The Crocodile's Last Embrace

by Arruda, Suzanne

  “You’ll do no such thing, Bev,” snapped Jade. “You need time away from the baby, and you’re the troop leader. I’ll ride my motorcycle. Emily can drive the newer Overland. Put Miss Biddlebody in with Helen and Mary and that blasted parrot.”

  “Biddleford,” corrected Beverly. “The girls told me she’s a fine teacher.” She shook her head in disbelief as the girls clustered around the woman. “What about Biscuit? If he goes with them, he might eat the parrot.”

  “One can only hope. He’ll ride in the sidecar. He actually enjoys it.”

  While Jade checked and tightened the sidecars’ connectors, Emily escorted the teacher to a shiny green vehicle whose top and sides were laden with camping gear, and helped her into the front passenger seat. Mary sat in the back with Pepper and Helen and several boxes. The other three girls bundled into the older Overland, a black Express model whose rear bench had been removed to hold supplies. After Beverly made a visit to the nursery and the nanny, and gave a parting kiss to Avery, they drove off, Jade and Biscuit taking point.

  Jade kept the pace slower than she would have if she had been alone. After all, she reasoned, she wasn’t sure just how good a driver Emily was, especially with all the noisy distractions in her car. One of those distractions, the teacher, had piqued Jade’s interest, and when they’d finally reached their chosen camping spot on the north side of the river above the falls, Jade grabbed the teacher by the arm and yanked off her hat.

  “Okay, Mr. Holly. Just what are you up to now?”

  CHAPTER 11

  Their nostrils close when they submerge, and they have means of sealing

  off their throat, too, enabling them to open their jaws and seize prey

  underwater. It’s reminiscent of the Red Riding Hood tale:

  “The better to eat you with, my dear.”

  —The Traveler

  “YOU HAVE TO LET ME STAY, JADE,” Steven Holly begged as he snatched back the hat and plopped it on his head. “My life is in danger!”

  “Control yourself, Mr. Holly!” exclaimed Beverly. She whipped around and faced Mary. “Mary Postlewaithe, shame on you! A Girl Guide does not perpetrate deceptions or tell falsehoods. And you talked all the other girls into assisting you in this fraud.”

  Mary hung her head. “We’re very sorry, madame, but we had to help my uncle. When Miss Emily and I found . . .” She stopped abruptly and grimaced.

  “Ah, so my sister was in on this, too,” said Beverly. She glared at Emily. “I’ll deal with you later.”

  “Explain yourself, Mr. Holly,” said Jade. She stood in front of him with her arms folded.

  “My life is in danger. I’m certain of it,” Holly whined. “First that man Stockton was killed and pushed over the Limuru Bridge; then Waters was fed to a crocodile. I’m next!”

  “How well did you know Waters?” asked Jade.

  “He’s the man who talked me into investing in the gold mine.” Holly waved his arms about, accidentally knocking his hat and wig off again. “Don’t you see? Someone wants complete control over the mine. They don’t want to share any of the gold, so they’re eliminating all of the other partners.” He plopped his wig back on his head and tugged it into place. “It must be worth a fortune!” he said in a breathy voice.

  “Mr. Holly, the police suspect that Waters killed Stockton.”

  “But the papers said that Waters was shot!” exclaimed Holly. “I know I’m next.”

  Jade frowned, shaking her head. “He could have been killed by someone else whom he tried to get to invest. Someone who didn’t like being taken. It doesn’t mean you’re in danger. And take off that costume. You look positively ridiculous.”

  Holly shook his head. “I can’t risk being seen.”

  Beverly and Emily stood to one side, listening. “Mr. Holly,” said Emily, “tell them what you told me yesterday.”

  Holly nodded, his wig slipping over his forehead. “I’ve been threatened.”

  “Threatened?” exclaimed Beverly. “By whom?”

  “I don’t know,” Holly said. “I returned to the hotel two nights ago and picked up my mail from the desk clerk as usual. There was a parcel with no return name, return address, or postage. Inside was a threatening note. It told me to give up my share in the mine or my life would suffer for it and . . . well, never mind what else. It isn’t important.”

  “Did you take the note to the police?”

