The Leopard's Prey Part 13

"I have no idea," he said. With that, he walked off toward the line of coffee trees.

Jade got up and trotted after him. "Sam, wait." He stopped, half turning to face her. "What's wrong, Sam? I don't understand."

He took a deep breath and let it out. "I went to church this morning, looking for you." His dark eyes bored into hers. "You weren't there."

Jade let her head fall back. "And you think I was lying to you just now?" She stepped closer and peered into his eyes. "I went to the French mission." Sam's shoulders drooped. "I'm sorry, Sam. I had no idea. . . . I left Maddy a note, but I guess she threw it away after she read it."

"Sorry, Jade. I'm as bad as that d.a.m.ned Finch, accusing you of deceiving me without more evidence."

"You've had a bad night," she said by way of excuse. "And you look like h.e.l.l." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You ought to go lie down and sleep. I can go for a doctor or-"

"I don't need a doctor and I don't want a d.a.m.ned nurse-maid!" Sam snapped.

Jade pulled her hand back. "Maddy's slicing cake if you're hungry. I need to see to my equipment, get ready for loading those zebra. You'll probably want to set up your camera." Her lips twitched in a weak attempt at a smile; then she walked back to her motorcycle for her lariat. All the while, she wondered if Sam was hiding something.

THE FIRST TRUCK, a large flatbed with a lidless wood-and-wire cage built around the inside of the truck bed, arrived just after eleven, with Daley at the wheel and four Africans riding in back. Cutter rolled in ten minutes later in an identical truck. Madeline invited the men to sit in the shade of the veranda while they discussed the upcoming operations. Jade and Neville joined them, and Sam filmed part of the discussion. Half an hour later, Anderson pulled into the yard.

Anderson drove a smaller truck with stout wooden planks on the outer sides rising three feet from the bed's bottom. A wooden gate, which slid into place in the back, lay loose on the floor next to an empty wooden cage. The others went out to meet him.

"We'll load the zebra into the larger trucks," said Daley. "If we pack three in each one, they won't have room to move. Won't take a spill and break any legs that way." He patted the last truck on the side wall. "Your lion will go in here. In a cage of course. We've got some poultry netting covering the gaps in the wood so he can't get a paw out and claw someone."

"Percy wouldn't claw anyone," said Madeline. "He's been a pet since he was a cub."

"He's going to be unhappy about the move, ma'am," said Daley, "and that means frightened. So there's no telling what he'll do."

"Mr. Daley is quite right, my dear," said Neville as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Madeline nodded. "Of course. It's just that I feel sorry for Percy. He will be frightened."

"Don't worry too much about your lion, missus," said Daley. "I've got a zoo in Florida that wants him, so he'll have a nice, warm place to live and all the meat he can eat. We even have a young lioness to keep him company. Just bought her from a man in Nakuru."

"He's lived most of his life penned up, Maddy," added Jade. "You couldn't set him free. He's never hunted and he'd probably get shot within a week."

"Right," said Neville. "Let's get these animals in the trucks."

Anderson called for the African men to bring out the loading ramp and set it up by the paddock gate while he backed the first truck into place. The ramp had slots cut into the side, and the men slid wide planks into place as barricades to prevent an animal from jumping off the sides.

"Do you think they'll go in easily?" asked Anderson.

"They're just zebra," said Cutter. "Should be like loading horses, right?"

"Have you ever loaded wild mustang?" asked Jade. "They don't tend to be very cooperative. Keep out of the way of their hooves, especially the back ones. I've seen them kick."

"Well, that's your job, isn't it?" asked Cutter. "Aren't you the rope expert here?"

"That's what they're paying me for," said Jade. She'd pulled on leather gloves and retrieved her lariat. Like Neville, she now wore a wide-brimmed straw hat that shielded her face from the sun. She inspected the rope's coils, checking for kinks or unwanted knots.

"What about flyboy?" asked Anderson, hooking a thumb over his shoulder to point to where Sam stood with his camera. "Isn't he helping?"

"Only if he volunteers," said Daley. "I can't hire too many workers here or I won't make any money. His job'll come tomorrow. If he can find us that young rhino, it'll make this expedition." He clenched his right fist. "If we only had more time, but we're already booked for the boat home and every day we have to feed caged animals eats into our profit."

