Sea of Fire

'And the captain?'

'Hawke said he had retired and was not to have any visitors or messages,' Marcus told him.

'Are you sure Captain Kannaday is alive?' Darling asked.

'I went to the door and had a listen,' Marcus said. 'I heard movement but nothing more.'

'He hasn't asked for anything,' Darling said.

'Not that I'm aware of,' Marcus replied. 'He hasn't used the intercom.'

'So Hawke has been running the ship.'

'Apparently,' Marcus replied. 'He brought us in. I was asleep most of the time.'

'Is anyone coming ashore?' Darling asked.

'Not yet,' Marcus said. 'Mr. Hawke asked me to call in. I have no further instructions or information.'

Darling poured himself more coffee. It was already prepared to his taste, dark and sweet.

John Hawke was smart. Kannaday had obviously done what Darling had suggested. He had made noises like a real captain. Hawke must have threatened Kannaday in return. Perhaps they had tied him up or beaten him. But locked in his room, Kannaday was still the captain. If there were ever a fall to take, legally or with Darling, he would still have to take it. But that was Kannaday's problem. Darling's problem was that if he asked to see Kannaday, he would find out what happened. That Hawke had pushed him to the wall and won. Then he would either have to replace him or send him back to the Hosannah. If Darling left him in charge, then he himself would look weak. He could not knowingly leave a crippled captain in charge. Unfortunately, there was no one available to replace Kannaday except for Hawke. But if Darling asked Hawke to take charge, he ran the very real risk that Hawke would decline. John Hawke preferred the shadows to the light. His refusal would also make Darling appear weak. As Hawke had just demonstrated, he was not afraid to push back.

The next pickup was not for another four days. The yacht was scheduled to cruise with its 'paying' customers until then.

'When you see the captain, tell him I'm pleased that everything went as it was supposed to,' Darling said.

'What if I don't see the captain?' Marcus asked anxiously.

'Then deliver the message to the next in command,' Darling replied. 'That is typically how things are done, is it not?'

'Of course,' Marcus replied. He hesitated.

'Was there anything else?' Darling asked.

'Actually, yes,' Marcus said. 'I'm not sure I want to go back on board.'

'Why?'

'There's bad air on that ship,' Marcus said. 'First the attack, now this strangeness between the captain and Mr. Hawke.'

'That shouldn't impact your work or your job performance,' Darling said. 'You're insulated from all of that.'

'I don't feel insulated,' Marcus complained. 'Everyone on board feels it.'

'Deal with it,' Darling said firmly. 'Set an example for the others. I need my radio operator.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Now go back on board,' Darling told him. 'Remember that fear is its own fuel. Have a positive attitude.'

'I will, sir,' Marcus said unconvincingly and hung up.

Darling placed the phone in its cradle. He glanced at his laptop without seeing it. He felt confident with Hawke watching things. He actually felt sorry for Peter Kannaday. Command was beyond the abilities of some people. Kannaday was one of those men. He was and would continue to be nothing more than the master of a pleasure boat. A rich one after another few years, but what did wealth matter without self-respect?

Darling wondered if Kannaday would settle into his role as a subordinate captain or whether he would try again to take on Hawke. Darling did not know the captain, but he knew human nature. He knew men. When it came to testosterone and reason, reason usually lost.

Kannaday would lash out again. Only this time it probably would not end with the captain being locked in his cabin.

Darling returned to the computer to read the latest rumors about a radioactive sampan found in the Celebes Sea. According to the reports, no one knew who the unconscious sailor was or what happened to him.

That was good. Even if he were conscious, it was unlikely the seaman had seen or heard anything useful. Hawke would have made certain of that. After all, Darling thought, he did do his best work in the dark.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Darwin, Australia Saturday, 12:08 P.M.

At a few minutes after eleven A.M., the TR-1 touched down at the Australian Defence Force Basic Flying Training School in Tamworth, New South Wales. Within ten minutes, a rested and energized Bob Herbert was wheeling himself up a ramp into the belly of an RAAF Bell 204 helicopter. He had called ahead and specifically requested this vehicle. And not just because it was wheelchair friendly. It fit with the reconnaissance idea he was formulating. The Bells were heavy-lift choppers capable of transporting troops or, more importantly, being reconfigured for spray loads to help put out fires.

Ninety minutes and a smooth but loud ride later, Herbert was on the ground in Darwin. Before leaving Tamworth, Herbert had said he might need the helicopter for a few hours more. The pilot shut the rotor off and waited as Herbert disembarked. Lowell Coffey and a gentleman in uniform were there to meet him. The officer looked a healthy bronze. Lowell looked sallow.

The officer introduced himself as Warrant Officer George Jelbart. It was the first time a man had ever crouched to shake Herbert's hand. He probably did it as a courtesy, to make direct eye contact. But Herbert felt like he did when he was a kid being introduced to some friend of his father's. He half-expected the officer to tousle his hair when he rose. As they began walking toward the terminal, Coffey shot Herbert a furrowed, That was strange look. Herbert was glad Coffey had noticed. He was not sure how much was registering in the attorney's tired mind. It was clear from Coffey's bloodshot eyes and pallor that his little ocean odyssey had not agreed with him.

'I won't ask if you had a pleasant flight because those daylong trips are never enjoyable,' Jelbart said. He had to speak loudly to be heard over the wind. 'But we appreciate your coming. We have a van waiting out front. Our offices are just a few minutes' drive from here. There are beverages and sandwiches waiting. Is there anything else you'll want?'

'Not a thing, thanks,' Herbert said.

'Mr. Herbert, the ADF commander told me that you rang ahead to request that specific aircraft,' Jelbart said.

'Yes. The RAAF registry on the TR-1 listed it among your aircraft,' Herbert told him.

'And you've asked it to wait for you,' Jelbart went on.

'That's right.'

'May I ask what you have in mind?' Jelbart pressed. 'We have a number of helicopters here, you know.'

'I do know that,' Herbert replied. 'But there was something special about this one.'

'Would you mind sharing that information?' Jelbart said.

'We'll talk about it when we get to the office.'

'All right,' Jelbart said.

'Tell me something,' Herbert went on. 'Will FNO Loh be part of this operation?'

'She will,' Jelbart said. 'But I want to emphasize that whatever we do will not be a part of the official ASEAN or ANZUS logs. This is an entirely independent action.'

ASEAN was the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Established by the Bangkok Declaration of 1967, ASEAN was a socioeconomic as well as de facto security arrangement between Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Brunei. Signed in 1951, ANZUS was a similar arrangement between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.