Sannie watched Tom walk away. She regretted snapping at him and wanted to tell him what Christo had said. Perhaps she would try to be a bit more civil to him later on. They might have time to chat while their principals were locked in their meeting and working lunch.
A maid was placing jugs of juice and iced water in the private room, but otherwise it was empty. Sannie walked out onto the deck and surveyed the bush around the lodge’s function area. There were no animals in sight, and no sign of spoor or flattened grass to indicate anything or anyone had been circling the room in the last couple of days. It was all clear.
When Sannie returned to the central reception area she saw Tom walking back from the far end of the boardwalk, but he was not alone. Carla was walking by his side — very close, as the walkway was quite narrow. She laughed, too loudly, at something he had just said and the cackle sounded to Sannie like a hyena’s call. Carla put her hand on Tom’s arm and any charitable thoughts Sannie had had disappeared.
‘Can’t wait to get the VIPs sorted,’ Carla said in an exaggerated stage whisper to Sannie as they approached her, ‘then we can all settle down to some lunch and gossip.’
8
Lunch at Tinga was every bit as good as Tom’s last meal at the lodge. This time they had kabeljou, a South African fish grilled and served with golden chips. A simple meal but very tasty.
It started with him and Sannie sitting down together to discuss arrangements for the afternoon, and ended with Carla joining them and taking over the conversation. He could see now that Sannie quite clearly couldn’t stand the woman.
Indira and Bernard popped in and out of the meeting at different times to make or take calls on their mobile phones, but for Tom and Sannie most of the afternoon was spent waiting. Carla left them to check on the guides for the afternoon game drive, but by that stage Sannie had already drifted away to read her novel, and Tom felt as though he’d missed another opportunity to talk to her. He went back to his room to change out of his suit into casual clothes for the afternoon drive.
They boarded the Land Cruisers at four pm sharp. Both VIPs seemed cheery and friendly to each other, so Tom guessed the afternoon’s lunch and meetings had been positive.
There were only two vehicles out on the drive. Indira and Bernard sat behind their respective ministers in the lead Cruiser, while Tom, Sannie and Duncan were in the second.
‘Nothing happened, you know, between Carla and me last time,’ Tom said quickly, getting it all out before she had a chance to interrupt.
Sannie looked at him. ‘It doesn’t matter, Tom. I told you before, I don’t care.’
He waited for her to say more, to fill the void, but she was a police officer too. She knew when to shut up. Stalemate.
On the private dirt road leading out from Tinga, they passed small herds of impala and waterbuck, and three kudu. The kudus’ delicate features, big ears and doe-like eyes made them look the most innocent of creatures, Tom thought. Sannie remained silent and Tom, disappointed, told himself she was not going to crack.
‘Christo wants to show you his scar.’ She looked straight ahead, dutifully noting the zebra that Duncan had just pointed out.
Tom smiled. ‘Greeves suggested on the flight over that if I came with him again, if Nick… well, you know, that I take some leave and spend a few days over here after his next visit. Perhaps I could drop in and say hi to the kids.’
‘That might be nice.’
He could see she was gripping the bar in front of their seat, even though the dirt road was well graded and there were no bumps. Slowly, he told himself. This is a big move for her. ‘Perhaps dinner.’
‘That also might be nice. Tom…’
‘Yes?’
‘Just friends, okay?’
‘Fine by me.’
‘Here comes the tar road.’
He focused his mind back on the job, though he felt a flutter of happiness for the first time in a long time. Instead of feeling as though he was being unfaithful, he thought Alex would have liked Sannie. They were both bright, articulate women who, unlike him, were good at expressing their feelings. Tom was sure that Alex, who had a passion for wildlife conservation, would have loved the African bush as much as Sannie did. Tom looked around as they turned onto the Tarmac. There was one car behind them, a white Corolla, pulled over on the side of the road. He saw the reflection of late afternoon sunshine on a camera lens. It was pointed their way, not into the bush. ‘We’ve got company,’ Tom said, reaching into the pocket of his shorts for a notebook and pen.
The car pulled into the road and accelerated rapidly, trying to catch them. ‘Duncan, how far to the turnoff to the concession?’ Tom asked as he scribbled down the licence plate number of the Corolla.
‘A kilometre.’
‘Get on your radio and tell the lead truck to put his foot down.’
‘It’s a fifty kilometre an hour limit in the park on tar roads.’
‘Then tell him to wind it up to fifty. Now.’
Duncan complied and Tom felt the breeze on his face stiffen as they accelerated. Tom looked around. The car was closing on them, and the driver had put on his right indicator.
‘Move right, Duncan, as if you’re going to overtake the lead vehicle. I don’t want this guy passing us before the turnoff.’
The four passengers in the lead vehicle all turned around at the sound of the Corolla’s horn, and Greeves looked puzzled at the sight of Tom and Sannie’s Cruiser driving on the wrong side of the road.
The Corolla driver steered with his left hand and held his camera, fitted with a telephoto lens as long as Tom’s forearm, out the window. The tricky manoeuvre caused the man to swerve, then overcorrect, losing speed in the process.
‘Maniac.’ Tom was pleased to see Greeves’s head snap around to the front, so he wasn’t facing the photographer.
‘Turnoff’s coming up, Tom.’ Duncan started to drift back onto the left-hand side of the road, then suddenly said something in his own language, which sounded to Tom like swearing.
Tom looked left and saw the photographer accelerating hard to overtake them on the near side. ‘Careful.’ Tom wanted to keep the photographer at bay, but certainly didn’t want to cause a traffic accident in the process.
The lead vehicle swung right, just as the Corolla pulled level with Duncan’s Land Cruiser. Duncan turned the wheel hard and they were off the sealed onto the dirt. The Corolla braked twenty metres up the road and started to reverse. Tom looked back as the driver started to turn onto the track and then saw the No entry sign. Tom smiled.
The lead vehicle rounded a bend, and when they were out of sight of the main road, the truck carrying the VIPs pulled over. Duncan acknowledged a radio call and pulled up beside the other Land Cruiser.
‘Looked like our friend was from the press,’ Greeves called to Tom over the idling engines.
‘Yes, sir,’ Tom said, unsure what Greeves would make of his actions. He had been a bit heavy-handed.
‘Well done, Tom, and nice driving, Duncan. Thank you.’
All in all, Tom thought, it was turning out to be a good afternoon.
They stopped at the same small riverside clearing where Duncan had taken Sannie and Tom previously. The two officers were on duty now, so alcohol was out of the question. She smiled at him over her glass of mineral water, then returned to her conversation with Indira. Tom was standing opposite Sannie in the circle of dignitaries and flunkies, intermittently scanning the clearing and surrounding bush. He noticed Carla walking towards him.
Carla had been at the drinks spot ahead of the main party, having travelled there in a third Land Cruiser, along with a barman and two maids who had already set up trestle tables covered in starched white tablecloths. The girls were ready with silver platters of biltong, droewors, chips and nuts when the other trucks arrived. Carla had changed into a green safari skirt which ended six inches above her knees.