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  Aatma slumped into a chair, removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Marina put her arm around him. “I know it’s hard, but please can you tell Mama Rose about the crash?”

  “OK, as long as you fetch me a Tusker.”

  Aatma began, “It was twenty years ago. Vadhana and I were in the UK and we visited Jono at his college. It was one of those cold but bright winter days, when the entire landscape is tinged with white. Unfortunately, it extended onto the road, and the car hit a patch of ice, skidded out of control, and we hit a tree.”

  Aatma took a long swig from the open bottle Marina handed him. “I couldn’t get to Vadhana in the passenger seat, but I was worried about Jono who was unconscious and had a large gash on his head. I panicked and pulled him from the car, but I couldn’t wake him. When the police arrived, they asked me some questions before Jono and I were taken to hospital in an ambulance. That was the last I saw of Vadhana.”

  He took another slurp. “I wasn’t badly injured, but they kept me in for observation. Poor Jono had a swelling on his brain, so they had to operate on him to relieve it. I visited him before I was discharged, but he was still unconscious. And then I returned home with Vadhana’s body and didn’t see him again. He was tried, convicted, and given a two-year suspended sentence. I was told he remained in the UK, working on a farm in Scotland, and the next time I heard about him, he was a pilot in New Zealand. It was a shock when Da told me he was back in Kenya, flying planes for Equator Air.”

  “Do you still blame him for the accident? And for your sister’s death?”

  Aatma reached for his cigarettes. “It happened so long ago. Why can’t you leave it alone?”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Marina and Rose left Aatma to his beer and cigarettes and went in search of Sam and Thabiti.

  “Rose,” Nick West called as they passed the registration tent. “Kumar Chauhan persuaded the Nairobi medical officer to fly down and examine Mayur’s body in situ, before returning with it to Nairobi. I wondered if you could look after him, as we have a problem with a couple of the GPS units, which I need to unravel for the scorers.”

  She had plenty to do helping clear Thabiti’s name, but accompanying the medical officer might offer some insights into Mayur’s death, so she asked, “When is he due to arrive?”

  “Within the next half hour. Why don’t you wait in the catering area, and I’ll send someone to find you when he arrives.”

  Marina touched Rose’s arm, and said, “I’ve spotted Sam and Thabiti. Shall we join them?”

  Thabiti appeared to be making up for the meals he’d missed the day before as he tucked into a steak sandwich.

  Rose stole a chip as she sat down. She explained, “I’ve been asked to wait here for the Nairobi medical officer and accompany him when he examines Mayur’s body.”

  Thabiti had been about to bite into his sandwich, but put it down. “Do you mind? I’m eating.” He lifted the sandwich to his mouth and as he bit into it, pieces of coleslaw dropped out.

  “We have some good news.” Sam looked at Thabiti and shook his head. “But you’ve probably guessed that.”

  Marina leant forward and asked eagerly, “Have you found out who interfered with the car?”

  Sam rested his arms on the table. “I’m afraid not, but at least Thabiti has been cleared. Well, that is to say the official report, which Frank Butler is writing, will state that the winch strop was deliberately tampered with. And he agreed to write that in his opinion the accident had nothing to do with Thabiti neglecting his duties. As you can see, Thabiti is very relieved.”

  They all laughed, but then Rose remembered Mayur. “We still need to find out who sabotaged the car, as it did lead to Mayur’s death.”

  Thabiti spluttered, “But why does that matter now? I’m no longer being blamed for it.”

  Rose turned to him. “I know you’re not being implicated in Frank’s report, but that could change if the police are involved. You see, they don’t know you, or Sam or Mr Obado, and they may not understand the nuances of the accident. Think about it. They will be faced with a team which appears to have neglected its vehicle or a phantom saboteur. Which route will they choose?”

  The colour drained from Thabiti’s face. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “No you’re not,” chided Rose, and she ate another chip.

  The group was silent.

