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  Marina opened her arms and pronounced, “So that’s why our community has become so self-reliant, why we believe it’s important to follow our traditions and customs. Of course, it might help if Indians are formally recognised in Kenya. I know there are members of our community who are pushing for us to become the forty-fourth Kenyan tribe.” She looked wistfully into the fire. “I wish I could be more like Sonia Birdi.”

  “Why? Who’s she?” Thabiti asked.

  Marina playfully punched him. “Why, she’s the first Indian woman to become a member of the Kenyan Parliament. After helping victims of the Sinai slum fire, she found a cause to fight for.”

  “She sounds inspirational,” said Chloe, and patted Marina’s leg. “Don’t worry, you’ll find your cause.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  At eight o’clock on Sunday morning, Rose and Chloe stood at the back of the large bar tent where a stage had been erected at one end. In front of them the colour-coordinated Rhino Charge teams sat on folding chairs or stood around the edges of the tent.

  “That’s Christian Lambrechts,” Rose whispered as a man spoke into the microphone. His voice retained a trace of his Belgian accent. “Welcome, everyone. There will be sixty-three teams taking part in the 27th Rhino Charge. I would like to thank the Mara North Conservancy for hosting this year’s event.” A ripple of applause spread through the tent.

  “I would also like to thank you, the competitors, for taking part in the Rhino Charge and raising huge amounts of money for Rhino Ark.”

  There were cheers, jokes, and backslapping amongst the competitors. Christian passed the microphone to Nick West. “Morning, everyone. Today is scrutineering, where we check that your vehicles comply with the competition rules. Can each team drive to the collection point near the headquarters entrance? From there you will be directed to either the weigh-in, safety equipment test, or GPS system check. Scrutineering must be completed by five tonight, and the cars parked in the parc fermé. Any car not inside the secure enclosure by five will not take part tomorrow. You have been warned.”

  There were mutters in the crowd. “Finally,” said Nick, “team briefing will commence at five pm, when the competition maps will be handed out. Thank you.” Nick placed the microphone back in its stand, but then removed it. “Officials meeting in ten minutes.” He left the stage.

  Rose and Chloe waited and watched the teams file out. Thabiti and Marina gave them a wave. The bruising under Marina’s eye had turned a dark purple. They all wore bright blue t-shirts and Sam’s strained over his muscular chest. Deepak’s team looked menacing in all black.

  Rose and Chloe wandered into the centre of the tent and were about to sit down when Wendy Butler approached them. “Morning, ladies. Did you sleep well?”

  “Morning Wendy,” answered Rose. “Yes, thank you.”

  “I don’t think you were given your officials polo shirts yesterday.”

  Rose and Chloe followed Wendy to the stage. Wendy held a shirt up in front of Chloe, tutted and found two smaller ones. “These should fit you. You need to wear one today, for the scrutineering, and the other is for tomorrow.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The Bandit Bush Hog’s camp was in an uproar. The safety equipment which Chloe had handed out at registration the previous afternoon was missing.

  Mayur shouted at his father, “Don’t you understand? Someone is deliberately trying to prevent us from taking part. You have to stand up to the Seths and show them you won’t be intimidated.”

  Kumar rested wearily on his crutches. “Mayur, why do you get so angry? And you always blame someone else. I’m sure there is a perfectly simple explanation and we will find the equipment has just been mislaid.”

  Marina appeared from one of the sleeping tents. “Nothing in here.”

  Lavi and the African staff searched the events shelter with Jono’s ineffectual assistance.

  Thabiti walked across to the team’s car. It was best to look busy and although he had run through everything yesterday, there was no harm checking the car again. At least it would keep him out of the girls’ way.

  He sat in the driver’s seat. As Sam appeared, Thabiti switched on the ignition. Nothing. Sam’s eyes widened. Thabiti tried again. He felt his pulse race. The car had started immediately yesterday.

