The Amulet of Power - Mike Resnick [84]
Oliver ignored him and entered the Ark, then led Lara up a service stairway to the main level, the one that held the bedrooms, the dining room, and the viewing platforms and balconies.
An ancient, khaki-clad man, his thin white hair barely visible against the pink shine of his near-bald pate, walked up to them.
“Malcolm!” he said. “What the hell were you doing walking around here?”
Oliver gave him a cock-and-bull story about poachers and blown tires. Then he and Lara stepped out onto one of the platforms overlooking the salt lick and the water hole. They spent a few minutes watching some giant forest hogs, perhaps the same they had encountered on the service road, come by to drink. A bongo arrived next, went directly to the salt lick, had his fill, took a drink, and soon vanished back into the forest.
When the excitement over Oliver and Lara’s sudden appearance had died down, Theibolt caught their eye and wandered down the hall to the very last room. They waited a moment to make sure no one was watching them, then followed him.
“All right, Malcolm,” said Theibolt when they had entered his room and shut the door behind them, “what the hell is going on? I haven’t heard a gunshot all week, and I’m not so old and blind that I can’t tell the lady is carrying guns in her shoulder bag, or that you’ve got your Magnum tucked under your shirt.”
“I can’t tell you everything,” said Oliver. “But this woman is a friend, and she’s in serious danger. We need to stay here for the night.”
“We’ve always got a couple of extra rooms the public doesn’t know about,” responded Theibolt. He turned to Lara. “What’s your name, Miss—and who’s after you?”
“You’ll live longer if you don’t know the answer to either question,” said Lara.
“You make it sound very mysterious.”
“It’s very dangerous,” said Oliver. “Trust me.”
“I believe you,” said Theibolt. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Yes,” said Oliver. “I need to get to a phone tonight.”
“We don’t have any phones, but we’ve got a radio, if that’ll do.”
“Yeah, that’ll be fine.”
“Anything else?”
“Someone’s messed my car up pretty badly. It’s about two miles down the service road. Have it towed in and see if anyone can repair it in the next few days, and if not, tow it to the shop in Nyeri. It’s going to need a brake job and a new transmission at the very least.” Oliver paused. “And I’ll need to borrow a vehicle tomorrow morning.”
“No problem,” said Theibolt. “We’ve got a few safari cars tucked away. We use them to patrol for poachers. It’s about the only excitement I get these days.”
“Let’s hope we don’t bring you any more,” said Oliver. “Now, where’s the radio?”
“In the manager’s office,” answered Theibolt. “I have to warn you that it’s like the rest of the Ark. Except for the viewing decks, space is at a premium.”
“I’ll tell you what,” said Oliver. “The lady and I will have dinner, and then, after we’re sure it’s safe, I’ll go to the office with you and use the radio. I don’t think it’ll take more than fifteen or twenty minutes.”
“Sounds good,” said Theibolt. “It’s starting to get dark now, so the money animals should be coming down to drink. I’d better go back to the deck and tell the people what they’re looking at.”
“The money animals?” repeated Lara.
“Elephants, rhino, maybe a leopard or two,” answered Theibolt. “The stuff the tourists pay their money to see.”
He ushered them out into the corridor, locked the door to his room, and escorted them back to the deck. When he began pointing out the obvious to the tourists, Oliver and Lara decided it was time to go grab some dinner.
A burly waiter barred the way to the dining room. “Everyone eats at the same time,” he announced.
Oliver pulled out his never-rescinded police badge. “Not quite everyone,” he said, flashing it before the man’s eyes and brushing by him before he could protest.
Lara joined him, and they sat at a table in the corner of the room, the walls at their backs.
“What do you need with the radio?” she asked as they waited for their food to arrive.