12
Stirling was standing outside reception at Xakanaxa Camp when he saw the painted dog research vehicle coming up the sand road. Elliott, the wild dog team’s chief scout, waved from the roof, his grin wide. No doubt he and John Lemon thought Stirling would be relieved, but he had very mixed emotions about the return of the missing Sam Chapman.
The camp was groaning with people at the moment, adding to his stress levels. If all had gone according to plan the American television crew would have been leaving this morning, but instead they were all arriving after their unplanned absences.
Stirling clenched and unclenched his hands. It had been a difficult few days for him, what with tracking the search and rescue plan; the bombshell dropped by the mercenary, Steele, over dinner the previou
