Faith leaned in to whisper more quietly. “Do you really think it was someone here now? Not someone from the Elephant Orphanage?”
“Nah, it was one of these people.” He cast a suspicious look around with narrowed eyes, and Faith could practically see his brain analyzing and evaluating and suspecting.
“Why do you say that?”
Nathan shrugged. “Just a feeling, I guess.”
“Hm.” Faith’s first instinct was to dismiss that – how could they base their thoughts about such a serious matter on just a feeling? But then as she slumped back in her seat, she remembered all those times she’d ‘just had a feeling’. How would she have felt if Nathan had dismissed that out of hand? “All right,” she said tentatively, realizing how much easier it was to take her own feelings seriously than others’. “Any ideas on who it might be?”
Nathan was by then looking out the window at the vast, sparse landscape. A huge mountain loomed in the distance, covered in a deep mist that gave it a mystical feel. Stretch after stretch after stretch of savannah rolled from the foot of the mountain, all the way up to the minibus, and far beyond. The wispy grass that covered it was a healthy green in some parts, a scorched gold in others.
Nathan was silent for a while, then said, “Time will tell, I guess. Truth will out.”
Faith slipped her hand into his and tried not to feel frantic. If there was one thing about Nathan she couldn’t get her head around, it was his ability to be calm and peaceful in even the roughest of situations. Sometimes it inspired her into feeling safe and tranquil herself, but other times it made her want to scream.
Thankfully the landscape, rolling out as far as the eye could see, had a calming effect on Faith. She flopped her head down on Nathan’s shoulder, and some of the urgency that made her shoulders tense up left her. She tipped her gaze up toward the mountain and let out a long, relaxing breath. They’d find out who it was, she told herself. They would. Truth will out, she repeated to herself, just as Nathan had stated. He’d said it so casually, like it was as inevitable as night turning to day, or a high tide lapping back out into the ocean. Just a fact of life. Faith tried to hold onto that thought, as it made her feel much more peaceful. As she began to breath more deeply she realized she’d been holding her breath.
Moments passed in comfortable silence, and as they continued on their journey, the landscape changed. More greenery sprung up around them – tall trees flourishing with bright green leaves, and bushes in abundance. The grasses became a more vivid shade of emerald. Even the sky seemed a brighter blue. They entered onto a road flanked either side with bushes bearing fuchsia-colored flowers.
“Here’s the lodge,” Mary said, then her tone became even more flat as she read from a sheet of paper. “The Masai Mara is famous for the Great Wildebeest Migration, the abundance of lions, and of course, the Maasai people.”
“They’d better have alcohol at this lodge,” Roy grumbled as they came to a stop.
“They do,” Mary said emphatically. Faith wasn’t sure if her tone was so definite because Mary herself was going to be rushing to the bar to drown her sorrows, or because she was running out of patience with Roy’s whining. Perhaps both.
Laura was one of the first up out of her seat, and she turned and gave Faith a huge grin. “This place looks… epic.”
“Yep,” Faith said happily, standing up herself and adjusting her jeans. The lodge looked gorgeous from the outside. A huge natural wood roof, contrasted with shining tiles and gleaming zebra print planters, made a pleasant welcoming area. The whole frontage of the place had a luxury vibe Faith hadn’t been expecting.
Mary was up by the door, ready to let them out. “It is approaching lunch time now. Please have lunch when you are ready, settle into your rooms, and relax for the afternoon. There is a swimming pool, lounge and veranda.”
*****
Faith sipped her white wine, looking out over the Masai Mara reserve. They were on a raised terrace area, linked to the indoor bar by a raised bridge. After a long, lazy lunch in the dining room, most of the party had come outside for a drink, overlooking the plains they were to explore the next morning.
Faith had skipped breakfast back at the Hilton – she wasn’t often hungry in the mornings – so had been ravenous by lunch and had devoured the very posh version of cheeseburger and fries she’d been served up. The toasted ciabatta burger bun had struggled to hold the thick beef patty, a huge slice of some exotic fried mushroom, sundried tomatoes, grilled eggplant slices, and melted cheese slices of what the menu called ‘aged Havarti’, whatever that might have been. The fries were equally glamorous – thickly cut and well-seasoned sweet potatoes.
