It was clear Gotthelf wanted to protect his ships but this wasn’t a job for him. There were numerous companies dedicated to this type of problem as well as advisors with human resources and materials. Had Gotthelf mistaken his credentials? Not likely. Gotthelf was the kind of guy who was used to doing things well and not showing all his cards. If Gotthelf wanted to talk to him there was a reason even if he himself couldn’t figure it out just yet.
In any case, Reyes decided as he sat in front of his laptop, I need to get up to date on the subject. He knew it wouldn’t be hard. He had done this many times when he was with NATO and the European Union. Speaking of NATO, I need to make a few phone calls to let them know I won’t be available for a while. Those were the perks of being the best. For Reyes, the ideal contract was one that didn’t tie him up definitively. Being able to come and go as he pleased was part of his personality and opened up opportunities such as this one.
While he purchased the ticket for the direct flight in the morning he couldn’t help but remember the secretary’s voice. Hopefully he’d get to meet her the next day. His subconscious had come to the conclusion that a voice like that could only be accompanied by a very nice body. And one of the advantages of being single at forty-two was that he could think about any pretty young woman guilt free. Who knows? He could maybe even flirt with her. He smiled remembering his player days.
#
He had always liked Switzerland. There were landscapes that looked like they were straight out of a movie. Either that or maybe half the scenes in movies were shot there. He loved Spain but the valleys surrounded by snow capped mountains, green meadows and blue skies couldn’t be found in his Alicante of birth, or anywhere else in the world.
Reyes took advantage of the taxi ride from the airport to Zurich to mentally go over the information he had compiled the previous day. The three Swiss ship hijackings had all been similar. The pirates had attacked by night managing to get close to the sides of the enormous oil tankers with various skiffs which were supposedly launched from a mother vessel that had not yet been identified. It wasn’t even known if it had been the same organization that had perpetrated all the attacks.
As soon as they had control of the tanker the pirates had set a course for Somali waters, specifically the south of the country, the zone that the government had no control over. In two of the instances the war ships that patrolled the zone had no time to react before the supertanker reached Somali waters. And in the other instance, the pirates had managed to take the ship without the crew even noticing until the next day when they revealed themselves. Either way, when the pirates took an oil tanker they would send a warning message on channel 16, the international marine emergency channel, threatening to shoot one of the hostages if any other ships approached the tanker.
In the first of the hijackings, which happened almost two years ago, a French frigate had approached the tanker to try to use the special operations team on board. Then the pirates had contacted them by radio and shot a hostage. When the French heard the shot and the screams over the radio they immediately aborted the operation. Luckily, they had shot the hostage in the leg and he was treated the next day without too many complications after the ransom was paid. However, since then no one had attempted to take a captured ship back by force.
The standard pirate procedure was to anchor the ship on some protected beach and wait for the ransom to be paid while they kept the hostages constantly at gunpoint to make sure no one tried to free them by force. In other cases, the pirates had made a mistake, and either an American, English, or French special operations team had taken advantage of it. But not in Mr. Gotthelf’s case.
After getting paid, the pirates would flee leaving the hostages on board and threatening to blow up the ship if someone followed them. Shortly after, they would disappear in the chaos of the southern part of the African country. The bomb threats were not always true but no one was about to gamble with the lives of the hostages, and much less after having paid the ransom.
It was clear the pirates knew what they were doing. There had to be someone behind all the planning. He was sure of that. The improvement of their means came from the ransom money. But money means nothing unless you know where and how to spend it. What’s more, their techniques were becoming increasingly refined. A few years ago no one would imagine a group of drugged Somalis taking a ship without alerting the crew, as if they were American Navy Seals. It was clear they were receiving more or less specific training, and that at least some of them were leaving their khat behind.
Another detail that the consultant had noticed was the speed with which Gotthelf would pay the ransoms. It was usually the next day. For a split second a crazy idea crossed his mind. Illegal associations between Swiss magnates and pirates to swindle insurance companies? But he quickly rejected the thought. The little he knew about Gotthelf was enough to think he wouldn’t make alliances with pirates. Or so he thought.
