The Leopard's Prey Part 4

Sam laughed. "A little of both, I guess. But I'm blocking your way, so if you fellows could give the propeller a yank, we can be off." He turned to Jade. "But you're doing the flying."

Jade hugged Sam hard enough to make him gasp for air. Then she stepped into the recessed stirrup and swung her long legs into the rear c.o.c.kpit's wicker seat, where she donned a leather aviator's helmet and pair of goggles. "I'll pick up my Graflex later, Mr. Perkins."

"Wait a minute," said Anderson, pointing to Jade. "She's flying?"

"I had a few lessons during the war," Jade called back over the side, "and Sam's been teaching me when we can afford the fuel. Mostly I take off and land again back at the Thompsons' farm. Never get much more than ten feet off the ground."

"Flying's easy," said Sam. "Landing is the tricky part. But Jade's ready."

Anderson shook his head. "Whole dang world's gone stir-crazy."

Jade focused on what she needed to do to get off the ground. With Sam in the front c.o.c.kpit, she knew he could take over if he had to, but he wouldn't unless it was absolutely necessary. By then, it could be too late.

They were already facing the wind, so Sam asked the men to either back their trucks up to give them a runway, or drive around them. No one wanted to take a chance that this bird wouldn't take off and plow into them, so they pulled the truck off the murram road and drove around behind them. Daley volunteered to pull the propeller, a one-man job on a Jenny, and Sam explained what to do before he climbed into the front c.o.c.kpit by way of the wing-walk pads.

Jade switched off the magneto and primed the engine, pulling gas through with the choke. Then she turned on the switch and cracked the throttle. "Contact," she shouted over the side, and watched as Daley swung the propeller. It caught the first time and the engine purred to life as Daley scurried to the rear. She opened the throttle for full power and felt the Jenny pull ahead like a horse ready to race. Jade used the stick to raise the tail and keep the plane on the ground until she had attained fourteen hundred rpms. Then she pulled back on the stick and let the plane rise smoothly into the air just before the road curved.

The thrill of being aloft swept through Jade. Her pulse raced and her right hand trembled slightly on the stick. She banked into a turn, climbing in a slow spiral reminiscent of an eagle riding a thermal. Below them, Anderson, Daley, and Perkins peered up. Perkins waved once, and Jade waggled the wing in reply. In the front c.o.c.kpit, Sam pointed to the northwest and Jade turned the nose in that direction.

Fifteen minutes later, at fifteen hundred feet, they left the main farms and crossed the fringe of wild Africa. She dropped to eight hundred feet and pa.s.sed over a mixed herd of hartebeeste and reedbuck. Jade spotted the spread-out spiral horns of a few greater kudu along the edge. The entire herd took off as one ma.s.s at their approach, twisting and flowing like a living river. Jade tapped Sam on the shoulder and pointed. The plane had startled a rhino that stood his ground, pivoting in an attempt to spot this noisy intruder. Jade laughed at his confusion and flew on, climbing to leave him in peace. Conversation wasn't possible over the noise, so she could only hope Sam saw him, too.

She checked the fuel gauge and the water-temperature gauge, saw both read fine, but decided it was probably time to head back to the Thompsons' farm. As much as she wanted to stay aloft, listening to the OX-5 engine's throaty purr, she knew that fuel was tight and Sam's funds were limited. It would be selfish to deplete either of them, especially when he had plans to film aloft. Jade turned the Jenny's nose south-east.

They pa.s.sed over Harding's farm and the acres of sisal, grown for its rope-producing fibers. The outbuildings lay in an orderly arrangement around several animal pens. Jade saw a large number of sheep in a pasture, two horses, and the usual exotic "pets," what looked like a Thomson's gazelle and a zebra. Two large dogs lolled near the house. She crossed over to what was probably Alwyn Chalmers' farm, observing the regular rows of his maize fields. More notable was the expansive stable that dwarfed his house, and the large exercise track. A few goats milled around a trough next to several horses.

From Chalmers' farm, she headed east, following the dirt road to the Thompsons' coffee farm. She buzzed the house to let Maddy know they were back before going on to Sam's makeshift airfield. Jade spiraled round to drop alt.i.tude and bring the Jenny into the wind, making sure she had a long run in front of her. She shut off the engine and angled in, gliding. The sudden absence of the purring engine gave her stomach b.u.t.terflies.

This is it, kid. Don't crack her up.

Jade started to level off about fifty feet from the ground, until she was only six feet off. Soon she felt the wheels pummel the ground and the tail skid rake behind her. She pulled back on the stick to keep the nose up, lest the Jenny should pitch forward. A moment later, they were earthbound and at a standstill.

Jade removed her goggles and tugged off the leather helmet, freeing her black hair, the waves damp with sweat. Sam clambered over the c.o.c.kpit sides, stepped onto the wing pads, and jumped down, ready to help Jade. She didn't need it, but had already learned that it was important to Sam to play that role, at least at his plane, so she patiently waited for his a.s.sistance. Once on the ground, they embraced, laughing, their faces flushed from excitement and the wind.

