Dawn of Deception

by Dan Fletcher

  He could make out the huge cylindrical storage tanks at the Changamwe Oil Refinery on his right but that was about all. They sped over the bridge onto the mainland. Maliki lay back in the leather seat as they left the port behind them and prepared himself for the long drive back to Nairobi.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Sheldrick Animal Orphanage, Nairobi

  August 10th, 1996

  David slowed the truck to a gentle stop in front of Mbagathi Gate on Magadi Road. The side entrance to Nairobi National Park was a smaller imitation of the main park gates. A pair of male lions, cast from sheets of black metal, faced each other to declare that the park was closed to the general public. The walls that supported the gates on either side were covered in what looked like crazy paving.

  A Ranger in combat fatigues with a machine gun hanging from his shoulder appeared from behind the guardhouse. He was zipping up his flies.

  The guard smiled and waved, recognising both David and the converted Nissan truck. The vehicle rocked as Ella moved her weight from one side to the other. The sedative must have worn off. He could see the pink tip of her trunk poking between the bars in his side-view mirror, sniffing out the strange environment. David pulled forward once the gates were opened.

  “Jambo,” the guard greeted him. “They are waiting for you over in the orphanage. I’ll radio ahead to say that you’ve arrived.”

  “Thanks Joseph.” David leant out the window, “But don’t let Tanui catch you doing that or he’ll have your balls.”

  Joseph’s smile widened into a conspiratorial grin, he flicked a look over his shoulder to make sure that the Deputy Director wasn’t anywhere in sight before waving them through. David drove slowly, trying to make the ride as comfortable as possible for Ella and the two keepers nursing her.

  Julias and Mishak had been flown in the day before to the Mara Serena airstrip, near the Lodge and Conservancy HQ. They had brought half a dozen bottles of substitute milk with them, the life saving formula that took Dame Daphne Sheldrick twenty-eight years to develop. Early trials using cow’s milk were unsuccessful, the lactose like poison to the young calves. Eventually Dame Daphne found the key ingredient, coconut oil, using it to replace the high fat content found in elephant milk.

  Mishak managed to coax Ella away from her dead mother with a bottle and had spent the night sleeping with the tiny elephant in a stable at the lodge. Ella was in distress, mourning the death of her family, and wouldn’t stop crying for hours. To David her wails of anguish sounded unnervingly like an amplified human baby. He was impressed by Mishak’s devotion, constantly whispering to Ella and stroking her, letting her suck on his finger until she calmed down. If the little orphan survived it would be largely due to his care and the bond forming between them.

  Mishak gave her a mild sedative in the morning and she was loaded onto the truck between eight of them using a blanket. The two keepers on board fed and doused Ella in water during the journey to keep her hydrated.

  Traffic in Nairobi these days was horrendous and it had taken hours longer than David anticipated crossing the city. Ella’s activity in the back was a good sign but he needed to get her out before she injured herself or one of the keepers trying to stand up in the moving vehicle. Weighing around a quarter of a tonne she could easily crush one of them.

  He drove past the driveway belonging to Dame Daphne Sheldrick’s house and stopped in front of another set of gates. Benjamin, one of the elephant keepers, was already opening them. Like all the keepers that David had met he had a ready smile and a friendly nature. The ability to radiate calm was a core skill that they all seemed to possess and was essential to each orphan’s survival.

  “So you’ve got another one for us,” he peered into the side of the truck. “Go straight through to the stalls.” He pointed past the row of parked cars to a collection of buildings that looked like horse stables.

  David stopped in front of them and killed the engine. He was in a courtyard broken by a cluster of trees and a stone well in the middle. A door opened and Dame Daphne emerged from the building on the opposite side of the dirt patch. Followed by a younger woman with curly auburn hair that fell like a mane past her shoulders.

  She ignored David getting out of the cab and marched straight to the back of the truck, moving surprisingly quickly for someone in their sixties.

