Rhino Charge

by Victoria Tait

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Rose did not sleep soundly on Tuesday night, as too much information was circulating in her head. Each time she woke, she heard the eerie call of a hyena: a long, low ‘oo’ sound ending with a high short ‘ip’.

  At six o’clock, as the darkness thinned, she got up, stuffed her feet into her slippers, and trudged to the loo. There was already activity in the headquarters and she heard the clunking sounds of tents being taken down and the low growl of 4x4 vehicle engines.

  Time was running out to discover Mayur’s killer before all the competitors, spectators, and officials left, and the headquarters was dismantled until 2017’s event.

  She stepped out of a Portaloo to be confronted by a fully-dressed and panting Marina.

  “I’m so glad I found you. We’re packing up. Baba wants to leave before prize-giving, as he wants to avoid the rush.” She doubled over and drew breath. “It’s Lavi. We can’t find her, and her bed hasn’t been slept in.”

  Rose felt a tingling in her numb arthritic fingers and a chill in her bones. All those hyenas she’d heard during the night. She prayed they hadn’t found Lavanya. “Let’s wake Chloe. She can help us.”

  As Rose unzipped the tent flap, a groggy Chloe asked, “What time is it?”

  “Early,” replied Rose. “But Lavanya’s missing. So get dressed. We have to find her.” Rose tugged jeans, a shirt, and a jumper over her nightie. Chloe put on her bra and top, but pulled a pair of Ugg boots over the bottom of her checked cotton pyjama trousers.

  They dashed through headquarters, which was coming to life around them. Marina sprang round a sleepy group of people huddled together cradling hot drinks. Rose and the still-drowsy Chloe followed her at a slower pace.

  “I don’t like this at all,” commented Rose. “A slip of a girl like that out in the Mara on her own.”

  The bar tent was still standing in readiness for the prize-giving at half past nine. Dormans and the Rusty Nail already had queues of customers. Some stamped their feet against the chilly air whilst others chatted quietly to their neighbours.

  Jono stood before them, looking wild. His unruly ginger hair stood up in clumps and his hollow eyes had the look of a frightened antelope.

  Thabiti ran to join them. “We’ve looked all over headquarters, but there’s no sign of her.”

  Chloe rubbed her hands together and asked, “Could she have taken a car and driven home, or somewhere…?”

  Jono shook his head. “She can’t drive.”

  “But we’ll need to if we’re to search for her out in the Mara.” Rose looked around. “We need to borrow some cars.”

  She spotted red-shirted officials in the registration tent. “Wait here.”

  She dashed into the tent and said quickly, “A woman’s gone missing and we need to organise a search party.”

  Frank Butler looked up. “Rose! Don’t worry, she’ll soon reappear. There will be few places to hide once all the tents come down.”

  “I fear she may have wandered into the Mara.”

  “Oh dear. But I’m afraid we’re all tied up.” He threw her a set of keys. “Take my Land Cruiser. It’s parked at the entrance.”

  “Thanks, Frank.” She turned to leave, but he called her back.

  “Take these as well.” He handed her three shortwave radios. “You remember how to use them?”

  Rose nodded. She and Craig had often been in charge of a radio at horse shows and the Lewa Marathon.

  “I’ve turned them all to channel 12.”

  Outside, Jono was frozen with indecision.

  She asked him, “Where’s Thabiti?”

  “Here.” Thabiti dashed up, holding up a set of car keys. “Mayur’s car.”

  Rose handed Chloe and Marina radios and gave them a quick lesson on their use.

  Then she instructed, “Chloe, you go with Thabiti in Mayur’s car. I’ll take Jono although I’m not sure how much use he’ll be. You turn right out of the gate and begin your search, and we’ll turn left.”

  “What about me?” cried Marina.

  Rose took her by the arm and led her away from the group. “I want you to find a pair of binoculars and climb up to your rock, the one we sat on yesterday. There’s a great view of the Mara from up there. You’re looking for a solitary moving figure or,” Rose gulped, “animals gathered together, as that might indicate an injured Lavanya.”

