socially inept person?’
‘A nerd,’ Raymond said.
‘That’s it,’ Siegfried said.
‘And presumably the stimulus for this attempted visit to the island was
the smoke that’s been bothering him?’
‘That’s what Bertram Edwards says,’ Siegfried said. ‘And Bertram had a
good idea. We’re going to tell Kevin that we’ve had a work crew our
there building a bridge over the stream that divides the island in two.’
‘But you haven’t,’ Raymond said.
‘Of course not,’ Siegfried said. ‘The last work crew we had out there
was when we built the landing for the extension bridge to the mainland.
Of course, Bertram had some people there when he moved those hundred
cages out there.’
‘I don’t know anything about cages on the island,’ Raymond said. ‘What
are you talking about?’
‘Bertram has been lobbying lately to give up on the island isolation
idea,’ Siegfried said. ‘He thinks that the bonobos should be brought to
the animal center and somehow hidden.’
‘I want them to stay on the island,’ Raymond said emphatically. ‘That
was the agreement I worked out with GenSys. They could shut the program
down if we bring the animals in. They’re paranoid about publicity.’
‘I know,’ Siegfried said. ‘That’s exactly what I told Bertram. He
understands but wants to leave the cages there just in case. I don’t see
any harm in that. In fact, it is good to be prepared for unexpected
contingencies.’
Raymond ran a nervous hand through his hair. He didn’t want to hear
about any ‘unexpected contingencies.’
‘I was going to ask you how you wanted us to handle Kevin and the
women,’ Siegfried said. ‘But with this explanation about the smoke and
having given them a good scare, I think the situation is under control.’
‘They didn’t get onto the island, did they?’ Raymond asked.
‘No, they were only at the staging area,’ Siegfried said.
‘I don’t even like people nosing around there,’ Raymond said.
‘I understand,’ Siegfried said. ‘I don’t think Kevin will go back for
the reasons I’ve given. But just to be on the safe side, I’m leaving a
Moroccan guard and a contingent of the Equatoguinean soldiers out there
for a few days, provided you think it’s a good idea.’
‘That’s fine,’ Raymond said. ‘But tell me, what’s your feeling about
smoke coming out of the island, assuming that Kevin is right about it?’
‘Me?’ Siegfried questioned. ‘I couldn’t care less what those animals do
out there. As long as they stay there and stay healthy. Does it bother
you?’
‘Not in the slightest,’ Raymond said.
‘Maybe we should send over a bunch of soccer balls,’ Siegfried said.
‘That might keep them entertained.’ He laughed heartily.
‘I hardly think this is a laughing matter,’ Raymond said irritably.
Raymond was not fond of Siegfried, although he appreciated his
disciplined managerial style. Raymond could picture the director at his
desk, surrounded by his stuffed menagerie and those skulls dotting his
desk.
‘When are you coming for the patient?’ Siegfried asked. ‘I’ve been told
he’s doing fantastically well and ready to go.’
‘So I’ve heard,’ Raymond said. ‘I put in a call to Cambridge, and as
soon as the GenSys plane is available, I’ll be over. It should be in a
day or so.’
‘Let me know,’ Siegfried said. ‘I’ll have a car waiting for you in
Bata.’
Raymond replaced the receiver and breathed a small sigh of relief. He
was glad he’d called Africa, since part of his current anxiety had
stemmed from Siegfried’s disturbing message about there being a problem
with Kevin. It was good to know the crisis had been taken care of. In
fact, Raymond thought that if he could just get the image of that
snapshot of him hovering over Cindy Carlson’s body out of his mind, he’d
feel almost like himself again.