"Did you see the rhino?" asked Jade. "Poor thing couldn't figure out who to attack." She started to slip from Sam's embrace, but he pulled her back, taking her by the shoulders.

"Now I can kiss you properly without anyone around to see," he said. He leaned in and caught her mouth in his, letting his lips caress hers gently, then with more vigor and urgency.

Jade, heady from the exhilaration of soaring above her beloved Africa, reeled under the pressure. Her legs went weak, and suddenly, she couldn't feel the ground at all. After a moment she realized that Sam had wrapped his arms around her midriff and lifted her into the air. She tasted a hint of machine oil on his lips, felt the tantalizing tickle of his mustache. As her toes again made contact with the earth, Jade pulled back slightly and placed her hands on his chest.

"Nice to see you, too, Sam. Do you do that to all the people you take up in your plane?"

"No," he said, his voice husky. "Only the ones I'm in love with."

Jade was immediately swamped by the nervousness she always felt when a man expressed a serious attraction to her. She stepped away from the plane and him. "Now, Sam, don't talk that way. You've known me barely six months." She took hold of the tail to help him turn the plane. Together they pulled it by the lower wing grips into his high-walled boma. Jade unlatched the swinging gate to close off the entrance to curious animals while Sam took out the oil can and started lubricating the engine and Jade tied down the plane. With the rainy season over, they didn't bother with tarps and left the makeshift hangar open to the sky.

Sam put down the oil can. "I know you well enough, lady, and you know it." He came up behind her and kissed her nape. "I'm just waiting for you to realize it."

Jade turned and laid a hand gently on his cheek. "Just give me some time, Sam, please. When you talk this way, I feel like someone's trying to hobble me."

He clasped his hands behind her back. "How can you say that after I just helped you defy old Newton and his gravity? I'm not going to hobble you, Jade. I'm trying to give you wings."

"Are you, Sam? Sometimes I feel as though you want to tie me down." She nodded her head at the plane's restraining cords.

"What are you talking about?" A look of genuine surprise swept over his face.

"Well, this new job for one thing. Admit it. You weren't very happy when I took it."

"It's dangerous."

"I told you, I just handle the ropes and take photographs."

He leaned in closer. "Is that what you were doing when you played the part of leopard bait? Taking pictures? Or was that handling the ropes? Besides," he added before Jade could counter, "for all I know, you might plan on roping a crocodile next."

"Sam! I hardly think-"

He put his hands up in a gesture of appeas.e.m.e.nt. "Jade, one of the traits I love the most about you is your adventurous spirit."

"Then why . . ."

"Because one of your more maddening traits is your tendency to rush off on some harebrained scheme without a thought for your own safety." He threw up his hands and let them fall to his sides. "It's as if you're trying to prove something to the world."

Jade stood silently, her arms folded in front of her, and watched him, her cool green eyes studying his face. Finally, she relaxed her posture and sighed. "You're going to have to learn to trust me, Sam."

He didn't reply. She kissed him lightly on the lips. "Come on. Neville and Maddy will have heard us fly over the house and wonder where we are." She secured the makeshift hangar gate behind them.

They walked the quarter mile back to the Thompsons' house in silence, communicating by a nod and an occasional gesture just as they did in the air. Jade appreciated this ability in Sam more than she had ever thought possible. He, like her, didn't feel the need to fill every gap with banter. When they came to the house, they found a note tacked onto the door-frame. Sam made a low whistle after he read it.

"Something wrong?" asked Jade. "Did somebody get hurt?"

"No," answered Sam. Then he immediately amended the statement. "Well, yes, in a manner of speaking." He handed the note to Jade, who recognized Maddy's close, neat hand.

Sam, Jade: We have gone into Nairobi at the "request" of Inspector Finch. You are likewise requested to come at once. It would appear that the word "suicide" has been replaced by "murder."

Maddy

CHAPTER 4.

Most people either learn or instinctively feel the power that some

wield over others and adopt deferential att.i.tudes to them,

learning to curb their tongue until it's safe. It's a temporary restraint

that is even seen in the African cultures. The Maasai have a proverb

about it: "What is said over the dead lion's body could not be

said to him alive."

-The Traveler JADE AND SAM arrived on his motorcycle at police headquarters-an ugly, squat, galvanized-tin building on Eighth Avenue. They found Neville and Madeline sitting in the dingy waiting area on straight-backed wooden chairs on a scuffed and unpolished wooden floor. A bare bulb, which probably did little to light the room on cloudy days, dangled above their heads. The curtainless window admitted some of the sun's rays, but it was badly in need of washing. Neville had a newspaper in hand, but didn't seem to follow any particular story as much as he did Maddy's nervous fidgets.

"What's all this about murder?" asked Jade after they reported their arrival to the constable at the desk and took seats next to the Thompsons.

