Unfortunately, Mrs. Ruto didn’t speak English. She was an older woman, her hair just beginning to gray, lines etched into her face, skin around her mouth sunken as if she didn’t have all of her teeth. She greeted them politely when they stopped the car in front of her small house on the outskirts of the village, near the Muteti warehouse.

They were the only words she said during the almost hour-long drive.

One of the men, named Innocent, came along to act as interpreter and guide, but she barely spoke to him either. At Ryenne’s urging, he asked her what she knew of the attack, but she knew nothing. She was at home asleep when a neighbor woke her to tell her what had happened. Her husband had been attacked on the road leading toward the village and hadn’t yet entered the village proper.

Innocent got them into the hospital and to Mr. Ruto’s room, which held eight narrow beds, half of them filled with men. They followed Mrs. Ruto, each carrying a sack she had brought along, down the row of beds to the one nearest the window. The man whose side she rushed to seemed dwarfed by the bed and the bandage wrapped around his head.

Ryenne and Lucien stood back while the husband and wife greeted each other. Mrs. Ruto sat on the side of the bed, holding her husband’s hand and spoke in a fast stream of Gikuyu.

“They’re sweet,” Lucien whispered.

Ryenne glanced at him, surprised by the sentiment. He stared at the older couple, eyes crinkled in a bemused expression.

Hmm, the big bad shifter hunter was a big ole softie.

They watched as Mrs. Ruto pulled items out of the sacks. A change of clothes, basic cooking ingredients, and cooking utensils.

“Why did she bring all of this?” Ryenne asked Innocent.

“Hospitals here only provide medical care. Families must take care of all the other needs of the patient.”

“I guess this means she won’t be returning to Batanga with us,” she said.

Innocent shook his head. “She will stay here until he can go home.”

“Do they have anyone else to help them?” Lucien asked. “Children?”

“Two of their children died and one lives in South Africa. But their neighbors and extended family will come to visit. It is our way.”

Ryenne hid her discomfort about the loss of their children by getting down to business. “I know this is a difficult time but we need to ask him some questions.”

Innocent nodded and approached the bed with tentative steps. In a quiet voice, he interrupted the Rutos’ conversation.

Mr. Ruto looked at Ryenne, smiled, and nodded. “Hello.”

“Hi, Mr. Ruto,” she said, rushing forward. “Do you mind if we ask you some questions? About the attack last night?”

“Go ahead. And please call me Moses.”

She crouched by the side of his bed. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Yes. I was walking home from work when a leopard came out of nowhere and attacked me. He could have killed me. I was alone and had no way to defend myself. But he bit off my ear and ran away.”

“Wait. He ran off after taking your ear?”

“Mmm.”

Ryenne turned to Lucien. “Have you ever heard of a rogue acting like this? Not finishing the job?”

“No. Never.”

She shook her head, not knowing what to think about such odd behavior. They needed more information. “We should interview anyone who might know something about the other victims.”

He nodded.

First, she had more questions for Moses. “Was there anything about the leopard that seemed familiar to you?”

“No, I do not think so.”

“Would you recognize this leopard if you saw him again?”

He shook his head.

“Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt you?”

Mrs. Ruto frowned and said something to her husband. He patted her hand in a reassuring manner.

“She said they have never harmed anyone,” Innocent said. “They have been through a lot, losing two children, working hard all of their lives. They do not think anyone would want to hurt them.”

“Well, it was a long shot,” she said. “Thank you for your time, Moses. Get better soon.”

He smiled and nodded, as did his wife.

“Yes, we hope we’ll see you around Batanga soon,” Lucien added.

They shook hands with the Rutos and returned to Steven’s car. It was a quiet drive back, each of the three lost in their thoughts.

“That was a bust,” Ryenne finally said a few minutes outside Batanga.

“We did learn something about the rogue.”

“But how does it help us find him?”

Lucien shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”

He was right. Every piece of information fit into a whole picture they were striving to learn. They might not know why the rogue stole a man’s ear, but they had learned this rogue was different from others and obviously had an agenda.

The knowledge perked her up and they drove into the compound in a better mood than when they’d left the hospital.

She got out of the car and stretched. “Ready to talk to the family of the first two victims?”

Lucien glanced at his watch. “Let’s have lunch first. And I’m thirsty. The dust here is overwhelming.”