Rose knew her own driving could be erratic when she was in a hurry, but that was nothing compared with Marina. She was jolted forward as the car hit a hole and was relieved to be wearing her seat belt.
“Marina, please slow down. We can’t look for Nina or any evidence of her at this pace. And I’d prefer not to arrive at the watering hole battered and bruised.”
The car slowed and Marina drove around a lyceum bush rather than over it and called, “Sorry.”
“Thank you,” Rose sighed.
She looked around the deserted landscape, but when she caught a movement in the corner of her eye, she realised it wasn’t empty. She spotted a herd of impala and nearby, three zebra were grazing quietly.
They reached the watering hole and Marina parked the car. The empty sundowners platform was to their left and a thicket of large whistling thorn bushes to their right.
She heard an engine and Thabiti appeared in another of the lodge’s long wheelbase safari Land Cruisers.
They all walked to the sundowner’s platform. A huge lone bull elephant was squirting water over its back as it stood at the edge of the watering hole.
Thabiti twirled his car keys. “There’s no sign of her, but I can’t look in every nook and cranny. Borana’s huge.”
Rose watched the elephant. “This is an obvious place for her to have walked to, especially as she was here on Friday night. And both Pearl and Julius thought they saw her walking in this direction.”
Rose turned around and faced Marina and Thabiti. “Let’s have a good look for her. I suggest we walk the perimeter of the watering hole and search any obvious hiding places, and near any rocks or mounds which she might have fallen off.”
They left the platform and walked towards the thicket of whistling thorn bushes. Thabiti walked with his hands in his pockets and Marina was unusually quiet. Marina pushed through the bushes, but the thorns on a branch caught the back of her t-shirt.
“Just a minute,” said Rose as she carefully pulled the spikes and the branch free. She followed Marina and was surprised to find a clearing inside the thicket.
“Look,” cried Marina, as she rushed forward. She scrabbled by a clump of sedges with long grass-like fronds, and pulled out a floppy hat with a bright red bow. She patted it down to remove the dust. “So Nina has been taken.”
“And look at this.” Thabiti was squatting down at the other side of the clearing where some of the sedges had been flattened. “The ground is boggy and there look to be tyre marks, as if a car has been parked here.”
Rose felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck. She looked around sharply and although she didn’t see anyone, her feeling of unease remained.
Marina picked at the hat’s red bow. “What are we going to do? We can’t just lose a guest.”
Rose tried not to think the worst. “I know, but just because it looks like a car was parked here, it doesn’t mean she’s been kidnapped. The car may have had nothing to do with her disappearance, or whoever it was might have offered to drive her around the conservancy. Look, she may have been injured and been taken to another lodge or the nearest hospital. There are plenty of explanations.”
Marina stretched up her hands and took a deep breath. “Of course, you’re right, Mama Rose. I’m so grateful you’re here to consider this logically. We should get back to the lodge and then I can radio the other lodges, security and the conservancy management team to find out if they’ve seen Nina. And after that I’ll call the local hospitals in Isiolo and Nanyuki.”
“That’s a good idea.” Rose rubbed her chin. “But I also think we should inform someone in a position of responsibility.”
Marina’s eyes gleamed as she exclaimed, “Sam. We must tell Sam. I saw him after the marathon yesterday and he told me he and Judy were staying in the tented camp at Lewa last night. Oh, I do hope he hasn’t left. He might know what to do.”
Thabiti stood up, but still studied the wet ground. “By Judy, do you mean Constable Wachira?”
“Oh yes, of course,” responded Marina.
“That’s exactly who we need to find,” agreed Rose. She addressed Thabiti, “Can you drive across to Lewa and see if they’re still there?” Turning back to Marina, she said, “And I think we’ll have to go back and update Robert. He’s not going to like our news.”