Sleuth on Safari Page 3

  “Get any good shots?” Charlotte asked.

  “I’m sure. We’ll check when we get back to the lodge.” If I hadn’t, we had several more game drives to get them. I’d been mesmerized by it all and spent more time observing the sights than looking through the camera’s viewfinder. The impalas grazed twenty feet away and I debated going back to the ride for my camera.

  I was startled when she pulled me in for a hug. “You were right about this.” Another shock. “There’s nothing like this. Thanks for letting me come with you.”

  “Oh, how sweet,” Sabrina interrupted. “Let’s get a picture of this.” Charlotte and I smiled at the camera. Our mother would be so pleased. “I’ll email them to you.”

  “Thanks,” Charlotte and I said in unison.

  Sabrina looked around at the group. “You know, we should all share photos. Share ’em when we get home. I’ll start a list of our emails.” Sabrina made for the cruiser.

  Ray was finishing packing up the snacks and drinks when Sonny called out, “Time to head back, my friends. A large breakfast awaits at the lodge.” Looking at me, he added, “With plenty of more fresh coffee!” The group laughed and started to climb back into our ride. “Same seats. We switch in the afternoon.”

  I got back into the front seat. The only seat with a blocked view. The stadium seating of the rest of the spots behind me allowed everyone a better view. With the tracker’s seat in front of me, I had a great view of the back of Ray when looking straight ahead. I looked forward to sitting in the back in the afternoon. But I’d miss Sonny’s commentary.

  Maybe I should have sat this close to the teacher when I was in school.

  True to her word, Sabrina started a list of everyone’s email. She promised to email us the list before the evening game drive. I wished her success as Jack had said internet was often spotty at these lodges. I hadn’t checked yet but thought Jack was right. I’d watched Zaden wander around the common area with his phone in the air trying to get a signal after breakfast. Once he’d found one, he didn’t leave the spot for fifteen minutes.

  After a hearty breakfast, and just one more cup of coffee, I made for our room.

  “Charlotte, can I have the key?”

  “You have to go get it. It’s at reception.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Because when you leave the lodge, you have to leave it at reception.”

  I looked to Geri for confirmation and she nodded. “She didn’t pay attention at all in orientation, did she?” Jack asked.

  “Never does,” Charlotte answered, between bites of her omelet.

  I ignored them and headed to reception. On the table was a bowl holding our room key. Next to the bowl was a sign that confirmed what Charlotte had told me. “Please leave room key here during game drives.”

  I wondered how many keys had been lost in the African bush before they decided on the policy.

  I retrieved our key and went to our room to enjoy the free time. The group had free time until lunch. We could nap, sit at the common pool, get a massage, or go the gym.

  I chose sitting on our deck, by our private plunge pool, as did Charlotte. I was scrolling through the mornings photos when Charlotte asked, “What do you think of them?”

  “Of who?”

  “The other travelers.”

  I shrugged. “Just people needing a vacation.”

  “No one is what they seem.”

  I looked up at her. “Here in particular? On this trip with us?” Sitting up front with Sonny, I had been a distance from the rest of the group. What had she observed to be this cynical?

  “No, in general,” she clarified.

  Last she had said, Charlotte was studying to become an internist. Maybe she had changed her mind. “Are you switching over to psychiatry?” I asked.

  “No. I’m just saying. While we’re watching the animals, it’s fun to watch the human animals too.”

  I shook my head and returned to my camera’s viewfinder.

  She nudged my upper arm. “Come on, you’re watching them too.”

  “I didn’t have quite the view you did from your perch in the back.” Finished with perusing the mornings photos, I shut the camera off and rested it on the table next to me. “Thanks for saving me a seat by the way.”

  “What? You always called shotgun when we were kids.”

  “Ha-ha.” I couldn’t argue with her. She was right. “Well, sitting next to the driver in this ride isn’t nearly the best view in the car.”

  I returned my attention to our current view. The lush green landscape in front of us. For over a mile, the varying shades of green spanned in front of us. Nothing man-made in sight. Even if you looked to your right or left, you couldn’t see the other lodgings. All you saw was nature.

