Death of the Mantis

by Michael Stanley

Chapter Twenty-seven

  “Where’s a doctor? Where’s a doctor?”

  The night nurse was startled out of her doze by the frantic shouts from the entrance to the Hukuntsi Primary Hospital. She shook her head and rushed toward the door.

  “I need a doctor!” There was panic in the voice.

  “Rra, Rra, what’s wrong?” the nurse called as she pushed through the door from the clinic to the entrance. A white man was bent over, clutching his thigh. He looked up, face drained of blood by the pain.

  “Are you a doctor? Can you get this arrow out?” he said, grimacing, pointing at the shaft that protruded from his bloodstained shorts.

  “No, Rra. I’m a nurse. I’ll call the doctor right away. Come with me.”

  She took Haake’s arm and helped him into the clinic. He limped along squeezing the top of his thigh, trying to stop the pain.

  “Fucking Bushmen!”

  She led him into a small consulting room. “Rra, lie down here.” She pointed at a bed. “Try not to move.”

  Haake sat on the edge of the bed, bent over.

  “What if it’s poisoned?” he gasped. “It’ll kill me.”

  “Please lie down, Rra.”

  Haake shook his head. Sitting was less painful.

  “I’ll be back right away.” The nurse darted out of the room to phone one of the doctors on call.

  A few minutes later she returned with a glass of water and two tablets.

  “Please take these. Painkillers. The doctor will be here in fifteen minutes.”

  While they waited, the nurse took down all of Haake’s particulars. The same form all over the world, he thought as he answered the litany of questions about his health and history. Eventually the nurse was finished, and he closed his eyes to await the doctor’s arrival.

  “How did this happen?” The doctor had cut Haake’s shorts to get to the wound. Haake winced as the doctor probed around the shaft.

  “Must be a fucking Bushman! They’re the only ones around here who use bows and arrows.”

  “Where were you?” The doctor swabbed away the congealing blood. “What were you doing?”

  “Camping just out of town. Minding my own business. Arrow came from nowhere. I didn’t hear or see anyone.”

  The doctor looked closely at the wound. “I’ll have to cut it out.”

  “I tried pulling it out, but it was too painful.”

  “You’d have done a lot of damage if you’d succeeded.”

  “What if there’s poison on it? They use poison that can kill an eland! What if they’ve put that stuff on this arrow?” Haake was beginning to panic.

  “Just lie still, and I’ll get a local anesthetic for you. I’ll take the arrow out, then we can deal with the poison, if there is any.”

  Haake closed his eyes. The painkillers were beginning to take effect.

  Soon the doctor returned. “I’m going to inject you around the wound. It’ll take about ten minutes to take full effect. Then I’ll make incisions next to the shaft and take the arrow out.”

  Haake nodded his assent, keeping his eyes closed. He didn’t like injections. Moments later he felt a series of pinpricks in his thigh. That wasn’t bad, he thought.

  He lay there mulling over what had happened. First his GPS had been stolen. Now he had been shot. Obviously by a Bushman. Someone was definitely trying to keep him from getting back to his discovery. But who was it? He shook his head. He knew his thinking was becoming increasingly confused.

  “Okay, let me know if you feel any pain.” In his musings, Haake had almost forgotten his wound—the pain had disappeared.

  “I promise I’ll scream.” His voice was now tired and a little slow.

  “Here goes!”

  The operation didn’t take long, and Haake felt no pain, just an occasional tug on his leg. The doctor stitched up the wound and wrapped a bandage around the thigh. He held the arrow for Haake to see.

  “Take a look. This is a very dangerous weapon. If it hit you in the wrong place, it would kill you. You were lucky it hit you where it did. Should heal quickly and easily, and I doubt you’ll even have a limp.”

  He handed the arrow to Haake. It was about twenty-five inches long with a small metal head. Some sort of resin held the tip onto the shaft. But he was surprised when he looked at the other end. There were no feathers. He remembered the bows and arrows of his childhood—they all had feathers to stabilize the arrow in flight. But in this arrow, there was only a small notch in the end of the shaft for the bowstring. He rubbed his thumb over the edge of the tip. It was very sharp indeed. Then he noticed that there was some paste just below the head.

