17

“Connor is probably enjoying himself too much to reply,” said Jason, his feet propped up on the desk in Alpha team’s operations room as Charley attempted to call Connor’s phone for the third time that morning. “If I were him, I’d be relaxing in a private pool, chatting with that French girl.”

Charley bristled at the suggestion and Ling flung a pen at Jason’s head.

“I was only joking!” cried Jason, ducking just in time.

Ling shot him a furious glare, then turned to Charley. “Remember, communication’s pretty nonexistent within the park. It’s possible he doesn’t have a signal.”

“I know, but it’s not like Connor to miss an evening and a morning report-in. I can’t contact him on his phone or get through to the lodge. I can’t even locate his phone using the GPS app,” she explained, pointing to the digital map of Burundi displayed on her computer screen. “That’s over twelve hours without official contact. It’s time we raised the alert.”

“Aren’t you being a little hasty?” said Richie, munching on a bowl of cornflakes. “He’s probably been asleep most of that time. And it’s not as if they’re in the middle of a war zone. He’s on a safari vacation, for heaven’s sake!”

Jason nodded in agreement. “Connor would use the SOS app if he was in real trouble.”

“If he’s in real trouble, he might not be able to use the SOS app,” Charley argued.

“Try the lodge one more time,” suggested Ling. “Then we’ll go to the colonel.”

Charley picked up the phone and dialed. The connection failed as before. She tried again. There was a distant echoing ring. Her hand clasped the receiver tighter. After eight rings, the call was picked up.

“Bonjour, Ruvubu Safari Lodge. C’est Yasmina qui parle. Comment puis-je vous aider?”

The line was poor, but the voice was clear enough to make out.

“Parlez-vous anglais?” asked Charley, switching to speakerphone so the others could hear.

After a slight delay, the voice answered, “Of course. How can I help?”

“I would like to speak to one of your guests. Connor Reeves? He’s staying with the Barbier family.”

There was a longer pause. “I’m sorry. They’re currently on a bush safari. Would you like to leave a message?”

“Yes, please tell him his sister Charley called and to get in touch as soon as possible.”

“Certainly. Have a good day.” The line went dead.

“See!” said Jason, leaning back in his chair, his hands behind his head. “Told you there was nothing to worry about.”