‘Right. And the third sister here looks like a waif and stray this evening.’ He looked at Camilla with a smile. ‘So I suggest Anthony takes out the best wine we have left, and we’ll sit by the river and drink it, while we put the world to rights. And tomorrow we’ll go home. Home to Langani.’

Chapter 13

Kenya, September 1965

The atmosphere at Langani was sombre, as Lars described the vicious nature of the massacre.

‘It reminded me of the emergency, when things like this happened on white farms. It was as if Hannah’s cattle were part of a ritual. If they’d been stolen, or slaughtered for meat, I would understand it. But they were disembowelled and left to die. It seems senseless to me.’

‘And the police?’ Piet said.

‘As you would expect.’ Lars was resigned. ‘We had a local fellow up here with big boots and a notebook. His men were all over the fields, trampling any evidence that could have been at all useful. No experience or knowledge. Pitiful. But you could see that even they were shocked. Then Jeremy Hardy turned up. Lucky he’s still around. He’s a good policeman.’

‘Have you questioned all the labour?’ Hannah’s face was blotchy from weeping.

‘They were as shaken as I was,’ Lars said. ‘It must have happened around three or four in the morning. Juma said he had passed through that area about two-thirty, and there was nothing amiss. He found the cows at daybreak, and he was in a real state, crying and shouting and wringing his hands. I heard him wailing long before he got to the house. I don’t think that could have been put on.’

‘I’m going to spend this afternoon and tomorrow asking more questions,’ Piet said. ‘You’ve already increased the security at night, Lars? Good. Now all we can do is to keep digging for information. One of the watu must have seen something. I’m sure our old-timers are loyal, and they would have come forward already if they had anything to tell. But we’ve taken on a few new people lately, to finish the construction at the lodge. We should check them out. What about Kipchoge or Simon? Did either of them notice anything significant?’