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  “Okay,” she answered, looking him up and down.

  “And Mr. Zonah, how are you this fine morning?”

  “Fine,” he answered. He looked still asleep and didn’t find the effusive greeting as odd as Charlotte and I had.

  “Why don’t you sit here? Next to our lovely Charlotte.”

  Charlotte turned and gave me a look. I shrugged.

  Mr. Vankey sat next to his wife and Jack held his hand out for Sabrina. He nonchalantly guided her to the middle row. The youngest of our group was left to sit in the first row.

  Jack sat in the middle seat of the top tier and poked me and his wife, who sat on his other side. “Let love bloom!” Jack said.

  Geri squeezed his hand and kissed him on the cheek. She was as equally pleased with him as he was with himself.

  Charlotte was going to kill me.

  When we stopped for a short break, Zonah held his hand out for Charlotte.

  “Isn’t that sweet!” Geri whispered.

  I nodded and smiled. If Charlotte found out I was responsible for this, in my sleuthing to find Dr. Higgins’ murderer, I’d be the next victim.

  “Why are you suddenly about the love?” I asked Jack, when his wife was out of earshot. She was too busy trying to find more signs of young love.

  Jack pointed at Geri. She had her hand on Zonah’s arm and was whispering in his ear. Love advice, I wondered.

  “If she’s distracted, she’ll get off my ass.”

  “I hope you don’t mean that literally,” I mumbled. Without my coffee, I didn’t have a filter.

  He laughed heartily. “Rookie, I like you!” He walked away and headed toward Ray, who was pouring everyone a glass of juice.

  With him out of the way, Charlotte walked up to me, sipping her orange juice. “I don’t want to get you started on that whole”—she looked around to see if anyone could hear her—“that whole thing, but Jack was acting funny this morning.”

  “Really? I didn’t notice.”

  “He was…I don’t know…different. Who’s that cheery at five in the morning?”

  “Drugs…blame it on drugs.”

  “Drugs?” she asked. “You think he’s on drugs?”

  I shrugged. “He spends a lot of the time in the bar. Maybe he’s still drunk.”

  She preferred that answer and nodded agreement.

  We came upon a pair of giraffes walking along the grass. “One cow or female and one bull or male,” Sonny informed us. The male giraffe, several feet taller than the female, slowly trailed behind the female until the female stopped. He sniffed once at her bottom, while she stood still, with only her tail flicking back and forth.

  “I hope you’ve had the birds and bees chat with Zaden, Sabrina,” Jack said. Sabrina and Zaden ignored him, while one or two others giggled. “If not, Giraffe King here is going to demonstrate it for us.”

  On cue, the bull mounted the female. She walked away. He tried again and she again walked away, showing no interest in the mating.

  “She told him, didn’t she,” Charlotte commented. The rest of the ladies in the group laughed, including me.

  “Is that how it goes in your home, Jack?” Colin asked.

  “No, quite the opposite!” Geri answered. There were a few snickers in the group. Jack wasn’t among them.

  The cow craned her neck for leaves and began munching. The bull slinked off, leaving the female in peace. “In search of another love, I’m sure,” Geri whispered to me. “When you’re in the mood, you’re in the mood.”

  I looked at Jack, who didn’t appear to hear her. Or maybe he pretended not to?

  Maybe she was known to look for love where she could find it. She certainly flirted everywhere she could. I’d yet to see her have a conversation with a man and not touch him at some point.

  Perhaps she went looking for love in suite five.

  I looked over at Jack. And maybe he put an end to it.

  After breakfast, I got up at the same time as Hazel.

  “I was going to sit at the pool, want to join me?” I asked.

  “That’s nice, dear, but I think I’m going to go back to the room.”

  “Why don’t you come sit with me for a bit? I …I can show you some of the pictures I took today.”

  “Oh, that does sound nice. I think you’re better with a camera than I am.” She looked back at her husband for what I thought was approval.

