Banana Whip Safari Trip: A Culinary Cozy Mystery With A Delicious Recipe (Slice of Paradise Cozy Mysteries Book 4)

by Nancy McGovern

  “I know what you mean,” Faith said to Esther.

  Nathan nudged her in the ribs with a fake offended look. “Thanks a bunch.”

  Faith stuck her tongue out at him. “Grow some fur and walk on all fours and I might like you better.”

  “Well…” Nathan grinned, trying to think up an insult. “Well, grow some leaves and stick your feet in the ground to make roots and I might like you better, too.”

  Faith screwed up her nose and shook her head at him.

  “I’m back,” Roy said unnecessarily as he came stomping out of the bush, then swung himself up in the vehicle.

  Jasmine dug into her handbag and pulled out a pack of wet wipes. Then she took one out and literally rubbed it all over Roy’s hands, like he was a little boy.

  “Stop fussing, will you?” he said, but it was only for show, Faith could tell. He liked her doing it.

  “Everybody ready to go?” Esther said.

  As Faith looked up to say, “Yes!” she saw Greg’s face. He was watching Jasmine and Roy’s interaction, and the look on his face was drenched in ill feeling. Faith couldn’t exactly put her finger on what his look reflected – jealousy? Anger? Sadness? Grief? – but it was clear he hated Roy. Not that that was a surprise. But the strength of his look was, so much so that Faith froze and kept looking at him.

  She could really tell he was lost, looking for something he was missing. It looked to her like there was a big hole in his life. Since he was approaching Sophie, Faith guessed he craved a relationship. Maybe watching Jasmine so tenderly caring for Roy tipped Greg over the edge into jealousy and grief. Maybe.

  Then Greg’s steely gray eyes met Faith’s, and she diverted her gaze.

  “Great!” Esther said. “Let’s go see some animals!”

  “We are only here for one more day,” Mary added, “before we move on. So keep an eye out. You can see zebras, gazelles, wildebeest, elephants, lions… what else, Esther?”

  “Elephants, of course,” said Esther. “Rhinoceros. Also buffalo. Hyenas, jackals. Antelopes. Giraffe. Hippopotami and crocodiles in the rivers. Also many birds.”

  Faith looked over the plains. “Hey!” she said, pointing in the distance, a long way to the west. “Aren’t those giraffes? Over there?”

  “Yes!” Mary said. “Good spot, Faith!”

  “I knew you would be the first person to spot something,” Esther said. “You are just like my sister Faith. Very kind and gentle. But also very sharp and smart.”

  “Thank you,” Faith said, blushing but feeling awesome.

  “Yep,” Nathan said with a grin. “That’s my lady.”

  Faith gave him a playful slap, embarrassed by all the attention.

  “Can we go that way?” Jasmine asked. She had her iPhone pointed in the direction of the giraffes. “They’re too small for my phone to pick up.”

  “Unfortunately we cannot,” Esther said. “We have to stick to the path. It’s the rules. But we will see plenty more giraffes, I can assure you of that.”

  Roy had his arms crossed over his chest. “Ridiculous. The amount of money you pay for one of these trips, and you can’t even get what you want. Don’t worry, Jasmine, darling, I’ll write a very bad comment on TripAdvisor so no one will have this same awful experience.”

  “Awful experience?” Nathan said, beginning to lose his temper, but then reeling it back in. “This is the best thing ever. We’re out in the middle of a huge plain, on the Masai Mara, looking for exotic animals we’ve only ever seen on TV before.” He gave Roy a pat on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s not ruin it, right?”

  “I don’t think—” Roy began in a heated tone, but immediately he was interrupted by Esther.

  “Jambo, jambo bwana, habari gani,” she sang, very loudly and tunelessly, drowning out Roy’s complaining. Even though she wasn’t a great singer, the tune was catchy and happy and Faith liked it instantly. “Mzuri sana.”

  Then Mary joined in. “Wageni, wakaribishwa, Kenya yetu, hakuna matata.”

  “Ooh, I learned this song in school!” Nathan said. “A Kenyan exchange student taught it to us. Oh man, how does it go again?”