  “How’s she doing Mishak?” Dame Daphne stood with one hand on her ample hip and brushed a few curly grey locks away from her face. He knew not to let the floral patterned dress and pearl necklace fool him into thinking she was on the way to a garden party. David had met her briefly once before but only really knew her by reputation. Dame Daphne was a legend in the world of conservation. A tough, formidable, woman who had helped with and then carried on the work of her departed husband. David Sheldrick had been the first warden of Tsavo National Park and a pioneer in wildlife preservation. With his wife, one truck and a handful of rangers he had transformed a five thousand square mile patch of desert into a wildlife sanctuary the size of Michigan State, Israel or Wales.

  “Not so good,” replied Mishak. “She has diarrhoea and is very weak.”

  “Let’s get her in the shade quickly,” she waved at Benjamin and another keeper who had appeared from the stables. “Come on get the tail-gate open.”

  She turned to David whilst they were unbolting and letting down the ramp. Her piercing eyes reflected the intelligent mind behind them, “Captain Nbeke, isn’t it? Where did you find the poor thing?”

  “Near the Mara River,” he stopped himself from scratching his itching scalp. Somehow standing in front of this Kenyan institution it didn’t seem like the right moment. “Her mother and the rest of the herd were killed by poachers.”

  “Did you catch them?” she raised an eyebrow.

  David shook his head, “Unfortunately not. They had escaped across the river into Tanzania by the time we got there.”

  “How very convenient!” she snorted before turning her attention to the commotion in the back of the truck.

  “Sorry?” David was taken aback. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

  The redhead spoke for the first time, almond shaped eyes and a pointed chin that she thrust in his direction, “Perhaps what Dame Daphne is suggesting is that you aren’t doing your job properly.” There was the soft lilt of an Irish accent.

  David turned so that he was facing her and held her gaze. He spoke through gritted teeth, “That’s one hell of an assumption. Do you have any idea what we are up against out there?”

  “So how do you explain that the number of animals being poached has risen dramatically since the Kenyan Wildlife Service came into existence? Surely it should be going down not up?”

  “And you are?” David realised that his fists were clenched tight. He relaxed his fingers.

  “Dr Caitlyn Brennan, I’m the new vet.” She didn’t offer her hand and David wouldn’t have taken it if she had.

  “Well Dr Brennan, can I suggest that before you go running your mouth off in the future that you should know what you’re talking about. That kind of wild accusation could get you into a lot of trouble.”

  Her cheeks glowed red to match her hair, “Are you threatening me Captain Nbeke?”

  They were interrupted as the keepers lead Ella down the ramp. Differences momentarily forgotten as everyone helped to shepherd the baby calve into the stable, Mishak leading her with a bottle of the magic formula.

  “We’ll take it from here,” Dr Brennan gave him a dismissive wave once the stable door was shut. “You’ve done quite enough already.” She knelt down beside Ella and started prodding her swollen stomach.

  David bit his tongue for the moment. He needed to know something before he left.

  “Is she going to make it?”

  Dr Brennan looked up from her examination, disbelief on her face, “Do you really care Captain?”

  David was too angry to speak, afraid of what he might say if he opened his mouth. He glared at her for what seemed
like ages before she relented.

  “Fifty-fifty at best.” She shook her head and pursed her lips, “If she makes it through the next forty-eight hours she’s got a good chance, but then she’ll have to be accepted by the surrogate herd. That doesn’t always happen.”

  “And if it doesn’t?”

  Dr Brennan shrugged her shoulders, “Then she’ll die Captain Nbeke, like the rest of her family.”

  *****

  David was still thinking about it when he reached the main gates. He didn’t know what type of reception he was expecting but it certainly wasn’t to be accused of being in league with poachers. He barely noticed the Ranger on duty as he drove under the strip of peaked tiled roof marking the entrance.