  Sam leaned into the car. “Don’t trouble Kumar or mention this to Mayur just yet. Go over the car again. In particular, check all the leads and wires in case something has shaken loose during transportation.”

  Sam’s tone was clear and calming and Thabiti felt his heartbeat steady. “I’ll start by looking under the bonnet.”

  “While you do that,” said Sam, “I’ll check that the safety equipment wasn’t left behind in the registration tent yesterday afternoon.”

  Thabiti unlatched the bonnet of the vehicle and secured it in place. From his tool kit he extracted a small torch and peered into the back of the engine. Everything looked secure, but he instinctively knew something was out of place. What was it? He touched the panel protecting the starter motors. It wobbled and the bolts securing it were loose. He lifted the panel and the problem was clear: four electrical connectors hung free.

  Thabiti stood up and looked around. Kumar was sitting in the events shelter. Mayur and Jono had their heads bowed in discussion, and the search party must have reached the staff area, behind the thorny bushes, as Thabiti heard clangs and shouts.

  Thabiti reached for his phone and photographed the offending connectors. He secured them in place just as Sam strode back into camp through a gap in the leleshwa bushes.

  “Panic over,” exclaimed Sam. He reached Kumar and was joined by Mayur and Jono.

  Marina dashed round from the cooking area. “Have you found everything? Where were they?” she asked breathlessly.

  “As none of the officials had seen them, I decided to wander around the headquarters. I met some children waving emergency flags and asked them to show me where they’d found them. It was behind some mobile toilets and the other equipment was still there.”

  “That’s a huge relief.” Kumar’s voice was shaky.

  “I know Deepak Seth is sabotaging our team,” exclaimed Mayur.

  Jono asked, “What about the numbers?”

  “I have those,” Thabiti shouted. He wiped his hands on a cloth and reached into the car through the passenger door. He brought out three numbers: one for either side of the car and a large one to be placed on the roof.

  “I’ll help Thabiti stick them on,” Sam volunteered. When he reached Thabiti, he whispered. “Have you found the starter problem?”

  “I think so.” Thabiti showed Sam the photo of the disconnected cables.

  “That’s no accident. Have you tried to start it again?” Sam asked.

  “Not yet.” Thabiti gingerly hoisted himself into the driver’s seat. His mouth was dry as he turned the key in the ignition. The vehicle spluttered to life. He turned the engine off and sat back, feeling giddy.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Thabiti’s sister, Pearl, was trying to read a magazine, sitting up in bed in the Cottage Hospital in Nanyuki. She was twenty-four, slim and attractive, but after the traumatic circumstances surrounding her mother’s death, she had stopped eating and become very weak.

  She began her recovery in the Cottage Hospital and then returned home to Guinea Fowl Cottage, which she shared with her brother. But her health began to deteriorate as Thabiti spent more time working at Mr Obado’s garage.

  Dr Farrukh, the female member of a work and marriage partnership, suggested she return to the Cottage Hospital for observation while Thabiti was at the Rhino Charge. Reluctantly, Pearl agreed, when she realised their house girl, Doris, would be taking a much-needed week’s leave.

  Images from Pearl’s childhood replayed in her mind. How had these led up to the recent upsetting events? And what was she going to do now? What had she to look forward to? She sank back into her pillows.

  Dr Farrukh stepped into the ward through t
he patio doors at the far end. They had been opened to allow fresh air and a cool breeze into the stuffy ward. Dr Farrukh strode up to Pearl. “I really think you need to start exercising. How about something gentle at first, like yoga? This afternoon there is a group session in the garden. It starts at four o’clock. Why don’t you join them? At the very least, you’ll get some fresh air.”

  Pearl leant her head to one side and considered the proposal. She was bored of reading magazines and some sun on her face would be refreshing. She wasn’t sure about yoga. That was for skinny white women who ate muesli and drank kale shakes.

  She looked up at Dr Farrukh’s set expression. “OK. I’ll give it a try.” Anything to get rid of the woman and her alternating looks of pity and disapproval. She supposed yoga didn’t sound too strenuous.