  Thabiti pulled the silent Jono towards the headquarters’ entrance where Rose found Frank’s car.

  She called to Jono, “Get in.”

  He meekly complied.

  She followed Thabiti, who was driving a large black Land Cruiser Amazon, out of the entrance and they turned away from each other. A pair of black-backed jackals jogged along in front of her along the stony track. She slowly followed them as she surveyed the terrain on either side of the road.

  “Jono, snap out of it. I need your help if we’re to find Lavanya.”

  Jono sat up straighter and gazed out of the passenger window.

  She followed the road as it veered left out into the grassland, leaving the jackals who continued straight ahead.

  She entered a wide plain and spotted a small figure moving along the skyline. Her heart leapt and she left the track and drove towards it. The steering wheel jerked from her grip as she hit a hole.

  Steady, she didn’t want to damage Frank’s car. She slowed down. In the brightening dawn light, she drew closer and watched the graceful figure of a cheetah lope across the wide open space. A wonderful creature, but she had no time to watch it.

  She felt a tightness in her chest. How could they hope to find Lavanya out here? It would take days to comprehensively search the area, and by then it would be too late as injured animals did not last long in the Mara. She turned the car eastwards, hoping to pick up another track.

  She consoled herself. It was unlikely Lavanya would have wandered too far from headquarters, although nobody knew what time she had left.

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Rose’s radio crackled into life. It was Sam.

  “I’m with Marina. And we’ve found Lavanya.”

  “Where?” cried Rose.

  “Below the rock escarpment. It looks like she’s fallen.”

  That didn’t sound good. “She’s landed on a ledge, part way down, but she’s not moving. Are you driving a silver Land Cruiser?”

  “Yes?” Rose hesitated.

  “I can see you. Look to your left. Can you make out a rock cliff?”

  Rose turned the nose of the car and peered out the windscreen. Half a mile in front of her she saw a darker shape in the landscape. That must be it. “I think so.”

  “Drive towards it. We might need your help, and the car to move her.”

  Rose sped forward. “Jono,” she nudged him. “They’ve found her.”

  “Is she dead?”

  “I’ve no idea, but she will be if we don’t help. Come on, get a grip of yourself.”

  Rose rejoined a track which meandered its way to the foot of the escarpment.

  The radio crackled again. “Drive to the far end and look up. You’ll see me.”

  Rose did as instructed. The cliff was lower at this point. Sam stood on the top, but Marina was traversing down the rocks. Her slight figure clung to the rock face like a beetle on a wall.

  Rose parked the car and turned to Jono. “Come on. Lavanya needs our help.”

  Marina stood on a rock ledge, about five metres above Rose.

  “She’s here.” Marina knelt down and cried, “And she’s alive.”

  Rose realised she was shaking and her mouth was dry. She returned to the car and found a bottle of water in a compartment in the driver’s side door. Marina was still examining Lavanya.

  “It’s all my fault,” exclaimed Jono.

  The noise was so unexpected and painful, like the cry of a wounded animal, that Rose nearly dropped her water bottle. She took a long drink and moved around the front of the car to Jono. This was neither the time
nor place for self-pity.

  “Drink this.” She thrust the water bottle into his hand.

  He took a long slug and then called to Marina. “How is she?”

  Marina had removed her jacket and Rose presumed she’d draped it over Lavanya. “She’s cold and I don’t like the look of her leg. Rose, can you climb up here? And do you have a medical kit?”

  Rose looked at the cliff and flexed her arthritic fingers. There was another ledge below Marina which ran down to the edge of the cliff. At that point it was less than a metre above ground level. “I might be able to get to you with Jono’s help. Let me check what kit is in the car.”

  The boot of the car held more small bottles of water, a shuka blanket and a first aid kit stuffed inside a net in the rear door. She grabbed two bottles of water, the other equipment and returned to Jono.

  “I’m guessing you were a rugby player, perhaps even a cricketer. I need you to throw these up to Marina.”

  Jono threw a bottle of water, but it bounced back down the cliff face. She collected the dented bottle and said encouragingly, “Come on, concentrate. You can do this. For Lavanya.”

