'It was Germany, and no, there was nothing,' Hood said.
'What this sounds like is displacement,' Liz said. 'Shifting anger or desire from an original target to a more convenient one. Possibly triggered by the chopper, possibly by delayed post-traumatic stress. All of it tied together by Bob's natural frustration with the system and possibly some jet lag. It's difficult to ascribe exact causes without talking to Bob. But it doesn't sound as if he'll flip out on you. People who experience transference usually peak at the onset of symptoms. They're looking to dump. Something triggers it, and off they go.'
'So we've seen the worst of it,' Hood said.
'Probably,' Liz replied. 'Unless someone sprays lighter fluid on the fire. Is that likely to happen, Lowell?'
'From everything I've heard, Jervis Darling is a pretty cool fellow,' Coffey said.
'What about the people Bob is traveling with?' Liz asked.
'Leyland is pretty lighthearted, and Loh is very quiet and serious, almost catatonic,' he replied.
'That should help keep him in balance,' Liz said.
'So we're okay to let this play out,' Hood said.
'Given that nothing is ever guaranteed, I'd say yes,' Liz told him. 'I don't see him blowing.'
'Not even if they're stonewalled?' Hood asked.
'Bob has a self-imposed objective, which is to get data from a telephone,' Liz said. 'If he fails to do this, he'll be angry. But his training will probably keep him in check. He will regroup and try again. The real danger is if he is personally exposed by Jervis Darling.'
'As a spy and not an animal welfare worker,' Hood said.
'That's correct,' Liz said. 'The assumed identity gives him a way of keeping his real feelings inside. If that's stripped away, he might become the person Lowell described. It's part of the fight-or-flight mechanism, and Bob Herbert is not prone to flight.'
That was the truth. Hood had never been a big believer in psychiatry. But if he peeled away the jargon, the things Liz said made sense.
Hood thanked her and let her go back to sleep. Then he told Coffey that he was going to let this play out. Whether or not they liked Herbert's inquisitorial manner, there was no avoiding the bottom line. While there was still a trail to follow, they had to find out who made it and why.
Hood sighed. He no longer felt like calling Daphne. Until Herbert was safe, he did not want any distractions.
At least that was what Hood told himself.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Monica Loh was accustomed to the dangers she faced at sea. There were storms, collisions, hazardous rescues, even mines dropped by insurgents from her country and its neighbors. Disasters were rare, but she and her crew were vigilant and confident.
The naval officer was alert but extremely uneasy as they pulled up to the massive front gate of the Darling estate. She was going into what the Republic of Singapore Navy classified as a search-and-discover mission. Yet she did not have all the information she needed to feel confident. Loh was posing as an animal welfare worker visiting from Singapore. Beyond that, they had not come up with much of a story for her. Nor did she have a clear idea what she was supposed to do, other than to go out back with Captain Leyland and look for the koala. Leyland expected they would find the animal pretty much where Jelbart and Spider left him. The koala was apparently rather sedentary. Loh also did not know what to expect from Jervis Darling or this man Bob Herbert. The naval officer admired Herbert's ideas and his courage. But he also seemed edgy and impatient. Would Darling notice that? If so, at the very least, their mission would fail. Loh had not even considered the ramifications if she were exposed. She had not sought authorization for this mission because it would be classified as a shore-based operation. That fell under the jurisdiction of the Defence Executive Command. It would have taken time to second her to the DEC, if the commanding officer would have permitted that at all. The group was highly protective of all land-based activities.
Leyland pulled up to the gate and lowered the window. He looked around for an intercom but saw none. The reason quickly became apparent. Darling did not need one. A jeep pulled up behind the Humvee. Spotlights were turned on the Humvee. Two men got out. Both were armed with Uzis. One guard approached the driver's side of the Humvee. He shined a flashlight on Captain Leyland. The other guard walked slowly around the Humvee. He checked on top and below, probably searching for explosives.
'What are you doing here?' the guard asked.
'I'm Captain Leyland with the Queensland North Rural Fire Brigade,' Leyland told him. He took a leather holder from his shirt pocket and showed the security guard his badge. 'These are volunteers with International Wildlife Education and Conservation Group. We're searching for an injured koala. We believe we spotted him from the air, out on the property.'
'That was your chopper sailing over before?' the guard asked.
'Yes. Sorry for the disturbance. But it's rather important that we find the animal, and the night
The guard shone his flashlight on the occupants. Then he stepped from the Humvee and pulled a radio from his belt. He turned his back on the occupants as he spoke quietly into the mouthpiece. After a short conversation, he came back to the window.
'The groundskeeper said he'll go and look for it,' the guard told him. 'You can wait here or—'
'I'm afraid that doesn't work for us,' Leyland said. 'The koala is ill, you see. It may spread sickness to other animals on the estate. Dogs, for example. Mr. Darling's daughter
'Are you suggesting that we send a patrol out to shoot the thing?' the guard asked.
'I am not suggesting that,' Leyland snapped. 'We do
The guard considered this for a moment. He stepped away again and spoke into the radio. When he was finished, the guard informed Leyland that Mr. Darling's personal assistant Andrew Graham would meet them at the front door. Then the guard walked to the gate, swiped a card through a slot on the door, and the gate slid aside. Leyland drove through, following the winding, cobble-stone drive toward the front of the mansion.
From the sky, Monica Loh had neither been surprised nor impressed by the size of the home. From the deck of her patrol ship she had seen many impressive oceanside and cliff-top estates. This was just one more. As they pulled up to the columned entrance, however, she felt as if she were in the presence of something oddly outdated and supine. Loh was used to oversized ships and aircraft, but they all moved. People worked on and around them. There was a sense of life to them. Not this place. Even the man who came to meet them was strangely inanimate. He was a thin man dressed in a charcoal sweater and black slacks. His actions were stiff, strangely guarded. One would naturally be wary of uninvited guests showing up this late at night. But that should manifest itself as impatience, annoyance. There was none of that in this man.
Loh and Leyland got out of the Humvee. The captain pulled Herbert's wheelchair from the back and opened it. He stood beside Loh while the intelligence chief swung into the leather seat.
'My sick koala's got more life than this pie-eater,' Leyland said as the man approached them.
'I was just thinking that,' Loh said.
'He's being watched,' Herbert said quietly.
'By whom?' Leyland asked.
'I'm not sure,' Herbert replied. He moved between the other two and nodded toward the top of one of the columns. 'A small security camera is moving right along with him.'
'I can't believe the big man himself would be doing that,' Leyland whispered back.
'I can, if he's hiding something,' Herbert replied.
The trio fell silent as the man neared. They could see him clearly in the clean white glow of spotlights clustered two at either end of the facade. He was a tallish, round-faced, dark-skinned man. In soft, overenunciated