  “Okay, everybody learn,” Esther said firmly. “First you sing, Jambo, jambo bwana.”

  Roy let out a long, almost theatrical sigh. Everyone ignored him.

  “That means, hello, sir,” Mary said.

  “Ooh look!” Jasmine cried out, so loudly that Esther slowed the vehicle.

  “What?” Esther said, panicked.

  Everyone followed Jasmine’s pointed finger, to see a group of lion cubs playing a little way off, behind a clump of acacia trees.

  “Oh my goodness!” Faith said. They really were adorable.

  “Stop the car! Stop the car!” Jasmine gabbled. “I want to get out and take photos.”

  “No!” Esther said, with such force the car almost shook. “Do not, under any circumstances, go near a lion cub. That is, if you do not want to be charged by its mother.”

  “Oh.” Jasmine slumped back in her seat, looking like she might cry.

  Faith seized her chance. “I’d have thought you knew that,” Faith said. “You must have been on safari loads of times. You’re on the board of a safari company, aren’t you, Roy?”

  “Shut up, you,” Roy growled, then slapped his hand on Jasmine’s knee. “Don’t worry, dear, I’ll—”

  “Don’t tell Faith to shut up,” Nathan cut him off.

  Roy turned in his seat, his face turning purple. “I’ll tell anyone whatever I want.”

  “Okay!” Esther shouted through the hubbub. “Game drive over. Back to the lodge.”

  “Now look what you’ve done!” Roy berated Jasmine. “And you,” he said to Nathan. “This whole trip is a total bust.”

  Faith made a mental note that next game drive, she’d note what vehicle Roy was allocated to be in, then get in the other one.

  *****

  Chapter 6

  For the rest of the day and the next morning, Roy was subdued. For the afternoon game drive, he opted to stay at the lodge, much to everyone’s relief, and the next morning he went along quite meekly, apologizing to Esther and generally being a good tourist. He stayed in the vehicle, took pictures, made all the ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ noises at various animal spottings, and otherwise kept himself to himself. He didn’t even get crotchety when it was time for another long transfer drive on the second afternoon, to their next lodge.

  “What happy pills do you think Jasmine slipped into his drink?” Laura whispered to Faith as they wheeled their cases to the front of the lodge.

  Joseph, who had come out of wherever he had been hiding and sending up copious prayers, took their bags without so much as a word or flicker of eye contact.

  “Thank you,” Faith said to him, and was surprised when he nodded back.

  They turned back into the lodge, to pick up their packed lunches for the long drive to their next stopping point – a luxury tented lodge deep inside another reserve.

  “I wouldn’t count on his change of mood lasting,” Faith said. “People like that don’t just change overnight.”

  “You’re right.” Laura nodded, picking up a packed lunch and peeking inside. “Ooh, sandwiches. I’m tempted to eat this right now.”

  Faith laughed. “You’ll regret it when we’re in the middle of the wild plains, about a thousand miles away from a restaurant, and you’re hungry.”

  “Oh yeah?” A wicked grin spread over Laura’s face. “I’ll just take yours, missy.” Then she leaned forward in a lunging motion and tried to swipe Faith’s lunch out of her hand.

  “I’d like to see you try.” Faith danced back, light on her toes. “You’re not getting a single bite.” Then, when out of Laura’s reach, she flopped down in one of the comfortable chairs. “I’m going to miss this place. It’s real nice.”

  “Just wait till you see the next place,” Laura said. “I’ve looked up those tent places on Instagram. They are seriously amazing.”

  “S
ure, but… aren’t they a bit… unsafe? Couldn’t a lion just rip it open and come and gobble you up? Or a herd of elephants stampede you into the dust?” Faith shivered at the thought.

  “Nah,” Laura said with a laugh, though she did sound a bit unnerved. “I’m sure they must think of that. It’s out of the way or something.”

  Faith nodded. “You’re right. Otherwise it’d be all over the headlines. American tourist trampled in tent by tigers in the Kenyan wilderness.”