  Holly shook his head, and his wig slipped around to the side of his face. “Oh, no!” He shuddered. “The message said that I’d be dead very soon and very dreadfully if I did that.”

  “Did he show you this note, Emily?” asked Jade.

  “No, but why should we not believe him?”

  Jade could think of a variety of reasons but she kept them to herself, since most stemmed from her dislike of the man and his intemperate habits. She watched his face closely. That he was terrified was obvious. But he was also hiding something. “What else was in your packet, Mr. Holly? You must tell us.”

  “No! I don’t want to endanger you.”

  “It’s too late for that. You already have. Now tell me.”

  Holly’s entire body shook. “It’s too horrid.”

  “Mr. Holly!”

  He leaned in closer to Jade. “It was a human ear. A bit dried, rather like one of those tree fungi, but an ear nonetheless.”

  “Waters was missing an ear,” Jade said softly. She looked at Emily. “I assume you had something to do with this getup?” She swept one hand up and down, indicating Holly’s disguise.

  Emily answered while Holly readjusted his wig and hat. “Yes. When Mary and I went to his hotel, the clerk said that he was not answering and so must be out. Mary and I went to his room. I slipped a note under his door, assuring him that we only wanted to assist him, and to let us know how. As you might suppose, he was hiding in his rooms and he quickly opened the door and pulled us in.”

  “Emily!” scolded Beverly.

  “Don’t ‘Emily’ me,” she snapped back. “When Mr. Holly explained his plight, I offered to purchase some clothes for a disguise. Mary suggested that Mr. Holly pose as one of her teachers, coming along for the safari. We returned with the items, left them with him, and came home in time for last evening’s meeting.”

  “And you slipped out this morning, Mr. Holly?” asked Jade.

  “Please, you ladies should all call me Steven.”

  “We should refer to you as Miss Biddleford in case someone is listening,” suggested Emily.

  “He can call himself Lord High Queen of the May as far as I’m concerned,” said Jade. “I want to know how he managed to get away.”

  “Why, I donned the disguise and walked out of the hotel,” said Holly. “No one would be watching the activities of an elderly woman.”

  “But someone might wonder about such a woman leaving when none like her was ever seen to go into the hotel. Especially if Emily’s two visits were observed. It would certainly look suspicious to me.”

  “I say, I hadn’t really thought about that.”

  Jade scoffed. “Somehow, your not thinking doesn’t surprise me. But if you put these girls in trouble with your careless actions, you’ll answer to me and you’ll wish a croc had you.”

  “But what can I do?” Holly asked. “I can’t go back to Nairobi. Not for a while, at least.”

  “You certainly can’t hide out here forever,” said Jade. “You’d do better to go to the police. Talk to Inspector Finch. He’s familiar with these other deaths. Take the ear with you.”

  “I threw it away. Hideous thing.”

  “Mr. Holly,” said Beverly, “we’re camping only one night this time and going back to Nairobi late tomorrow afternoon. I can’t see that staying here is going to help you.”

  “But it can’t hurt,” broke in Emily. “I mean to say, his staying with us for one night isn’t going to cause suspicion. When we return, we could escort him safely to the inspector.”

  “I promise I’ll keep ou
t of the way,” said Holly. “I’ll hide in one of the tents.”

  “We don’t have a tent for you,” said Jade. “You can hide in the old Overland, and that’s where you’ll also sleep.”

  “Perhaps I shall just take a stroll right now,” Holly said, “since I am not wanted about.”

  “Watch out for lions and crocodiles,” said Jade. She was amused to see him suddenly start and look around as though one might be lurking right next to him.

  But Holly walked off anyway, tromping through the grasses in his long dress, his big hat bobbing from side to side. Biscuit followed for a few yards before he took off on his own.

  Emily looked sheepishly at the other two women, but neither Jade nor Bev scolded her. Instead, Bev commended her sister on her kindhearted feelings and set her to assisting the girls with pitching the three tents. Bev was to share one with Mary and Clarice, Emily with Helen and Lily, and Jade with Elspeth, so that none of the girls was left without adult protection. Once the tents were up and the noisy parrot stowed in his cage in the back of an Overland, the girls began an exercise in tracking according to their handbook.

