Page 41 of Love in the Wild

Eden wiped at her eyes and tried to smile. “Thank you.”

Bwanbale smiled back and gave her another hug before they parted ways. “Take care, Eden.”

A US marine met her at the gates. Eden showed him her passport, which had been kept in a pouch in her camera bag. Once inside, Eden was escorted into the office of one of the embassy officials, a woman who looked to be a few years older than her. The woman was dressed in khaki pants and a colorful blouse.

“Have a seat, Ms. Matthews. My name is Cara Tucker. I’m one of the civilian liaison officers.”

Eden sank into a chair opposite Cara’s desk.

“I’m told that you were attacked?” Cara focused briefly on her computer as she typed something before she turned to look at Eden.

With a heavy sigh, Eden told Cara about the murders in the forest and her rescue by Thorne. That part was much harder for her, because she couldn’t talk about him without sounding like she had lost her mind.

By the time she was done, Cara was staring at her, mouth parted in shock. Then she seemed to recover herself, and she picked up the phone on her desk and hit the red button. She waited a few seconds before she spoke.

“We have a serious incident. You need to talk to Ms. Matthews. Yes, that’s correct. I’ve just emailed you her information.” She hung up and cleared her throat.

“Right, so one of the other officers will want to talk with you. Until then, can I take you to the residential area in the building? We have hot showers, beds, clean clothes, and food. Oh, and here.” She opened a drawer and pulled out a slender flip phone. “It’s not much, but it’s yours. You can make any international calls you need to through it. Let people know you’re okay.”

“Thanks.” Eden followed Cara as the woman led her through the maze of halls. They soon stopped next to a room with a number on it.

“This is residence number eighteen, in case you get lost. Any embassy employee will know how to get you back here if you tell them the number. You have a fully stocked fridge with food, a bed, a shower. I’ll have some clothes brought down for you while we have someone drive to Mbarara to retrieve your luggage from your hotel there. Just tell me your size.”

“Uh, ten. And for shoes I’m an eight,” Eden said.

“Thanks.” Cara smiled. “Go shower and get some rest. I’ll check on you later.”

Eden entered the small residence and stared at the twin-size bed. She sat down on the edge and pulled out the basic cell phone Cara had given her. She dialed her parents back in the US. It was late afternoon here in Kampala, which meant it was early morning in Arkansas.

Her mother answered after a few rings. “Hello?”

“Mom, it’s me.”

“Eden? Oh, I didn’t recognize the number you’re calling from.”

“I got a temporary cell phone from the US Embassy.”

“Theembassy? What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” Just getting those words out was a huge relief, and she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. But now came the hard part. Eden shut her eyes and fell back on the bed as she rubbed at her closed lids with her thumb and forefinger. “Mom, I need you to sit down, okay?”

“I’m sitting,” her mother assured her, though her clipped tone hinted at her growing anxiety.

“Our tour group was attacked by some armed men in the jungle. They killed everyone but me, Mom.”

“Oh my God! Oh God!” There was a harsh intake of breath. Then another. “Okay ... okay. Oh honey, thank God you’re all right. What happened? Who were the men who attacked you? Why?”

She was so tired of telling everyone the same story, but she related the details again and listened to the silence on the other end of the phone.

“Mom?”

“Oh God, honey.” Her mother’s usual tough-love approach would have been to tell her to shake it off, but this wasn’t like losing a job or having your laptop stolen at a Starbucks. She sounded terrified. “I want you to come homerightnow.”

“I’m not sure I can just yet. I’m at the embassy, and they still have some questions.”

“Eden, how did you get away?” her mother suddenly asked.

“I was rescued.” She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell her mother. She’d told Cara everything to help them with their investigation of the murdered tourists, but her mother?

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