  Sam spoke. “Thabiti and I don’t have the answer. We still don’t know who caused the damage. But did you find anything out?”

  Rose caught Marina’s eye and said, “We should tell them. I’m not sure how, but I still think it is behind this weekend’s events.”

  Marina took a deep breath and told Sam and Thabiti about their conversation with her cousin Aatma and the car accident. Rose munched on Thabiti’s chips.

  When Marina finished, Thabiti said, “I still don’t see how, or when, anyone from the Rhino Force team gained access to the car or its equipment.”

  The group was silent again.

  Sam sat back, crossed his arms, and asked, “Thabiti, are you suggesting it was an inside job? That one of your own teammates vandalised their own vehicle? But that doesn’t make sense.”

  “It wasn’t me!’ cried Marina.

  Rose placed a hand on her arm. “Nobody is accusing you, and anyway, you and Sam joined the team at the last minute.”

  “And it wasn’t Thabiti,” added Marina, looking across at him.

  Sam pondered the problem aloud. “Why would Kumar or Mayur sabotage their own car? All they needed to do was fail to fulfil their financial pledge and they wouldn’t be able to start.”

  “Lucky I found that cheque.” Thabiti’s appetite had returned and he dipped a chip into tomato ketchup. He looked up as everyone stared at him.

  “What cheque?” asked Rose.

  Thabiti twirled his chip. “The one Jono collected in Nanyuki before flying you and Chloe down here. He’d lost it, but I found it in the tube with the sponsor’s banner,” Thabiti told his rapt audience.

  Rose tapped the table. “Jono’s a different person from the one who flew us down.”

  Sam added, “And he’s likely to know about engines, being a bush pilot. He also had the opportunity.”

  “But what would Jono have to gain?” Marina asked.

  Rose looked up at the sky and responded, “It’s not necessarily what he, or anyone else, had to gain, but what they had to lose. And that comes back to your family’s secret.” She looked across at Marina.

  “Rose,” a loud, bossy voice called.

  “That’s Tanya West. I guess it’s time to meet the medical officer,” explained Rose.

  “You can’t leave now,” cried Thabiti. “We need to get to the bottom of this.”

  “Then put your thinking caps on. Nobody’s leaving headquarters… apart from poor Mayur.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The Nairobi medical officer was a white-haired African man with a lined face and a brisk manner. He shook Rose’s proffered hand and said, “Let’s get on with it. Where’s the body?”

  Rose led him to the medical tent. Although the zip on the tent flap was pulled closed, Rose could hear the drone of flies inside.

  She opened the flap and stood back so the medical officer could enter.

  He said, “Keeping corpses in hot weather is not a good idea, but when there is no choice… ” He shooed the flies away and lifted the sheet. Rose moved towards him, but he raised a hand. “Please wait for me outside.”

  Rose was annoyed at being dismissed. She wanted to know what was happening, and kept glancing inside, but all she saw was the medical officer leaning over the mound of Mayur’s body. She spotted an empty chair under the shade of a tree and sat down.

  The medical officer poked his head out of the tent. “Who was in the other bed and when did they leave?”

  “It was an injured teammate and I’m not sure when he left, but probably somewhere between nine and ten last night.” The medical officer du
cked back into the tent.

  Rose kicked at some cigarette butts and wondered what Craig was doing. She checked her watch and saw it was midday. He was probably working on a crossword puzzle and looking forward to his lunch. She needed to organise some trips so he could catch up with friends, and it would be lovely to return to some of his most loved areas of Kenya.

  Next month was the Lewa Marathon, which was another event they had both officiated at for years. In the past they had camped overnight with friends so they were ready for the marathon’s seven o’clock start. They manned a water station and handed out drinks and energy snacks to the competitors.

  But Craig could not camp now, and the lodges would be full over the marathon weekend. She wondered if she could negotiate a deal for them both to stay a few nights in Lewa after the marathon.

  The medical officer called to her. “I’m nearly finished. Can you find the car which brought me, and some askaris to carry the body.”

