The sergeant shook his head.
“Would you do us a favor, Mr. Cardiman?” Dawson said. “We’d like go to the spot you discovered the Smith-Aidoos’ Hyundai and look around a little bit.”
“Certainly. I can drive you there right away.”
DAWSON OBSERVED THAT RESORT ownership must not have been treating Cardiman too badly. He owned a late edition Land Rover SUV, which he drove at breakneck speed. Dawson sat beside him with Chikata in the rear.
“I know every centimeter of this road,” Cardiman said, swerving violently to avoid a pothole. “At the height of the rainy season when everything turns to mud, it’s bloody awful.”
“Is this the only route to and from Ezile by car?” Dawson asked him.
“The only civilized way, so to speak.”
They passed a creek into which several laughing kids were jumping from the bridge overpass. The children waved and cheered as the Land Rover sped past.
About twenty minutes later, they had reached their destination. The thick vegetation came right up to the sides of the dirt road, so Cardiman let the two detectives down first before pulling over into the bush and out of the way. He heaved himself out of the Land Rover with a grunt and joined them.
“So their vehicle was right about here, where we’re standing,” he said, indicating a stretch of a few meters on the same side he had parked.
It was hot and eerily quiet, but Dawson gradually became aware of birdcalls piercing the silence. He looked up and down the road. The spot was situated directly after a slight incline and a particularly rocky and potholed section, which meant the Smith-Aidoos would probably have had to slow down a little bit as they approached, making it easier to flag them down. Who, besides Cardiman, knew that the Smith-Aidoos would be on the road from Ezile?
The dense bush at both sides of the road seemed impenetrable. Dawson approached what looked like a gap or clearing in the vegetation and started to make his way inside. Chikata followed.
“Where are you going?” Cardiman asked.
“I don’t know,” Dawson shot back.
Underneath the tangle of plants, the ground dipped down sharply and Dawson almost lost his footing. Chikata had the benefit of his slip and didn’t make the same mistake. It wasn’t easy going, but once they’d reached a clump of banana trees, the bush cleared somewhat. They searched the ground, looking for anything that the murderers might have left behind if they had made their way into the bush with Charles and Fiona.
