Just getting back on their feet!
A couple of weeks later, Alice, Caroline and Charlotte are back home at Leopard's Den. All the machinery has left Mara and Leopard's Den and the family are getting things just back to normal. Just when they think its all done Charlotte goes missing and Hope gets suspicious.
"Right that's the last of the new herd of zebra's in, time for a drink I think," Danny said kneeling down against the cool box and pulling out three beers. Dup took one and gulped it down.
"Ahh, nothing better than a refreshing beer before going to see the lions ay?" he said jokingly nudging Rosie who was gazing into space.
"Huh? What? Oh right yeah. Actually Dad you don't think you could drop me off home do you, I don't think Max will be able to cope with Marie she's a bit fidgety being in a new place right now, you know how it is with new families in new places," she said putting the unopened beer can back into the cool box. Danny walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulder.
"Look sweet heart, your just being a mum I know what its like, your mum was like it when we first moved house with you and she had to go back to work, but I'm sure Max will be fine he's a great dad, come on get in the jeep," he said putting a smile on Rosie face as they got in the jeep that was going north of the house towards the river.
(X)
"Mum, is this all right?" Charlotte called from the reception of Mara. Alice walked in carrying a box of cushions.
"One minute Charlie." She said flustered with the state of the place Peeters had left it in. "It's all so mucky." She said disgusted.
"Mum!" Charlotte shouted.
"Yes, yes I'm coming Charlie," Alice stated putting the box down on the floor behind the desk and walking over to where Charlotte was stood dressing the window seat.
"Is this ok?" Charlotte crossed her arms and looked at her mum.
"Erm," Alice thought for a moment before bending down and moving a green cushion over to the right and a pink one to the left. "There that's better. Now can you go help Nomsa clean the kitchen please sweetie, Danny and Rosie should be back soon so we can go home and leave Rosie and Max to finish off."
"Ok," Charlotte smiled skipping off towards the kitchen. Alice sighed and picked up the box off cushions and took them to the living area off Mara.
(X)
"Erm Liv, do you know where Rosie left Marie's nappies?" Max asked looking frantically through the three bags on the sofa whilst watching Marie fidgeting on the floor.
"There on the floor next to you Max!" Olivia stated, shaking her head. "Are you loosing it mate?"
"Erm you know I don't know," Max said smiling. He finished changing Marie and picked her up and looked at Olivia. "You've grown up so quick Liv I bet your mum would be proud of you." Olivia smiled at this, unfolded her arms and hugged Max. A tear came to her eye. Every time someone mentioned her mum these days she went quiet at the remembrance of her.
"Thank you Max," she whispered. "I'm gonna head back home if that's ok Max." Olivia said picking up her bag and tickleing Marie under her ribs.
"I hope we haven't sacered you off." Max joked. "I'll see you off to the door then."
"Thanks Max."
(X)
"Noms…" Charlotte shouted skipping round the door frame into the kitchen before being stopped in her tracks by an unfriendly familiar face. A horror stricken face fell over her as she looked from his feet to his face. His presence gave Charlotte a cold shiver that ran down her back. She began to back away slowly before being dragged into the kitchen. The mysterious man shut the door as he dragged her by the arm. He was covered head to toe in black with only his eyes on show.
"We're going to go on a little outing," he explained in a cold voice as he tied her hands together behind her back and walked out the back door to a blacked out windowed car. He shoved her in the back seat. She couldn't scream her lungs wouldn't let her. Tons of things were going through her mind, what is he going to do to me? Where is he taking me? Why is he doing this? Shall I scream or be quiet? If I do scream what will he do?
He drove to a part of the bush Charlotte didn't know which made her even more scared. She couldn't talk, didn't want to talk to this horrible man. She got out the car as told and he dragged her to a tree where he left her with one bottle of water untying her hands before getting back in the car and driving back down the way he had come. Charlotte stood up in the shade of the tree and looked around. She didn't recognise any of it. In front of her a little further down the hill she saw a river and where there's a river there's animals. She sat back down and thought, trying to be as quiet as possible in case a lion or crocodile heard her.
(X)
"We're back," Dupe shouted as they walked through the door to Mara.
"Hello, you lot," Alice greeted them warmly as she walked up to Danny and hugged him close.
"Ow Alice this is wonderful!" Rosie exclaimed walking round the reception, admiring the cushions and photographs on the walls.
"Thank you, well it is going to be used as a guest house so it must look nice mustn't it and Charlotte helped me. Have you seen her?" Alice asked looking round.
"She wasn't outside when we drove up. Where was she last?" Danny said worried.
"I sent her to the kitchen to look for Nomsa."
"I've been upstairs doing up the bedrooms Alice." Nomsa said emerging from the stairs with three folded sheets in her arms.
"She might have gone back to Leopards Den with Liv; she left about an hour ago." Alice said hopefully.
"Come on then you lot lets go back to the house and leave these three to finish off before the grand reopening tomorrow," Dupe called as he was already walking out to the jeep.
"Anyway I'll let you lot get back to see if Charlie's at home, if I see her around here ill radio you straight away," Rosie said waving them off as Dupe started the engine.
"Thanks Rosie, and good look for tomorrow, we'll be round about tea timeish," Danny called. The three of them waved to Rosie and Nomsa who were then joined by Max and Marie. Nomsa stayed at Mara that night to help with the reopening the morning after.
(X)
Danny picked up the radio and tried to get hold of Hope, Olivia or Thabo who were still at Leopards Den.
"Hope, Olivia, Thabo come in quickly!" Danny radioed urgently.