  She dressed in a black sleeveless t-shirt and leggings over which she wrapped a yellow striped kikoi, so it formed a wrap-around skirt. She poked her feet under the bed until she located her leather, beaded flip-flops. Grabbing the magazine, she strolled out of the patio doors into the garden.

  The yoga class hadn’t started, so she curled up on a nearby bench, in the dappled shade of a jacaranda tree. Her mind drifted with the sweet honey smell of the blossoms and the trickling of the Nanyuki river, meandering across its pebble bed beyond the tree.

  She felt light-headed, but she was also relieved that her thoughts weren’t jostling for attention. She closed her eyes and continued to drift with the bubbling water.

  A female voice disturbed her. “Excuse me. I hope you don’t mind,” said a nurse, “but Mr Kariuki always sits here in the afternoon.” Pearl uncurled her legs as the nurse assisted an elderly African man onto the bench and told him, “I shall be back in an hour.”

  Pearl opened her magazine, but she couldn’t concentrate. Instead, she stared at Mount Kenya, just visible through a break in the tree line.

  “You feel its power, don’t you, my dear?” Pearl jumped. The old man’s voice was soothing but strong. “You are a Kikuyu?”

  “I am, but I don’t believe in the old religion.”

  “Oh. What do you believe in?”

  Good question. She didn’t really believe in anything and certainly not people, as they had a habit of letting her down.

  The old man didn’t seem to expect an answer. “The mountain is a holy place. Many believe Ngai, the creator of all things, inhabits it when the cloud descends and covers its peak. Do you feel its strength? Do you feel the life forces in every animal, plant and object around you?”

  Pearl crossed her legs. She wasn’t sure she could put up with the old man’s ramblings.

  He seemed to read her thoughts and he chuckled. “Why are you here?” he asked. “There is nothing wrong with you.”

  Pearl crumpled her nose and said in an airy voice, “I’ve been through a difficult time. Dr Farrukh wants to keep an eye on me.”

  The old man chuckled again. Pearl felt her eyes and cheeks burn. “You are hiding. All your life other people have run about for you, provided for you, and made decisions for you.”

  Pearl turned to the old man, pursing her lips, and saw that his eyes were dull and ghostly. She jumped back. He was blind.

  “I don’t need my eyes to see these things. I feel your pain, your confusion and your uncertainty. Your mind is disconnected from your body and your spirit. What is your purpose in life?”

  Purpose? She didn’t have a purpose. Her whole body felt hot. This blind old man had no idea what she’d been through, how she’d suffered.

  He continued, “We all have a purpose in life. Without it we would drift and feel no connection to other people or ourselves.”

  Pearl felt her throat thicken. She was not going to cry. Not because of a few words from this old man. He was right, though. She was no use to anyone. What had she to look forward to in life? Nobody liked her the way she was. They always wanted something from her.

  Mr Kariuki asked, “Are you Aisha Onyango’s daughter?”

  Here we go, thought Pearl. Comparing me to my brilliant mother. A mother who was never content with Pearl’s poor grades or understood why her school reports always described her as ‘distracted’. She was not clever like her Mama. She would never be a leading lawyer who spoke out against corruption and inequality in Kenyan society.

  “Then you are descended from Anjiru, daughter of Gikuyu and Mumbi. So am I, and our clan is renowned for both great warriors and mundu mugo, healers. Your mother was a warrior. Which are you?”

  “You may have known my mother and all the amazing things she did, but I am neither a warrior nor a healer.”

  The old man grasped her hand and Pearl resisted the urge to yank it away. He opened her palm and traced the lines on it. “You have the strength to be both, if you decide to harness and direct it.”

  Pearl pulled back and held both hands to her chest.

  “Ah, your yoga class has started. Join them and begin to harness your inner strength. Perhaps we can continue our talk another day?”