"Well, I'm betting that all we have to do is open the gate, and they'll be so glad to come out that they'll run right on into the truck," said Cutter. Without waiting for a "Go ahead," he swung the gate inward. Immediately the stallion nipped at one mare's flank and sent her and the other mares running to the opposite side, where they milled and reared in confused panic.

"Get out of there and shut the d.a.m.n gate," yelled Jade. "The mares aren't going to cooperate until we get their lord and master out." She clamped her hat tighter on her head, made sure her pocket kerchief was handy, and climbed over the fence halfway between the gate and the milling herd. "Maddy," she called over her shoulder, "would you please fetch Biscuit but hold him until I'm ready? Wish I had a good border collie here."

A good dog, she knew, would single out an animal and cut it from the herd. She'd have to do that herself, and right now, it didn't look as if the stallion had any intention of moving away from his harem. She needed something to draw him out. That would be Biscuit's job.

"Get ready, Maddy," Jade yelled. She loosely held the extra rope as coils in her left hand. Her right hand held the lariat by the knot as she swung the loop over her head, smoothly rolling her wrists. "Okay, now," she called. "Biscuit, to me."

Biscuit immediately raced to Jade's side. The sleek cat slunk low on all fours, his broad head down between his hunching shoulders. He let loose a raspy rowr as he eyed the stallion.

The zebra recognized the same animal that had threatened him a few days ago. He reared and pounded the ground in front of him, daring the cat to risk his deadly hooves.

"Stay, Biscuit," said Jade in a soothing voice. "Stay." Biscuit remained rooted in place, out of reach but close enough to irritate the stallion and keep him in front of his mares. Jade inched to the side, still swinging her rope overhead, until she had a clear shot at his head. She let the rope fly and it fell true around the zebra's neck. A quick tug and the loop tightened.

"Biscuit, away," Jade ordered, and after a moment's hesitation about leaving the fun, the cheetah trotted back to Maddy. Jade raced to the fence nearest the gate and pa.s.sed the rope around one of the stout posts. Then, using it as a pulley, she tugged on the rope, dragging the zebra closer. Anderson jumped over the fence and lent a hand. When the animal was halfway to them, she called a halt. "Let me get another rope on him," she explained.

Jade took a second rope from Cutter and tossed another loop onto the ground just behind his hind legs. "Give him a bit of slack," she called. The zebra took the slack and stepped backward into the loop. Jade pulled and ensnared a leg. "Now he can't buck. Together, on my count. Gently." As Jade counted up, she and Cutter pulled together, with him at the head and Jade with the rear. Each step allowed the zebra to inch forward until they had him by the gate.

Jade handed her rope off to Anderson and pulled the kerchief from her back pocket. "Neville, do you want to do the honors? It ought to be your face in the scene." She handed the kerchief to him, and he took her place in front of the zebra.

"I'll be danged," said Daley. "They're dressed alike down to the same hat, too."

"That's because Neville and Madeline are the stars of this show," said Jade. "Tie the handkerchief around his eyes, Neville. He'll settle down once he can't see the danger."

True to her word, the zebra did quiet himself, and the men were able to lead the animal up the ramp and into the truck. Without the stallion pressing them back, the mares followed a few at a time until all six zebra were loaded.

"Were you able to get all that on film, Sam?" asked Jade.

He looked up from the camera and nodded. "Should be okay."

Jade thought he looked pale and noticed the lines tightening around his mouth. "Sam?"

"I'm fine!" he insisted. "I told you, I'm just tired." Biscuit trotted over and b.u.t.ted his head against Sam's good leg. He reached out and scratched the cheetah behind the ears, and Biscuit erupted in a deep, resonating purr.

"Fantastic job, Jade," called Daley. "Now all we have to do is load up that lion."

"You won't need me for that," said Jade. "Maddy hasn't fed him yet. Put some meat in your cage, set it door to door with his, and he'll go right on in."

"You heard the lady," Daley called to his crew. "Get the cage set up." He turned back to Jade. "We may still need you to help unload these animals into the holding pens in Nairobi. We'll put them into a freight car with built-in stalls so they'll be ready to ship out Tuesday."

