Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World's Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler by Jessica Speart

Author:Jessica Speart [Speart, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General, True Crime
ISBN: 9780062207043
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2011-04-05T00:00:00+00:00

The Skype Connection

The highest enjoyment of timelessness . . . is when I stand among rare butterflies. . . . This is ecstasy, and behind the ecstasy

is something else which I cannot explain.

—VLADIMIR NABOKOV

THIS TIME I’M STAYING IN TOUCH with the guy, Newcomer promised himself. He sent Kojima an e-mail soon after their last meeting.

It was great to see you. I really enjoyed our time together. You’re a good friend.

Then he promptly switched personas and dove back into Operation High Roller. That immediately threw a monkey wrench into things. He wasn’t always around when Kojima tried to call, and the time difference made the situation difficult. Newcomer quickly learned that handling two undercover cases at once wasn’t going to be so easy. When they did finally manage to connect, Kojima had one burning question. Had Ted Nelson signed up for Skype?

Damn! He’d been so busy with the roller-pigeon crowd that he hadn’t had a chance.

“I’ll get one of those little cameras and a microphone tomorrow and set it up,” Newcomer promised. “Then we’ll be able to see each other when we talk.” And I’ll be able to get even more evidence.

Kojima reminded him that it was also a good time to collect indra larvae. The cocoons that Kojima had brought back were already beginning to hatch. He’d send pictures so that Ted would know exactly what to look for. Then either Kojima or his son would come pick them up.

“Is Ken staying with his grandfather?” Newcomer asked.

Who knew? Maybe this really was a family-run business. Kojima’s son helped to smuggle, and Grandpa cashed the U.S. checks.

“Yes, they’re in the mountains. My father-in-law has a house there, also.”

Kojima obviously had a very wealthy in-law. They agreed to speak by Skype the next evening.

“Okay. Don’t play too much with young lady,” Kojima said, signing off.

“You can never do too much of that,” Newcomer replied with a laugh, and hung up.

Newcomer spent the next day buying a webcam, opening a covert Skype account, and surreptitiously aiming a second undercover camera at the computer screen in his home office. Then it was time to arrange exactly what Kojima would see.

Newcomer’s home office tells more about the man than he’d like others to know. Outwardly reserved, he’s clearly sentimental. The room is an ode to his childhood.

Old Dr. Seuss books tidily line one shelf. Arranged next to them are a series of toys including a plastic zookeeper, the Pink Panther, and Donald Duck, among other cartoon characters. A beloved stuffed bear keeps watch in a nearby corner.

A collection of Matchbox vehicles marks the next phase in Newcomer’s life. There are models of his first Jeep, an Adam-12 police car, and a Greyhound bus, the company his father once worked for.

His G.I. Joe collection stands rigidly at attention in a glass showcase. One doll wears a tae kwon do uniform that Newcomer had taken the time to sew. Their original boxes, all in tiptop shape, stand neatly beside them. A photo of three-year-old Ed with his dad hangs just above his desk.

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