The Leopard's Prey Part 27

The man waved her off. "No," he said, breathing harder now. "I cannot ride on such a machine. You go. Hurry, please, Memsabu."

"All right, I will. I'll just tell my friends where I've gone."

"I will tell, Memsabu. You must hurry before the lion dies."

"Fine. Be sure to tell the bwana at the house where I am." She hurried to her motorcycle, and sped away south to the warehouses, wondering what had happened to old Percy and what in the world she could do about it.

As much as Jade wanted to race through Nairobi, she maintained a slower speed and was careful to wipe free of grime the gla.s.s over her cycle's headlamp. The constables had gotten very fussy of late about lights and license tags. They issued fines as readily as most people handed out good morning wishes. Shame they aren't so particular about finding murderers.

Still, every time she wondered what was wrong with Percy, she caught herself accelerating. Who was on watch? Wachiru? A careful man, attentive to his job. Perhaps Percy wasn't too bad. Maybe Wachiru just felt that someone should look in on him.

I haven't a clue how to treat a sick lion. What if he was dying? What if she had to put him down? That was no good. She hadn't even brought along her rifle.

She wished she'd looked up the name of a veterinary officer in Bev's Red Book before she'd left. There wasn't even any phone in the warehouse to use. The railway office wasn't too far from there. Maybe someone would still be there to let her use a phone.

Cutter's probably in some bar somewhere getting tight.

Jade skirted the quiet rail yards, finding her way with a combination of moonlight and the occasional light over a warehouse door. She stopped near their animal compound and shut off the engine. Overhead, a bare bulb glowed weakly under the acc.u.mulated soot and grime, providing just enough illumination for her to see that the door was open a crack. Another light shone faintly from inside, flickering as if the old bulb was in its death throes.

"Wachiru?" Jade called as she dismounted. There was no answer except for an explosive bark followed by one shrill screech. Mama baboon's not happy. If Wachiru was inside near Percy, he wouldn't be able to hear her over the din. She went inside, leaving the door ajar, and called again more loudly as she walked toward the back wall, where Percy's cage was located.

"Wachiru!"

A cacophony of sounds all but drowned out her call. The hyena's jittery laughter joined with the wild dogs' gruff barks and plaintive whines and the jackals' short yelps. The young lioness snarled and woofed. Jade was about to call again when it occurred to her to listen to the animals.

They're all giving alarm calls.

For the first time, she noted her body's own, unique alarm going off as a deep, pulsing throb in her left knee.

Get the h.e.l.l out of here!

She turned and sprinted toward the door, but it was too late. The door was shut. She heard the lock click into place outside and knew she'd been set up.

"Open the door now!" she yelled. She didn't expect an answer. The only way she'd have gotten a response was if Cutter or Wachiru had come by, seen the door open, and shut it, not knowing she was within. She grabbed hold of the handle and yanked as hard as she could, but the door didn't budge.

Then she heard a new sound: the asthmatic cough of a leopard. Only this time, it didn't come from the cat pens.

CHAPTER 21.

A Maasai proverbs says, "A predator can hide for a time,

but it will finally be killed or captured." Essentially, "Murder will out."

-The Traveler THE s.h.i.+VERING CHILL started in Jade's stomach and spread out along her limbs. Her heart hammered in her chest. She felt the throb in her wrists and throat, heard it roar in her ears. A film of sweat seeped out over her forehead and in the hollow of her neck. The blind woman's warning came to her again, only now it was too late.

Steady now! Slowly and quietly, she wiped her sweaty palm on her trousers. Then she leaned to her right until her hand found the knife hilt. Once she had it safely in her grasp, Jade felt as though she had a slim but fighting chance. She'd have to act fast. Chui was a powerful, muscular killer with raking claws that could gut her in an instant.

There had to be another way out of here. The window! There were two narrow windows on each long side of the warehouse, eight feet up. She just needed to stack up some of the smaller crates and climb up to one. But which one? Where's the leopard?

Leopards, Jade knew, were ambush hunters. Whereas the lion would rush and run down its prey, the leopard would pounce before she even had a chance to make a break for the window. And the cat was an expert climber, too. It would easily follow her up the crates, claw her legs, and pull her down. For all she knew, he was atop one of the cages now, gauging the distance to her with those hypnotic eyes. Her skin p.r.i.c.kled at this new fear. There were fewer cages behind her, so chances were he wasn't hiding there.

Are you so sure?

Part of her wanted to run screaming toward the door, the windows, anyplace but here. But reason told her that escape was useless at the locked door or the windows. No. She needed to be smarter than the cat.

Find it and find a hiding place.

A hiding place. There was an idea. Were there any empty pens in the warehouse? No. They'd all been removed with the animals. Jade forced herself to focus on a mental layout of the remaining cages.

Anything I can share a cage with? Most of the hoofed animals had been housed near the back door. That area was now nearly empty except for a pair of ostrich. No help there. I'll be kicked to death.

The next row of cages housed a honey badger, a catlike genet, and the lone white-tailed mongoose. Those smaller predators, too little to threaten the antelope and zebra, had formed a buffer zone from the larger meat eaters. Unfortunately for Jade, their cages wouldn't fit her. That left the baboons and the larger hunters. Jade didn't relish trying to vacate or share a cage with any of them, not even Percy.

