by Lisa Harris
“What really has you running?”
“Running?” Kate’s question caught her off guard. “Who said I’m running?”
“Come on, Meghan. We’ve spent a lot of time together over the past months in the bush, with nothing much to do beyond filming, editing and talking. This isn’t the first time we’ve bared our souls about men.”
Meghan nodded. “You know you’re like the sister I never had, but Mr. Cowboy…Alex…is—”
“Different?”
“Yes.”
“So why does that scare you?”
Meghan stared out across the water hole, not sure she wanted to go there. “What do I know about how to make a relationship work? When I look at my father, I see a man who placed his career over family and friends. That’s not what I’m looking for.”
“What are you looking for?” Kate asked.
“Someone who puts God first, sees family as a priority and is up for a bit of adventure.”
Someone who made her feel worthy of being loved. Someone who could make her believe she was worth staying for.
“But it’s not just a question of finding someone like that,” Meghan continued. “Even if I met him, what guarantee would I have that he’d want me or that we could make a relationship work long-term?”
“So you’re afraid and have a hard time trusting your heart—and common sense—to make the right decision.”
“I suppose that’s a good way to put it. I’ll admit I find him interesting, fun, but—”
“But what? You’re afraid?”
“Of course not.”
“Admit it, who isn’t afraid on some level? Afraid of getting hurt, of choosing the wrong person to spend the rest of your life with, afraid of making the same mistakes as your parents. Your past might play into the situation, but you’ll never know until you try.”
Meghan frowned. The girl was making far too much sense.
“Listen.” Apparently Kate wasn’t finished throwing out her advice. “Compared to most people, my parents have a perfect marriage. Thirty-five years this September. They do everything right. Work out their differences, don’t go to bed angry, spend time together—they even still go out on dates. But in the end, their marriage isn’t perfect, and while it’s helped me believe that couples really can be truly happy together, I still have some of the same fears you do. Fears of rejection and loneliness.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Don’t walk away—or run away, for that matter—because of fear.”
Meghan steadied her lens and took a few more shots before slipping on the lens cap. “I don’t even know him.”
“I’m not talking specifically about Mr. Lone Star. Just remember when you find the right guy, it never hurts to give love a chance.”
“Enough about my love life.” Meghan stood up and brushed off her pants. “I need to grab the memory cards from the trail cameras, then we’ll go find Kibibi.”
She climbed up into the Jeep ahead of Kate, thankful Alex hadn’t heard the awkward exchange. A Texas-size crush. Seriously, the girl had been reading one too many romance novels.
With Kate and the equipment back inside the vehicle, Meghan put the Jeep in Reverse, then headed back down the road toward the first camera. But trying to focus on anything but Mr. Cowboy’s profile beside her was proving difficult. “I need to switch out the memory card on one of our trail cameras up ahead, then we’ll track down Kibibi.”
“How many cameras do you have set up?” He pulled off his hat, fiddled with the rim, then put it back on again.
“About a dozen throughout the reserve.” She could do this. Talk about work. Nothing that could be misinterpreted as flirting. Nothing personal. “They’re an additional way for us to track the movements of both predators and prey in this area.”
“And poachers?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve been caught using cameras like this. Our cameras have a no-glow feature as an extra security measure for that very purpose.”
Meghan turned down a bumpy dirt road that led to another smaller water hole, then stopped in front of a group of tall, spindly trees. Grabbing an empty memory card from her camera bag, she eased out of the vehicle and headed for the edge of the grove. The process was simple. All she had to do was switch the cards, take the old one back to the lodge and see what they’d captured.
She stopped in front of one of the trees and frowned. The camera was gone. She looked down the row of trees but knew she was in the right location. She’d visited this spot a couple dozen times over the past few months.
“What’s wrong?” Kate called out from the Jeep.
Meghan turned back, irritated. “The camera’s gone.”
“What do you mean, gone?”
“I mean it’s gone. Vanished.”
Meghan turned around too sharply and felt a blast of pain shoot up her leg. “Are we in the right spot?”
Kate reached for the GPS in the front seat, then jumped out of the Jeep. “Unless you inputted the information wrong—which we both know you didn’t—it should be right here.”
“I know.”
“So what do you think? Elephants or hyenas?”
“Could have been either.”
They both stared at the tree. It wouldn’t be the first time a camera had been stolen or destroyed, but it was strange that this one had completely disappeared. Animals weren’t usually that thorough. She started searching the brush around the tree for any signs of the metal case or camouflaged straps, trying to ignore the nagging thought in the back of her mind that this time an animal wasn’t responsible. Alex was rubbing off on her with his aversion to the word coincidence.
“What are you thinking?” Kate asked.
She leaned over and rubbed the side of her knee. It was time for another round of pain medicine. “I’m thinking that Ian’s going to start charging me for any more property damage.”
“It’s not exactly your fault.”
“No, but I’m the one who convinced him that the cameras would be beneficial not only with the conservation program, but also as an antipoaching method.”
Alex stepped up to the tree beside them. “Has this ever happened before?”