"Tuesday?" asked Jade. "I thought you were staying on through the week."

"We are," said Daley, "but Bob wants to load up the hoofed animals early. He's taking them by train late Tuesday to Momba.s.sa and supervising the loading. I'll stay on here until we get the rhino. Then I'll take it and the predators to the ship."

Jade nodded as she watched Sam relocate his tripod and camera to film Percy's transfer and loading. His answer to her query had sounded curt and snappish to her ear. Maybe he is just tired. You're tired, too. But as she watched him smile at Maddy and give stage directions to Neville, she knew something else was wrong. Was he jealous of her dancing with Anderson last night? It hadn't been her choice. She couldn't think of anything else.

She hoped that a good night's sleep and the prospect of flying tomorrow would put Sam in a better disposition. Until then, Jade decided to stay out of his way lest she inadvertently say something about Finch or Stokes to remind him of his humiliating night in a jail cell.

As she predicted, Percy followed his stomach and went easily enough into the cage. He started once and snarled as they put the barricade in place and again as the men hoisted him up into the truck, but once they left him to finish his meal in peace, he quieted down.

Jade went to the pump and splashed water on her face, letting it run down her shirt. The afternoon sun immediately dried her and she felt her tension evaporate along with the water. Someone touched her shoulder and she jumped.

"Sorry," said Madeline. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I was just daydreaming, I guess."

"You must be exhausted," said Maddy. "Come inside and have some lemonade. There's still cake, too. Neville is the only one who ate any earlier."

"Is Sam going in?"

Maddy frowned. "Yes, but he said he wants to lie down and sleep. He must have had a very bad time of it last night." She peered at Jade. "Did you two have a row?"

Jade shrugged. "I wish I knew that myself. We're supposed to fly tomorrow morning, and now I'm not sure if I shouldn't just stay away."

Madeline grabbed Jade's arm. "Oh, don't do that," she said. "I'm sure he's just worn-out. Neville can be a grumpy lion when he's tired, too, but he'll never admit to it. Silly male pride."

Jade felt her fatigue returning. "I'm exhausted, too. It looks like Mr. Daley wants to get these animals squared away now, so I'm going to have to leave. Thanks anyway."

"But you'll come back for supper?"

Jade shook her head. "Thanks, but no, Maddy. I'm going to soak in a tub and sleep. I'll see you tomorrow bright and early, in case Sam still wants me to go up."

She waved goodbye to Neville, put on her helmet and goggles, and started her motorcycle. Not wanting to eat everyone's dust, she led the way to the Nairobi warehouse, taking note that the place where Neville's coffee dryer had stood was a few hundred yards from the holding pens. That's close to where our trough of cattle dip is, too. If the dryer was a convenient place to shove a body, then the murder site would be close. There was no other dip trough nearby.

If she had any hope of finding some footprints or impressions, though, it was dashed by the innumerable tracks made by men filling buckets of dip to fill pump sprayers. So after the zebra were safely in their stalls, she didn't search the area around the trough, especially as the hired Africans were busy treating the new arrivals.

"Join me for a drink?" asked Anderson.

"Thanks, but no, Wayne," replied Jade. "I'm not a drinker and frankly I'm just too tired to socialize. But thanks for your help hauling in that stallion. I couldn't have managed by myself."

"Well, I'm a pretty handy guy," he said. "You know, if you change your mind about hanging around here, you could come back to the States with us."

"I don't think so," she said. She headed for her motorcycle while Anderson followed.

"Hate to see a pretty American wasting her time here in this forsaken h.e.l.lhole."

Jade didn't bother to answer. She just waved and headed north to Parklands. She'd left Biscuit behind with Madeline, and as she pulled into the lane, she suddenly wished she'd brought him back with her. The house was too big to rattle around in alone.

Jade had stuck her key in the lock when she noticed it was already unlocked. Immediately, her senses went on alert. She opened the door a crack, listened, and hearing nothing, crept inside. Something clattered to the floor, the sound coming from one of the back rooms. Jade reached down to her boot and pulled her knife from its sheath.

She was definitely not alone.

CHAPTER 10.

When a Maasai warrior went to war, he wore a lion's mane headdress.

