Page 60 - Labelle Gramercy, Detective

Road Kill

seen her in action with those coming after, he developed an
appreciation of her methods and I think his initial affection turned
into very strong anger, intensified and distorted by his drug habit.
She might have said something last night that put him over the edge.
It would not have been beyond her to try to keep him in line by
threatening to expose his illegal activities.”
I pondered this. “But you Peace Corps people ride around on
mopeds; you don’t have access to automobiles.”
“That is generally the case,” she conceded. “But we do have one
Land Rover for transporting people and supplies to and from their
posts out in the bush. And it was at the compound last night. The
keys aren’t hard to find, and either Ferris or Bonnie could have gone
after her with murderous intent. The gardien was sitting at the front
gate, and the vehicle has access to a side road through another gate
behind the main buildings. He couldn’t say if anyone had taken it out
or not.”
“Well, what about this other volunteer? Why is she a suspect?”
“Sally and Bonnie came to Jolibana at the same time; they were
stagiaires in the same group, getting their minimum of training upon
arrival. Both were initially assigned to rather dull rural development
projects out in Nyofolo. Then, toward the end of their stage, USAID
decided it could use a PCV in JoliSol, the solar energy project. JoliSol
is very well funded, and any PCV involved in it would have a good
shot at a lucrative consulting job after getting the experience—as well
as having a whole range of perks during her Peace Corps service,
including permission to travel in-country wherever USAID needed
someone with language and cross-cultural knowledge. Bonnie and
Sally were the likely candidates. Bonnie was better qualified; Sally
played up to every man she thought could help her, including Frank
and Ben. She got the job, and Bonnie became yet another enemy.
Bonnie had to take the position out in the bush, roughing it in
primitive conditions in a village that really had no use for her. That’s
how it is with that sort of project, just another way to keep up the
body count. As far as Harry Hofbrauer is concerned, if you just go
out to your village and sit on your hands for two years without
making a fuss, you are a success. Bonnie had lots of time to stew over
what happened, and she never missed an opportunity to bad-mouth
Sally Furth.”

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