Then it dawned on her. There was an empty cage: the leopard's. But it was on the far end of the row. You don't have much choice.

Could she get to it? That depended on where the leopard was right now. The bulb high overhead continued to flicker spastically as Jade searched in vain for the eyes' reflective glow.

Listen to the animals.

Every one of them contributed to the racket, and for a moment, Jade despaired of getting any help from that quarter. She forced herself not to react, and listened again. The baboon had definitely become more agitated. Her barking alarm call had changed to a continual high scream.

The cat was close to the baboon.

The baboon cage is behind me.

Fear, a cold knife, cut into her. Jade felt the hairs on her nape rise. She pivoted and stared straight into the hypnotic glare of chui. His eyes, a washed-out citrine yellow, flashed cold hate as he recognized her scent. He screwed up his mouth in a snarl, exposing four daggers. The image, flickering insanely with the sputtering bulb, seared itself like a brand in Jade's brain. Beneath him, the mother baboon shrieked and barked in terror, clutching her baby to her chest.

Jade gripped her knife as tight as the mother baboon did her young and began to make her last apologies to G.o.d for every headstrong, b.u.mble-brained thing she'd ever done. One meager chance, that was all she'd get, to drive her knife into the beast's heart. Even if she came out alive, she'd be badly mauled.

The cat screwed up its hindquarters, tensing to leap. His tail lashed from side to side, then twitched, draping over the edge of the cage. That was when Jade found an unwitting ally. Mama baboon seized the tail of her hated foe and pulled. When she had yanked enough into the cage, she sank her own canines into the tail.

The leopard snarled and hissed, slapping at the cage as he tried to twist and pull himself free. Jade didn't wait to see the outcome. Instead, she turned and bolted. She knew once the leopard got free it could easily outrun her. Behind her the cat hissed again and rattled the cage as it thrashed. Anger would increase his speed once he broke loose. Jade didn't have time to make it to the end of the line.

Immediately ahead was Percy's cage. Suddenly, the laibon 's words about danger echoed in her mind: It comes at you with madness in pale yellow eyes, Simba Jike. You must seek help from your mate. If she was "lioness," then Percy was "lion," her mate. Jade raced for his cage.

Like many of the others, it was held shut with a series of toggle pins. She switched her knife to her left hand, pulled the pins, and yanked open the door, praying that Harry Has...o...b..'s old pet was still friendly.

The leopard thrashed once more, and the noise was followed by a sharp "yak." That sound alone pushed Jade to her limit. It meant the mother baboon's mouth was no longer clamped on the leopard's tail.

"Get out, Percy," she said as she got behind him and pushed him on the rump. Percy took one look at the open door and the young lioness across the way and strutted over to her, his tail curled up like a banner. Jade stayed inside and pulled the cage door shut. She fumbled with one of the pins, trying in vain to find a slot to shove it into. She could barely get her hand through the closely placed slats. The back of her hand sc.r.a.ped against the rough wood, tearing off skin.

"Where's the blasted hole?" she muttered. There! Her fingertips grazed it and she struggled to get the pin tip aligned with it. A hot breath blew across her fingers, and she instinctively yanked them inside just as the razor-sharp talons raked the wood and her two fingers.

Jade stood pressed against the cage back, her knife blade pointed forward. She waited for the cage door to bounce open as it recoiled from the cat's slap. Her muscles tensed to take the impact and drive the blade into the cat's heart. The charge didn't come. At least not immediately. She'd managed to get the tip of the pin into the slot enough to keep the door closed.

But for how long?

She could see the pin sitting c.o.c.keyed in its nook. Outside, the leopard pawed furiously at the slats. One good jolt and the pin would tumble over onto the floor. The leopard supplied it. He gave up on the front and launched himself on top of her cage to reach her from above. As he jumped, a hind paw kicked the toggle and sent it flying. The door creaked open a few inches.

The cat seemed to recognize the sound of an opening cage door and reacted immediately. He leaped back to the floor and swiped at the slats, trying to pry the door open farther. At each attempt, Jade stabbed at his pads and drove him back. The infuriated leopard swatted at the door with greater speed and strength.

His actions attracted Percy's attention. For a while, the old lion had been more interested in making the acquaintance of the lioness across the way and voicing soft pfff sounds in greeting. But here was another animal toying with his cage. It was doubtful whether Percy regarded Jade as anything more than a familiar human, one who sometimes talked to him or brought him treats. But he'd marked that cage as his turf, and no other cat, no matter the species, was going to usurp his territory.

With a deafening roar that shook Jade to her marrow, Percy wheeled and lunged for the leopard just as the furious, spotted cat managed to swing the door open. The old lion might never have hunted or made a kill before, but his sheer size made up for his inexperience. One swipe of his huge paw caught the leopard in the shoulder and sent him reeling backward. The smaller cat tumbled twice before righting himself.