-The Traveler THE SOUND OF shuffling feet followed the clattering. Jade pressed herself to the wall, trying to determine the number of intruders. If it was just one, she could take him, but if there were several, she needed to make a dash for the nearest policeman. Unfortunately, by the time they returned, the Dunburys' house could be thoroughly looted.

Then another thought came to her. Maybe this wasn't a thief. Maybe someone wanted to find out how much she knew about Stokes' murder. In that case, she definitely needed to capture this person. She gripped her knife in her right hand, the edge of the blade resting back along the sleeve of her outer forearm. The antler hilt felt cool and familiar in her grip.

The shuffling stopped, followed by a low groan. Was someone hurt? Had there been a falling-out between two thieves? Her knee didn't hurt, so presumably the danger wasn't mortal. No sense taking chances. Jade looked around for something to protect her exposed left flank and immediately chose the ornate Wakamba shield hanging on the wall above the leather couch.

Nothing like the genuine article.

Armed and protected, Jade padded to the open doorway and into the narrow hallway. In front of her was the door to Avery's study. To her right lay a small sitting room and, beyond that, the master bedroom. She paused in the doorway, waiting for another noise to guide her next move. She heard a drawer open in the bedroom.

A petty thief.

From what Jade read in the papers, these were generally one of the poorer natives, often a child, looking for something they could sell to pay their hut tax. If that was the case, the thief would most likely be unarmed. But Jade didn't intend to take any chances. A nagging voice in her head suggested it could still be the murderer looking for information.

Jade decided on the element of surprise. She charged the open door with a battle cry worthy of the l.u.s.tiest warrior, shield out in front of her, and her knife hand raised. A clang and a shrill scream met her outcry.

Jade stopped abruptly inside the bedroom and lowered her weapons. "Beverly? What in the name of St. Peter's bait bucket are you doing here?"

Lady Dunbury, her fair face even paler than usual from fright, plopped herself into a nearby chair. "I live here. My stars, Jade. You nearly scared me into labor."

Jade dropped the shield to the floor, slipped her knife back into its sheath, and stepped into the room. Her eyes told her this was her best friend, but her head couldn't register the fact. "But you're supposed to be in London having your baby. What are you doing here? Where's Avery? My Lord, you're . . . huge!"

Beverly planted her feet apart and gripped the chair's arms. "Oof," she said as she pushed herself up. "I feel like I'm carrying a pumpkin inside."

Jade hurried to help her. "No, don't get up. You should sit. You shouldn't be here."

"Oh, hush and give me a hug."

Jade clasped her friend in her arms, trying to avoid crushing the bulging abdomen. "Bev, I can't believe this. You're really here." By now Jade's head, aided by touch and sound, had caught up with her eyes. She felt a giddy elation, an exuberance that lifted her soul as high as flying did her body. She felt something else, too: a b.u.mp against her own middle. "Was that the baby?" Jade asked. "Did I just feel the baby kick?"

"You did. The little tyke kicks all the time now." They hugged again, rocking from side to side. Beverly started to sob.

"Bev, what's wrong?" asked Jade, worry replacing her joy. She suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen any sign of Avery and a horrible anxiety cut through her heart. "Where's Avery?'

Bev eased herself, a little ungracefully, back into the chair and waved her hand in the air. "Avery's probably still at the train station, trying to get our luggage here. I was tired, so I took a rickshaw home."

Jade knelt beside her and placed one hand on her friend's arm. "Then what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Beverly dabbed at her eyes, which always reminded Jade of the blue one saw in watercolors. They seemed even more so now that they were moist with tears. "I cry all the time," Beverly answered. "I hear a sentimental song, I cry. I eat a scone, I cry." She turned to Jade and smiled. "And even the remotest memory of Africa or you, and I blubber like a baby." She reached over and hugged Jade again.

"You cannot know how much I-we-missed you and our home here," Beverly continued. "I positively hate London now. It's so noisy and smelly, and there aren't any zebra to come running down the street when a lion scares them."

She sniffed, and Jade stood and fetched one of Beverly's embroidered handkerchiefs for her. "Thank you," said Bev after she blew her nose. "And my sister has been impossible! She insisted on moving in to take care of me."