present tense with past perfect?
Yes, I think there is an exception for "historic present".
In this context, both "have left" and "had left" are possible, but there is a difference in meaning (at least for me): "have left" brings the act of leaving into the story, whereas "had left" puts it outside the story, before the story started, perhaps. However, the distinction is not really a matter of chronology, but of narrative focus.