Diamond Legacy (8 page)

“Please, I don’t want to think about leaving yet.” Miranda wrinkled her nose as she smeared the heady mix onto a hindquarter of wildebeest. Zoological care wasn’t for the squeamish. “Only five weeks and there’s so much to see before we go.”

Letta sat down at the lab computer and began clicking at the keyboard, logging in the day’s carnivore menu selections. “Keep in mind, to go any distance you really should fly. The roads are deplorable.”

“She’s absolutely right,” Matthew said from the doorway.

Miranda jumped in surprise and fumbled a scoop of paste, the spoon clattering as it bounced against the stainless steel table. Jason shot her an odd look as Matthew strolled in carrying paper towels, foil, and trash bags.

“Road maintenance isn’t high on our government’s list of priorities,” he continued as he stashed the supplies into a cupboard. “Have a bush pilot friend who owes me a favor, though. He could show you the Kalahari by air. Just say the word and I’ll arrange it.”

Now why would he make an offer like that? Such generosity on the heels of his earlier anger was suspect.

“That’s very kind of you,” Miranda replied, “but our time is limited.”

“Are you kidding me?” Jason exclaimed over her reversal in attitude. “Didn’t you just say we have a lot to see?”

She grabbed a paper towel to wipe up her mess and met Matthew’s eyes across the table. Nothing devious in the good humor she saw there, but she didn’t trust him. There was an ulterior motive at work here, and it was keeping her out of his way.

“We’ve an obligation to Katanga.” She leveled a pointed glare at Matthew. “Until it’s fulfilled, we won’t be thinking about sightseeing.”

Jason made a choking sound. Letta appeared speculative as she glanced from Matthew to her. And Mikal ignored them all and continued coating the meat with the vitamin paste.

“Obligation can require sacrifice,” Matthew replied with an agreeable nod. “An unfortunate consequence of duty, don’t you agree, Miss Parrish?”

She narrowed her eyes, refusing to bite. Instead she joined Mikal and ignored him all together.

“I assume introductions aren’t necessary?” Letta said perceptively.

“We’ve bumped into each other once or twice,” Matthew said.

Big understatement. Her body still tingled from their tight squeeze in the closet. The absurd attraction that sprang to life whenever he drew near complicated everything.

“A couple of times, eh?” Letta wore a knowing little grin.

“Roz introduced us.” Matthew shut the cupboard doors and joined them at the table. “Phew, that stuff smells foul. You don’t actually plan on feeding that to anybody, do you?”

“Carnivore gourmet,” Jason volunteered. “Big cats need vitamins, too.”

Matthew eyed the coated meat with distaste. “Poor suckers.”

“They seem to like it well enough.” Jason started on the next tray. “So, are you serious about this scenic flight offer?”

“I can arrange it,” Matthew replied, in spite of Miranda’s warning look. “Think you can talk her into it?” He thumbed Miranda’s direction.

“Don’t worry about her,” Jason said with confidence. “She won’t be able to resist a walk on the wild side.”

“Excuse me, you two.” Miranda leaned forward, fists on the table. “I’m standing right here and fully capable of making up my own mind.”

“You may as well give up, Miranda.” Letta’s dark eyes danced with merriment. “It’s two against one. Three if there’s room on that plane for me!”

Miranda faced a losing battle and rising aggravation at the look of triumph on Matthew’s face. “Tell me, Mr. Bennett, we’re strangers to you. Why make so generous an offer?”

“Because I’m fascinated,” he said with a sly grin. “Never met a zoo dentist before.”

She frowned and scooped up another round of liver paste. “We’re a boring lot, mostly.”

“What?” Jason looked at her in confusion. “You’ve always said—”

“Never mind,” Miranda cut him off and pointed at Mikal who was up to his elbows in raw bloody meat. “That’s our reality. Little glamour involved.”

“Speak for yourself,” Mikal joked. “I’m a master chef, a culinary artist to many discriminating palettes.” He lifted a tray of wildebeest for display. “The real challenge is serving the clients without becoming part of the entree. Grab a tray, Jason. Time to feed the kitty cats.”

With a rueful shake of his head, Jason grinned at Matthew and asked, “Want to trade jobs for a day?”

