The Protector by Tony Park

Author:Tony Park
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published: 2024-07-16T02:19:55+00:00

Chapter 17

Doc reported to the lounge area for their last game drive at Antares. Margaux was waiting for her.

‘Good afternoon, Doc,’ Margaux said. ‘I’m sorry, but Sara called me just now and said she can’t make this afternoon’s drive and that we should go without her.’

Doc went to the coffee urn and poured herself a cup. ‘That’s odd. We’re going to track Geoff’s pangolin and she was very keen to get some footage for her documentary.’

Margaux shrugged. ‘Sara said she wasn’t feeling too well, but that she was sure she’d get over it with a short rest.’

Doc frowned. That was very unlike Sara. Not only did she often boast that she never got sick – she had not even had COVID – but she’d also told Doc that when she was on a job nothing stopped her – not the weather, not sickness, nor fatigue. Either she was sicker than she made out, in which case Doc thought Sara would probably have come to her herself, or she was up to something.

‘No one makes an award-winning documentary by sticking to the rules,’ was another truism Sara had let slip after too many Jägerbombs one night. ‘Except your rules, of course, Doc.’

Pär and Eva were sitting on a sofa, drinking tea and eating cake. They waved to Doc to join them.

‘Hi Doc, sorry I’m late.’ Ian walked in quickly. ‘Have I got time for an iced coffee?’

‘Of course,’ Doc said.

Eva looked over her shoulder and held up her watch hand. ‘Drink fast, Ian.’

Eva laughed, but Doc could tell that for her this was no joking matter. She and Pär had paid to see pangolins, and they were getting impatient. Doc wanted to tell them that they would see plenty of the rare creatures where they were going, but thought it would do little good.

Ian’s arrival allowed Doc to linger next to him at the drinks station. ‘Let me pour for you,’ she said.

‘Thanks. I fell asleep,’ he said. ‘I didn’t think it was possible – I’ve been so stoked so far with everything I’ve seen, but I lay down on the bed to close my eyes for five minutes and crashed.’

‘It happens.’ She poured him iced coffee from a jug. ‘Not just the jetlag, but game viewing can produce sensory overload.’

He nodded his thanks and took the glass. ‘I hear you. I was dreaming I was seeing lions and leopards last night and that we also saw cheetahs, even though I’ve never seen one in the wild.’ He laughed.

‘We’ll see what we can do about that,’ Margaux said.

Doc sipped her coffee then lowered her voice. ‘And Geoff better be able to find his pangolin or else Eva might feed me to a leopard.’

‘Is Sara not coming with us?’ Ian asked, looking around.

‘She’s not feeling well,’ Margaux said, ‘so she’s sitting this drive out.’

‘Funny,’ Ian said.

Doc looked to him. ‘How so?’

‘I just saw her out walking with her camera bag slung over her shoulder, and her tripod. Looked to me like she was going to do some filming.

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