Sarah remembered the uneasy sensation she had experienced of being watched. But that was probably her own overwrought imagination. She shook her head. ‘No. Nobody,’ she said.

‘Let’s be off, then.’ Tim took out a large handkerchief and wiped her face and hands. ‘Feeling better?’

‘I’m fine,’ she said, keeping her gaze away from the dead animal. ‘Sorry about the almighty fuss. I can’t think what came over me.’

She shuddered, trying not to dwell on the horrible transference from sacrificial beast into man for those few terrifying seconds. Chiding herself for her foolishness, she walked slowly back to the car, with Hannah’s firm, guiding hand on her arm. She heaved a sigh of relief as they drove away.

‘You know, they say that the headlights of motorists who visit Gedi at night will suddenly fail for no reason. Leaving you sitting alone out there, in the dark.’ She tried a laugh.

‘The Sultan’s djinn on the trail, no doubt,’ Tim picked up on her attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

Hannah stirred in the back seat. ‘Let’s say goodbye to the subject of Gedi. I’ve had enough of those old ghosts that are lurking everywhere,’ she said.

‘What about some snorkelling at Watamu?’ Tim said. ‘Before we get our tents organised.’

‘Sounds divine,’ Camilla said. ‘And then we’ll head for the Turtle Club and dance until we’ve worn the soles of our feet away. Speed up, Tim. I’m ready for tropical seas and food and starlight.’

When Sarah woke again the car had come to a stop. In front of her, bands of turquoise and cobalt water shimmered under a cloudless sky. The wind whispered in the casuarina trees and the tide was high. Within moments, they were in the lagoon, diving down into the cool of the ocean, washing away dust and fatigue and uneasy dreams. Shoals of small fish swam beside them, their dazzling colours like jewels in the clear water. Further from the shore they found the first of the coral gardens. An hour passed and then two, as they drifted in the silent beauty of another world, free from notions of envy and destruction, or voices raised in anger. At last they signalled to one another and swam back to the shallow water on the edge of the beach.

‘Magical, it is. There’s nothing more beautiful in the world,’ Tim said as he surfaced, his face a crinkle of smiles as he shook the water from his wiry hair. ‘It’s a fantasy place, filled with blessed silence and weightlessness and peace.’