tones he introduced himself as Andrew Graham. He said he would show the others to the back, though he made an unhappy face as he looked down at Herbert.
'With respect, sir, it is all grass back there,' he said to Herbert. 'It might be difficult for you to navigate. Would you care to wait inside?'
Herbert looked at Loh. 'What do you think? Can you handle Little Maluka without me?'
'I handled an orphaned Komodo dragon in Bandung,' she said. 'I think I can manage.'
Herbert smiled. 'If you need help, beep me.'
Loh said the same, but with a look.
Andrew contacted the groundskeeper via cell phone. The burly young man arrived several moments later in a golf cart. While he drove Leyland and Loh around the side of the estate, Andrew helped Herbert up the short flight of steps into the mansion.
Loh was a veteran naval officer. Her bearings were surest when she was on the sea and, perhaps more important, when she was part of a unit.
Her feeling of uneasiness increased dramatically as their key player went into the house alone.
Chapter Forty-Nine
The first thing Herbert did as he entered the long, marble-rich foyer was to look for security devices. There were motion detectors in the corners and a keypad beside the door. Obviously, they were not on now. There were no cameras here, only outside. That was good. If he were left alone, chances were good he could move about without being spied upon. Andrew released the chair as soon as they were inside. He extended a hand toward the living room. Both men began moving in that direction. Herbert felt as though he were entering a museum. It was absolutely quiet, save for the squeak of his wheels and the secretary's shoes. Large paintings and statues were barely visible in the vast room ahead. Herbert could barely make out other rooms in the dim light beyond.
'May I get you a beverage?' Andrew asked. 'Sparkling water or something a bit more potent?'
'Thank you, no,' Herbert replied.
'A snack, then?'
'Nothing, thanks,' Herbert said. 'I was wondering, though, if I might impose on you. Is there a phone line I can use? I'd like to send an E-mail to my office in Washington. I've been out on this search all night and need to get some information over to them.'
'Of course,' Andrew said. 'That is not a problem.'
'I'll charge the call to my personal account. It won't cost Mr. Darling anything.'
'I'm certain it would be all right if you called your office directly,' Andrew said.
'That's very kind,' Herbert replied.
They entered the living room, and Andrew led the way to a study on the left. There were shelves filled with books and tools such as magnifying glasses, whisk brooms, and computer diskettes. The secretary gestured toward a large mahogany desk. There was a phone tucked among dozens of shoe boxes, cigar boxes, and plastic bags.
'Mr. Darling uses that unit for his laptop,' Andrew said. 'You can plug into the data port in back.'
'Thank you very much,' Herbert said.
'Not at all.'
Herbert glanced around. 'It looks to me like Mr. Darling does a little scientific work.'
'He studies and collects fossils,' Andrew said.
'Fascinating,' Herbert replied. 'I also thought I saw the dome of an observatory driving up.'
'Perhaps you did,' Andrew said.
'Is Mr. Darling also a stargazer?'
'Mr. Darling has many interests,' Andrew replied as he turned toward the door.
The intelligence chief already knew that there was an observatory from the dossier on Darling. He was simply curious how forthcoming Andrew would be. The answer was: not very.
'Well, thank Mr. Darling for me,' Herbert said.
'I shall,' Andrew said as he left the room. He did not shut the door.
Herbert booted his computer as he moved himself to the near side of the desk. His back was to the door as he raised the armrest on the left side of his chair and unwound the cable tucked inside. He plugged that into the back of his computer and into the data port on Darling's telephone. If the magnate did hobby-related research in here, chances were good he took business calls here as well.
Herbert jacked in the six-foot cord and keyed the number Matt Stoll had given him. The link was established quickly through the small, slender antenna on the top right of the wheelchair. The antenna was attached to a booster on the back of the chair. Unlike standard cell phones, it could process high-speed transmissions. Herbert watched on his computer as it began searching Darling's telephone for the number log.
'That is quite a machine,' said a voice from behind.
The voice was big and carried a mild Australian accent. Herbert did not have to see the speaker to know who it was. The intelligence agent smiled.
'It's a pretty standard Dell laptop,' Herbert replied.
Darling smiled. 'I was not referring to the computer.'
'I know,' Herbert replied. 'Good evening, Mr. Darling.'
'Good evening.' Darling walked briskly toward Herbert. He was wearing a gray sweat suit that said Cairns Yacht Club across the chest. His eyes remained fixed on the chair. 'Obviously custom made.'
'Yes,' Herbert said. 'Designed by me and built by the same people who made FDR his chair.'
The men shook hands. 'And you would be whom?'
'R. Clayton Herbert,' Herbert replied with a smile. Inside, though, he was anxious. He was also annoyed at himself. He did not want to give his full name if he did not have to. Darling could find out whom he worked for. But he also did not want Loh or Leyland calling him Bob after telling Darling that he was someone else. He should have given them a heads-up. It was one of those details you occasionally forgot when working with outsiders.
'Andrew said you wanted to send some E-mails,' Darling said. 'I don't want to keep you from that.'
'It can wait,' Herbert assured him.
The computer was still downloading as they spoke. Stoll had told him that once the file was found, it would take only a few seconds to snare the numbers. First, however, it had to make its way through whatever phone software might be piled in front of the log. Speed-dialing, voice-mail programs, call-forwarding, all of that. The search could take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. Stoll also said the computer would chime twice when it found what it was looking for. He would explain that to Darling as a reminder of some kind.
'In that case, I'd love to hear about your work with wildlife,' Darling said. 'You're a volunteer, I presume?'
'Yes,' Herbert replied. 'Actually, I'm here on a holiday. I was called into this search by my friend Monica. She's involved with IWEC in Singapore.'
'I see. You're American, I gather,' Darling said.
'Mississippi born,' Herbert replied. 'I live outside of Washington, D.C., now.'
'Are you in government?'
'Personal security,' Herbert said.
'Fascinating field,' Darling said. 'What do you think of the security we have at this estate?'
'From the little bit I've seen, it's pretty impressive,' Herbert said. 'You've got sentries and surveillance outside, motion detectors inside. It's a difficult combination to beat.'
'Touch wood, no one has,' Darling replied. He leaned forward slightly, squinting. 'You appear to have everything you need for personal security
'Yes,' Herbert smiled. 'I can do five miles per hour on the open sidewalk. They disconnect that function when