  Some of the greens started to sway. Initially, I thought it was the wind, but the movement was just in a small area. I pulled my binoculars out of my backpack for a closer look and gaped at what I saw.

  Our phone rang and Charlotte ran to get it.

  Now in full view, I watched a herd of elephants appear in the field. The twenty-plus elephants varied in age and sizes. The wrinkled gray bodies, with white curved tusks, marched along the land, spread out from each other. Their tails gently swung back and forth. Some stopped to graze. Their elongated trunks reached into the trees for leaves.

  “It was Geri, from next door,” Charlotte told me as she returned. I pointed to the field. “Wow,” she gasped.

  In silence, we watched the herd traverse the field. I snapped a few photos but spent most of the time just watching them. They walked slowly across the land. I smiled as a calf—that’s what Sonny told me a baby elephant was—trotted to keep up with his mother after he had fallen behind. The elephants’ trunks swung slowly back and forth as they plodded along. Occasionally, they stopped to graze a few leaves from the trees before resuming their journey together.

  The herd now gone, I asked, “Why’d Geri call?”

  “Wanted to let us know about the herd of elephants.”

  I rested my head on the lounge chair. “That’s nice.”

  “Ulterior motive, I’m sure.”

  Afternoon Game Drive

  Fifteen minutes before pickup time, I sat in reception. I was the first to arrive, all but guaranteeing me a good seat. There was no need to be early. Sonny had already told us we had to switch each drive. Truth was, I was just excited for another drive.

  The others trickled in. Dr. Higgins arrived next, coming from the hotel’s front desk. He nodded a greeting to my “Good afternoon, Dr. Higgins.” He sat down on one of the plush chairs, pulled out his notebook, and started to jot something down.

  The old couple came in next. “Mr. and Mrs. Vankey,” I said.

  “Please call us Hazel,” she said, pointing to herself, “and Colin.” As if I couldn’t figure out who would be Hazel and who would be Colin. It would be fun if the stuffy old man’s name was Hazel. I bit my lip to hide a grin.

  “Naomi,” I added, pointing to myself.

  “Yes, we know.” Hazel sat down next to me. “Don’t let the gray hair fool you, honey. We’re not demented yet.”

  Colin laughed at his wife’s comment and laughed harder when he noticed my reaction. My eyes bulged, mortified that she thought I had insinuated she was old.

  I looked to Dr. Higgins for a similar request. I did not receive it. He kept his head in the book. He would still be Dr. Higgins.

  The trio of Sabrina, Zonah, and Zaden arrived next, with the Wallaces a few paces behind. “Where’s your sister?” Sabrina asked as she sat down next to me.

  “She’s coming.” I leaned in and added, “Something didn’t agree with her at lunch.”

  “Oh, poor girl,” Geri said. “We have anti-diarrhea tablets in the room if you want me to get them.”

  “This one travels with everything,” Jack chimed in. “Seasickness pills, sleeping pills, anti-diarrhea pills, antacids.”

  “No, thank you. I thi
nk she’ll be fine. She’ll be here soon.” I glanced at my watch. It was exactly three and Sonny and Ray arrived and signaled us out. We all stood and headed to the Land Cruiser. I glanced back, searching for my sister. I caught Zonah doing it too.

  “It happens,” Sabrina told me. She whispered to me, “Zaden stayed in the room during lunch because of that too.”

  I nodded and looked over at the teenager. He was bringing up the rear of the group, fiddling with his phone.

  “Oh, we’re missing one,” Sonny said and looked to me. “Will she be joining us?”

  On cue, and just one minute late, Charlotte ran into the parking area.

  “Young lady, we don’t have time to be waiting for you,” Dr. Higgins scolded.

  Charlotte mumbled an apology. Sabrina pulled her in toward their group. “Don’t worry about him, Charlotte,” she assured her. “He’s just a pain in the ass. Every group has one.” She glared at him. “I bet he’s always been like that.”

  Dr. Higgins returned the glare and an uncomfortable silence came over the group.

  Sensing the tension, Sonny intervened. “Dr. Higgins, why don’t you sit up front with me? I think Naomi enjoyed her time this morning.” He winked at me. I tipped my baseball hat back in agreement.

