Villarrubia returned to Santiago and described his findings to the rest of the team. Bazán Cardemil knew it was time to approach the authorities. The CONTACTO investigation, she felt, could go no further on its own. But the team members were wary of approaching the authorities, for several reasons.

Rodríguez & Villarrubia

Reporter Fuentes was afraid to trust the Argentine authorities. After all, the Chilean police had likely helped Schaefer escape arrest in 1997. Who was to say the Argentine police were any more reliable? Instead, she and the Schaefer victims’ lawyer, Fernandez, explored other avenues, such as two human rights organizations—but to no avail.

Another option was to approach Interpol, a politically neutral, international police agency that could track criminals across borders. But what if Schaefer had protection there, too? Schaefer was, after all, skilled at cultivating support where he needed it. Even if the police organization were untainted, what if Interpol investigators accepted the evidence CONTACTO had gathered for the past year, yet did not allow them to film the moment of arrest? Without this moment on tape, any resulting documentary would be significantly weakened. Could CONTACTO risk hobbling itself after all the time and resources it had dedicated to the project?

As they debated their options, Villarrubia had returned yet again to Chivilcoy to keep an eye on the situation. When he arrived, he found the situation had become significantly more tense. The Germans at La Solita had become suspicious about his inquiries and began asking their neighbors about Villarrubia. Soon they began telling the neighbors that Villarrubia was a spy for the CIA. Then, Villarrubia had an alarming encounter with Peter Schmidt, the chief bodyguard and most dangerous of La Solita’s residents.

Villarrubia

Clearly, time was running out for Villarrubia and his undercover investigation. The CONTACTO team knew that now was the time to take action, before Schaefer slipped away again. Just what that action should be, however, was far from clear.