Read Online Ivory Ghosts by Caitlin O'Connell - Free Book Online Page B

in the distance, but there was nothing but the occasional snort and splash of a hippo down the river a ways. Gidean had mentioned that they kept a boat right next to the station. Perhaps they kept a second one stashed up here near the border.
    Suddenly, my neck was pulled violently backward as a hand gripped my mouth and something was pulled over my head, knocking my night-vision headband to the ground. I struggled to break free, but whoever it was had an iron grip. My head was completely covered in a hessian bag that smelled like rotting meat.
    “What are you doing here?” The low, taut voice was definitely Eli’s.
    He turned my neck so sharply I wasn’t sure if he was trying to break it. “Who are you?”
    He hadn’t recognized me. If he removed the bag, he’d see who I was. That was the easiest path forward.
    I reached with my free hand to remove the bag, but my arm was snatched and twisted harshly behind my back. I stood frozen, stomach muscles tight.
    “You Zambians think that our elephants are yours to kill?”
    I shook my head and tried to scream the word
no,
but his hand was so tight on my mouth I couldn’t make but a muffled sound.
    “You came across the border illegally, didn’t you?” He unholstered my pistol and threw it to the ground. “Tell your witch doctor we know what’s going on. We’ve got Ernest as hostage.”
    I was paralyzed with fear and gagging from the wretched stench.
    There were other footsteps. And another voice. “What’s happening?”
    I was relieved to hear Gidean’s voice. Surely, he would sort this out.
    The sound of a whaler approached and Eli cursed. “Pull the bag.”
    Gidean pulled the bag off my face and took a step back. “Catherine!” He was flabbergasted. “What are you doing here?”
    Unmoved, Eli gripped my neck and lifted me off the ground. “Yes, what are you doing here?” His teeth were in my face. His breath smelled of violence.
    The boat slowed down and was about to land.
    Gidean stepped forward and whispered, “Eli, keep an eye on the boat. Natembo needs backup. I’ll deal with Catherine.”
    As Eli marched off, I rubbed my neck and mouth.
    Gidean put a sympathetic hand on my shoulder and handed me my gun and night-vision goggles. “How did you get here?”
    “I followed your tracks.” I caught my breath. “I’m so sorry.”
    “Did you see anything?”
    “No. Nothing. I just couldn’t help noticing the tracks.”
    “Did you see any footprints?”
    I shook my head.
    “Damn.”
    “What happened?”
    “We lost the witch doctor’s henchman, Ernest.”
    “You lost him? How?”
    “Eli was interrogating him.”
    “Did he say anything?”
    “He was with the witch doctor the other night.”
    “So, it
was
the witch doctor who killed those people?”
    Gidean nodded. “He said someone else was with them. A driver. But when Eli pressed him to find out who it was, he jumped out of the boat.”
    “And you think he’s trying to escape on foot?”
    Gidean shook his head. “Natembo dropped Eli on the bank to look for him, but he couldn’t find him. We think he was taken by a croc.”
    “What?”
    “There’s a big crocodile that lives on that turn in the river. He wasn’t on the bank, and we saw the splash. We just wanted to confirm that there were no tracks on this side.”
    I opened my mouth to ask more questions when the gunfire started.
    “Go. You must leave quickly.” He pushed me urgently. “Now!”
    I put my revolver back in its holster and ran, crouched, back to the car. I got in as my heart pounded inside my ears.
    Dark shadows and quick movements preceded more gunshots. Then some muffled sounds. I fumbled with the night vision and took off in the dark, bumping down the dirt road.
    After a torturous drive dodging spring hares on the road, I arrived at my dark barracks and stumbled up the stairs. I switched on my fluorescent light, put the kettle on, sprayed my arms with more repellent, and went out onto the porch.
    I lit a candle and