  “The front! I did not pay thousands of dollars for a view of a tracker’s back.”

  “Well, everyone will have the pleasure of sitting up front with me for just one drive, why wait?” Sonny answered.

  “This is going in my review,” he threatened Sonny. “This is not how they did it at Tonfi Lodge.”

  Sonny smiled, with fewer pearly whites showing than with his genuine smile. He signaled for the rest of us to board, as Dr. Higgins climbed into the front seat. Hazel, Colin, and I sat on the top tier of seats. The trio boarded next, headed for the middle row.

  Once Dr. Higgins sat he turned and pointed at Zaden. “This is all your fault.” We all froze, not understanding. “There should be only nine in this group.”

  “Hey!” Zonah yelled. “Watch it! He’s just a kid. It’s not his fault.”

  “Just sit down, Zonah,” Sabrina ordered and pushed him toward the middle row. She sat in the middle of the two of them.

  “Mom, what’s he talking about?” Zaden whispered to Sabrina but not low enough.

  “I’ll tell you what I’m talking about,” Dr. Higgins spat. “Someone in your group cancelled and she cancelled one room but not all the people in that room. There should only be two guests in a room, not three,” he answered. “Not you,” he added, pointing at Zaden again.

  “How do you know all that?” Jack asked from the first row, sitting between Geri and Charlotte. I wondered who would cancel a trip like this. Plus, was it Zaden’s father? Or was it someone to watch Zaden so Zonah and Sabrina could have time together? I wanted Jack to ask that next.

  “From the front desk. As the only single on the trip, I knew I’d get stuck sitting up here.” He glared at Sonny, “I will not be sitting here each drive.”

  “No, sir. I told everyone they’ll get their time up here,” Sonny assured him and then turned the ignition on.

  His anger not defused, he turned his ire toward Charlotte and me. “That’s why those two girls got such a cheap last-minute deal, right?”

  No one answered.

  Charlotte looked at me for confirmation, which I couldn’t give. All I knew was I had found the deal two weeks ago. There would be no more happy sister hugs if Dr. Higgins kept this up.

  The truck’s quick acceleration threw us all back and forced Dr. Higgins to look forward.

  For fifteen minutes, we drove in silence. I was thankful for the extra sunscreen I had applied, at Charlotte’s urging, as the strong African sun beat down.

  Ray made nearly constant subtle gestures to Sonny to go right, or left or keep going to straight, something I missed when I had sat so close to them. I had only caught a few.

  Above the rest of the travelers, I had an amazing view of it all, especially my fellow travelers. Dr. Higgins would snap a picture, review it, take another if he wasn’t pleased with it, and then put the camera down. He then would pull out his animal guide and make a notation. I saw Zaden nod off on Sabrina’s shoulder, while Sabrina stared out onto the vast landscape. Zonah took bursts of photos on his iPhone every time we stopped, as did Charlotte. Geri was always searching for Jack, seeking to hold his hand, despite him being right next to her. Charlotte may have been right about those two.

  Next to me, I watched as Colin took pictures of everything, while Hazel instructed him.

  Maybe Charlotte was right. Human watching was fun, when there were no wild animals to observe.

  But after Dr. Higgins’ outburst earlier, I wondered who the wild animals really were.

  “Give us a few minutes to set up,” Sonny instructed us as we stopped.

  I had assumed the break was an opportunity to stretch our legs until Jack came over.

  “Sundowners,” Jack told me. “The best part of the drives.” I waited for him to explain. “Happy hour!”

  Sonny and Ray arranged a small table at the front of the Land Cruiser, setting three bowls of snacks and displaying various drink options. He poured a glass of red wine and walked over to Dr. Higgins with it. The hour-plus game drive had soothed the savage beast and he smiled when he took it.

  Sonny handed Jack a beer and Geri a glass of white wine. Her hand lingered on Sonny’s as she accepted it. He then approached us for our drink order. “Champagne for the ladies?” he asked Sabrina, Charlotte, and me.

