The Crocodile's Last Embrace (16 page)

“We could ask at the land office. See if he staked a claim up north,” said Jade.

Both Finch and Harry turned to her, shaking their heads.

“We?” asked Finch. “Your part is done, Miss del Cameron. I’ve seen nothing here that connects Waters to those packages you’ve received and, as you haven’t indicated anything to the contrary, neither have you. Thank you for your help, but I must insist that you forget about all this.”

“The inspector’s right, Jade,” said Harry. “I’ll take you home.”

Jade had little choice but to agree. She’d ridden here with Finch, Harry trailing in his truck. She’d never catch a rickshaw or taxi in this part of town.

“And one of you take that bird with you,” said Finch.

“It’s all yours, Jade,” said Harry. “I don’t want it.”

Jade looked at the parrot, preening itself on its perch. “Biscuit will want to eat it.”

“Salt! Salt! Salt!”

“Biscuit has better taste than that,” said Harry.

—The Traveler

WEDNESDAY’S ISSUE OF THE
STANDARD
bore a full column elaborating on Mr. Waters’ untimely demise. A second page contained photographs of the abandoned truck, Harry aiming his rifle at the water, and the croc’s head visible from the emerging spray of water. The article was followed by another on crocodiles in general and the numerous native deaths attributed to them. Thursday’s issue added that a .455 Webley cartridge had been found lodged in Mr. Waters’ rib and that his right ear was missing.

Thursday’s issue of the
Leader
spent a full column on Mr. Waters’ possible partnership in a mysterious gold mine with the late Mr. Stockton. A second column speculated on the unlikely coincidence that Jade had discovered both of the recently deceased bodies. By Thursday afternoon, the deaths were the talk of Nairobi, capping all other discussions, including the more recent cases of plague in the Indian district and Lady Northey’s latest charitable tea.

“At least the reporter didn’t put your photograph in there, Jade,” said Beverly. “That reporter from the
Leader
actually took Emily to lunch to probe for information. Luckily my sister knew very little to tell. Imagine the cheek!”

They were seated on the Dunburys’ veranda, an hour before the Girl Guide safari meeting. Alice Merrywether cooed happily in her perambulator, sucking on her big toe, which she’d managed to fit into her mouth. Biscuit snoozed at Jade’s feet, his head resting on his forepaws.

“Getting her to verify that I’d been involved was bad enough,” said Jade. “What was your sister thinking?”

“Emily doesn’t have enough experience with men to tell when they’re using her,” said Beverly. “I think she truly thought that he was a nice gentleman.”

“But it’s not accurate to say that I found Waters’ body. All I really found was the truck and the croc. The body found us. The
Leader
’s implication is that trouble always seems to turn up when I’m around, as if
I
created it.”

“It is a pity,” agreed Beverly. “I’ve already had one mother ring me up and tell me that she won’t allow her daughter to join us on safari. I told her we were staying atop the falls and would be perfectly safe, but she felt inclined to believe that you would find some other peril for her child.”

“I’m sure we’ll hear more of that at the meeting,” said Jade. Her shoulder twitched involuntarily and she rubbed it.

Beverly caught the movement and frowned. “You’re still having nervous disorders, aren’t you, Jade.” She held up one hand, stalling any protest on Jade’s part. “There’s no need to answer; I can see it’s true. I don’t think you should be alone right now. Especially if someone went into your bungalow to hide that terrible letter. Did you ask Farhani if he’d seen anyone about?”

“He saw only Matthew, the cook,” said Jade. “I suppose he was bringing me food at your direction.”

“Nonsense,” said Bev. “Why would you think that?”

“You’re already insisting that I eat every meal and take tea with you, Bev, ever since I returned from that crocodile hunt. You
know
I hate tea. You could at least serve that spiced variety.” Jade silently cursed the latest corpse and the ensuing investigation for keeping her from buying more coffee.

“I don’t care for it much myself,” said Beverly. “It’s not genuine British tea, and who ever heard of pepper in tea? But you’re changing the subject. You should be staying at the house with us.”

