Refreshed from an after-lunch nap, I arrived at reception twenty minutes early for our next game drive. Zaden was wandering around with his phone in the air. I caught him several times a day doing this. The search for a signal.
“At what point will he give up?” Zonah asked Sabrina.
“When he reaches his dad,” Sabrina answered. “He tried calling him before and the call connected but C.K. didn’t answer. Now, he wants to email his dad but can’t get the Wi-Fi signal.”
Sonny pulled up and Ray headed to whatever staff area had his cooler prepared with sundowners. Zonah went off after Zaden, who had walked out of sight.
“He just wants to talk to his dad,” Sabrina explained to me.
I nodded.
Zonah and Zaden came back arguing. I didn’t see a resemblance between the two and still couldn’t decipher their relationship. Were they brothers or cousins? Was Zonah his uncle? Or his future stepfather? I had no idea. When the trip began, that was supposed to be the only big mystery of the trip.
“Time to get in the truck, Zaden,” Sabrina told him.
He ignored her and attempted one more lap around reception in search of a Wi-Fi signal. She snatched his phone away. “MOM!” Zaden yelled.
“Time to get in the truck, Zaden,” she repeated and pointed toward the vehicle.
“I want to call Dad.”
“I know that. He’s fine. We’ll talk to him later.”
“You don’t know that. I just want to make sure after what you—”
“Stop it,” Sabrina hissed. She looked around to see if anyone had heard. I pretended not to.
I waved at the approaching Hazel, who didn’t notice, and then followed her to the Land Cruiser.
“Where’s Colin?” I asked as I sat next to Hazel in the middle row.
“Not feeling well,” she answered, not looking me in the eye.
The rest of the travelers boarded and after our customary greeting with Sonny and Ray, we were off.
Ray was back to his short-sleeve shirt but had a new accessary—a large bandage on his right forearm.
From my perch in the top row, I noted every point Ray made with the bandaged arm. I was not the only one who gasped as we came upon a mud pool with a crash of rhinoceros. Sonny explained that this grouping was from a family. He’d seen this crash before. He told us the bigger ones were teenagers in the rhino world and the smaller one was a toddler.
I looked around for a mother rhino, fearing maybe she wouldn’t like us this close to her family. I was the only one who seemed concerned. The rest observed and enjoyed their interaction. They documented the encounter with plenty of photos—except for Hazel, who was looking in the rhinos’ direction but didn’t seem to seeing them.
For several minutes, the three hippos rolled around in the mud, as if they were playing. The two bigger ones had enough and lay down to rest in the cool muddy waters. The smallest still had more energy and tried to get the other two back up. They grunted at each other until the smallest slid between the two, appearing to give up. Every few seconds, he’d push around, trying to rouse his fellow rhinos. He finally relented and settled in for a rest.
“See, even rhinos have annoying little siblings!” Sonny joked before putting the cruiser back in drive. Ten minutes later, he found a clearing for our nightly dose of sundowners.
Hazel had been unusually quiet during the drive. She usually oohed and aahed at every new sight. She’d point at animals she thought someone hadn’t seen. She’d poke you in the side or arm if she didn’t think you had seen what she thought was so amazing, even if you had. I didn’t see her use the camera once during the game drive.
She wore a long-sleeve tan shirt. It looked like it would make you so hot and uncomfortable in the strong African sun. I couldn’t imagine wearing one. But if it protected your skin from cancer I guess it was worth it. I debated asking her about it but chose silence instead. If forced into conversation with her I’d have something ready.
I stood around her awkwardly as Ray handled our sundowner beverage order.
“Sometimes…sometimes he struggles with the war,” she blurted out after sipping her champagne.
“I’m sorry?” I asked, not knowing what she was talking about.
“PTSD. My granddaddy would have called it shell-shocked.”
I nodded, having no idea what response to give.
“PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder.”
“Oh yes.” I nodded again. “I hope he feels better soon.” I made to walk away.
“He was in Vietnam,” she continued, which halted my progress. I made eye contact with Charlotte, seeking help. She smiled and raised her glass in a mock toast. I silently cursed her. She was smiling broadly, talking to Jack, and knew full well I was looking for help. Wait until she needed an “emergency call” the next time she had a boring date with one of the hospital’s residents.
“Vietnam?” I asked. “I thought you were from Canada?”
“We emigrated in the eighties, before you were probably born.” I didn’t disagree and she continued. “He can be fine for months and then something sets him off.” She downed the rest of her champagne.
She continued talking but I was stuck on “set him off.” Dr. Higgins and Colin had argued during his last game drive. Had that set him off?
“He’s very upset about Dr. Higgins. I think that’s what set him off…this time. All that blood. But one never knows.”
“How much blood could he have seen? He was all the way at the end of the walkway.”
She hesitated before mumbling “Umm…” She looked around at our fellow travelers, with a look of desperation, as I had looked at Charlotte for help just a few moments ago. Like me, she found none but she did find her words. “There was a lot of blood. We all saw it. A lot of blood.” She pointed to the others. “Just ask them. There was a lot of blood.”
I took a sip of my champagne and plotted my next question. “You two were at the treehouse that night, weren’t you?”
She hesitated again before answering. She looked at her empty champagne glass, as if willing it to refill. “Yes…we went to the treehouse.”
She caught me staring at her. I expected her to drone on about her experience at the treehouse like she had with the Wallaces. “Nothing to worry about, dear.”
I nodded, but I didn’t believe her. I saw fear in her eyes.
She waved for Ray to fill up her glass. He didn’t see her, busy with getting Jack another bottle of beer. As she walked toward him, I was glad I was freed from the awkward conversation. It had gained me no leads in the death of Dr. Higgins but something bothered me about her and our conversation.
She and Colin had been miles away from the lodge, at the treehouse, when Dr. Higgins died, weren’t they?