The roads were empty and unlit as we drove back, winding through the forest in the hills above Subic. Suddenly we turned a corner and there was a policeman standing in the street, waving a baton for us to pull over. After months of hearing about the ties between Le Roux and corrupt police, Almendral and I both won- dered if we’d somehow triggered a trap. But there was nothing to do but stop. The officer stood behind our car and motioned for our driver to exit, which she did, walking back into the darkness be- hind us.

We sat silently, trying to remain calm, and I thought back to the warnings I’d been given about the danger of Le Roux’s former network. It seemed appropriately farcical that the threat would finally arrive while I was in pursuit of an interview with a rogue celebrity whale trainer. I’d put not only myself but all three of us in peril, it appeared, chasing a tangent so ludicrous I could barely explain it.

A few minutes later, the driver returned. The cop had been free- lancing; he just wanted a standard bribe of fifty Philippine pesos, about a dollar. She climbed back in and we drove on into the night.