“Bev, there’s no room. Your nanny and the baby take up one bedroom, and Emily has the other spare. It’s a hotel here.” She nodded towards the barn. “And with that obnoxious parrot, it’s turning into a zoo as well.”

“It is a dreadful bird,” agreed Emily, who just then joined them on the porch. She wore a spring green silk dress in a soft white floral print. “At least it’s shut away in the barn, where we don’t have to listen to it.” She wiggled her fingers at the baby, causing Alice to erupt into giggles.

“What else could I do?” asked Jade. “Biscuit kept eyeing it and licking his chops.”

“I’m sure it’s driving the horses crazy. I know it’s annoying Avery,” said Bev. “We’ll have to do something with it.”

“I’ll take care of it,” said Jade. “After all, I brought it here.”

“That man Waters must have had terrible eating habits,” said Emily as she rocked the perambulator to and fro. “ ‘Pile in salt’? What an odd phrase for that bird to overhear. What else could it mean?”

“Are you planning on passing this on to another reporter?” asked Jade. Emily blushed and ducked her head. Jade instantly regretted her accusation. “I’m sorry, Emily. It wasn’t your fault. The man used you.”

“And he seemed so refined and genteel, too,” murmured Emily.

“I can shoot him if you’d like,” said Jade. She had the pleasure of seeing Emily smile. “But to answer your question, the bird seems to be giving two separate phrases. At least, I hear the bird yell ‘salt’ all by itself and ‘pile in’ at other times.”

“Perhaps ‘pile in’ is a slang phrase,” suggested Emily. “Pile in a car?”

“The man must have had an accent that the bird picked up,” said Beverly. “‘Pile in’ actually sounds more like ‘pale in’ to me. We might be assuming he says ‘pile in’ because we hear ‘salt’ afterwards?”

Jade nodded. “Harry said that Waters was Cockney. But those might also be mining terms. Maybe they found a salt bed the first time and Waters was so angry he shouted it. The volume or severity of his tone could have impressed the word on the bird.”

“Interesting. I’ll have to ask Avery,” said Bev. “He’s remarkably clever about a great number of things.” She looked at her older sister, who was still amusing the baby. “Emily, you look
particularly
lovely today. Are you seeing someone tonight?” The question was innocently asked, but Emily’s lips briefly pinched together.

“Perhaps. Nothing has been planned, but I’m hopeful,” she replied.

“Oh,” said Bev, “someone who is dropping in? But all I know of are the girls and . . .” She paused, her brow scrunched in puzzlement.

“Steven Holly,” said Jade. “Mary’s uncle.”

Beverly’s eyes opened wide. “Emily?”

Emily tugged at her elbow-length sleeves and smoothed the skirt. “He has brought his niece to the meetings in the past.”

“But Mr. Holly?” Beverly asked.

“There! I knew you would disapprove of him. I don’t see that I need my younger sister to act as my guardian,” Emily said, half rising from her chair.

“Sit down, Emily!” said Beverly, then quickly added, “Please. You don’t need my approval. It’s just that you’re a smashing girl and you can do much better than Mr. Holly.”

Emily sat down again and resumed pushing and pulling the perambulator. “He’s not such a bad sort. And he works at a bank. You know as well as I that I wouldn’t make a good settler’s wife. I’d be terrified to step out of doors. I’ve never had your dash and daring, Beverly.”

“No one’s suggesting that you marry a farmer, Emily,” said Beverly. She turned to Jade for support. “Are we, Jade?”

“Please don’t include me in this discussion, Bev.” Jade rubbed her arms again, trying to will away the creeping-flesh feeling.

“Oh, but I want your opinion, Jade,” said Emily. “I know you’ll speak the truth. Do you think that Mr. Holly is a poor choice?”

Jade sighed. “Yes, I do. He’s a skirt chaser, he drinks too much, and he has the intellect of a bug. A very stupid bug.”

