Sonny traversed the dusty roads for another hour, with Ray pointing as necessary to direct him. We clicked photos of kudus, elephants, and a lone giraffe. Each animal sighting was magical in its own way.
I was relieved that we didn’t observe any more life-and-death battles. I wondered if the others were also glad. Maybe someone had a bloodlust now and wanted to see more.
By sundowners, I no longer saw my traveling companions as fellow tourists but as suspects.
The sun was setting. A blaze of orange colors inked the sky. The receding sun’s rays gleamed through the wisps of clouds. I should have been taking photos of the magnificent sight. The array of colors from the horizon as the sun lowered was like no other sunset I’d ever seen before. The heat of the day gone, I put my long-sleeved button-up shirt on.
Ray and Sonny poured everyone a drink, wines, soda, beer, whatever they chose. Ray often pulled down on the sleeve of his shirt. Now with the sun lowering in the sky and the temperature slowly dropping, a long-sleeved shirt was a sensible option. But he looked uncomfortable.
Sonny held up his juice and said “Cheers.” We followed suit. Except Ray, who didn’t raise his arm.
With white wine in hand, I walked along the outskirts of the group and observed them. Small groups began to form. Sabrina went with Zaden, who had announced he had to go to the bathroom. I waited for Zonah to walk over to Charlotte to chat her up but he didn’t. He stood by himself and waited for their return. His facial hair was thicker today. He stared off into the horizon, away from the rest of us.
The Vankeys were talking to the Wallaces. I walked toward them, but kept my distance.
“When are you staying at the treehouse?” Hazel asked them.
“Fourth night,” Geri answered.
“What is she talking about?” Jack asked.
“One night we get to stay in the treehouse. It’s miles away from the lodge and everyone.” She pulled herself under his arm. “Ooh! It’ll be so romantic! Just you and me under the stars.”
Jack rolled his eyes and took a long sip of his beer. “Will there be beer?” he asked.
Colin assured him the complimentary booze would be stocked. “They’ll leave you food and drinks in a cooler.”
“We stayed last night,” Hazel told Geri. “What a treat. Nothing like that back home in Canada.”
Damn, I thought. Two off my list. They weren’t even at the lodge last night. I wandered away as Hazel prattled on about the treehouse.
Six to go. Charlotte was talking to Sabrina, who had returned from Zaden’s foray behind a bush. Five, I corrected myself. Charlotte was another one off the list.
Just because she was family didn’t mean I didn’t have to eliminate her from the list of suspects. But I would have found her bloody clothes and the murder weapon when I went through her suitcase, looking for batteries for my camera, while she was napping this afternoon.