Sea of Fire

Chapter Seventy-Six

"I'm not sure which took the larger hit," Lowell Coffey said to Paul Hood over the telephone. "Jervis Darling's Learjet or Australian statutes for crime and misconduct."

"How bad is it?" Hood asked.

"For us? Pretty favorable, actually," Coffey said. "I took Leyland's car and only just got to the airport, so I'm still catching up. Basically, the Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission has taken over this case from the local police. They're flying in an assistant commissioner to investigate."

"Because of Darling's involvement?"

"Partly that, but mostly due to the nature of the charges," Coffey said. "Jelbart briefed them by phone. They're classifying the destruction of the jet and the attack on the airfield as a single action, and attributing it jointly to the Queensland fire team, Op-Center, the Republic of Singapore Navy, and the Maritime Intelligence Centre."

"Good God."

"Yes, but having everyone named is good for us," Coffey said. "It gives weight to the idea we'll be putting forth, that there was probable cause to detain the jet. It's also good that the QCMC is classifying this as a 'reactive' investigation, which is a fancy term for 'after the fact.' That suggests there may be a valid reason for what we did. It's not quite as extreme, but it's like stopping a guy who enters a bank wearing a ski mask and carrying a gun. The act is not considered a crime. It's called a contravention."

"I follow," Hood said.

"The best news is, the QCMC is also responsible for overseeing the transport of hazardous materials through the area. Based on Warrant Officer Jelbart's report, they're instituting what they call a 'proactive' investigation into the smuggling activities."

"Which means what, exactly?" Hood asked.

"Basically, it means they can hold Hawke on Jelbart's say-so," Coffey said. "They've got him in the hospital. He hit his head at some point on the flight to Cairns. It seems he was the only one not wearing a seat belt when the chopper went into some kind of dive."

This was an open line, so Hood did not say what was on his mind. Not that he had to say it. He was sure the same thought was on Coffey's mind.

"What about Darling?" Hood asked.

"They booked him for assault, though they're taking him to the hospital as well to make sure he's all right. He took in a lot of smoke. He's extremely disoriented."

"Have they got solid security for Hawke and Darling?"

"The local police are handling that now, but Jelbart has some of his people flying in," Coffey said. "They should be here momentarily."

"At six in the morning?" Hood said. "They don't drag their feet over there, do they?"

"No, they don't," Coffey said. "The efficiency of every division, from the fire brigade to the local police, has been incredible."

Hood knew why. The Australians were surrounded by nations where the black market was a dominant financial force. Australia itself was mostly open coastline. If they did not maintain a warlike preparedness along every meter of that, it would not take long for corruption to set in.

"That said," Coffey went on, "we're all betting that Hawke will get off with minimal jail time."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Hood said.

"He'll take the brunt of the fall for Darling in exchange for guaranteed early parole," Coffey went on. "To put Darling on trial would be counterproductive. It would become a circus that would hurt the economy and detract from the main issue, which has to be breaking up the smuggling network and finding the nuclear material. Jervis Darling himself is effectively finished. He'll be quietly forced to resign the boards of his companies, his not-for-profit companies will be dissected for laundering the nuke payouts, and he may serve some token jail time. After that, he'll probably go live on one of his islands."

"With or without his daughter, I wonder," Hood said.

"The courts won't have much say over that," Coffey said. "But Darling will want her to get a great education. That means boarding school in Australia or Europe. They won't be together much."

"No mother and an MIA father," Hood said. "Did she see much of what happened at the airfield?"

"I don't think so," Coffey said. "But she had to have heard the engine explosions, the sirens. She knows the plane didn't take off."

"I wonder how she's taking this."

"I saw her in the small terminal building when I arrived," Coffey said. "She was sitting with Darling's copilot and driver. They were talking to her. She looked shell-shocked."

"I wish there was something we could do for her," Hood said. There was sadness in his voice, in his soul. He thought of his own daughter, Harleigh, living without him. He could not imagine what kind of man would create a situation that would expose his daughter to this kind of emotional peril.

Then again, this was the same man who reportedly took the girl's mother from her, Hood thought. Normal values did not apply. The good news was that Jervis Darling would not be taking anyone else's parents from them. Ever.

"I'm sure Ms. Darling will be looked after in the short term," Coffey said. "The people who were with her seemed very attentive. Though I have to wonder. Was it fear or affection that made these people loyal to Darling?"

"A little of both, I'm sure," Hood said. "But it was probably the free pass that had the most impact."

"What kind of free pass?" Coffey asked.

"I used to get that when I was mayor," Hood said. "That's when people are around someone of influence, so they have no problem getting into restaurants or clubs or the most popular attractions at amusement parks. They don't have to worry about speeding tickets or bureaucracies or bad service. If they get into trouble, strong, decisive help is just a name-drop or phone call away. I'm sure you saw some of that at your dad's law practice."

"Yes, only in Beverly Hills it was called kissing cheek, and nobody liked to do it," Coffey told him.

"You were lucky, though. You had money. You had a choice," Hood said. "A lot of people don't. For them, playing the sycophant to a Jervis Darling or a Mayor Hood is like consolidating their debt. The humiliation comes from one place, not dozens."

"Well, I should probably get back to the others," Coffey said. "It looks like Herbert and Loh are ready to break huddle. Tell me, though. Did you enjoy having people kiss your ass?"

"I hated it," Hood said. "I discouraged it. But people kept doing it. That's one reason I'm here instead of there."

"We'll see who sticks by Darling now," Coffey said. "As the philosopher says, 'A failure is a stranger in his own house.' "

Hood hung up. He stared at the phone.

That was cruel and true, he thought. It was bad enough to fail. But one also had to endure it alone. It was impossible to feel any sympathy for Jervis Darling. But while Hood should be savoring the successful mission, he found himself responding emotionally to the idea of failure. He was uncomfortable by the nearness of it. By the sadness of what Jessica-Ann Darling would have to face. It forced Hood to think about the mistakes he had made with his own family. He wondered if that sense of inefficacy would ever completely disappear.

Maybe it's not supposed to, Hood decided. Maybe that's what prevents a man from repeating his errors.

Hood picked up the phone. There was one thing of which he was certain. The antithesis of having his ass kissed was having it kicked. By himself. Neither one of them did him any good.

He had to put the past behind him.

He had to call Daphne Connors.

Now.