  “Look here! That paste. I’m sure that’s poison! Why else would it be there?”

  The doctor took the arrow from Haake and scrutinized the paste.

  “I don’t know what it is. It could be anything, but to be safe, I’ll send it to Gaborone tomorrow for testing, but I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about. However, if you feel bad during the night—not from the wound, but from something else—let the nurse know, and she’ll give me a call.”

  “Can you give me something so I can sleep? I don’t want to be awake all night with the pain.”

  “I’ll give you a sedative as soon as you’ve spoken to the police.”

  “The police? Why are they here?”

  “We have to inform them whenever there’s an assault. And in your case, they wanted to see you right away.”

  Before Haake could respond, the door opened, and two policemen walked in. Haake recognized Detective Tau from the Tshane police station. Tau walked over to the bed; the other policeman stayed at the door.

  “Mr. Haake, we’ve been looking for you.”

  “Looking for me? What for?”

  “I have to inform you that you are under arrest for the murder of Joseph Krige.”

  “I’m under arrest?” Haake sat up abruptly causing him discomfort even though the anesthetic hadn’t worn off. “For murder?” His brow creased into a frown.

  Tau didn’t answer, but read Haake his rights.

  “Are you fucking mad?” The color was coming back into Haake’s face. “I found Krige. I didn’t kill him. Are you on some sort of quota system? Three whites arrested for murder each year? You’re crazy.”

  Tau pulled a chair over to the bed.

  “First, I would like to ask you some questions about what happened tonight.” He took out his notebook and pen. “Where were you when you were shot with the arrow?”

  “Well, I didn’t shoot myself! You can write that down!”

  “Mr. Haake, please. We want to find out what happened tonight and find who was responsible.”

  “It was the bloody Bushmen. Can’t you see? There’s the arrow!” He pointed to the bedside table. Tau nodded and asked the other constable to put it in a large plastic bag.

  “You can’t do that!” The doctor intervened. “I need to send it to Gaborone tomorrow for testing. In case there’s poison on it.”

  “Then, we’ll need to photograph it first. Before you send it. When will it go?”

  “If you get it back by eight, that’ll be fine.”

  Tau nodded and turned back to Haake. “Where were you when you were attacked?”

  “It doesn’t matter where I was. What’s this shit about a murder charge?”

  “Mr. Haake. Please answer the questions. If you want to know who shot you, we have to get the information now so we can start looking. Where were you when you were hit?”

  “This is bullshit.” His face was now flushed. “I was camping just outside town on the road to Kule. Eating my supper and having a beer. Got up to pee, and the arrow hit my thigh. I remember hearing the sound of a bowstring just before.”

  “Do you know anyone who would want to kill you? Somebody you’ve fought with?”

  Haake hesitated and decided not to tell Tau about what he had seen at the koppies in the desert.

  “I tell you it’s the fucking Bushmen. But I’ve
no idea why they’d want to kill me. Maybe they were after someone else.”

  “Are you sure there’s no one else who would want to kill you?”

  “I’m sure!”

  He lay back, beginning to feel nauseous. From the anesthetic, I suppose, he thought. And he had a headache coming on.

  “I’m not feeling well. I want to sleep. Can’t you come back in the morning?”

  Tau pondered what to do. Eventually he decided it was better to leave Haake to recover.

  “I’ll come back in the morning, Mr. Haake. But don’t try to escape. There are bars on the windows, and Constable Mopati here will be on guard outside the door. And he’s armed.”

  Mopati patted the holster on his belt.

  “I’ll be back at seven.”

  Tau asked the nurse where he could make some phone calls, and she showed him into another consulting room. He shut the door and dialed Lerako in Tsabong.

  “Yes?” The voice was sleepy. “Who is it?”

  “It is Detective Tau from Tshane. We’ve got Haake.”

  The voice came alive. “You’ve got Haake? Is he handcuffed? Is he in a cell?”