She couldn’t remember ever having felt so full, but thankfully she’d changed out of her jeans before lunch, and into one of her staple flowing sundresses. It was a red one that often felt too bold to wear, but there in the sunshine, feeling more at peace than she had in a good while, Faith felt just right in it.
“Are you looking forward to getting started tomorrow, Dad?” Sophie said to Richard, whose eyes had glazed over, as if he was in another world. Everyone knew he was thinking of Solomon. Sophie tried to coax him out with a nudge and a smile. “I expect you’ll be telling everyone about the different animals, whether we like it or not.”
Richard reached for his wine glass and gave everyone a vague smile. “Yes, yes, of course.”
Everyone fell into silence after that, soaking in the view and the sun and the deep blueness of the sky. Faith was sure glad Roy and Jasmine weren’t there, he to punctuate the warm air with complaints, and she to mop up the mess with some far-too-kind words and a snack bar.
Not to be mean, but Faith also felt glad Mary was not there either. Of course, as the tour guide, she had to keep things professional and as upbeat as she could. But Faith knew she just wanted to burst into tears and probably go back to her home to grieve her friend, not run a tour. Feeling Mary’s pain, Faith wanted to reach out and comfort her, but knew instinctively that Mary didn’t want comforting. Mary held her head up high all the time, smiling, choking back her sorrow and being cheerful for them all. Any comfort and she’d probably break down into a sobbing heap.
Grandma Bessie and Arthur had gone for an afternoon stroll after lunch, then had headed to their beds – in separate rooms, thank you very much - for a nap.
No one had any idea where the new driver Joseph was. Faith had visions of him holed up in his locked lodge room, barricading the door with furniture and saying prayer after prayer, begging God to spare his life.
So that left the rest of them whiling away the afternoon with a few bottles of wine. Faith couldn’t help but notice the glances Sophie and Greg were giving each other. Sophie’s blue eyes were normally bright and friendly, but they took on a little extra depth when they flashed in Greg’s direction. Somehow they even looked a touch darker, and her heavily mascaraed black eyelashes flicked flirtatiously as she ducked her head down and looked up at him.
Richard had gone into his glazed over daze again, but came to his senses and cleared his throat. “I am not sure it was a good idea to come out here.”
“Oh, nonsense, dad,” Sophie said, reaching over to rub his arm. “You’ve been so excited about coming out here. So have I. We can’t change… things that have happened.”
Richard kept adjusting the binoculars around his neck. “It’s insensitive to continue. The trip should be canceled.”
“Oh, dad,” Sophie said, her voice breaking as she got up to hug him. “Dad, please don’t be like that. Solomon loved the safari as much as you do, you know that. He’d have wanted it to go on, wouldn’t he?”
There was a choking noise in Richard’s throat. “Excuse me,” he managed to croak out, then hurried away over the bridge and back into the lodge.
“Dad.” Sophie stood, watching him leave, biting her lip. She stepped forward, as if to go after him, then paused, as if she wasn’t sure. “Oh, dear.” She flopped back down into her chair. “I thi
nk I said the wrong thing.”
“Oh, no, I don’t think so at all,” Faith said. “Your dad just needs time to get over it more than most, I guess. And poor Mary.”
Nathan put his arm around Faith, shaking his head. “Poor Mary, indeed.”
Greg nodded sagely. “They should send a different tour guide and give her compassionate leave.”
“I expect Mary would turn them down,” Faith said. “She seems determined to keep going.”
“Maybe it will help her, you know, carrying on,” Laura chimed in. “It’d help me. If you stop after a tragedy, everything goes to pieces. How do you know if you can ever get going again? I’d prefer just to continue my normal routine, at least.”
“It’s just my luck,” Greg said, with force that took everyone by surprise. “I come here for a total change of scenery, to reevaluate my life, to decide where I want to go next, and boom, someone gets murdered on the first darn day. That’s not exactly a good omen for my future, is it?”
