Rose met Chris at the hospital on Monday morning to visit Craig. She had slept surprisingly well and felt a little guilty that she had enjoyed stretching out and having the bed to herself. She had been joined by Potto, who had curled up on the spot where Craig’s feet should have been, and Izzy.
Chris was waiting for her at the bottom of the concrete steps, which led up to the reception area in the recently constructed main hospital building.
“Was it a late one last night?” she asked him.
“Yes, we left Cape Chestnut around eight pm but continued the party at a friend’s house.” He cradled a white paper disposable cup.
“Will you be staying in our guest cottage tonight?”
“Would you like me to?” He sipped from the cup.
“Of course, but I do understand that as you’re only here for a short time, you may have other people to see.”
“Shall we?” Chris led the way up the steps. “That’s true. I have been trying to get in touch with friends in Timau and the surrounding farms, but I haven’t heard back from them yet. Besides, I don’t want you to be worried and alone.”
“Let’s see what the day brings.” She opened the door into the hospital reception area.
“Can I see my husband, Craig Hardie?” she asked the bespectacled African woman behind a curved white counter.
The woman consulted a computer and replied, “Yes, the doctor has completed her rounds in that block.”
They walked along a corridor, past the doctors’ and registrars’ consulting rooms, and pushed open a door at the end of the building. They entered a smaller corridor in one of the hospital’s older buildings, turned right, strode past several doors and opened the one into Craig’s small ward.
Two of the beds were now empty, although the one which the boda boda driver had occupied had the top sheet turned neatly over and looked ready for his return.
She smiled at Craig and kissed him on the forehead. “How are you?” She placed a large brown envelope on the bedside locker.
Craig smiled thinly back at her. “Sore. As well as the damage to my hip, the nurses also discovered a large bruise extending from my shoulder, down my back, and to my hip, which is also likely to be a result of my fall. To be honest, I’ve mostly slept since I’ve been in here.”
Chris placed a chair next to Craig’s bed for Rose and she sat down, taking hold of Craig’s translucent hand. “I’m sure that’s the best thing for you, and it’ll help with the healing process.”
Craig looked up at Chris and asked, “What were you up to yesterday? You look rather bleary-eyed.”
“I took Mum for lunch at Cape Chestnut and then met up with some mates. It was quite a late night.” He rubbed his eyes with his free hand and took another sip from his white disposable cup.
“You know that whilst I’m in here you need to look after your mother,” Craig instructed his son.
Rose squeezed Craig’s hand and said, “We’ve already discussed this. Chris will stay at the cottage. But he still has friends to catch up with, and I’m more than capable of spending the night on my own if he’s out with friends.” She looked down at the bed, not wanting to add that she might have to get used to being on her own.
“Is Heather coming?” Craig asked in a slightly hoarse voice. Rose stood and passed him a glass of water, which he sipped.
She looked back at Chris.
He responded, “We haven’t spoken to her yet. Yesterday was rather busy … “
“And we thought we’d see how you were progressing today and wait for an update from Dr Farrukh,” Rose said in a bright voice.
Chris added, “And she’s arriving in just under two weeks anyway. But I’ll call her once we have an update from your doctor.”
The door to the small ward opened and Rose expected to see Dr Farrukh, but instead it was Commissioner Akida carrying a bottle of whisky. He wore a khaki-coloured uniform with a short-sleeved shirt, a leather cross belt with a shiny gold buckle, and a peaked cap. He removed his cap with his free hand and lodged it under his arm.
“Bwana Hardie. I heard you had been in the wars. What was it? Were you fighting off a lion attack?”
Craig tried but failed to sit up.
The commissioner reached forward with his arm and said in an apologetic tone, “Please, don’t move on my account.”
Craig rested his head back on the pillows and said, “Commissioner, how good of you to come. Alas, it was just a fall, but I land a little heavier these days than I used to.”
“I’d hide that bottle before the nurse sees it,” shouted the African man in the bed opposite.
“Good idea.” The commissioner placed his cap on the end of Craig’s bed and looked round.