Gotthelf was a man used to winning, but it was precisely because of that fact that he would also know perfectly well when he had lost and probably preferred to get rid of it immediately thus avoiding bigger troubles. However, three times in twenty months was too many and that’s why he had decided to hire a consultant in the field of security and defense even though Reyes still hadn’t been able to figure out what for.
Three times in twenty months. That was the other thing that had caught his attention. He had reviewed the rest of the hijackings in Somali waters and no other company had such great losses. In the instance of the only other supertanker that had been captured it had been a combination of the attackers’ luck and the crew’s incompetence. No one could figure out how the pirates, completely drugged, had managed to board the ship. Then, when they got to the bridge they had found the officer alone and asleep. He had sent the helmsman to bed. Reyes remembered how, completely bewildered, he had asked a friend from the Merchant Marine about the behavior of the officer and he had replied that even though it wasn’t common, it wasn’t the first time it’s been heard of an officer sending his helmsman to bed and then falling asleep himself on the bridge. On that occasion the pirates had been so careless that they had beached the ship before anchoring it. The pirates, fishermen after all, who were used to seeing twenty-something foot long dugout canoes probably never imagined there were supertankers with a sixty-five foot draft.
And there had barely been captures of tankers that size. His curiosity piqued, Reyes had looked up the characteristics of Swiss ships, more than 980 feet in length and a beam of almost 165. He had also verified how the latest work on the Suez Canal allowed for the passage of these giants. It was clear that not everyone can pilot a ship with those characteristics. The pirates had to have someone with at least some basic training.
It was also true that Alps Tankers had the most ships fitting those characteristics in that area but still the ratio didn’t quite make sense.
What was it about the Swiss shipping company that attracted efficient pirates? Was it just a fluke?
As he got out of the taxi Reyes was hoping the meeting with Mr. Gotthelf would shed some light on the matter.
#
Two hours later, cleaned up and changed, he was entering the elevator of Alps Tankers building and was pressing the button the receptionist had indicated. He was wearing a dark gray suit made by his tailor in Madrid, blue shirt with a red tie with white stripes and gleaming black Fratelli Rosetti shoes. Had it been a social occasion he would have worn a green tie to go with his eyes. He knew his eyes had charmed many a young woman when he was in his prime and even now they caught the attention of more than a few. As for the rest of his body, he thought dispirited, it had changed much more. Everyone noticed his age and he himself was no exception. Twenty or thirty pounds more made it so he didn’t feel as confident at the beach, and wrinkles are not forgiving to anyone. He knew that if he didn’t have his mother’s eyes he wouldn’t attract any attention. Fortyish man belly, medium stature, facial features common in Mediterranean Spain and dark hair. Of course, he took good care of himself, always clean shaven, hair combed and a touch of cologne, but he wasn’t the same anymore.
In any case, Reyes thought, I’m not here to pick up girls. I’m here to do what I like and no one does it like I do.
As he exited the elevator there was a young woman waiting for him.
“Good morning Mr. Reyes,” she greeted him. “Welcome. This way please.”
Twenty-something, tall and thin, although he noticed thankfully as Marianne turned to go, not as thin as some women like to be. Blonde, blue eyes, clear skin and delicate features. She had on cute glasses, the kind that some call “sexy secretary glasses”. She could have probably been a model if she had wanted to. She was the stereotypical Nordic woman many Latin men dream about. She was wearing a skirt, blouse and heels that said: I’m working, I’m a professional, but I still like to look good.
Reyes followed her through a wide hallway that was decorated with good taste and class. It was obvious Mr. Gotthelf liked taking care of himself and enjoyed the good things in life. Reyes thought he recognized the style of a famous painter in one of the paintings on the walls.
At the end of the hallway just after a desk with two computers and a number of telephones that must belong to Marianne there was a mahogany door at which the secretary called before entering. She announced in German, “Herr Reyes.”
After that she stepped aside and let the Spaniard in. The office had the same style as the hallway. Reyes was sure it was worth more than his entire chalet on the outskirts of Madrid. And he also liked taking good care of himself.