“Well, I’m a firm believer in good endings. That good things can come out of even the worst situations,” Sophie said, her eyes glittering as she looked in Greg’s direction. “Maybe some good things will come out of this trip.”
Yale gave Greg a meaningful look, a smile dancing on the edge of his lips. “Exactly.”
Faith sipped her wine, wondering if Sophie and Greg would make a good couple. She was sunny and optimistic and caring, and in an established career. Greg seemed a bit stormier, in search of his path. They were certainly opposites, but who said opposites couldn’t attract? Arthur and Grandma Bessie were different in a lot of ways, but their ‘friendship’ seemed to be going wonderfully.
“I just hope the police catch whoever did it quickly,” Sophie said, snapping her eyes away from Greg. “At least that way my dad can relax, and Solomon’s family won’t be in so much turmoil. I wonder when they’ll have the funeral.”
Greg flashed his eyes around the group and then leaned in. “Can I say something here, without it getting repeated?”
Everyone nodded. Faith knew he was going to expound his theory. It was inevitable, really.
“I think Roy might just know more about all this safari business than he’s letting on,” Greg said quietly. “I looked him up on my phone, out of curiosity. It looks like he has a stake in another safari company running out of Kenya and… Mozambique, I think it was? Maybe he’s here for a reason. If you see what I mean.”
Faith sat up straight. “What kind of stake in another company?”
“I’m not sure,” Greg said, frowning, trying to remember. “I think he was on the steering committee, or some kind of board. I can’t remember the name of the company either. I’ll have to look it up again.”
Nathan’s eyes were wild. “So you’re saying… for some reason that other company wanted Solomon dead, and he volunteered to do it?”
Greg shook his head. “I know it sounds crazy, but there might be some truth in it.”
“Like… maybe… sabotage a trip so badly it gets on the news and gives this company really bad press?” Laura said. “And their company can jump in and scoop up all the customers?”
Sophie laughed, but her laughter was tense. “It can’t be that. It can’t be. I’ll bet that whole Roy thing is just a coincidence. Solomon was killed by someone at the Elephant Orphanage. They always say that people are killed by people they know, not by strangers. None of us on the trip even knew Solomon, really. Except for Mary.”
An uncomfortable silence stretched across the terrace.
“And your dad,” Faith said quietly. Well, someone had to say it.
“Are you… No.” Sophie looked like she didn’t know if she was coming or going. Hostility flashed over her features, then fear, then an attempt at friendliness. “Look, let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s just try and enjoy the safari. What’s left of it.” She then drained her wine glass and hurried inside.
Faith would have normally felt guilty, and might have even run after Sophie to patch things up. But she sipped her wine, feeling almost eerily peaceful, and sitting very still. A new kind of determination was sweeping over her. She would find out who the killer was. She would.
*****
Chapter 5
It was glorious seeing the sunrise over the plains. Faith sat in the back of the gamedrive vehicle, basking in the orange light of dawn. She clutched Nathan’s hand, and he held hers just as tight. They were in the same jeep-type vehicle as Mary and Greg, who were up front next to the driver, and Jasmine and Roy, who were in the row in the middle.
Grandma Bessie, Arthur and the others had gone in another vehicle with a different driver.
“I hope we’ll see some koalas,” Jasmine said cheerfully.
“Give me strength,” Roy grumbled. “There are no koalas in Africa, woman.”
The driver, a thin, tall woman called Esther – who had been delighted to meet Faith since she had a sister with that name – said, “No koalas, I’m afraid. But we have plenty of big game and other animals. Keep an eye out for leopards and cheetahs. You can often spot them around this area.”
Faith laughed. “I don’t think I’d know the difference.”
“Oh, it is easy to tell,” Esther said, “but only up close. You see, cheetahs have spots on their coats, but leopards have… um…” She talked quietly to Mary in another language, then said, “Rosettes? Their spots are not perfect, like the cheetah’s. Instead it has different marks that make up a rosette.”
