– UGANDAN PROVERB –
Pete watched the Land Rover bouncing up the dirt road toward the school, surprised that Lazlo was by himself and anxious to hear word on what they’d found on their way up the hill. Behind him, the military guards patrolled the gate. When one of the soldiers aimed an automatic rifle at the approaching vehicle, Pete called out to him. “It’s okay. He’s a friend.”
Even so, the point guard didn’t lower his weapon until the car cleared the gate and Lazlo got out, at first shaking hands with Pete, then pulling him into a hug. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you.”
“Where’s Mr. Fargo? I thought he and Okoro were coming back with you.”
“We heard gunshots and he changed his mind.”
“How far away?”
“Mountains, rock—echoes. Almost impossible to tell. He thought it might have been northeast of where we were.”
“Well, glad you’re back,” Pete replied, leading him to the office.
“The children? How are they?”
“Holding up fine. Worried about their friends, of course, but—kids.”
“Resilient?”
“More so than the rest of us. It helps that they saw nothing, being in the tunnel during the worst of it. They’re in class. We figured it was best to try to keep everything as close to normal as possible. To the children, it’s almost an adventure. Especially after the helicopter touched down, dropping off half their squad,” he said, indicating the soldiers manning the front gate.
“I must say, good show on getting them to safety.”
“It wasn’t me,” Pete said. “Mrs. Fargo’s the one who sounded the alarm. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over the guilt of letting her convince me that she should go out after the missing girls alone.”
Lazlo gave him a friendly clap on the back as the two men walked up the steps onto the porch. “Mere mortals like us simply get in the way. Why do you think I’m here instead of with Mr. Fargo?”
“I know you’re right …”
“In the time it would take us to assess the danger, the Fargos have already come up with ten different plans on the off chance the other nine fail.”
Pete laughed for the first time since the attack as he opened the door to the office.
When Wendy saw them, she jumped from the chair to wrap Lazlo in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“There, there,” Lazlo said, seeing that she was close to tears. “We’re all fine. That’s what counts.”
“You have good news, I hope?”
“As Selma says, guarded good news.” He spied the tall thermos on the desk. “Is that coffee, by chance? I could use a cup.” Wendy found a mug and filled it for him as he told them about the supply truck abandoned near the lower trail. “Sam believes it was a decoy and that Mrs. Fargo fled with the girls on the upper trail into the Gashaka Gumti preserve. They’re following. How far behind, I don’t know. But I expect he’ll call as soon as he’s ready to start the air search.”
“Thank goodness,” Wendy said. “It was horrible not knowing. Pete came out, found the supply truck gone, the building on fire, and that SUV left outside the gate on its rims. Trying to figure out what happened—”
“My understanding is,” Lazlo said, “Nasha saved the day.”
“I can’t tell you how relieved I was when Pete told me that she’d somehow called Mr. Fargo,” Wendy replied. “All I knew was that she was with us one minute, gone the next.”
“I wish we knew more,” Lazlo told her. “But the call cut off abruptly. We assume since she’s not here with you, she’s with Mrs. Fargo and the other girls. Mr. Fargo’s almost positive they managed to escape. But we think they’re still being pursued.”
Pete saw the toll that statement took on Wendy. And not just because of Remi. Wendy considered each child in her care as part of her family. He clasped his hand around hers. “If anyone can keep those girls safe, Mrs. Fargo can.”
“I know,” she said as Lazlo’s cell phone lit up with a video call from Sam.
“Do you have a map?” Sam asked. Zara’s father stood behind him, both beneath a thick canopy of trees filled with a chorus of birds. “Remi and the girls left the trail. I’m hoping to find the most logical route.”
Pete glanced up at the area map tacked to the wall behind the desk, dismissed it as not being detailed enough. “Wendy, do we still have the topographical map from when we were searching for the school site?”