Emily slumped in her chair. “I suppose you’ve
both
picked out some nice stodgy old goat for me. I’m too
old
for a spot of fun or a handsome man. Not the sort of thing a skirt chaser, as you called him, would find worth going after.” She folded her arms across her chest and looked away, her blue eyes liquid with tears. “Even that silly little reporter only wanted a story out of me.”

Bev jumped to her feet and put her arms around her sister. “There, there, Emily. You are too worth chasing.”

“No!” Emily choked back a sob. “I couldn’t even seduce that reporter.”

“What?!” exclaimed Beverly. “When did you . . .”

Emily swiped the back of her hand across her eyes. “This morning. I saw the paper, and I thought I could convince Mr. Smythe, the reporter, to print a retraction. I knew his flat was in the Victoria, so I went there and . . . well, he wouldn’t even let me in.”

“Of course not, Emily,” said Beverly. “What gentleman would?”

“He’s probably looking for someone rich,” offered Jade, “rather than pretty and smart.”

Emily patted her eyes with a lace hankie. “You could be right, Jade. From what I saw of his room, he seemed to have extravagant tastes. Perhaps he prefers men!”

Beverly’s eyes opened wider, and Jade wished that she were anywhere but here, imposing on this sad family scene. She turned her gaze from the sisters, giving them some privacy, and spotted a rickshaw coming up the lane.

“We have company, Bev,” Jade said.

Emily looked up, her eyes hopeful; then her shoulders sagged again. “It’s one of your girls,” she said as she dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. “Excuse me while I patch myself up. It won’t do for anyone to see me with red eyes.” She ran inside.

“It’s Mary,” said Bev. “She’s two hours early and,” she added with a glance at the house, “alone. While I can’t say I’m sorry, I do hate to see Emily disappointed.”

The rickshaw driver, a Kikuyu on a bicycle, stopped a few feet away, and Mary climbed down from the seat. She wore her Girl Guide uniform and, with great solemnity, opened her little pocketbook and handed a few rupees to the driver.

“Mary,” said Bev, after the driver pedaled off and the girl joined them on the veranda, “what are you doing here alone?”

“Oh, madam,” said Mary. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Jade. “Has something happened to your mother?”

“No,” said Mary. “Mother is at a planning committee for another garden party. It’s to raise money for the Lady Northey Home for Children.” She looked from Jade to Beverly. “She’s to collect me
after
the meeting.”

“But she sent you here alone in a rickshaw?” asked Bev.

“Oh, no!” said Mary, her eyes widening. “Mother would never do that. She doesn’t know. It’s my uncle, Steven.
He
was to bring me here. He promised to help me pick out new boots today, for our safari. But he wasn’t at the bank when I stopped after school. And they said he hadn’t come in all day.”

“He’s probably sick and forgot to telephone in,” suggested Jade. “Does he have a telephone where he lives?” It occurred to her that she had no idea where a bachelor like Holly would stay.

“He doesn’t have one in his rooms, Miss Jade,” said Mary.

“Well, there, you see?” said Beverly. “He could hardly telephone then.”

“But there is a telephone at the lobby desk,” the girl said. “He has rooms at the Victoria Hotel.” She fidgeted with her kerchief.

“Sit down, Mary,” said Jade as she pointed to the chair that Emily had vacated moments before.

Mary sat, but she continued to fuss with her attire. “I stopped at the bank when I didn’t see him at the school and they said that they’d called the hotel. The desk clerk knocked on his door, but no one answered.”

“I’ll get her something to drink,” said Bev. “Keep an eye on the baby, please.”

“Your uncle is a grown man, Mary,” said Jade. “If he’s not well, he might have gone to see a doctor.”

“But he would have left a message on his way out,” wailed Mary. “I just know something is wrong. Miss Jade, you’re clever at solving problems. Please help me find him. I’m afraid he’s gotten himself into some trouble.”

Beverly rejoined them along with Emily, who had freshly powdered her face. They were soon followed by Farhani, the Dunburys’ majordomo. As usual, Farhani was dressed in a long white robe, neatly pressed. He carried a silver tray with four glasses of freshly squeezed lemonade and handed them around using a linen cloth even though he wore white gloves.