Chris stepped across and said, “Let me take that.”
Whilst Chris hid the bottle inside the bedside cabinet, Craig said, “That’s very good of you. I’m sure my fellow patients and I will enjoy a wee dram on an evening.”
“We certainly will,” the man in the other bed replied.
“So …” The commissioner looked around, as if unsure what to do or say next.
Rose asked, “Is there any news from Constable Wachira? Did they find Nina Scott Watson?”
“Haven’t you heard?” The commissioner looked down at her.
“No,” she replied quickly. “What’s happened?”
“The Lewa tracker dogs found her body this morning. Young Thabiti identified it, which I believe was rather an unpleasant experience for him.”
“Why?” asked Chris, returning to the other side of the bed.
Rose looked across to him and said in a gentle tone, “Because the last dead body he saw was that of his mother, and it was only a few months ago.”
The commissioner toyed with his cap. “And this one had been out in the bush overnight and had been disfigured by animals. In fact, the staff at Lewa were only alerted to its presence when a guide spotted a jackal carrying a human hand.”
“How awful,” remarked Rose. “But why were the Lewa staff involved? Surely the body was found on Borana?”
The commissioner frowned. “That’s not what I was told. It was discovered amongst some white thorn acacia trees beside the marathon course, about four kilometres from the finish.”
That’s strange, Rose thought. Even if Nina had encountered a vehicle at the watering hole, and the driver had given her a lift or kidnapped her, why would she end up in Lewa Conservancy?
She asked the commissioner, “Do you know the cause of death?”
He shook his head. “There is nothing obvious on the body. No signs she was hit or shot. It’s another reason for my visit to the hospital this morning. The body arrived here half an hour ago, and an autopsy is currently being conducted.”
“Oh, the poor girl. I wonder how her husband is reacting,” mused Rose almost to herself.
“Well, he didn’t appear particularly upset according to the constable. But she put it down to the shock of finding out his young wife was dead.”
“Perhaps, perhaps …” considered Rose. “I wonder if I should …”
“Not get involved in this case, Mum. And leave it to the police.” Chris crossed his arms and watched her with narrowed eyes.
She swallowed and fidgeted with her hands. Perhaps he was right. That her place was here, by Craig’s bedside, and not searching around Borana and Lewa for clues into the death of a girl she barely knew.
“Steady,” interjected Craig as he looked up at his son. “I agree that I don’t like your mother getting caught up in anything dangerous, but she does seem to have a knack for solving puzzling cases. I’m sure that assisting Commissioner Akida, here in Nanyuki, won’t do her any harm. Besides, it might help to keep her mind off … other things.”
The commissioner coughed and said, “Well. It’s time I returned to my office. I shall be back later for the results of the autopsy, so I’ll pop in again and see how you all are. Bwana, Mama Rose.”
He left, and the silence was broken by the ringtone of Rose’s phone. She answered it.
“Habari, Mama Rose. Are you back in Nanyuki or are you still in Borana?” Dr Emma, her veterinary colleague and nominal boss, spoke urgently.
“I’m back. Why? Do you have an emergency?”
“Yes. One of the bloodhound tracker dogs is arriving shortly from Lewa. It sounds as if it is bloated, so we’ll need to treat it immediately to try to prevent it twisting its gut and dying. Can you assist me?”
“Just a minute,” she said into the phone. Was it OK to leave Craig and help Dr Emma? Chris was eyeing her intently and his lips were pressed together.
She conferred with Craig, “Dr Emma has a patient she needs some help with. Do you mind if I go? I shouldn’t be more than a few hours.”
“Yes, of course, you must go.” Craig smiled and looked across at his son. “Chris can keep me company.”
“I’m coming,” Rose told Dr Emma and ended the call. She looked up at Chris, whose body was tense as he licked his lips.
She stood and collected the brown envelope from on top of the bedside cabinet. “I found some cross-word puzzles. Perhaps you and Craig can work through them whilst I’m away.”
“Of course,” replied Chris glancing over at the door, and back at his father.
Craig smiled. “I’d enjoy that.”