Roy huffed loudly, like he was bored of the whole thing and couldn’t wait to go home.
“Are you okay, sir?” Esther asked. “You sound like you are out of breath.”
Nathan and Faith shared a grin.
Roy didn’t even reply, just rolled his eyes dramatically. Jasmine looked worried, stroking Roy’s arm and biting her lip. “He’s fine, he’ll be fine.” Then, attempting to make some form of conversation, she said, “So where are you thinking of moving to, Greg?”
“I am still thinking about where I want to go,” Greg said. “I might travel the world for a while, going here, going there, not settling.”
Esther smiled at him. “Aha. Like me, you are a wanderer. I have worked in safaris all over the continent.”
“Oh right,” Greg said. “Have you found it easy to get work permits and things?”
Esther nodded. “Knowledgeable safari workers are in demand, so it is not hard for me. What do you do?”
Greg looked out over the plains, where the orange was beginning to give way to the blue of the sky. “I sell second hand cars, but it’s just a job. It’s not… me, or anything. It’s just something I’m doing at the moment.”
“I need to go to the bathroom,” Roy said. “We’ll have to turn back.”
“I told you not to drink all that orange juice at breakfast,” Jasmine fussed.
Mary turned around in her seat. “Here, we do not turn back to go to the bathroom. You have to go to the bush room.”
Esther laughed as she pulled the vehicle over at the side of the dirt road, by a large scrub of bushes. “The bush room. I like that.”
“What?” Roy said, incredulous. “You expect me to go in there? What if there’s a lion lurking in there?”
That really made Esther laugh. “Then you will be eaten, sir.”
“She is only joking,” Mary said. “There are no lions lurking in there. I can go in there and show you.”
“No.” Roy was quickly out of his seat and opening the door. “I can handle it, thanks.”
Everyone giggled a little as he stormed off into the bush, fiddling with his zipper.
Jasmine’s cheeks flushed pink, and Faith stopped laughing. She really did feel sorry for her. Why didn’t she just leave the guy?
“We hate Canada,” Jasmine said, in an obvious attempt to change the subject. “I’m not surprised you want to leave, Greg. Once, Roy went to do a business deal up there with a man. But something didn’t go through properly with one of the lawyers, and
the man lost a lot of money. Then he killed himself. Then everyone blamed Roy, even though it wasn’t his fault.”
“Wow,” Nathan said, shaking his head. “What kind of business is Roy in, Jasmine?”
“I’m not really sure.” Jasmine glanced into the bush. “Something that makes good money, but I don’t really have a head for business. He’s tried to explain, but I don’t really get it.”
Greg laughed, though it sounded strange. “You and me both. Wish I did. Maybe then I’d be a millionaire traveling the world as I pleased.”
“It’s never too late to learn,” Esther said. “That is my motto in life. If you cannot do it, but you want to do it, then you can learn. It might take a long time, but if you want it, the time will not matter to you.”
Greg paused, then smiled at her. “I like that philosophy.”
Mary gave Esther a nudge. “It is a good philosophy for a clever woman like Esther, who can learn everything. You could be the President, my dear.”
“Oh, please, no,” Esther said. “This may be very bad to say, but I prefer animals to people.”
Faith thought of her little cats at home, Cirrus and Nimbus. Even though she’d only been gone two days, she already missed their little squashed up furry faces, and gray fur so downy and long they looked like fluffballs when they curled up. Though she loved Nathan, and Laura, and Grandma Bessie, and all the other people in her life, there was something undeniably relaxing about being with Cirrus and Nimbus, curled up together. She’d stroke them under their little pointed chins until they purred like steam engines, while she watched a movie, and sometimes nursed a big tub of ice cream. They didn’t talk back, they didn’t have their own opinions or ideas, they didn’t start arguments… As much as she valued the people in her life, her cats gave her affection and devotion, and asked for nothing back except sardines and cuddles. It seemed a pretty sweet deal to Faith.
Banana Whip Safari Trip: A Culinary Cozy Mystery With A Delicious Recipe (Slice of Paradise Cozy Mysteries Book 4) Page 3