At the back of the room behind an oak desk and sitting on a leather chair Gotthelf watched him collected. When he rose to greet him Reyes noticed the chair was custom made. He had heard about those but had never seen one. They would take the customer’s measurements to get the shape of the body and then would make a chair to fit. For the owner it would be the most comfortable chair in the world, whereas for anyone else it would feel as uncomfortable as a torture chair. Reyes initially dismissed how expensive he thought he remembered they were but when he looked around the office he reconsidered. If there was a man who could afford it, it was Gotthelf.
“Welcome to Zurich Mr. Reyes! I hope you had a pleasant flight.”
“Yes, it went smoothly,” he answered.
Flying first class usually has that advantage.
“First of all, I want to apologize for asking you to get here so suddenly,” the magnate said. “But if I’m not mistaken, you won’t regret your decision.”
“No worries,” answered Reyes, “one gets used to traveling.” And then he thought, and of course, you don’t regret making me come here.
“I’m sure. Have a seat please,” Gotthelf said pointing at one of the sofas on one side of the office. “Would you care for a drink?”
“Yes, thank you. Whiskey?”
Gotthelf stared at him for a second but gave him a glass without making any comment. He didn’t drink anything.
Reyes was glad Gotthelf had chosen the sofas instead of the chairs with the desk in between. Without the physical obstacle of the desk and in the comfort of the sofas the conversation would be less formal. And with a superb whiskey in his hand it would be an absolute pleasure.
“Let me get to the point then,” Gotthelf said. “I guess that after our conversation yesterday you know why you are here. I would like to hear your thoughts on the subject.”
“Very well Mr. Gotthelf. Alps Tankers has had to pay three substantial ransoms within the last two years to save a few ships and crews that were captured by Somali pirates. You paid the ransoms promptly to avoid complications as was the case with the sailor in the first one, the Aletschhorn if I remember correctly.
Gotthelf nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“In all three instances the pirates have displayed means and abilities that until now have not been attributed to them and they have made no mistakes that we know of. This indicates that they have specialized training and direction. In addition, they have specific material and human means.”
Gotthelf continued nodding while Reyes was getting to the point that both of them knew was baffling them.
“And for whatever reason or chance, your ships seem to be their preferred targets,” Reyes finished, looking for some reaction on the face his listener.
But there was none. He would make a great poker player, Reyes thought.
“Up until now,” Gotthelf said, “I’m in complete agreement with you. And forgive me if I’m congratulating myself but it’s not every day one comes to the same conclusions as the greatest expert on the subject. The only thing I would add is that the prompt payments not only prevents casualties, but also tons of crude spilled in the ocean and too much negative publicity for my company. I prefer to pay quickly so that those vultures from the news networks don’t have time to have a feast at the expense of my tragedy. The oil sheikhs don’t want to hear that their transporter has problems,” he added. “Most of all, I appreciate that you, even though you haven’t said it in so many words, also sense that there’s something else besides pirates behind all this.”
This time it was Reyes’ turn to nod his head, and smile slightly. He liked the way the conversation was going. Gotthelf steered away from ambiguity and analogies, he spoke clearly and directly, wasn’t afraid to speak his mind and looked you in the eyes when he did so.
“Well, Mr. Gotthelf,” Reyes said. “Now that we have established some context I would like to know, what exactly is it you want from me?” he asked, anxious to finally know the reason for his possible recruitment. Rather, probable, he thought while he smiled inwardly.
Gotthelf smiled from ear to ear. It was funny how his eyes almost disappeared. Then he said, “I’m guessing you’re a little lost.” And when Reyes tilted his head slightly, he added, “Do you know what Morgan, Drake, Lafitte, Surcouf and your countrymen Íñigo de Artieta and Mateo Mainery have in common?”
Reyes, even more confused now than before had to say no, to which Gotthelf replied, “Neither did I, until just now. The truth is, I’ve never been a fan of history but when this idea popped in my head I did some research on the internet and found out that many years ago war wasn’t limited to regular armies, there were also some men that were dedicated to fighting for money.”
During the next few minutes he explained his idea like a child when he proudly shows off a new bike. When he finished he asked, “What do you think?”
“Well Mr. Gotthelf, it’s certainly an unusual idea.”