  “That’s fine, honey. Go with Naomi.”

  I only wanted a few minutes with her, away from her husband. It looked like he didn’t suspect anything. We walked to the pool, where several empty lounge chairs waited. The area was devoid of other guests. Just like I had hoped.

  When we each sat down on a lounge, I didn’t waste any time. I asked, “Does he hurt you?”

  “Who?

  “Your husband.”

  She gasped. “Why on earth would you say such a thing?”

  I pointed to her wrist and the bruises we both knew were on them.

  “Oh no. That’s the Coumadin.”

  “The what?”

  “The blood thinners. I have atrial fibrillation and I’m on a blood thinner. It thins my blood to keep me from having a stroke, but it has the nasty side effect of leaving bruises anytime I even bump into something just a little.” She rolled up her sleeve to show the bruises. In full view, they didn’t look like her husband had grabbed her or hit her. They were a series of little purple markings across her skin.

  “They look like they hurt.”

  “Oh no. They look worse than they are.” She pulled her sleeves down and patted me on my arm. “It’s so sweet you care. Colin is the most tender man I ever met.”

  “Even with the PTSD?”

  “Oh, when he has an episode he’s different, but I know how to handle him. He’d never, has never, hurt a fly.”

  At that exact moment, Colin walked up to us. Had he been listening? Had he been spying on me and his wife? Did he know I was on to him? That I knew about his PTSD and that he could have killed Dr. Higgins in a fit of rage? Had he been that angry about his brief altercation with Dr. Higgins that last game drive, when he had called Hazel old?

  “Here, honey, thought you might want this.” He handed her a book.

  “Thank you, dear.” She took the book from him and returned her gaze to me. “Naomi here was worried about me and my bruises.” He looked at her and then to me, not understanding. “She thought you might be beating me.”

  He sat down beside me and grabbed me. My initial instinct was to fight him off but then I realized he was hugging me. “Aren’t you a nice girl! To offer help to an old lady you don’t know.”

  “Hey!” Hazel shouted, not liking being called old.

  “Well, to her you’re old.” He defended himself with a smile.

  Hazel turned her glare to me.

  “Nope, I didn’t say that,” I pointed out.

  They both laughed. He took my hand. “No, I’d never hurt her. It’s those drugs.”

  “The drugs that keep me alive,” she reminded him.

  “Yes, they cause all those bruises too. She knocks into something and it leaves a mark.” He got up and kissed her on the top of her head. “I’d never hurt her.”

  I smiled and got up to leave. I hesitated. I wasn’t convinced. “But the war, the PTSD, you’ve never been violent?”

  His usual demeanor returned. His stern face and set posture was imposing. I didn’t think I’d be getting any more hugs. “How do you know about that?” he asked.

  I glanced at Hazel, who looked terrified. She remained silent.

  “How does she know about that, Hazel?” he shouted.

  “I…I just guessed. The tattoos. I had an uncle in the war. I…I know it can be difficult.”

  He stepped toward me and I regretted asking Hazel to a secluded setting. I wished we were in the large common area, where employees or other guests might be. “And your uncle was violent?” he asked.

  I did not want to continue my story ab
out a fictitious uncle with PTSD. I wanted to get out of here but he blocked the walkway and the exit. I remembered Sonny’s words, “In the animal kingdom, retreating is a sign of weakness.” I stood my ground and matched his glare. I wondered if this was the last thing Dr. Higgins had seen. Those dark eyes staring at him.

  “Colin,” Hazel whispered.

  She gently touched his arm and he turned toward her. “She asks too many questions.”

  “She was concerned about my bruises, Colin. She was concerned about me.”

  “Then why is she asking about my PTSD? If I’m violent? Don’t we have enough problems! I don’t need this right now.”

  “Colin,” she said, through clenched teeth. “Not now.” She glanced at me. It was clear she didn’t want to talk about their problems in front of me.