  I don’t think so, thought Pearl.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The buzz of suppressed excitement was almost tangible as Rose and Chloe entered the large bar tent. It was just after five o’clock. They had spent all day checking car licences and safety equipment, and were now tired and covered in dust.

  Nick West tapped the microphone as he stood on the stage at the far end of the tent. A hush descended and people either sat down or turned to face him. “Firstly, thank you, everyone, for completing the scrutineering in such good time, and for allowing us to sort out a few technical snags we had with the GPS equipment. I’m delighted to confirm that all sixty-three cars are parked in parc fermé, ready for tomorrow’s competition.”

  “Now, before I hand out the maps, I have a few house-keeping points. Remember, the maximum speed limit, even on flat ground, is forty kilometres per hour. We will know if you exceed this. Next, Amref will be providing medical cover tomorrow, so please ensure you have handed in your membership forms. If you still need to complete a form, they will be available after this briefing at the Amref stand, opposite the catering area. There will be a plane on standby at Wilson airport tomorrow just in case someone suffers a major injury.”

  As Nick continued running through event information, Rose looked around. It was a strange event, pitching man and their machines against nature, and yet it generated huge enthusiasm, passionate rivalry between teams, and large amounts of money for wildlife conservation.

  She and Craig shared so many wonderful memories from past Rhino Charges, but she knew she would have to start thinking about life without him. She so hoped he would not deteriorate further, not before Heather’s summer visit. And she prayed Chris would travel from England soon to see his father. Their relationship with Chris was still very fragile.

  She knew she was lucky to have so many friends in the community. Admittedly, some of her contemporaries were beginning to fall ill and some had already died. But at least she had the youth and enthusiasm of Chloe and Thabiti to ensure she didn’t wallow in self-pity.

  She still enjoyed her role as a community vet, although some of the work was becoming harder, as she wasn’t as strong as she used to be. And her knobbled, arthritic hands made tasks like stitching difficult.

  She smiled to herself. Still, she was lucky as she was never truly alone. Every week she met a friend or two in town for coffee, and people often called at the house with some fruit or vegetables that they’d grown. At home, she had her myriad of animals and the support of her staff who helped look after them, herself and Craig. And who in their mid-sixties had the opportunity to be involved in such an iconic event as the Rhino Charge?

  She heard Nick West say, “So to round up. You are to arrive at parc fermé from half past five tomorrow morning and be ready, from a quarter to six, to be escorted to your starting guard post. Can one member from each team collect a competition map? Thank you.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Rose sat outs
ide her tent in the officials’ camp. Chloe had ventured over to the safari showers to try them out, so for the first time that day, Rose had some time to herself. She decided to call Craig.

  “Hi, it’s me,” she said into her mobile phone. “Am I disturbing you?”

  Craig answered, “No. Not at all. It’s lovely to hear your voice. I’m just waiting for Kipto to finish preparing my supper, although I’m not sure what she’s cooking.”

  “So she and Samwell are looking after you? And did Dr Farrukh visit yesterday?”

  “Yes, and she checked my blood pressure, but there’s no change. She’s visiting again on Tuesday. So how is the Rhino Charge?”

  “It’s not the same without you, although Chloe is good company, and Thabiti is excited about tomorrow. Big Sam has joined his team… ”

  Craig interrupted, “That man turns up like a bad penny. But I’m glad he’s on Thabiti’s team and can keep an eye on him.”

  Rose continued, “Most of the usual characters are here, including the Butlers who are keeping us all organised. It’s very dry, so the drivers’ concerns are the loose sandy ground. It won’t be like the last time when you and I were here, and the cars were all getting stuck in the mud or slipping off tracks. Do you remember we had to get towed into camp that year?”

  She heard Craig chuckle at the end of the line and say, “But oh, what a party we had when the Bennetts won the trophy.”

  She asked, “Have you had any visitors?”

  “Dickie Chambers popped by yesterday afternoon to discuss polo. And he filled me in with the latest politics and carryings-on over a beer. Apart from that it’s been rather quiet. I suspect most people are down with you.”