Summary

One night at Hotel Dahoma, the waitress asked Pointer if a young man named Ned could share his table (261). Pointer agreed. He was older and noticed the differences between Ned and himself. They soon began talking about their lives. Ned had moved from England to Nairobi to teach "English to business students" (261). When Pointer asked what "had inspired the big move," Ned said it was mostly because of a girl (261). Pointer suspected there was more to Ned's story.

Hotel Dahoma "was built into the heart of an old fishing village on the northeast coast of Unguja" (262). Last year, there were many robberies on the island. The final incident ended "in the murder-by-stabbing of a Dane who'd stumbled upon two thieves" in his hotel room (262). Because of the incident, the ritzy hotel's prices had gone down.

Pointer had come to Hotel Dahoma at the...