  Richard was still not his normal self as he bustled past them to pick up his lunch. His eyes were heavy lidded and had dark shadows under them. But somehow he managed a smile. “That would be a very attention-grabbing headline, particularly with the triple, nay, quadruple alliteration – tourist trampled in tent by tigers. Unfortunately, there are no tigers on the African plains. They are native to Asia.”

  “Oops,” Faith said.

  “Not to worry, it’s a common mistake.” Richard gave them a conspiratorial smile. “By your next trip, you’ll be an expert. Solomon always used to…” The smile instantly evaporated, and he looked drawn and gaunt. “Sorry,” he mumbled to the floor, then hurried away back toward the bedrooms.

  Faith gazed after him, then sighed. “Poor guy. He and Solomon really must have been good friends.”

  “Looks that way,” Laura said. “Or…?”

  Faith raised her eyebrows. “But… but why?”

  Laura slid down into the seat next to Faith. “There’s probably plenty of safari drama we don’t know about.”

  Faith nodded, sticking her bottom lip out. “All right, but even so, I’m struggling to find a reason that would make him a murderer. I mean, what possible motive could there be for a tourist to kill a driver, even if they have met a few times?”

  Laura gave her a withering look. “You do realize that, unless it was Mary that did it, every single one of our suspects is a tourist who killed a driver.”

  “Ha.” Faith smiled at her own oversight. “You’re right.” Then she leaned forward in her chair, resting her elbow on her knee. “But it is weird, isn’t it? Like, there seems to be absolutely no reason for anyone to kill him. And yet, they did.”

  Laura tore off a corner of her sandwich and chewed on it absentmindedly. “There is a reason. It’s just something hidden. I mean, there’s so much we’ve got to find out. For a start, I want to know Solomon and Richard’s history.”

  “And the can of worms that is Roy and Jasmine,” Faith added.

  “Greg’s still a bit of a mystery.”

  Faith nodded. “I think he’s a bit of a mystery to himself, in all honesty. But he and Yale seem to be getting on well.”

  Laura flashed her a proud grin. “Well, you know Yale. He can’t stop trying to help and mentor people. That’s why he’s a great phys ed teacher.”

  “That’s why you two are peas in a pod,” Faith said with a smile, giving Laura a shake on her leg. “You’re both always looking out for people. And you’re going to make a spectacular teacher yourself.”

  Laura gave Faith a shy little smile, and Faith could tell she was touched.

  “So how about this?” Faith said. “Yale finds out about Greg. I could try and find out more from Sophie about her dad?”

  “Good idea,” Laura said with a nod. “And I’ll try and talk to Jasmine. If that crocodile of a husband lets me anywhere near her.”

  A funny image of Roy with a long mouth and a set of zig zag teeth popped into Faith’s mind. It was the perfect image to match his personality. Faith pressed her wrists together and made a slap slap with her hands, like a crocodile opening and shutting its jaws. “I’m Roy,” she said in a deep, silly voice. “And I’m going to gobble you up.”

  Laura gave her a pointed look. “If it’s so funny, dear, then why don’t you go talk to Jasmine?”

  Faith got up with an innocent smile, swinging her lunch bag back and forth like a little girl. “Oh, but you’d be so much better at it than me.” Then, before Laura could change her mind, she skipped away out of the door that led to the raised terrace.

  “You!” Laura hollered from the chair, trying to be mad but laughing at the same time. Then she broke off a piece of sandwich and popped it in her mouth, shaking her head.

  *****

  Faith was beginning to think they were spending most of their time on this trip on long minibus rides. They certainly spent longer doing that than they did actually out on game drives. But at least the bus was clean and comfortable, and the scenery was so unusually different from all that she had ever known that it remained interesting.

  Most people seemed to fall asleep on those long rides, but Faith couldn’t manage it. She looked over to see Laura snuggled up on Yale’s shoulder, her mouth hanging open and the most faint, gentle snoring sound coming from her. For some reason, it reminded Faith of her cats, and she felt a pang of something in her chest. She hadn’t anticipated how much she’d miss them.