  “He’s in hospital. He was shot with an arrow and came to the hospital to have someone take it out.”

  “Shot with an arrow?” There was a pause. “It’s those bloody Bushmen again! How is he?”

  “He’s in pain. I asked him some questions, then he was too tired and sick to go on. The windows are barred, and I’ve put Constable Mopati outside the door to make sure he doesn’t try to escape. He wasn’t looking very well.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  “Not much.” Tau pulled out his notebook and told Lerako what Haake had said.

  “I didn’t have a chance to ask him about Krige. I thought it was better to find out what happened tonight. Tomorrow I can ask about the murder.”

  “I’ll come up early in the morning. Should get there around lunch.”

  Now wide awake, Lerako decided he’d better call Kubu. Fortunately he’d added both Kubu’s numbers to his cell phone. He called Kubu’s home. I hope I wake him up too, he thought with a touch of malice.

  “Assistant Superintendent Bengu.” Kubu had indeed been asleep.

  “Kubu, it’s Lerako. They’ve caught Haake.”

  Kubu’s voice perked up immediately. “Where is he?”

  “He’s in the Hukuntsi Hospital. Apparently someone shot him with an arrow, and he went there to have it taken out.”

  “Shot with an arrow?”

  “I told you it was those Bushmen!”

  Kubu suddenly felt cold. “If it really was a Bushman arrow, it could have been poisoned. I’d better call the hospital right away.”

  “I told you we should have kept those suspects in Tsabong. Krige would have been alive, if we had, and Haake in good health.”

  “Come on, Lerako. Don’t be so stubborn. Haake knew Monzo, and Krige knew Haake. There’s something else going on here. It can’t all be a coincidence!”

  There was no reaction from Lerako. Then he said, “I’m going up to Hukuntsi in the morning. What are you going to do?”

  “I’ll meet you there around lunch. We can interrogate him together. And bring him back to Gaborone if he’s well enough.” Then Kubu thought about how sloppy Detective Tau had been when dealing with Haake in the Krige affair. “Is Tau in charge up there?”

  “Yes. He’s got an armed guard outside Haake’s door. And the windows are barred. Should be okay.”

  “All right. Get some sleep, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Wide awake now, Kubu called the Hukuntsi Hospital and spoke to the night nurse. She sounded tired, but knew all about Haake and the arrow wound.

  “Please tell the doctor that the arrow may have a deadly Bushman poison on it. The arrow should be handled very carefully and bagged. The doctor should also keep a close eye on the patient.”

  “I’ll call the doctor again, if I think it’s necessary,” the nurse promised before she hung up.

  Kubu lay back and sighed. After two days with no progress, he thought, I have to be woken in the middle of the night.

  Haake couldn’t sleep. His headache had worsened, he felt increasingly nauseous, he’d thrown up once, and his wound had started to throb. Bloody hell, he thought. This is worse than I expected. He poured the rest of the water from the jug next to his bed into a glass and drained it. He had heard once that anesthetics made you thirsty. He’d have to go and pee soon.

  Sure enough, fifteen minutes later he called for Mopati.

  “I have to go and pee,” he said.

  Mopati wasn’t sure what to do. He’d been told to make sure Haake didn’t leave the room. But a man had to pee. He pulled out his automatic and pointed it at Haake. “If you try to run, I’ll shoot you,” he said. “Get out of bed. Put your hands above your head.”

  Haake swung his feet off the bed and onto the floor. As he stood up, he staggered and had to use the bed to steady himself.

  “Wait a moment,” he said weakly. “I got up too quickly. I’m a little dizzy.”

  When he indicated he was feeling better, Mopati backed slowly out of the door, indicating to Haake to follow.

  “Nurse! Nurse!” Mopati didn’t take his eyes off Haake.

  Again the nurse was startled from her snooze.

  “Where’s the toilet?”

  The nurse indicated that they should follow her. She walked down the corridor and pointed to the men’s. “There you are.”

  The two men went in, and Mopati backed into a corner so that Haake wouldn’t be too close. “Do it!” he said waving the automatic towards the urinal.