“I’ll stick with mucking out stables,” Matthew replied. “I’ll live longer.”

Jason and Mikal filed out and Matthew made to follow. He stopped at the door, though, and glanced straight at Miranda. “If it’s the wild side you’re looking for, you know where to find me.” With a disconcerting wink he disappeared through the door.

Miranda stared in bewilderment at the now empty doorway.

“My-oh-my,” Letta said as she fanned her face. “You’ve made quite an impression on Matthew Bennett.”

“Hmph.” Miranda grabbed the disinfectant spray and began cleaning the table. “Not likely. We don’t know each other at all. We’ve hardly spoken.”

“Really?” That one word was full of doubt. “Maybe he seeks to change that.”

“More like he’s playing nice to the visiting Americans.” Miranda threw herself into scrubbing, reaching far across the oversized table.

“Somehow I doubt this.” Letta grabbed a stack of dry towels and set them on the counter within close reach. “His eyes are hungry as they follow you.”

“You think so?” Miranda paused, thought better of it, and went back to scrubbing. “I didn’t get that.”

“Then you are blind, my friend.”

“Sometimes that’s the better option.” Romance clearly wasn’t on the agenda, no matter how tempting the man. Besides, he posed a threat to a place that made a difference in animal welfare. That wasn’t something she could ignore.

But to be fair, Matthew wasn’t the problem. It was Graham and Keyes and maybe others. It made no sense to risk everything this place had accomplished. Stopping them was paramount. And it had to be done without jeopardizing Katanga.

“He’s most attractive,” Letta said slyly.

“I don’t deny that,” Miranda replied. “But I’m only here a few weeks. It’s pointless to pursue something that holds no future.”

Her friend shook her head. “Sometimes we have no choice. The heart does not heed boundaries.”

“Well, thankfully, the heart’s not involved.” And she planned on keeping it that way. “Now, let’s talk about something more interesting. Tell me about the diamond industry. It’s big in Botswana, right?”

Skepticism crossed Letta’s face, but she accepted the change of conversation. “Our entire economy centers around diamonds in one way or another.”

“Are the mines the largest employers?”

“One of them, but unfortunately pay is low, and it’s hard to sustain a family. Many work long hours away from home, isolated behind security fences.”

Miranda grabbed a towel and began polishing the steel tabletop. “Don’t they have representation? An organized group to help improve working conditions?”

“Botswana is progressive but a long way from fair.” Letta sat back down at the computer to finish her notes. “Government officials claim concern over the more appalling aspects of the industry, some take measures to monitor human rights violations. But the sad truth is mine owners have absolute control.”

“Wouldn’t that kind of treatment be an open invitation for theft?”

“Smuggling is a problem,” she replied as she typed. “Workers can earn more money in a single run than a year spent in the mines. Yet the risk is tremendous. If caught, the penalties are severe. Then there’s organized crime.”

“Have you ever seen any of that?” Miranda asked, steering the conversation.

“Diamonds are not an issue in my village. Cattle are.” She flipped to the next page in her notebook. “But I’ve been in Gaborone four years and never encountered anything.”

“What about suspicious activity?” Miranda persisted.

Her friend stopped typing and looked at her with a perplexed frown.

She’d pushed too hard. “I’d only been in the country a half hour when I saw a thief busted at the airport,” Miranda said, hoping it explained the interrogation.

“Truly?” Letta shook her head. “The closest I came was in college. I had to clear security to work the city’s annual reception for the diamond industry. Not this year, though. Its three weeks away and I’ve not applied.”

Miranda blinked. “What kind of reception?”

“A massive one. The Kimberely Process was implemented a few years ago, and they want to praise its success. Many countries signed the agreement to import only certified, conflict-free stones, and all will be here. Hotels will overflow with international diplomats, politicians, and industry officials. Getting around town will be a complete nightmare for weeks.”

A strange feeling settled in the pit of Miranda’s stomach. Diamond smuggling, corrupt employees, huge cash deposits, and an event of international proportions. No matter how one looked at it, the future of Katanga appeared grim.

The next morning Miranda rose full of determined ambition. By afternoon, her optimism had been beaten flat. A series of dead ends and brick walls made it all but impossible to find traces of smuggling.