  Jono took aim and Marina caught the bottle. Re-energised, he threw the second water bottle and the first aid kit.

  Rose asked, “Can you bring the blanket? And I’ll need your help getting onto that ledge.”

  They strode to the end of the cliff. Jono held his cupped hand for her to step in. She grabbed hold of the ledge and with Jono’s upward thrust scrambled onto it. “Thanks. Can you hand me the blanket?”

  Slowly and carefully she edged along the narrow shelf of rock. Every so often, she shook her hands. It was so frustrating that they refused to grip the rock, but she tried her best to encourage blood to flow through them. She grasped a larger chunk of rock, but it came away in her hand and she balanced precariously on the edge.

  “Careful,” shouted Jono below her. She grabbed at a protruding tree root, held on and pulled herself back to the rock face. Her heart pounded against it. At last Jono seemed galvanised. She looked down and saw him shadowing her journey. He waited with open arms in case she fell, which only felt partially reassuring. It looked a long way down.

  Finally she arrived under Marina’s ledge. “Here, take this.” She passed up the blanket. Marina took her hand and hauled her up onto the ledge. The scrapes on her legs stung, even through her trousers.

  She knelt down on the solid rock and gently shook Lavanya’s inert form. “Lavanya, are you awake? Can you hear me?”

  Lavanya groaned.

  “Has she had any water?” She looked up at Marina.

  “Not yet.”

  She splashed water onto Lavanya’s dry lips. The girl licked them and tried to sit up.

  “Careful.” She was worried about damaging Lavanya’s neck. “Try not to move just yet. Can you feel your toes?”

  “Not sure,” Lavanya’s faint voice answered. ‘I’m so cold.”

  Rose shuffled along the ledge and lifted the blanket. Lavanya wore a single flip flop. Her feet would be numb from the night chill. Marina was correct though, the lower part of her left leg was at an awkward angle beneath her right one. She touched it.

  “Ow,” cried Lavanya.

  Rose stroked her arm and said, “Please be brave. I just need to take a look at your leg.”

  Marina knelt down and took hold of Lavanya’s hand as Rose rolled up her trouser leg. There was a gash, a lot of dried blood, and some nasty looking purple bruises. “Broken leg,” she mouthed to Marina.

  Rose looked up but could not see Sam. “Sam, are you still there?”

  “Yes, I am. How are you doing?”

  “We’re going to need some help. Her leg is broken but we can’t leave her here. We’re going to have to find a way to move her off this ledge.”

  Sam shouted back. “I can run back to headquarters and find a backboard, and some helpers, but I’ll need a car. Jono can you drive back and pick me up?”

  Jono shook his head. “I don’t drive.”

  “Don’t or can’t?” yelled Sam.

  “Not since the accident. Since I crashed my car and killed Vadhana.”

  “But you didn’t crash your car,” Rose called. “You weren’t driving. You said just now that it’s your fault Lavanya is lying here. So you need to make it right. You have to drive the car back to headquarters and fetch help. She can’t stay out here all day. Not with the rising temperature, and we won’t be able to fend off lions or hyenas once they smell dried blood.”

  Jono still hesitated.

  “Please,” pleaded Marina.

  As if in a trance, Jono moved to the driver’s door. He opened it and peered inside.

  Rose called down, “The keys are still in the ignition. It’s an automatic.”

  Jono heaved himself into the driver’s seat and turned the key. For a moment he sat there with the engine idling. Then he closed the door and drove forward, erratically at first, before he turned onto the track and sped away.

  “I’m going for help,” shouted Sam. “Will you two be OK?”

  “Yes,” Rose and Marina called back in unison.

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Thabiti and Chloe met Sam when they returned to headquarters. Chloe jumped out of the car before Thabiti had turned off the ignition, and rushed across to Sam.

  Thabiti extracted himself and heard Chloe exclaim, “We received your message and got back as quickly as we could. Where’s Lavi?”