  “Oh, yes,” Sabrina answered for us. “Soda for him, please,” Sabrina ordered for Zaden. Zonah got a drink from Ray. I couldn’t tell if it was alcoholic or not. Despite a day of being together, I still couldn’t decipher Zonah and Sabrina’s relationship or Zonah’s age. His facial hair was about the same as when we arrived. Was it slow growing? Or had he trimmed it for that five o’clock shadow look?

  Drinking age here was eighteen and he was definitely over eighteen so it didn’t matter what the drink was. None of it really mattered. I was just curious. Especially since Zonah seemed to be checking Charlotte out whenever Sabrina wasn’t looking.

  With everyone equipped with a beverage, we held our glasses in the air while Sonny toasted, “To my motherland,” with his juice.

  We mingled and snacked and drank for twenty minutes.

  Jack pointedly went over to Dr. Higgins, who was, as always, a minimalist with conversation. Jack didn’t look insulted when he walked away, headed to the makeshift bar for another Castle beer.

  Most of the time was spent enjoying the view, until Sonny called us back to our ride and dinner at the lodge.

  You could sense the relief of everyone that the drive, and the sundowners, had been free of another of Dr. Higgins’ outbursts. He was probably suffering from jet lag, like the rest of us, but wasn’t handling it as gracefully.

  I heard a commotion behind me and the tension returned.

  “Just wait a minute, old man,” Dr. Higgins said. “Just let me get in and then you and the old lady can get back to your seats.”

  “Who the hell are you calling old?” Colin shouted.

  Dr. Higgins ignored him and climbed into his front seat. Colin continued to glare at him and wait for an answer.

  Hazel tapped him on the shoulder and held out her hand. I reached down and offered her my hand as well onto the small steps around the wheel to climb into the cruiser.

  “Oh, thank you, dear,” she said as she took it.

  “I would smash that mother—” Colin started.

  “Colin!” she rebuked.

  Colin was right. He towered over Dr. Higgins by at least eight inches and outweighed him by at least forty pounds. And most of that was muscle.

  His sleeves now rolled up, I could see the bulging biceps and Marine tattoos. His set posture and face wasn’t a sternness but his go-to posture from years in the military.

  “Who the hell does he think he is?” Colin said to Hazel. S
he patted him on his thigh.

  “A pain in the ass,” Sabrina answered.

  Dinner

  The ride back to the lodge was in darkness, as the sun had set by the time we reboarded the Land Cruiser. Ray swung a large light back and forth in search of another animal sighting. But it was in vain. There were no more animal sightings on this game drive.

  A staffer greeted us upon our return with moist towels soaked in lavender. I used one to wipe the grime of the hours in the African bush off my face. I felt better and looked forward to another scrumptious meal.

  “I’d like to freshen up for dinner,” Geri told Jack. She kissed him on the cheek and headed toward the wooden walkway.

  He held her hand to stop her. “You look lovely, dear. Let’s just head to our table.”

  “Ten minutes,” she assured him. She signaled a staff member and she took his arm to escort her to their room.

  “I’ll go with you,” Sabrina yelled. She ran to catch up to Geri and the escort. Now dark, the escort was mandatory.

  “Ten minutes, my ass. I’ll be lucky if she’s back in thirty,” Jack said. “Drink at the bar, anyone?”

  Charlotte and I looked at each other and nodded agreement. We each grabbed a barstool. Zonah joined us, sitting between Charlotte and Jack. He smiled at her as he sat, which she didn’t notice.

  Zaden sat in his post-breakfast spot, his good Wi-Fi spot, and played on his phone.

  Dinner tonight was set out on the patio, where we had lunch and breakfast earlier. The tables, set for each individual party, were candlelit. No group dinner tonight. I was sure I wasn’t the only one relieved that we wouldn’t be forced to be together.

  Hazel and Colin headed to one of the tables set for two and sat.

  “What can I get for the ladies?” the bartender asked as he sat a bottle of beer, Castle Lager, in front of Jack. After just one day, the staff knew Jack well.

  “Whatever you recommend,” I answered.

  “Bitter lemon and vodka is my specialty.”

  “Done,” Charlotte and I answered in unison.