She’d spent the bulk of the day with Dr. Mulrufa, a friendly and outgoing man who knew just enough English to get by. Together, they ran routine health and dental check-ups on a variety of animals destined for zoo life. All rescues from poaching, the exotic pet trade, or the biggest threat of all, expanding civilization.

When it came to snooping, though, luck wasn’t in her favor. Once she had managed to access veterinary records, but Dr. Mulrufa had interrupted, and she’d scrambled up a plausible excuse to be digging into sensitive files. Hours passed without another chance, and then visiting students from the University of Botswana arrived, and she had to give an impromptu class on dentistry.

In a last ditch effort, she volunteered to log the day’s paperwork. It was pushing five o’clock and Mulrufa heartily accepted the offer, leading her to an available computer.

After a few false starts, she finally got the hang of pulling up digitized medical charts and soon whizzed through the day’s details, diligently translating her notes and others into the computer.

That’s where Jason found her. “Letta and a couple interns are going into Gaborone for some fun. Dinner, drinks, and wild women. What do you say we join them?”

She looked up from her notes to find him grinning in excitement. Letta stood right behind him shaking her head. “I’m fairly certain wild women weren’t mentioned,” Letta said. “But it’s possible we’ll find some dancing.”

Miranda had no intention of blowing her chance to snoop. With an excuse to work late, and alone, there’d be free time to dig at random. She had to take it. “That sounds like fun, but I’ve too many transcripts to log,” she said. “You guys go ahead. I’ll keep working and catch a bite to eat back at the lodge.”

“No, no, no,” Jason argued. “Here’s an opportunity to experience African nightlife. A little boogie action and local booze. You can’t pass this up.”

“We can wait until you finish,” Letta offered.

She smiled and shook her head. “Next time guys, I promise.”

“You seriously need to work on balancing job time and play time.” Jason dug the Jeep keys out of his pocket and handed them over. “Remember what they said. To the lodge and back. Two miles. No detours.”

“Yessir!”

“And don’t wait up for me. I plan to be late.”

Miranda waved them off and got back to work on her notes. Just shy of an hour later she finished and hit print for the results. That’s when Dr. Mulrufa returned.

“File paper tomorrow,” he said. “Time for home.”

“Good idea. I’ll just finish tidying up a little and head out.”

He nodded in agreement and wished her goodnight.

At long last, she was completely alone.

Two more hours slipped by as she pulled one digital record after another, looking for any similarity, any discrepancy, or the just plain weird.

What she found only confirmed what she already knew. Katanga ran an organized and detailed system. In fact, their record keeping bordered on phenomenal. She found nothing remotely suspicious. Instead, she grew impressed with their meticulous documentation.

Keeping detailed records wasn’t unusual, but the extent exhibited here went above and beyond. She found supply orders, distribution lists, and government permit lists. She had become excited when she stumbled into a section holding research grants, demographic maps, and customs information for twenty-five or thirty countries, but again, nothing telling.

She tried the accounting sections, but that particular drive came up password protected and computer hacking wasn’t on her list of skills.

Despite an overload of information, nowhere did she find an indication of foul play, no dubious invoices, not even a minor typo for heaven’s sake. How crazy was that? She glanced at her watch and sighed with disappointment. What did she expect, really? Anything illegal wasn’t going to be logged in their system.

Deciding to give it up and head for the lodge, she signed off the computer, grabbed her keys, and made for the back door in the veterinary garage.

* * * *

Matt wheeled into Katanga’s parking lot and aimed for employee parking in the rear. Using night shift vehicles as camouflage, he backed his Land Rover into a parking spot at the edge of the streetlight’s reach and killed the engine.

Twilight settled around him. It was his favorite hour, a shadowy balance between day and night when the world tossed out a protective blanket of darkness and hid many a sin. It’s when the bad guys came out to play. Not the last several nights, but patience was a technique he perfected long ago. It usually paid off.

Katanga kept a tight rein on the staff. Not surprising given the amount of money involved, and discovering the diamond pipeline wouldn’t be easy. Not that he expected it to be. He’d enough to bust Graham and Keyes right now, at the very least haul them in for questioning. But he was trolling for bigger fish and intended to follow the flow to its source.