  The reserve had closed to the public for the day and the lot was almost deserted. Only a handful of cars and a couple of jeeps parked near to the buildings. Tall trees grew from islands between the rows of parking spaces. The whole site was set in an ancient forest. Huge trees surrounded and hung over the roofs of the buildings, some almost enveloped by the canopy that had grown over them. After the chaos that was the streets of Nairobi it was like entering an oasis.

  Ahead of him were a couple of two-storey buildings that housed the main offices and reception. Behind them was a secure compound and another set of wooden gates that led into the Park itself, a sanctuary to over eighty species of mammal and more than four hundred resident and migratory birds. Elephants were the only members of the big five not represented in the park. Covering around forty-five square miles it simply wasn’t big enough. Only seven kilometres from the centre of Nairobi and boasting lions, buffalo, leopards and rhino it was the only park of its kind in the world.

  David pulled up close to reception and went inside. He felt his spirits deflate further. Idi Tikolo was manning the front desk. Managing to look over-worked between stacks of paperwork even though he had very little to do other than man the phones and point visitors in the right direction.

  “Ah Nbeke,” Tikolo looked up from the ledger he was writing in and produced a wry smile, “What brings you to civilisation?”

  If Idi Tikolo represented civilisation then there really was little hope for humanity. The over-zealous snake in the grass would sell his own mother if he thought it would benefit his career.

  “Where’s Tanui?”

  Tikolo sneered, “If you mean the Deputy Director then I assume you have an appointment?”

  “Just tell Deputy Director Tanui that I’m here and that I need to speak with him urgently.”

  “Someone like you can’t just come barging in here to see the Deputy Director unannounced.” Tikolo reached for a leather-bound ledger, “I’ll check his schedule but it will be next week at the earliest.”

  David reached over the desk and placed his hand on the agenda, “Look Tikolo I’ve had a bad couple of days. Now are you going to call Tanui and let him know that I’m here, or do you want to end up wearing that precious diary of yours?”

  “There’s no need to be so melodramatic,” Tikolo tried to pull the book away but David maintained enough downward pressure to stop him. “He already knows all about your little elephant, it’s been causing quite a stir. Although I can’t see what all the fuss is about, saving one animal after losing so many.”

  David let go of the ledger, “Never mind, I’ll find him myself.” He stormed outside, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving Tikolo protesting and reaching for the telephone.

  He couldn’t remember saying or doing anything to offend him, but for some reason Idi Tikolo had taken an instant dislike to David. Perhaps it was because they were complete opposites. Although they were roughly the same age, Idi was short and overweight, the paunch of his belly overhanging the belt of his trousers. He had struggled with the physical elements of recruitment and marksmanship, whereas David excelled. Unfortunately they had both opted for additional courses in ‘Intelligence’ and ‘Investigation’ after passing basic training. Idi was the annoying member of the group who always had a string of questions to ask at the end of each lecture or seminar.

  That was two years ago at the Manyani Training School in Tsavo West. The Rangers’ facility was situated in the heart of the National Park established by Dame Daphne’s deceased husband. Fortunately David only had to put up with Idi on his rare visits headquarters.

  What Idi was good at was politics, treating the job as a way to climb the social ladder rather than a professional calling. He seemed to be more worried about promotion than wildlife. No doubt believing that he was destined for far greater things Tikolo hadn’t spent a single night in the field. A Kalenjin and out-spoken supporter of President Moi’s brutal regime Idi would have been equally at home in the Gestapo.

  David realised that he was angry with himself as well as annoyed by Idi’s ignorance. The reason he over-reacted with Dr Brennan earlier was that she had struck a chord. Despite the number of elephants being poached they hadn’t managed to catch many of the perpetrators.

  The ones they did catch were usually small fry, pairs of men working on their own to try and scrape a living. Not capable of devastating the herds like the organised gangs that they were looking for. He began to wonder if the poachers were being tipped off, the most likely conclusion was by someone within the KWS. David headed towards the main building wondering exactly what he was going to say to Tanui.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  KWS Headquarters, Nairobi

  August 10th, 1996

  Tanui wasn’t in his office. His personal secretary, a veteran ranger called Ngozi, was more amenable than Idi Tikolo had been.