  Lily put on a pair of hobnailed boots and, while the other girls sat in the tents, walked a circuitous route. When she returned, the other four came out and tried to follow her tracks. At first, it was easy; all four of them had heard which way their friend went. But as Lily used some of the rocks as part of her route, they soon lost her obvious footprints. When that happened, they went back to the last set of prints and began making circles around it, each time moving farther out until they came across another set of prints.

  Jade observed them for a while, making suggestions when they lost the tracks. She showed them how to tell when their friend was running or, at one point, walking backwards to confuse them. When they were nearly at the finish, she left them in Bev and Emily’s care and went to tend to the campfire. At this point, Jade was ready to kill for a cup of coffee. She set the pot of water to boil, threw in enough of her spiced tea for at least three mugsful, and set it aside to steep and cool. While she waited she photographed the falls from the top.

  “Miss Jade,” called Clarice, “we did it. We tracked her. What shall we do next?”

  Jade had just returned to camp and poured a cup of tea for herself when the girl called her attention away from the pot. “Look for other tracks. Don’t follow them, but see if you can identify them.”

  “Do you mean decide if they are lion or elephant or something else?”

  “Yes.” Jade doubted they’d find anything other than an old set of antelope impressions, but it would keep them occupied for a while.

  “I found Mr. Holly’s tracks,” said Helen. “I think we should follow Mary’s uncle and see where he went.”

  “I think it best that we leave Mr. Holly alone for a while,” said Beverly. “I’m sure Mary’s intentions for inviting him along were well meant, but the deception was hardly suitable to a Girl Guide.”

  “What about these tracks, Miss Jade?” called Mary. “Are these lion tracks?”

  Jade set her mug of scalding hot tea down on the rock, thought better of it, and poured it back into the pot to stay hot. “No, not lion,” she said when she joined the girls and Beverly. “There are claw marks on these tracks. Lions pull their claws in like house cats.”

  “I know,” said Lily. “They’re cheetah tracks.” She looked around the camp. “Biscuit’s gone. These must be his.”

  “Where did he go?” asked Helen, concern edging her voice. “Should we follow and make certain that he’s quite all right?”

  “Biscuit is fine,” said Jade. “He’s probably hunting.”

  “Should I take them upriver to have a look-see?” asked Beverly. She nodded to the Enfield rifle leaning against her tent. “Avery has been working with me. I’m a good shot.”

  Jade looked around, her own Winchester slung across her back. The grasses were shorter up here, making it harder for a predator to hide. Still, she felt uneasy. While there were not as many animals here as below the falls, there were a few trees for someone to hide behind. “I’m more concerned about humans now than animals,” she said.

  Stupid Holly. “I’ll walk with you fifty or sixty yards and do a sweep of the area just to be sure it’s safe,” said Jade. “But, Bev, if you have the slightest hint of trouble, fire a shot in the air. I’ll be there on the double-quick.”

  They walked together above the falls, the girls peering among the rocks and in the dirt for tracks, while Beverly and Jade kept their eyes alert for any sign of danger. Emily, Jade noted, kept straining her eyes to the distance, possibly for some sign of Steven Holly. She may be a little silly, but she’s too nice for him. Jade knew that Bev had hoped to introduce Emily to Lord Colridge’s son, but Edmunde was in Europe at the moment.

  “You’re fine here, Bev,” Jade said. “If the girls can’t find anything, they can always practice with their slings. I’m going to enjoy a moment of relative silence.”

  “You’re too late,” said Beverly. She nodded towards a small trail of dust coming closer. “We have company.”

  Jade shielded her eyes with one hand and peered towards the now visible truck. “Oh, spit fire and save the matches! It’s Hascombe.”

  “Hmm,” murmured Beverly. “I’ll just engage the girls in some footraces or something.”

  “You do that. I’m going to see what he wants.” Jade shouldered her rifle and walked briskly back to camp, returning just as Harry poured a mug of Jade’s tea. He downed it in three gulps and poured another.

  “Help yourself, Harry,” said Jade, not really meaning it.