  Haake shuffled over and lifted his gown.

  “Shit! There’s blood in my pee!”

  When he’d finished, and they were going back to the room, Haake told the nurse about the blood.

  “Anything else that feels bad?”

  “Well, I’ve thrown up a few times and have a splitting headache.”

  The nurse frowned. “Go and lie down. I’ll call the doctor and let him know.”

  The doctor was alarmed when the nurse told him about Haake’s symptoms. The operation had been simple and straightforward. And it was highly unlikely that Haake was allergic to the anesthetic.

  “Oh, shit!” he said to himself. “Maybe the arrow was poisoned as the detective from Gaborone had suggested.” He didn’t know anything about Bushman poisons and, of course, there were all sorts—from bushes, from snakes, and from beetles. All different. All fatal.

  He dressed again and rushed to the hospital. On the way he called the emergency room at the Princess Marina hospital in Gaborone for help. They took his number and said a doctor would call back.

  He hurried to Haake’s bedside and unbandaged the wound. It looked healthy. But Haake told him the headache was intensifying, as was the nausea. And his muscles felt listless. Just as the doctor was about to take Haake’s pulse and blood pressure, his phone rang. He walked outside the door and described to the doctor in Gaborone what had happened.

  “You’d better get him here as quickly as possible,” was the response. “Can you get an ambulance at this time of night?”

  Mopati was now in over his head. His responsibility was simple enough—don’t let Haake leave the room. He’d already used his initiative to let him go to the toilet. Now the doctor wanted to take him to Gaborone and had sent the nurse to arrange an ambulance. Mopati had no idea how to react. Quickly he called Tau. Tau was horrified and decided he needed direction from Tsabong, so he called Lerako again.

  “Yes?” Lerako was obviously fast asleep when the phone rang.

  “Detective Sergeant Lerako, this is Tau. They want to take Haake to Gaborone. They think the arrow was poisoned.”

  “Who wants to?”

  “The doctor. He called Princess Marina and that’s what they told him to do. I’m not sure what to do.”

  Lerako thought for a moment. “How are they taking him? In an ambulance?”
r />   “I think so.”

  “Well, send Mopati with the ambulance. Just make sure Haake can’t escape. He may have a plan.”

  “Okay. What do they do when they get to Princess Marina?”

  “I’ll arrange to have someone there.”

  After he hung up, Lerako called Kubu again, who was not pleased. But after Lerako explained what had happened, Kubu was wide awake.

  “So the doctor thinks the arrow could be poisoned. That’s what I was afraid of. When will they get here?”

  “Don’t know. Depends when they can get the ambulance organized. But it won’t be before eight or nine in the morning.”

  “I’ll interview him as soon as I can. Thanks for letting me know. I would have headed for Hukuntsi early and passed Haake going in the opposite direction. I’ll call you as soon as I’ve spoken to him.”

  It was just after 3:00 a.m. when the ambulance eventually left Hukuntsi Hospital. It had taken some time to locate the driver. Eventually he’d been found and awakened at a girlfriend’s house. Then he still had to go home and find the keys to the ambulance. Constable Mopati was seated very uncomfortably next to Haake in the back, and Haake, now even more heavily sedated, lay on the gurney breathing roughly.

  Even to Mopati’s untrained eye, Haake looked very ill. Mopati wondered whether he would be alive when they arrived.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  The ambulance driver managed to stay on the road the whole way from Hukuntsi, missing all the animals that wandered into his way—quite a large number, in fact. About the only benefit he derived by having the siren on was that an occasional cow would turn and look at the noise coming down the road. This allowed him to see the headlights reflected in its eyes.

  The road had always puzzled him. He had originally been very impressed by the fences that ran down each side of the Trans-Kalahari Highway. That will keep animals off the road, he had thought. This night, as he drove down the Highway for the umpteenth time since it had been paved, he decided that the fences were to keep the animals on the road so they couldn’t stray too far. They liked it there anyway, because the runoff of what little rain the area received collected next to the road, causing the grass to be green and lush.