  “The Deputy Director is out at the Ivory Memorial with some kind of freelance journalist. Claims to be a reporter writing an article on poaching for the National Geographic. Not a very well paid reporter judging by the way he’s dressed.” Ngozi smoothed the ends of his perfectly clipped moustache, “You can either wait for them to come back or try again in the morning.”

  David considered driving out into the park to speed things up but then thought better of it. Knowing Tanui’s methods he would have taken the journalist there for dramatic effect. Twelve tonnes of reclaimed ivory had been symbolically burnt on the site. David wasn’t going to interrupt. Besides which trying to discuss his suspicions in front of a reporter wasn’t a good idea.

  “I’ll wait, if that’s OK sergeant?”

  “Of course,” he indicated a couple of chairs against the wall, underneath a photograph of President Moi in full military regalia. “Take a seat and I’ll get you a cup of coffee. You must need one after your long drive and such a dreadful business.”

  Ngozi shuffled off down the corridor towards the kitchen before David had the chance to respond. One of Ngozi’s legs had been badly mangled by the steel jaws of a poacher’s trap and it dragged behind him.

  David glanced at the picture of the President before collapsing into the chair below it. The photo was obviously taken in the President’s plumper days when the jacket still fitted his shoulders.

  The short conversation with Ngozi concerned him. Everybody at headquarters seemed to know about the incident with the poachers already. Trying to find out who was leaking information wasn’t going to be easy. Assuming it was someone in the Service. But if his theory about the spotter plane was correct then it had to be one of his colleagues.

  Luckily he didn’t have to wait long for the Deputy Director and managed to avoid dozing off in the chair. The bitter tasting coffee helped to keep him awake.

  Tanui came striding down the oak-panelled corridor with the reporter scurrying behind him struggling to keep up. A ferret-faced man who was scribbling into a pocketsize notebook as the Deputy Director answered questions.

  “So you don’t think that there’s any truth in the rumours then?”

  Tanui stopped in his tracks. It looked like the blood vessels on his temples might burst. He turned and stared at the reporter for a few seconds before continuing walking. “They are as you said just rumours. I can assure you tha
t all of the Kenyan Wildlife Service’s employees are highly vetted and extremely dedicated professionals. The idea that any of them would be involved is both ludicrous and offensive.”

  “So how do you explain the rise in numbers?”

  “It’s an almost impossible task for our rangers. There’s a huge economic demand for the product. The poachers we face are well organised, highly motivated and heavily armed. On top of that the borders are hundreds of miles long and unmarked for vast sections. We simply don’t have the resources to be everywhere all of the time.”

  Tanui stopped in front of Ngozi’s workstation and turned to face the reporter. He tapped the face of his watch and smiled, “Speaking of time I’m afraid that we have run out of it for today. If you have any further questions then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Ngozi here will see you to the door.”

  The sergeant was standing stiffly beside his chair and must have been waiting for the order. His limp disappeared as he rounded the desk and took hold of the reporter’s elbow.

  “I know my way out thank-you,” the nasal twang was American, thin shoulder-length hair that seemed to stick to the reporter’s head as he shook it. He pulled his elbow free from Ngozi’s fingers, “And can I take this opportunity to thank you for your candidness and kind hospitality. Rest assured that it will all be in my article.” He tipped an imaginary hat, “Now, good-day to you.”

  Tanui watched him walk off shadowed by Ngozi. He remained silent until they disappeared around the corner towards the stairwell.

  “Good to see you again Captain Nbeke,” he turned to face David. His steely gaze was intense and his brow hooded like that of an eagle intent on its prey. “Sorry it’s not under happier circumstances. How is the orphaned elephant doing?”