“You’d be surprised how often it occurs. Between curious animals, bugs and heavy rain, we’ve had our share of destroyed cameras. I was hoping the new straps we installed would make a difference, but apparently they didn’t.”
“But this time you don’t think it is the work of a hyena.”
She looked up and caught his gaze, trying to shake the eerie feeling that they were being watched. “I didn’t say that.”
But she’d thought it. Meghan frowned. Mr. Cowboy and his ever-suspicious ways were definitely rubbing off on her.
“You’re thinking poachers,” she said.
“I didn’t mention it, but I smelled cigarettes earlier.”
She’d noticed the distinctive scent as well, but hadn’t wanted to consider that angle. They’d found the cigarettes a half mile from here, which meant they could be nearby. Without the cameras, any possible evidence showing what the poachers were up to had been erased.
SEVEN
Alex studied the tree, trying to evaluate the evidence—or rather the lack of evidence. All they knew for certain was that the trail camera, once attached to the spindly tree in front of him, was missing. He’d hung his fair share of trail cameras and found that the majority went missing due to theft from humans. Not animals. Which made him lean to the conclusion that the missing camera was the work of someone who didn’t want them to see what was on that memory card.
Alex turned to Meghan, tipping his hat slightly to block the sun that was finally up and trying to chase away the chill of the morning.
“You said this has happened before?”
“Yeah. We’ve had animals manage to pull them down on more than one occasion.”
“Okay, then let’s start there. I know what happens back in Texas, but what animal coul
d have done this here?”
Meghan stared at the tree. “Elephants can be extremely destructive. We’ve discovered photos of their trunks as they ripped the camera off the tree. Baboons will wrestle the cameras from their cases and even a determined hyena can pull one down.”
Alex ran his fingers down the rough bark. “And these marks?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “Could be a leopard. They leave claw marks on trees in order to warn other leopards to stay away. Samuel would be a better judge as to when these marks were made. What do you think, Kate?”
“I think Samuel definitely needs to look at this. I can shoot a roll of video, but forget tracking and reading markings.”
Alex studied Meghan’s expression and watched her frown deepen as she spoke. “You’re right about the poachers. As much as I’d like to, we definitely can’t rule them out.”
The scenario did fit. Poachers came after one of the rhinos, realized they’d been caught on camera and destroyed the evidence.
“We need to look for the camera. When animals have managed to take one down, we’ve almost always found it. If we have the memory card, we should be able to see what happened and hopefully rule out the poachers.”
“Just make sure you look both up and down while you’re out here,” he warned.
“Funny.”
He caught her smile before they marked off a rough grid to divide the area and began searching. Finding a camouflaged camera in the thick brush was almost as bad as looking for a needle in a haystack.
Maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing, but Meghan was the one who’d brought up poachers. Poachers on the property meant danger, and he wasn’t ready to take any chances with her safety.
He studied her from a distance. Intent. Determined. The sun caught highlights of red in her hair he hadn’t noticed before. She’d made him laugh last night. Something he hadn’t done for a long time. But getting involved emotionally in a case always led to trouble. And that was a place he wasn’t going to visit again.
“You make sure you keep an eye out for Becky,” she called out.
He shot her a wry grin. “Very funny.”
Meghan laughed.
He turned back to his search. She was distracting him. Breaking all the rules of engagement he’d set and messing with his head.
Ten minutes later, he finished sweeping his section of the grid they’d marked off. “Anything?”
Meghan shook her head. “No.”
“Me, neither,” Kate said, walking up to them. “I don’t think it’s here.”
Meghan moved to his side, hands against her hips.
“What do we do now?” Kate asked.
“If it wasn’t for the poaching issues, I’d say we just chalk it up to another hyena or baboon. But if we’re wrong and this is the work of poachers, Ian needs to know.”
He nodded. They couldn’t bank on coincidences. At least not at this point. He needed to figure out exactly what was going on. What threat might be from the poachers and what threats were aimed directly at Meghan.
Meghan pulled her keys out of her pants pocket and started for the Jeep. “I suggest we talk to Ian, tell him what happened. We can also bring Samuel out here to get his opinion. If he ends up finding evidence that one of the animals took it, we should be able to rule out poachers.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were back at the lodge in the reception area, where Meghan introduced Alex to Ian Clarke, a burly man wearing khaki shorts, a short-sleeved button-down shirt and heavy work boots.
“Ian, I’d like you to meet my new assistant. Alex Markham. Alex, Ian is the manager and part owner of the lodge and surrounding reserve.”
Alex shook the older man’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Alex.” Ian nodded. “Howzit?”
“I’m doing well, thank you.”
“I’ll admit I wasn’t sure about this entire project Meghan’s involved in, but my wife insisted that the exposure would be well worth any initial investment.”
“And?”
“Turns out she was right. On top of the documentary, Meghan’s blog about their encounters with the lions and other animals has received quite a following over the past few months. It’s translated into upped business for the lodge.”