  They turned their attention to me and stood silent. Colin stepped toward Hazel, giving me room to exit. I returned their silence and left.

  As I reached the exit, I turned back toward them. They were huddled together on the lounge. Hazel had begun to cry.

  If Colin thought he had problems before, he had no idea what a problem I could be.

  Midday

  I went to reception to check on the status of the internet. Leticia, the lodge’s manager, was at the front desk.

  “Ms. Naomi. Did you enjoy the treehouse?” she asked.

  Enjoy was probably not the right word, except for the last hour. I didn’t want to admit my fear for the first hours there and simply answered, “Yes.”

  “We can’t believe you stayed out there by yourself. We can’t think of anyone else ever doing that before.”

  Had the staff been talking about me? I wondered.

  “How can I help you, Ms. Naomi?” she asked.

  “I was wondering why the internet isn’t working.”

  “It’s temporary. We’re working on it. It’ll be fixed shortly.”

  “Do you have internet?” I pointed to the desktop in her office.

  “No, the whole lodge is out.”

  “How about other lodges?”

  “What?”

  “Other lodges in the area, do they have internet?”

  “I wouldn’t know.”

  “You haven’t called anyone?” The first thing I did when my power went out was check if anyone else in the building or on my street had lost power.

  “I’ve called our provider. It’s temporary. We’re working on it. It’ll be fixed shortly.” She returned her attention to the paperwork in front of her.

  Without internet, I couldn’t learn more about Dr. Higgins. And when I say more, I mean learn anything about him.

  Without internet, I wouldn’t solve his murder. Again, I wondered if the loss of internet was connected to his death. Was it a ploy to keep us isolated?

  Without internet, I was going to have to do this old school. Feet to the pavement, I remembered a TV detective once saying.

  I needed Leticia away from the front desk to learn more about my fellow travelers, and maybe the staff. Whatever I could find. I needed a distraction.

  On check-in, we had all signed in. We’d also given reception a credit card, for incidentals, like the spa. They’d also requested our passports. Colin had balked at this but he calmed once they said it was just for a few minutes so they could take a photocopy of it. We’d have it back in our hands before we went to our rooms. Geri assured him it was common practice, and sometimes the law, for hotels outside of the United States to take copies of your passport.

  It was a slow time at the lodge and I didn’t see anyone else working with Leticia at the front desk. I headed back to the room to arrange a distraction.

  “You want me to do what?” Charlotte asked.

  “I just need the manager away from the front desk for a few minutes to find out his full name.”

  She rolled her eyes. “And then what?”

  “And…I don’t know. But it’ll be a start.”

  I sat in the area off reception and waited. After five minutes, I worried if Charlotte had changed her mind. I could picture her pacing the length of the long room, cursing my name.

  This wasn’t a typical hotel. They didn’t have to have someone at the front desk all the time. There was never going to be a walk-in guest. They always knew when people were arriving and departing. You couldn’t just drive pass this place and say, “Honey, let’s stay here.” Flying in was the only option. So, if Charlotte could put aside her pride for a few minutes, ten maximum, she could keep Leticia in our room and I would be alone at the front desk. Investigating. Or, more accurately, snooping. And praying I didn’t get caught.

  I kept my head down in a magazine as Leticia came out of reception and headed toward the rooms. She didn’t run, but she walked as fast as she could, without bringing attention to herself.

  I counted to ten, replaced the magazine on the coffee table, and walked to reception.

  “Hello,” I called out, just to be sure the reception area was empty. No reply.

  I scurried behind the front desk, hoping to see the log-in book. The desk was empty. I opened the drawer. Success. I pulled out the book marked “Guests” and quickly flipped through the last entries.

  I saw Charlotte’s beautiful signature and my scrawl, below it. I tried to remember the order in which we signed the book. By order of elimination, I found Higgins.

  Illegible. I shouldn’t be surprised. He had been a doctor, after all.

