroado's Mercedes and drove off, with Swing, Narea, and Nimi following.

They stopped outside the centrally situated Floresta Colina Hotel, and got out the car. Abalroado handed the second man his suitcase, which had wheels, from the boot of the Mercedes, they shook hands and departed. Abalroado driving off, and the second man entering the hotel.

Nimi followed Abalroado, while Narea quickly followed the man into the hotel lobby, and watched him at the reception. After briefly speaking to a receptionist, a bell boy appeared and took his case and they went over to the elevator. Narea simply joined them as they waited for the elevator. The bellboy pressed the fifth button, and asked Narea, which floor she wanted. She replied the fifth in Portuguese. As the door opened there was a long corridor. Narea stepped out first and walked in front of the man and the bellboy, she was looking at the numbers, on the doors. she heard a door being opened behind her, and as she turn she saw the bellboy opening the door for the man. She calculated the room number as 512, then she came to a door marked as stairs, and took the stairs down. She returned to Swing in the car.

They contacted the Dino's computer and requested that he hack the Floresta Colina Hotel's computer to find out the name of the occupier of room 512. The computer got back very quickly with the name Mr. Preston Fox, English, staying for two nights, leaving on the 14 of June, has requested an early call, at five o'clock and a taxi at six o'clock, going to the Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport.

Narea requested the computer to hack the airport bookings, for a departure on 14 of June of Mr. Preston Fox.

The computer soon reported back with the information:

'Mr Peston Fox booked for a flight to London Heathrow at nine o'clock.' Narea asked the computer to find out all it could about Mr Preston Fox.

Swing and Narea talked about the situation; what was the best thing to do. It was decided that they should keep a watch outside the hotel, in case Mr Fox should meet with anyone who might be involved with Miniator's disappearance. And they should watch Abalroado's house, also. Then the the last night before Fox's flight they should take the spaceship to England, and meet him as he arrives at Heathrow.