Hope ran to the receiver. "I'm here Danny what's up?"
"Is Charlotte there or outside?"
"Nope last time I saw her was when she went to Mara with Alice and Nomsa." Hope said looking round the hallway for signs that Charlotte had slipped in without anyone noticing. There was nothing.
"Damn." Hope heard Danny say. "Erm can you let us know if she comes back to the house if she gets there before us we'll be about ten minutes got to pick Caroline up from Fatani's she's been helping give it a new lick of paint?"
"Of course Danny ill let Liv and Thabo know as well."
"Thanks Hope."
The radio went dead. Hope bit her nails hoping Charlotte was ok. She ran to Liv's room and knocked on the door. It opened. Liv and Thabo were sat on the bed watching TV.
"What's up Hope you look like you've seen a ghost," Thabo joked.
"It's Charlotte, she's gone missing we need to keep our eyes open until Danny and Alice get back."
"What?" Olivia's eyes opened wide as she picked the remote up turned the TV off and grabbed Thabo's arm before rushing outside to the car she got for her birthday. Thabo tried to break lose but couldn't before he banged his knee on the car door.
"Sorry but we've got to get out in the bush she may have gone to feed the elephants or something," she said, starting the car. "Hope you stay here and radio me if she comes back ok?"
"What? Oh right yeah ok Liv." Hope watched them drive into the bush with a gush of sand dust trailing behind them. She closed the door and walked back into the living room where she sat watching the clock until she heard something or someone moving in the kitchen. She jumped up, grabbed the tray that was sat on the coffee table and walked cautiously to the kitchen with the tray over her shoulder. She peered round the door. No one was there. She walked in to find three plates had slipped off the draining board into the sink.
A breeze made her turn round. The door was open and there was someone stood there. She walked outside to find the man she hated stood in a long black coat with his car parked to the left of him. He held nothing but just stood there.
"What do you want? I thought I warned you," Hope said spitefully arms folded as she leaned on the door frame.
"Look I just wanted to know that this is what you want. You know you never seeing me again?" He said standing up on his own two feet.
"What I said I mean."
"I know I was just making sure and to know whilst no one was here."
"What?" Hope said shocked with a gut feeling he know where Charlotte was.
"I sent charlotte out into the bush with a bottle of water so they would go looking for her…"
"Where is she?" Hope grabbed the radio from the counter and tried to get hold of Liv or Danny.
"She's by that old tree by the river perfectly safe," he said smugly. "Can I have a drink I'm gasping?"
He barged past Hope and made himself a cuppa.
"Liv head down to the river by the old tree, he's come back and took her down there."
"Right thanks Hope we're not far."
"Great." It felt like a huge clump of dread had been lifted of Hope's shoulders but there was still one thing she had to do if she was sticking to her words, which she was. She swerved round Peeters and walked into the lounge looking back to make sure he wasn't going anywhere. 999 was dialled into her phone.
"Police please. Yes I know where Christian Peeters is. Leopards Den South Africa but you will have to hurry. Thank you." She hung up and sighed. She walked back to the kitchen.
"Since you're here can you get me something of the top shelf in the cupboard in the hall please?"
"Yeah course sweetheart."
He followed her into the hall as she pointed the cupboard that Dup had used to lock his stash of beer in. it was a big closet in a way. Luckily for Hope she had the key. There was only one way in and one way out.
"That box up there it's got all Sarah's stuff in it and Liv wants to look through it but none of us can reach it." She explained. He walked in and reached up to get the box. The door slammed and he was trapped. Hope quickly locked the door and grabbed the nearest chair she could to secure under the handle. She wiped her forehead and sighed.
"Phew. Must radio Danny."
She ran to the radio.
"Danny come in."
"Yeah Hope is she home."
"Danny. No Liv knows where she is and gone to get her now."
"How?"
"Peeters took her out there to get you lot out the house. He's locked in Dupe's lock up cupboard in the hall but I don't know how long it will hold."
"Right were on our way back now don't worry."
"Thanks."
"Hope you there?" another call from the radio this time it was Liv.
"Yeah, you got her?"
"Yeah she's fine just got a bit of a headache to be honest. Look we're nearly home but can you go and make sure her bed is ready so she can get some sleep when she gets in."
"Yeah sure. I'll do it now."
(X)
"Thank you for coming so quickly." Hope thanked one of the police officers. "As soon as I saw him I phoned you." She glared at Peeters as another police officer walked him out of the house, past the rest of the family who were stood on the veranda waiting to wave him off. He was put in the car and he looked out to hope. She folded her arms as the door closed.
"I told you so!" she mouthed to him through the window before the police car drove away. Never to be seen again.
"Well done Hope," Caroline congratulated her as they followed her down the steps.
"Are you ok Hope?" Alice asked looking at Hope concerned.
"Yes, yes I'm fine sorry these past few months have been weird. I've just got to get back on track now." she laughed.
"Ahh Hope you'll be fine," Thabo said putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks, all of you," she said looking round.
"I'll go radio Rosie, tell her we've got Charlie back," Danny said trying to break the ice as he could see Hope was getting embarrassed. He ran to the house and passed Alice at the door. She had been cooking dinner in the kitchen and hadn't waved Peeters off in the police car.
"Are we having dinner or standing round having a granny chat!" Alice called from the table on the veranda.
"Coming!" Dupe called eager to eat.
"Dupe," Olivia, Thabo, Hope, Charlotte, Caroline and Danny carolled before bursting out laughing and heading to the table neatly dressed on the veranda.