Chapter 33
From the moment Sandra got to the office, she was hopelessly distracted. She was worried about her mother. Fearful for her. And now she was sure, her stubborn was really going to Nairobi.
She opened her closet door, grabbed her lab coat and put it on..... Mami loved Kenya ..... but why still now, after all these years? .....
She sat on her swivel chair and pulled a drawer. The first thing she saw was a picture of her holding a baby cheetah. Then another one, showing her feeding a banana to some monkeys. She laughed.
Pushing aside these pictures, she pried further and finally found the one she was really looking for. She had been hiding it from her mother who wanted her to destroy all the memories of the man standing next to her in this photo.
It had been taken on the terrace of the Salt-Lick-Lodge in the Tsavo-Park. He had put her on a chair - so she could see better. Steadying her with one arm around her shoulders, he was pointing at some elephants who had come to drink at the nearby pond. She was looking at him, smiling.
She remembered how she had adored him because he seemed to share her feelings for the animals and for nature.
She put the picture back and for most of the morning, she sat in the office day-dreaming. She started thinking about all the adventures she had in Kenya as a child. How the people had loved her. How she had made many friends there - State House, Kabarnet Gardens, their house at the Coast, the game parks ..... will my childhood dream ever come true - will I one day be able to go back and take care of the animals in that beautiful country?
At 6:00 p.m. she finally finished her work and left for the Airport to meet her mother.
***
In London, Supt. Troon arrived at the downtown office of Scotland Yard at about 11:00 a.m. He was glad that Marianne was going to Kenya to testify. All along, he had wanted her to talk, to tell the world what she knew.
But that had not been possible in the past. The Gicheru Inquiry was disbanded just days before she could make her appearance. And everything she had told him in London had come under scathing attacks, discredited as the rambling of a bitter mzungu.
He knew better .....
He knew Marianne had told the truth. He knew she had subjected herself to a lot of risk by saying as much as she did under oath.
But the fact that she had said it to him in England, had made her testimony vulnerable to attacks. It had made it possible for Biwott and his spin machine to ruthlessly attack the credibility of her words.
Now she finally had a chance to talk in Nairobi. In Biwott's own backyard..... tell them the truth, Marianne!
Supt. Troon got to his former office. It was on the 11th floor. Most of the men up here had been with Scotland Yard through decades, investigated the IRA bombings in Northern Ireland and through the high-profile spate of murders that rocked London, Liverpool and Leeds in the nineties.
He had asked for an appointment with his former Superior. After greeting him with a smile and knowing that the man had not much time, he immediately came to the point, "It's about that Kenyan case," Supt. Troon said, "I wonder if Scotland Yard are at the point where I can write about it."
"Write about it?"
"It's the only way for the truth to come out. And I think, there is a lot to learn from it. Future generations of detectives will benefit from what they can learn from it."
His Superior scratched his head, "But nobody seems to want the truth to come out, Supt. Troon. No. 10 - Downing Street doesn't, nor does the business community or the Kenyan leaders ....", he paused, "the only one who wants it is you - and as much as I commend you for staying on this case, I wish you could let go ..... enjoy your retirement. You did all you could."
Supt. Troon looked down, "Can I at least go to Nairobi?"
"To do what?"
"To testify."
"Don't, Supt. Troon. It's not a good idea. As an adjunct member of Scotland Yard, this organization still relies on you for your advise; it would be aterrible loss if anything should happen to you in Nairobi. Your many admirers would never forgive me. I am sure, you understand my concern."
Supt. Troon nodded. Shaking his hand, he said, I respect your decision, Sir. I won't go."