  Faith had gotten the window seat last time, so she’d taken the aisle seat to let Nathan sit by the window. He spent the whole ride with his eyes glued to the changing scenery. Sometimes it was a dry and barren plain, and sporadically it bloomed into lush greenery, whenever rivers or lakes were nearby. They also passed settlements of traditional houses, and small towns where electric lines criss-crossed overhead, people bustled about from store to store, and vendors lined the streets with stalls, selling their wares.

  Despite all these new sights, all Faith could think about was the murder. “I still don’t get it,” she whispered to Nathan.

  He turned his head from where he’d been watching the little town go by. “Get what?” he asked gently.

  “Who would want to kill Solomon.”

  Nathan put his hand on her knee. “Don’t think about that now, babe. Look where we are. We might never see this kind of stuff again. Think about it later.”

  “I can’t help when I think about it.”

  “We can all help what we think about and when,” Nathan said. “It just takes some practice.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  Nathan returned his hand to the back of the seat in front of him, and his gaze to the road.

  “Sorry,” Faith said, feeling wired. “I just don’t think that’s true. I can’t stop thinking of the murder, no matter how much I try to focus on other things.”

  “Well, I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Faith felt desperate to talk about it. “Why not?”

  Nathan made a little noise of tense frustration, then took a deep breath. “It’s not our responsibility, right?” he whispered. “The police are onto it, I’m sure. We don’t know anything about Kenya, or Solomon, really.”

  “So? We can find out everything so—”

  “Arthur has paid a lot of money for this trip,” Nathan whispered. Thankfully someone was playing reggae music loudly out on the street and the sound floated into the minibus, drowning him out well. “Let’s try and enjoy ourselves at least for that. Apart from the fact we’re in an amazing part of the world.”

  “But—”

  “You live so much in your head, Faith,” he said. “We’ll probably never be here again. Can’t you just be… here? Like, present?”

  “I am present,” Faith whispered back tersely. “Present enough to know that a man’s been murdered, the killer is probably in this van, and that Solomon deserves justice.”

  “It’s probably nothing to do with our trip. It’ll be someone from the Elephant Orphanage, and the police will deal with it. We’re not some superheroes swooping in to save the day.” Then he turned resolutely toward the window, indicating the conversation was over.

  But Faith wasn’t done. “What if it was someone here on this bus? What if the police felt they had to let us go because we’re tourists? Or they made a mistake?”

  Nathan’s voice was flat. “I’m not talking about this right now.”

  “What if whoever it was is going to kill again? Kill someone else in this party?”

&
nbsp; “I’m not talking about this now.” He said it in such a monotone he almost sounded robotic.

  Faith pushed herself back against her seat, annoyed. “Fine,” she said, a little too loudly. “Be like that, then.”

  *****

  Chapter 7

  “This is the town of Kongela,” Mary said. “Everybody return to the minibus in half an hour or less, please.”

  Joseph had pulled the minibus into a courtyard in a little town. Then once everyone had embarked he headed to the gas station without so much as a nod in their direction. It looked like outsiders didn’t pass by Kongela very often, because the locals stared. A group of men nursed coffees in a seating area outside a café and didn’t take their eyes off the safari party. Some small children in school uniforms huddled together and whispered.

  Across the main street, there was a small cobbled road where stall after stall stood. Umbrellas were raised on stands to keep the produce and the vendors out of the baking heat. Faith was too far away to get a proper look, but the bright greens and yellows and reds of the produce was calling out to her.

  Mary linked her arm into Faith’s. “Miss Faith, you are an excellent baker, I’m told.”

  “Oh, I try,” Faith said modestly. “I enjoy it very much.”

  “Well, maybe you could make us something when we get to the next lodge. Something delicious to raise all our spirits.”

  Faith smiled. Maybe that would make her feel better. She kept buzzing with anxiety, her mind racing, unable to think about anything but the murder. Perhaps getting back in that comfortable, familiar baking zone that melted her troubles away would be a good thing to do. “Okay.” She looked back quickly to see that the rest of the party, Nathan and Faith and Grandma Bessie included, had gone into the café.

  Mary maneuvered Faith to the crossing. “So, what will you make?”

  “Hm, I don’t know yet,” Faith said, feeling excited. She loved to go out and get fresh ingredients and come up with a new creation. “I’ll have to see what we can get.”