The Eden Legacy

II

With Rebecca’s guidance, it didn’t take Andriama and his men long to find evidence of what the Habibs had done. In the second son’s room, beneath the desk, were a number of CDs of voice recordings made by her father: fieldnotes, podcasts and his most recent message to his late wife. A selection of these had been copied into a new folder on the son’s computer, and several snippets had been rearranged into a familiar yet heartrending message, the splices disguised by static.

‘Rebecca. Rebecca, my darling. Please, Rebecca. Do as they ask. We’re both well but-’

Each syllable a dagger in Rebecca’s heart.

They found the original for the ransom photograph too. It had been taken during a lunch party months before, at which Mustafa had corralled his guests against the stables then photographed them in groups, pairs and individually. Emilia had looked bored throughout; but Adam had looked increasingly angry at the imposition; and it showed most in the photograph of him with Emilia. They also found a separate image of one of Mustafa’s sons holding up a recent newspaper; and the blended image, too, cropped and doctored for the ransom demand.

Rebecca handed Andriama the ransom money and her copy of the loan agreement, and was giving him her statement too when a call came in on his mobile. His expression grew increasingly sombre as he listened. He kept glancing at her. He scratched his chin uncertainly and then switched to a patois she couldn’t follow.

‘What is it?’ she asked, when he’d finished.

He pulled a face to warn her of bad news. ‘They’ve found a body.’

Her heart clenched. ‘Where?’

‘Tsiandamba.’

She nodded. Tsiandamba was just a little way south of Eden. ‘Who?’

‘They didn’t say.’

‘Male or female?’

He touched her gently on her arm. ‘Let’s go find out,’ he suggested.