Before he left Texas, Alex had read through her blog, where she posted snippets of her time with the lions through photos, video clips and essays on daily life in the bush. The woman was talented.
“Meghan told me she was getting a new assistant after Jared had to return home,” Ian continued. “Sorry I missed your arrival. When did you get in?”
“Late yesterday afternoon.”
“He was in the Jeep with me when the brakes went out,” Meghan said.
“I’m just relieved neither of you was seriously hurt. I’ve got my mechanic fixing the problem right now.”
“Was he able to determine why they went out?” Alex caught Ian’s guarded reaction and immediately regretted asking the question. This wasn’t an official agency case where he had jurisdiction to investigate.
“He means like sabotage, because he always jumps to the worst possible conclusion. You can ignore him, Ian. I’ve discovered he’s a bit of a worrywart.” Meghan shot Alex a smile. “And probably watches too many episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger.”
“Very funny,” Alex said.
The woman was impossible. Cute, but impossible.
Alex tried to play down his question, hoping he hadn’t just dug himself into a hole. “I’d just heard about the issues with poachers you’ve been having lately, and I thought it might be prudent to check all possibilities.”
“You have a point, but even if poachers were somehow involved, there aren’t really any measures I can take. We’re in the middle of the bush. The local police department doesn’t have time to get involved in a situation without proof of foul play, so there’s not much I can do besides have my mechanic double-check for signs of sabotage.” Ian leaned against the wooden counter and folded his arms across his chest. “Why do I have the feeling that the three of you aren’t here just for introductions and questions about the vehicle brakes? Did something else happen?”
Meghan tucked her thumbs in the front belt loops of her pants. “One of the trail cameras is missing. I’m sure it’s nothing more than a curious baboon at fault, but with the poaching and the issue with the brakes, we thought it was worth following up on.”
“You’re probably right.” Ian frowned.
“Problem is, we can’t find the camera, and without the memory chip, we’re still in the dark as to who or what is responsible.”
“What can I do to help?” Ian asked.
“We’d like to look at the tracking history of the rhinos over the past few days,” Meghan said. “See if there was any activity near the camera since I last switched out the memory card. I think we also need to go out and check the other cameras, as well.”
“I agree. With all that has happened, we can’t afford to take chances and miss something. We can check the GPS tracking history in my office.”
Five minutes later, Meghan pointed to the screen of Ian’s computer. “Two nights ago, one of the rhinos was there.”
Ian rubbed his beard. “And at the same time, our patrol saw an unauthorized vehicle in this area. They never found anything to confirm why they were here, but these poachers continue to stay one step ahead.”
“So it’s possible our poachers realized that they’d been caught on camera,” Meghan added.
“Makes sense.”
“I know he’s busy,” Meghan said, “but I’m going to see if I can get Samuel to come out there with us to check the other cameras before we head off to find Kibibi. Maybe he’ll be able to spot something we couldn’t.”
Alex hesitated as the two women started to leave, then turned to Meghan. “Can you give me a few minutes?”
“Sure.” Meghan pulled her sunglasses off her head. “I need to run to my chalet and grab some sunscreen. Meet us back out at
the Jeep in fifteen.”
Alex waited until Meghan and Kate left the office before turning back to Ian. “I was wondering if I could speak with you for a moment in private.”
“Sure, let me just quickly give the mechanic a ring about those brakes.”
While Ian spoke on the phone, Alex took a moment to study the rows of tourism awards along with the stunning prints hanging on the office walls. Two leopards in a tree. A cheetah nuzzling with her three cubs. Elephants drinking at the water hole. A close-up shot of a rhino with its magnificent horn. The man’s résumé appeared to be as impressive as the photos.
Earlier today, he’d been almost willing to believe that the brakes—along with Meghan’s recent run of misfortune—was simply a string of coincidences like she believed, but today’s incident with the camera seemed to put things in a different light. Until he could find out exactly what was going on, he felt as if he was blindly attempting to protect her without knowing where the next attack was coming from. He needed to know more about the poachers in order to evaluate the threat against Meghan.
There was something, though, that made him hesitate at telling Ian the truth behind why he was here. Meghan had mentioned the effects of a downed economy on tourism and how poaching had become a new game that now included ranch owners, pilots, hunters and veterinarians in desperate need of a cash flow to make ends meet. Money was a powerful motivator, and the potential proceeds from the slaughtering of rhinos might easily prove to be enough to tempt even an honest man.
But Ian’s reaction today to another threat seemed genuine. Reading people had become second nature over the years. Alex knew the physical signs: avoiding eye contact, fidgeting, blocking their mouth to cover up dishonesty. Ian had displayed none of these.
Alex shifted his gaze to the family photo on Ian’s desk. Two boys and a girl, somewhere in the range between four and ten years old. Would he risk jail time and fines to ensure their financial stability?
He hoped not.
Ian set his cell on his desk. “My mechanic promised to double-check his work, but he says that it looks like the brake lines simply burst.”
Alex nodded, hoping the man didn’t think him paranoid with his questions. “Your photographs are beautiful.”