  Rose stood and straightened her light green shirt. She found the car and the driver leaning against it chatting to his friends. She rounded them all up and returned to the medical tent. The men accompanied the medical examiner and came back carrying a black body bag.

  “I’m heading straight to the airstrip so as not to lose any more time,” the medical officer informed her as he climbed into the car.

  “So what should I tell the organisers, and Kumar Chauhan?”

  “Tell them the cause of death is inconclusive, but I will know soon after I start my examination in Nairobi. I will contact them later,” he shouted as the car drove away.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Rose returned to the catering area and found Chloe with Thabiti and Sam. Chloe had showered and looked a different person from earlier in the morning, with sleek hair and designer shorts and top. She greeted Rose with a grin. “What was the verdict? A vampire struck at midnight or he was stung by a gigantuous mosquito?”

  “Don’t be silly,” quipped Rose. “And where’s Marina?”

  Thabiti didn’t look up from his phone, but responded, “She went back to her camp for lunch. She’s going to see if she can find out any more about the car tampering.”

  Sam frowned. “I hope she treads carefully like a cheetah stalking its prey, or she may become the target.”

  Thabiti put his phone on the table and asked, “What did the medical officer say?”

  “That the cause of death was inconclusive and he would provide a clearer answer later today, after examining the body in Nairobi,” replied Rose.

  “Which gives us time to solve the mystery of the sabotaged car.” Chloe’s voice was bright, but Thabiti and Sam both rested their chins in their upturned palms and looked dejected.

  Rose looked at them both and said, “So I take it you’re no further forward discovering who’s our man?”

  They shook their heads.

  Sam sat up. “What did you mean when you said it might not be what someone has to gain but what they have to lose? And why do you think sabotaging our team’s car is linked to the earlier accident which killed Marina’s cousin?”

  Rose looked at Chloe. “It’s OK. They’ve already told me all about it.”

  Rose considered the question and replied, “Jono’s return disturbed a long-buried secret. And I believe it triggered these events. Jono’s here, at a car rally, with his old school friends, and the family of the girl he killed.”

  Sam sat back and crossed his arms. “Jono lost his whole life because of that crash. What else has he left to lose?”

  Rose raised her hands. “Everything! He’s been away from Kenya for twenty years. The accident happened in the UK. Deepak was in mourning for his daughter and is unlikely to have broadcast details of the crash. And Jono was put on trial in the UK and given a suspended sentence.”

  “Which does not have to be declared after the period of the sentence has passed,” Sam commented.

  Rose looked at him. “I didn’t know that. So probably only Deepak Seth’s family knew he was convicted of a crime of killing someone in a car accident.”

  “Blackmail,” declared Chloe.

  “What?” asked Thabiti, picking up his phone.

  “Someone blackmailed Jono to tamper with the car and threatened to expose his past if he didn’t agree. If details of his conviction leaked out, he’d probably lose his job and be forced to leave Kenya again.” She clasped her hands together. “The poor man’s been too afraid to return home for twenty years and when he does, the car accident is here to haunt him.”

  Thabiti was deep in thought as he fiddled with his phone. “He helped me check the car and I left the bonnet raised when I stopped for lunch on Friday. He could easily have disconnected the electrical connectors then. But when did he tamper with the winch strop as the container was usually locked?”

  “Of course,” exclaimed Rose. “He had it wrapped around his waist on Monday morning when you walked past us. I saw the yellow end dangling under his team shirt.”

  Thabiti bit his lip. “He could have removed it on Sunday after completing the scrutineering checks and returned it on Monday morning.”

  Sam grunted. “He will have used that penknife he carries to cut the stitching.”

  Chloe wrinkled her nose. “But it was an enormous risk. I’m sure he didn’t want to harm anyone.”