Maddy grabbed Jade's hand and held it tightly. "Oh, Jade, I'm so glad you and Sam are here."

"No one is telling us much of anything," said Neville. "Constable Miller drove out to the farm early this morning looking for us and for both of you. He said the Inspector wanted to see us now. Oh, and we checked the Red Book. That postal box is not listed in this volume so we still don't know who placed the ad looking for Mrs. Stokes."

Madeline broke in, unable to contain herself. "We reminded him that we were given a day or two to come in, at our convenience, but he said all that had changed. Of course, we asked him what he meant and he gave us a rather pert little smile and said they no longer believed Mr. Stokes took his own life."

"Did he say why?" asked Jade.

"No. Only that he did not seem pleased to find Sam gone, especially," she added, turning to Sam, "when he found out you'd flown off."

"I suppose they went to the Dunburys' house looking for me," said Jade.

"We told him you were with the zoological crew and wouldn't be back for a day or two," said Neville. "But you are. Were you successful?"

Jade shrugged. "Yes and no. The leopard in question had been going onto Charles Harding's property, and he shot it. But he did bring us her two cubs. It looks as though they're old enough to survive."

Madeline's head drooped. "Poor thing. She certainly paid a high price for motherhood."

Jade noted the pain in Maddy's voice. Apparently there was still no "bun in the oven." "Speaking of Chalmers and Harding," she said, turning the subject away from the executed leopard, "what can either of you tell me about them? They barely spoke to each other beyond acknowledging the other's presence, yet they still used first names."

Neville shifted in his chair. "I believe they were friends, being such close neighbors. Chalmers is a bachelor, and Harding is a widower. I think the loneliness more than compatibility bonded them together. I heard they had a falling-out more than a month ago. As I understand it, Chalmers purchased some Somali ponies from a trader. They were supposedly 'salted,' if you know what I mean."

Jade nodded. "They were either inoculated against equine diseases, or had had them and gotten immunity."

"Right," continued Neville. "Harding bought a rather promising-looking pony from Chalmers, but the animal caught fever and died. Harding is known to be scrupulously honest, and he expects the same from everyone he deals with. He claimed that Chalmers owed him a pony. Now, Alwyn is as honest as the next man, but he lost one, too, so he said that, as far as he was concerned, he sold the animal honestly and they'd both been taken."

"I feel sorry for them," said Madeline. "Two lonely men made even lonelier by silly pride."

The door to an interior office opened. Inspector Finch stepped halfway into the waiting room, once again wearing the tired-looking brown suit with frayed cuffs he'd worn to the Thompsons' farm. If he was surprised to see Sam and Jade there, he didn't show it. "I will see you one at a time now. Mrs. Thompson, would you be so kind as to come first? I should think you'd like to get this interview out of the way." He ushered her into the office with a pleasant smile and, with a nod to the others, shut the door behind him.

Neville immediately stood and began to pace. "This is monstrous," he declared. "Interrogating Maddy like some common criminal. I shall give that Finch a piece of my mind when my turn comes."

Sam went to him and patted him on the shoulder. "You'll do no such thing, man. It's what he wants us to do. He separates us so that we'll each stew with worry about the others in the hopes that one of us will blurt out something useful."

"How do you know this?" asked Jade. "Have you made a habit of being arrested?"

"No, but it's a common interrogation practice for prisoners of war."

"But that must mean he suspects one of us," exclaimed Neville.

"The body was found in your coffee dryer," said Jade. "Probably the logical a.s.sumption. And I suspect the constable sitting quietly behind that desk is listening, too."

Neville plunked himself back into the chair and ran a hand through his graying hair. "Poor Maddy. She's been rather distraught these past months. She doesn't need this."

Sam and Jade both sat up straighter, matching looks of eagerness in their partly open mouths. "Are you and Maddy antic.i.p.ating a baby?" asked Jade hopefully.

"No," said Neville. "We've never had any luck having a child, and I think it's telling on her, especially now that Beverly is expecting."

"I'm sorry," said Jade.

Sam responded by hunching over and fingering his hat. After an awkward silence, he looked up at Neville. "Perhaps we should distract Maddy when she comes out, especially when you go in. Otherwise . . ." He shrugged. "I know, give her the paper you have there and point out some particular story for her to read."

"Which one?"

"Does it matter? Just find one that takes a while to read."

"Aren't you two entering produce in Nairobi's agricultural show tomorrow?" asked Jade. "Is there an article about it?"

"Actually there is," said Neville as he flipped through the pages. "It's the first time Nairobi's held a fair, and I'm afraid it's been cut back at the last minute. Still, she can look at the remaining categories and tell you about her plans. That is, if you can keep her attention on it."

"Don't worry, Neville," said Jade. "We'll keep her occupied."

Sam cleared his throat. "Jade, speaking of Sat.u.r.day's fair, are you attending the dance that evening? Would you allow me to escort you there? That is, if you're going."