Percy didn't know to follow through, however, and the leopard charged, leaping on top of the lion. Chui dug in with his hind claws and scratched at Percy's back and head with his forelegs. The actions were useless against the lion's thick mane, but not against his shoulders. Percy snarled, s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g his face into a hideous grimace. He shook himself, trying to dislodge his opponent. When that didn't work, he reached around to bite the leopard.

His reach wasn't long enough to catch hold of the demon on his back, but the action threw Percy into a roll. As he turned over, the leopard pulled away and rolled onto its back, waiting for Percy to show his vulnerable underbelly to the raking hind claws.

Jade watched in horror, knowing that Percy was seconds away from being disemboweled and that her own death would follow soon after. Not without a fight! She hurried to the cage door and hurled her knife at the leopard's side, hoping to penetrate a lung at least.

The knife caught the s.h.i.+fting leopard in his shoulder and stuck. The cat screamed in pain and rage, rolling to the side in an effort to rid itself of this newest torment. The movement and the blood scent gave Percy the opportunity and the stimulus he needed. With one bite, he clamped his huge maw around the leopard's throat and held. The smaller cat struggled, his hind feet flailing uselessly, scratching the air. Then he lay limp. Percy held on with his suffocating grip for a moment longer, and Jade used the opportunity to vacate the cage and head for a window.

With apologies to the honey badger and the civet cat, she stacked their cages atop each other to climb up to the narrow opening. That was when she found Wachiru, lying facedown beside the mongoose cage. She felt for a pulse, found one. Fear gave her additional strength as she hoisted him onto her back like a cape. His arms draped over her shoulders, spreading his weight along her spine.

But there was no way she could get him up and out that window. Even if she did, the drop down could break his back. Instead, she half carried, half dragged him to the front door and set him down next to it. Then she rummaged in his pockets for his key so she could unlock the door from the outside.

"I'll be right back," she told him, unsure if he could hear her.

Jade hurried back to the stacked cages and hauled herself through the window, leaving Percy to roar his triumphant call to the night, proclaiming his first kill.

She prayed Wachiru would not be his second.

CHAPTER 22.

Maasai do not steal. Well, not from one another.

They once raided other tribes for cattle, but then, since Engai

gave all cattle to them, that's not really considered stealing.

-The Traveler BY THE TIME Jade had s.h.i.+nnied out the window and dropped to the ground, she was scratched and bruised, her s.h.i.+rt ripped open across the midsection. Her legs and arms quivered, the muscles twitching. Behind her, Percy continued to announce to his would-be mate that he was lord of the realm. Jade had heard him roar before, but never with this ferocity. He'd made his first kill and would leave Africa a wild lion.

But Jade needed to make certain that this was his only kill. She had to get Wachiru out. The first time she got to her feet, her knees buckled and she collapsed back onto the ground. The second time, she used the wall to support her, willing her legs to move. She staggered around the side to the door and pushed the key into the padlock, removing the lock and letting it drop. When she opened the door, Wachiru tumbled halfway out. Jade grabbed him under his arms and pulled him clear. Finally she shoved the door closed and locked it again.

Percy was still loose inside, and eventually they'd have to coax or drive him back into his cage. But not now. Right now Jade needed to ascertain the extent of Wachiru's injuries. She knelt beside him and, starting at his head, examined him for cuts and wounds. All she found was a lump on the back of his head where he'd been hit from behind. The leopard hadn't found him.

Yet!

Jade had no doubts that whoever had set her up had also intended for the leopard to finish off Wachiru, making it look like their combined incompetence had resulted in their deaths. Sam's intended crash was supposed to look that way, too. Apparently, both of them knew something incriminating. She just wished she knew what in the Sam Hill it was.

Let Finch sort it out. Right now, she needed to get medical attention for Wachiru. And that meant leaving him long enough to find a telephone. The depot? Probably closed until morning. The railway office. Someone should be on duty.

"Wachiru," she said into his left ear. "Wachiru!" She was rewarded with a moan. "It's Simba Jike. You're hurt. I'm going to find help. Don't move."

"Simba Jike?" He started to lift his head and groaned.

"Don't move! Do you hear? I am going to call for help. I'll be right back." She wondered if he understood. "Wiggle your fingers if you can hear me." He did. "Good. Now, don't move!"

She ran across the rows of tracks to the railroad office housed in yet another tin-roofed, wooden building. One light burned inside, and through the window, Jade could see a man sitting with his feet propped up on the desk, eyes closed and arms folded across his chest, his mouth agape. Jade tried the door, found it locked, and knocked loudly.

"Open up! I need help!"

From inside she heard a startled "Hunh" and the squeak of a chair. "Someone out there?"

"Yes. Let me in! I need help."

The latch clicked and the door swung inward. In front of her was a drowsy-looking man in his midthirties, balding, his tie askew and hair mussed. He blinked several times and yawned. Then his eyes lit on her torn s.h.i.+rt and smudged face. "I say, you look as if you're in a bad way. You'd best come inside and sit down."

Jade stepped into the cluttered office crammed with wooden filing cabinets, boxes, a telegraph set, and a desk. The man straightened his tie and ran his fingers through his hair. "Can I fetch something for you? Tea?" He looked around the room. "I might have a tin of biscuits here."

"I need a telephone," said Jade.