  Rose turned to her and explained, “He would be running out of options. Thabiti found the cheque he’d deliberately mislaid, and he and Sam found and reconnected the electrical cables. I don’t think winching is usually done on such a steep slope. So normally if a winch broke, a car would crash onto some rocks or into a tree, which might stop it continuing, but would be unlikely to hurt anyone. No wonder Jono was pacing up and down on Monday when Mayur was driving the car down the slope.”

  Chloe touched Rose’s arm. “So it’s not surprising he was in shock afterwards.” She looked at Sam and Thabiti. “But if we all agree he had nothing to gain by tampering with the car and was acting under duress, who was blackmailing him?”

  Rose slapped her thighs. “All roads lead back to the Seths: Uncle Deepak, the bitter father of the victim; Marina’s oldest cousin, Hinesh, who also blames Jono for killing his sister and for the near collapse of the family business; and quiet bespectacled Aatma, Jono’s old friend, who blames him for killing his sister.

  “How do you intend to approach the Seths?” asked Chloe.

  “Head on with my own rhino. Are you up for it, Sam?”

  Sam broke into a broad smile.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Rose turned to Sam as they strode towards the Rhino Force camp. “Of course, we don’t have any actual powers to investigate or question the Seth family.”

  “Actually, that’s not entirely true. I may be a member of Kenya’s Anti-Poaching Unit, but I’m also an officer in the Kenya Wildlife Service. We have certain delegated powers, although they are really for wildlife-related crimes, but I can be persuasive.”

  Rose realised she knew very little about Sam and each time they met, which usually involved a murder investigation, she peeled away another layer and learnt something new about him. “I had no idea you were an officer in the KWS, but I suppose I should have guessed.”

  Sam smiled. “Craig did. He asked me directly at the Laikipia Conservation Society conference last month.”

  Entering the Rhino Charge camp, through the gazebo, they found the Seths seated around a long dining table in the central marquee. As Sam and Rose approached, the children pushed back their chairs and ran to a tent. Marina’s head was bowed, but she peered across at Rose.

  “What do you want?” Deepak called. “You’re disturbing our lunch.”

  Sam took the lead. “This is official business. We’ll be happy to wait until you’ve finished your meal.”

  Deepak raised his hands. “Ah, there’s no point delaying whatever you have to say. Sit down.” All the women, except Marina, rose from the table. Her mother tugged her sleeve, but Marina refused to move.

/>   Rose began. “The Nairobi medical officer collected Mayur Chauhan’s body earlier and he’s promised to provide the results of the autopsy later today.”

  “That will be a relief to Kumar, but it’s no concern of mine.” Deepak spooned his remaining curry into his mouth.

  “It is,” Sam looked around the table, “if you, or one of your team members, coerced another person to interfere with the Bandit Bush Hog’s team car, and its equipment, causing yesterday’s accident, and the death of Mayur Chauhan.”

  Aatma lit a cigarette.

  “Not at the table,” Deepak remonstrated.

  Aatma stood and began pacing in front of the tent.

  Marina’s older cousin Hinesh removed a Tusker from the cool box. He challenged, “What are you talking about? That useless boyfriend of my cousin’s was responsible for the accident.” He glared at Marina.

  Sam said in a voice of authority, “A senior Rhino Charge official examined the car and evidence of earlier interference. He agreed that the winch strop had been deliberately interfered with and it caused yesterday’s accident.”

  Hinesh banged a fist on the table. “Are you accusing one of us of damaging their car?”

  Rose remained calm. “Perhaps, but as you had limited access, we believe one of you paid or threatened someone else to do it for you.”

  “Get out,” shouted Deepak. He was red in the face. “You have no authority to come into our camp throwing around such allegations.”

  Beside her Sam growled.

  Hinesh leant towards her. “Why would any of us bother? We have a great car. A great team. And we are in the running to win this year’s competition.”

  “Congratulations,” said Rose flatly. “But it will be only the second time you’ve beaten Kumar’s Bandit Bush Hog team since you started competing. So I think one of you wanted to stack the odds in your favour.”