Day 25 - Kevin's side of the story

I drove the Land Cruiser through the bush at high speed, my mind racing.

Finally the moment of truth, the moment that I'd been dreading all along had arrived. Today, I would have to kill a woman that I deeply cared for. And I really had very little choice in the matter.

Yes, I cared for Teresa deeply. Maybe I even loved her a little.

For weeks I had dreaded this moment and I had done everything possible to postpone it and put it off. This moment when I would have to face her, tell her the truth and then kill her. Why was I such a damn romantic? Why hadn’t I just had her killed the moment she was taken hostage? Why this need for a last meeting? Did I just want to see her again? One last time? Deep inside, was I hoping to find a reason to change my mind about killing her?

No I didn’t think so. She knew too much, the whole plan for getting the money had been centered on her. There was no way that I would keep both the money and her. I had feelings for her but the money was important. Two million dollars was not exactly the sort of money that one came across every day.

I tried to console myself in the fact that this was business. Teresa just had to die and there was really nothing I could do about it.

I felt for the small revolver inside my pocket. It was still there. After emptying the bullets into Teresa and that mad African who had been guarding her for me - what was his name again, Douglas - I would bury it in the bush somewhere. It would never be found and if all went according to plan, I would be on the flight back home tonight… two million dollars richer. I would also bury the two bodies. Who would find them here in the bush in the middle of nowhere?

I would then pin everything on David. I would organize for him to be arrested when he went to pick up the money. Nobody would believe his story. It was all neatly arranged, just how I liked all my plans to be. I was soon going to be two million dollars richer, albeit without Teresa. But with that kind of money I’d probably find 10 Teresa’s in a hurry. I was home and dry…

That is if everything went according to plan, but as I rapidly approached the hut where Teresa was being held, I could clearly see that something had gone wrong. Terribly wrong. My heart skipped a beat. What had gone wrong? Surely not now.wrong now.

There was a body lying there, close to the entrance of the hut. Douglas? Yes it was. What the hell happened here?

I stepped on the brakes hard and brought the speeding car to a halt. Rushing to Douglas' side, I immediately saw the spear wounds. Masai spears.

Now why would the Masai want to kill him?

I didn't have to go into the hut to know that Teresa was no longer inside. I went in anyway. There was no evidence or sign of her ever being here. Oh wait a minute. There was a small scrap of cloth on the floor. I examined it carefully. It looked like part of Teresa’s blouse. Had the Masai raped her before taking her away? But that just didn’t make any sense. What was going on here, I wondered, more puzzled than ever.

I needed to think fast. I reviewed the events in the last half hour or so.

I had spoken to Douglas on his mobile barely 15 minutes earlier. Meaning that this must have happened just a few minutes earlier.

Then it was possible that I would still be in danger. Were some of the Masai and whoever they were taking orders from still around? I peered outside carefully, again, to ensure that nobody was around. I slowly and silently searched the entire place. There was no sign of anybody here.

But there were just too many questions that I could not answer. Why would the Masai harm Douglas? What interest would they have in Teresa?

My eyes caught site of a tiny trail of blood. Somebody had been carried away and they were bleeding badly.

Then it dawned on me where I should go to start looking for some answers. The trail of blood led off into the bush. Whether the person was dead or alive, the party would have to end up at the nearest health facility. So all I would need to do is hurry and get to the nearest health facility.

And I knew just the person to help me do that.

I would have to somehow find Teresa and she would have to die before I could breath easy again. I had made a mistake not having her killed earlier. A stupid mistake that might just cost me two million dollars. But as of now, not all was lost. I got into the Land Cruiser and drove off at high speed.