Malik couldn’t agree more. “Can you help us get the vehicle out?”
Ranger Tinubu pointed. “I have a winch on my truck. We can try to pull it out. Then I’ll guide you to a safer road.”
Malik helped Tinubu hook the truck to the rental, then took the driver’s seat, started the engine, and put the SUV in reverse just as Tinubu activated the winch. The vehicle rocked, seemed to slide forward, and for a moment Malik thought it was hopeless. Then abruptly the front tires came free, the vehicle lurching backward. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
Malik hit the brakes, cut the engine, and climbed out. He met Tinubu at the back of the vehicle and shook his hand. “Thank you, sir.”
This was going much better than he’d hoped it would.
“You are welcome. But now you must tell me the whole story. We Nigerians love stories, and yours sounds very interesting.”
Under normal circumstances, Malik wouldn’t share information with someone he didn’t know, but his gut told him he could trust Ranger Tinubu. His gut was rarely wrong. Malik and Kristi took turns explaining what had really happened and why Malik hadn’t been mentioned during the press conference.
Tinubu seemed impressed. “You went inalone?”
“I had no idea what the Sky Kings were or even that they were involved until afterward. Now we need to cross the border so we can catch a flight home.”
Tinubu shook his head. “If you’re trying to get to Benin, you must cross the Niger River. There are only a few bridges, and they are all on major highways. If you can’t cross the bridges, you will have to take a small boat.”
“Then we would have to leave the rental vehicle behind. What about the old railway bridge?”
Tinubu’s eyes went wide. “You would be crazy to cross there.”
“Is it still standing?”
“Oh, yes, it still stands. It is rarely used these days, but it is narrow and a hundred feet above the river.”
Kristi didn’t look happy to hear this. “A hundred feet?”
“Unless you have a better idea, that might be our only way to get across without being seen.”
Tinubu seemed to consider it. “You need your rental car, so you can’t take a boat. If they are blocking the roads and bridges… You have very few options, my friends.”
Tinubu went to his truck, grabbed a map—the old-fashioned kind—and spread it on the hood of his truck. “You are here. To safely reach the park boundary, you need to turn back, and follow this road here.”
Malik took a photo of the map with his phone.
“This route will take you the rest of the day. If you stop here, you can stay in our ranger cabin for the night. No one is using it now. There’s a key hidden beneath a rock next to the door. It is not fancy, but it has clean well water, solar power, a latrine, a bed and a stove for cooking. It also has its own fuel pump. It is much safer than sleeping in the open. You must be careful, because there are both bandits and poachers in the park, not to mention predators.”
“We saw a lion last night,” Kristi blurted. “It walked right past our vehicle.”
Tinubu’s face lit up. “Can you describe him?”
Kristi looked confused for a moment. “Well, he was big and had a mane and…”
Tinubu grinned. “Was his mane dark or light?”
“It was dark—and the tip of one of his ears was missing. Oh! He had a scar on his nose, too.”
Tinubu seemed delighted. “You met Oba. That is Yoruba forKing. He is the oldest male in the park. Was it far from here?”
Kristi shook her head. “Maybe a few miles in the other direction. Malik stayed awake all night in case he came back this way.”
“I’m afraid you would not have been much of a match for dear Oba, Mr. Jones. But let us get on our way. You have far to travel.”
* * *
Kristi tookthe wheel in the afternoon, while Malik rode shotgun, rifle in hand.