  I needed the copies of the passports. I opened the drawer below and scrolled through the hanging files. They weren’t marked in English. Assuming the most recent guest information would be in the closest filing folder, I pulled it out. Jackpot.

  I didn’t have time to read them now. I didn’t know how long Charlotte would be able to keep Leticia occupied. I didn’t know whose patience would run out first. I pulled out my iPhone and snapped photos of each.

  I glanced at my watch. I had found what I had set out for but felt I, maybe, had a few more minutes to investigate.

  The manager’s office, or more accurately, the computer, beckoned. I held my breath and listened. No signs of anyone coming. I dashed into her office. I touched the mouse to awaken the open laptop. The screen lit and the computer’s wallpaper, a beautiful shot of a giraffe at sunset, popped up. I had expected to input a password but the desktop’s icons were there, laid over the giraffe’s image. Geez, what kind of security did this place have? She really should have a password on this computer.

  I checked the top right-hand section of the screen. No bars indicating Wi-Fi reception. I clicked on it. Only one option Wi-Fi network presented itself. I clicked on it. The wheel spun as it searched. My stomach churned in unison.

  No signal found.

  I clicked on the email icon. Nothing had been sent or received since two nights ago—the night Dr. Higgins died. There had been no distressing email sent from the lodge that a resident had died. No junk mail received.

  Nothing coming or going.

  She was telling the truth. She didn’t have internet either.

  I glanced at my watch. My time was up. I had found what I had set out for. The passport photos. And, a bonus, I had confirmed the lodge had no internet connection.

  I ran out of her office just in time. Hearing someone approaching, hoping it was a guest, I stood and looked out the window onto the driveway.

  I stood motionless, as my heart beat rapidly, as if I’d been standing, admiring the view of the dirt and gravel, for minutes.

  Leticia walked in with a scowl. I appeared surprised, as if awoken from a daydream.

  She plastered on a fake smile, one she probably used often for the guests. “How can I help, Ms. Naomi?”

  “Any update on the internet?”

  “No. It’s temporary. We’re working on it. It’ll be fixed shortly.”

  I nodded understanding and used all my effort to walk out leisurely. I maintained that pace, wondering if there were security cameras watching my retreat to my room.

  �
�Nice job,” I commended my sister once I was back inside our room.

  “She thinks I’m a nut job.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “That’s okay?” she repeated.

  “Please. At worst, she thinks you’re an annoying guest. She probably thinks you’re just a typical city girl scared of insects.”

  “But there wasn’t an insect.”

  “But there could have been one.” That’s what makes a lie believable, when it’s based on truth.

  She paused. “What do you mean ‘could have been’?” I hadn’t wanted to tell her. “Naomi!”

  I had been lucky we didn’t have this argument immediately after my request. “It was just a little one. It’s gone now. Nothing to worry about.”

  She jumped onto the coffee table and screamed. She scanned the floors, the walls, and even the ceiling for any signs of little crawling lives. She would have not enjoyed the treehouse and its nightly guests who clung to the mosquito netting. “How little?”

  “Now who thinks you’re the nut job?” I asked, as she stood panicked on the table.

  “I don’t care what you think.”

  “There’s nothing here, Charlotte. Get off the table.”

  She made a final scan of the room from her perch and then stepped off. “When?”

  “Our first night.”

  “How big?”

  Holding my fingers two inches apart, I answered. She nodded and fear drained from her face. Fortunately, she didn’t ask the length of the insect I had seen in the shower the first night. The fear would have quickly returned. The screams too.

  “Did you get what you needed?” she asked.

  “Yep.” I sat on the couch and pulled out my iPhone. “Want to see?”

  “No, I think you’re the nut job.”

  She went into the bathroom and started the shower. Now would be a good time to tell her where I had seen the insect. I remained quiet and smiled.

  “You think this place has security cameras?”

  “What?” she yelled from the bathroom. She peeked her head out of the bathroom.

  “Security cameras? You think they have any?” I asked again.