The big-game hunter flung his jacket on the back of his chair and sat down with a loud grunt, making Lester wince with embarrassment.
“I was just talking about our trek,” the boy explained, sitting back down and fingering the flowers in the vase between them.
“You’ll be part of a real man’s world for a change,” said his father. “Walking the plain like a bushman, roughing it in a tent, cooking your own food and –”
He stopped as Lester let out a wail of horror and backed away from the flowers.
“What’s the matter?” snapped Mr Hall.
“Spider,” croaked Lester. “A great big one. On that petal!”
Red with anger, Mr Hall knocked the spider on to the table and squashed it with his fist. “Fuss about nothing,” he grumbled, flicking the body away.
“Why did you kill it?” protested Lester. Ben and Zoe buried their heads in their menus.
“Poor Lester,” whispered Zoe, “having a dad like that.”
“Whatever else Mr Hall’s up to,” said Ben, “at least he’s taking his son on a photography expedition. Maybe that’s the only reason he’s here.”
“We need to be sure,” said Zoe, patting the pocket that contained the OWL. “Look, he hasn’t got his hat with him.”
“Then it must be in his room,” said Ben.
“We can’t go in there,” whispered Zoe.
“We’ve got to,” said Ben. “And for that we need the key. I can see the fob sticking out of his jacket pocket. I’ll make a diversion and you grab it.”
“Be careful,” hissed Zoe.
“Trust me.” Ben winked, getting to his feet. He sauntered past the Halls, who were studying their menus, and made for the dessert table. He placed two papayas and a mango on a plate and wove his way back. Just as he reached Lester and his father, he appeared to trip. The fruit rolled off the plate and bounced under their table.
“Oh dear!” gasped Ben. He dived beneath the cloth and crawled over their feet, chasing the lost fruit.
“What are you doing?” growled Frank Hall, pushing his chair back and peering under the table.
Ben rolled the mango towards Zoe across the floor. She leapt from her seat and made a great show of scrabbling for it on the ground. At the same time she slipped her other hand deftly into Mr Hall’s jacket pocket, removed the key and hid it up her sweatshirt sleeve.
Ben emerged from under the table, holding the papayas. “Got them!” he beamed.
“And here’s the mango!” said Zoe, producing the fruit. “I’m sorry we disturbed you.”
Lester started to laugh, but caught his father’s eye and stopped.
“Dreadful behaviour!” growled Frank Hall. “You shouldn’t be allowed in here on your own. Where are your parents?”
“Our parents aren’t with us,” said Zoe.
“Disgraceful! Kids on their own.”
Lester looked down at the table in embarrassment.
“But our tutor’s in her room,” said Ben calmly. “She’s not feeling well.”
“Why didn’t you have your meal with her?” grunted Mr Hall. “Then you wouldn’t have bothered the rest of us.”
“We’re just going there now,” Zoe put in quickly. “The fruit’s for her. Come on, Ben,” she said, grabbing her brother by the arm.
Checking that the corridor was empty, Zoe turned the key to room 212. The door swung open on to a huge bedroom. All around the walls were beautiful paintings of lions, leopards and giraffes in their natural surroundings. The children dived inside and shut the door.
“Wow!” gasped Ben. “This is a lot posher than our room.”
On a desk in the corner sat a laptop and some hunting magazines. Clothes were slung on chairs and in the centre of the four-poster bed was the hat.
“Let’s get on with it and go,” said Zoe nervously. She threw down the key and the mango on the bed and grabbed the hat.
She quickly positioned the OWL on the front, between a green feather and a badge with “Hot shot!” emblazoned on it. Within seconds it was stuck fast. She’d just put the hat back on the bed when they heard voices outside the door.
“I’m certain I had the key with me.” It was Mr Hall!
“It is not a problem, sir.” The children recognised the voice of the receptionist and heard a key sliding into the lock. “I have the master key.”
“Quick,” hissed Ben. “Hide!”
The children dived under the bed.
“The mango!” gasped Zoe. “I’ve left it with the key!” She scrambled out and retrieved the telltale fruit.
She slid back just as the door opened.
They heard an exclamation of surprise and saw Mr Hall’s sandalled feet striding over towards them.
The children looked at each other, eyes wide in the dark. Had he seen Zoe?
But then Frank Hall let out a gruff laugh. “Here it is!” He stopped at the bedside, his feet only centimetres from their faces. There was a rattle as he picked up the key, then the chink of coins. He moved away from the bed. “Take that for your trouble.”
“Thank you, sir.” The door closed softly as the receptionist left with his tip.
“Can we stay here and watch telly?” they heard Lester plead. “I’m tired.”
“We haven’t come all this way for you to watch television,” declared his father. “We’re going to talk to Chitundu now. And he asked to have a good look at the hunting badges on my hat,” he added, picking up his hat and putting it on.
“Who’s Chitundu?”
“Don’t you ever listen?” said Mr Hall, exasperated. “I told you about him. He’s a Samburu from the local village – although he lives at the hotel now. He’s the one taking us on this expedition. I want him to meet you.”
“I remember,” muttered Lester. “But he’ll be too busy to see us, won’t he? You said he works as a chef here and dinner’s still being served.”
“He’ll be there,” said Mr Hall. “But we don’t let on to anyone that he’s involved with our trip. Not fair on him if the lodge found he was working a sideline. Their employees aren’t meant to make extra money out of the guests.”
“So how can Chitundu come with us without the lodge knowing?” persisted Lester.
“Use your head, lad,” scoffed his father. “He’s taking a few days off – unpaid, of course – so they won’t know anything about it.” He gave his gruff laugh. “He’ll get more than enough money from me to make up for it.”
He moved towards the door. “Let’s go,” he said. “Bring your camera to show him.”
Lester sighed. They heard his hurried footsteps as he went into his room then back to join his father. Finally the door clicked shut.
Ben and Zoe waited for a moment, listening hard. Then they slid out from their hiding place.
“I thought I was going to squash the papayas.” Ben grinned. “Shame to ruin our afters –” He broke off. A key was turning in the lock again. They only just had time to disappear back under the bed before Lester ran in.
“I’m going on down, Lester,” came Frank Hall’s grumbling tones from the corridor. “Don’t be long.”
“I won’t be,” his son called back sulkily. “I just need my camera battery.”
Ben and Zoe heard Lester zip open a bag. It sounded as if he was having trouble with the camera. Then the battery dropped with a clatter on to the wooden floor.
It bounced and slid right under the bed, coming to rest between Ben and Zoe.
They shrank as far away as they could as Lester got down on his knees. They hardly dared breathe. Any moment now they were going to be discovered.