  Sam placed a large hand on her shoulder and said, “Steady. She’s lying on a rock shelf near the bottom of a cliff. Marina and Mama Rose are with her, and Jono is driving back here to collect me.”

  Chloe started. “But Jono told me he doesn’t drive.”

  “Mama Rose persuaded him. I had no idea how long you’d be getting back and we have to move Lavanya off that ledge.”

  Thabiti joined them. “How will you get her down? Is she injured?”

  Sam rubbed his arm. “Mama Rose thinks she has a broken leg, but it was a long fall, so there may be other injuries. She certainly can’t get down herself, even with assistance, so we’ll have to get her down.”

  “What do you suggest?” asked Thabiti.

  “That we use a backboard. Marina and Mama Rose could roll her onto it, strap her in, and pass her down to me.”

  Chloe frowned. ‘What if she slips off? How far down is it?”

  “I’m not sure,” conceded Sam.

  Thabiti thought for a moment and then suggested, “How about you lower the backboard down on ropes, strap her on, and lower her to the bottom.”

  “Great idea,” cried Chloe. “Are you strong enough to help Sam? It’s a job for two people.”

  “I’ll do it.” Jono strode towards them. His skin was pallid and his eyes sunken but alert. His jaw was set. “I’ll fetch some ropes from the car, whilst you find a backboard.”

  They regrouped ten minutes later. Jono carried two nylon ropes.

  “The medics have left,” panted Chloe. “But Wendy helped us and we found a backboard at the rear of the registration tent. Wendy called Amref but it’ll be four hours before they can get a plane here.”

  “I’ll fly her to Nairobi.” Jono clenched his fists. “We’ll need a car to collect her and drive her to the airstrip. Thabiti, can you and Chloe drive to the bottom of the cliff?” He gave them directions.

  “Ready Sam?” he asked.

  Sam picked up the backboard and strode towards the cliff. Jono followed with the ropes.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Rose saw that Marina was shivering. The sun was hidden by the cliff face and had not begun to warm their ledge.

  She said, “Why don’t you put your jacket back on? Lavanya has the shuka helping to warm her up now, and I don’t need two patients to deal with.”

  Marina stood, flapped her arms, and began to bounce up and down on the soles of her feet as if she was doing a weird on-the-spot run. “If I keep moving, it will help keep me warm. Lavi needs the jacket more th
an me, as she can’t get up and move around.”

  “Ok, if you’re sure.” Rose opened the first aid kit and searched about until she found both paracetamol and ibuprofen. She chose the ibuprofen as it would help reduce any inflammation, as well as pain for Lavanya.

  She reached for the water and spoke gently to Lavanya, “I’ve found some painkillers. Would you like one?”

  Lavanya nodded.

  Marina knelt down and helped support Lavanya as she swallowed the painkiller with some water, and laid her carefully back on the rock, pulling the blanket up.

  Rose flexed her fingers which still ached and pulled at her yellow official’s bracelet which rubbed against her wrist. A thought tugged at her. She pulled down the blanket and lifted each of Lavanya’s arms. Although each had a series of bruises or burns there was no bracelet.

  “It’s shocking isn’t it. Even more so that she managed to keep it hidden from everyone,” commented Marina. “But that’s not what concerns you at the moment is it?”

  “I was wondering where her Rhino Charge bracelet is, as she’s not wearing one. What colour would it be?”

  Marina pulled back her own sleeve. “Blue like mine. I was a supporter and didn’t bother to change it when I joined the Bandit Bush Hog team. But why does it matter? We’re leaving today.”

  Rose thought back to the previous morning. It was only yesterday that she’d discovered Mayur’s body. She remembered the pools of water on the floor and the blanket. But there was something else, a blue piece of plastic partially hidden by the blanket. It had holes in the end just like a Rhino Charge bracelet, a blue supporter’s one.

  Lavanya stirred. “I’m thirsty. Can I have more water?” She shuffled and lifted her head to sip from the bottle. “Thank you. I’m so sorry to cause all this trouble.”

  “Don’t you worry. Just rest.” Rose’s voice was soothing.

  But Marina’s was tense as she asked, “Why did you run away?”