  “Don’t mind if I do,” he said, and downed the second cup. “This is good. I needed that.” To Jade’s dismay, he poured a third and set the nearly empty pot back on the rock. “Percival’s hired me to help him find that croc. He thinks it went downriver, away from the nearest village, but he needs to be sure.” Harry took another gulp of tea. “Nakuru and I’ve been all over the river below these falls. Haven’t seen so much as a ripple in the water or a log on the shore.” He finished the drink, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and set the mug down by the pot. “Thought maybe you might have something to report on the matter.”

  “Why would I?” Jade asked. “I said we were staying above the falls. I have my hands full as it is without looking for that crocodile.”

  Harry shifted his position. “Ah, truth be told, I wanted to see how you were after all this mess. I can tell you’ve not been yourself recently. I blame it all on that damned Featherstone. How in blazes he could go off and leave behind a woman like you is beyond me. I’ve been worried about you, Jade. Seeing that croc, finding that corpse.”

  “I’m fine, Harry.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Jade. Not sure who’s the bigger fool: Featherstone for abandoning you, or you for waiting for him.” He took a step towards her. “Now, you and I are a pair, Jade. We both love Africa and we don’t settle well into domesticity. I want you to come with me. We’re a good team. I’ll take care of you.” He reached for her but Jade backed away.

  “Are you proposing, Harry? Or just propositioning?”

  Harry pulled his hand back. “No. I mean to say—”

  “Give it up, Harry. I’d shoot you before a week was out.”

  His face widened into a big grin. “Ah, that’s my girl. But you wouldn’t. You’d see. Just you give it some thought.” His broad shoulders twitched and he rubbed his arms.

  “Drop it, Harry!”

  “No. I won’t.” Harry looked at her, his chin in a mutinous pose. “All I am saying is that he’s gone, but I’m still here. And I think you should damn well recognize that.”

  “Of course you’re here, Harry. This is your home.” She pointed beyond the hill. “Your old ranch is right around the bend of the mountain.”

  “Not much there anymore. I sold the cattle.” He twitched his shoulders as if the small of his back itched. “A home without a woman isn’t much of a home.” He reached for h
er again, but Jade sidestepped him. “I found the woman. You.”

  “If you’re waiting for me, then you should sell the land.”

  He dropped his arms in defeat before swatting at his head as though an insect was annoying him. “I tried to. No buyers willing to pay anything for it. So I kept it. Sometimes I have an older client who just wants to shoot a little and I take him there. The house is in decent enough repair for someone who doesn’t want frills.” He took off his hat and swiped at his forehead. “Hell, sometimes I just hire it out to some collector or naturalist to hunt butterflies.” He said the last word with a scoffing snort. His voice rose in volume and he started pacing back and forth. “Some of them use my place and don’t even pay me for the pleasure.”

  Jade watched in some alarm, glancing at Bev and the girls finishing a race nearby. She knew Harry had a temper, but she’d never seem him get so angry so easily. “Calm down, Harry,” she said. “The girls will hear you and come back to see what’s wrong.”

  Harry started as though her voice was unexpected. “What?” Then he ducked his head and frowned sheepishly. “Sorry, Jade. I didn’t mean to sound off like that. But competition for safaris is getting tight, and there are days when I wonder if I made the right decision, quitting the ranch.”

  “Think nothing of it, Harry.”

  Harry seemed to notice the girls and the other two women for the first time. “Just you ladies then?” Jade nodded, deciding to keep Holly’s secret for a while longer. Harry pointed to Jade’s rifle. “Perhaps you might need me to stay around to see that you’re all safe?”

  Jade heard the hurt in his voice and sighed. Why are men so blasted complicated? “We’ll be fine, Harry. The best thing you can do for us is to find that crocodile. It would be nice someday to take them fishing below the falls, and I won’t feel safe doing that until I know that beast is long gone.”

  He clamped his hat tightly on his head, his hand shaking slightly. “Right. But I’ll be back tomorrow. You’ll come around to my idea. You’ll see.”

  He leaned in closer and his shadow over her became a tangible presence. Jade felt his body heat radiating like a power. With it came the scent of the African grasslands, coupled with musk and, most curious, something spicy. The combination was both heady and disturbing. His scent hovered on the edge of her mind, a menacing presence not entirely there and all the more frightening for its vagueness. She shook herself, dispelling the shudder that threatened to race down her spine.