“That’s my style,” Kevin said.

“I think Melanie is right,” Candace said from the backseat. “They were deliberately trying to scare us.”

“And I think they did a damn good job,” Kevin said. “Or am I the only sane one in the group?”

“Let’s do it,” Candace said.

“Oh, no!” Kevin groaned. “I’m outnumbered.”

“We’ll take you home,” Melanie said. “No problem.” She started to put the car in reverse.

Kevin reached out and stayed her hand. “How do you propose to get the keys? You don’t even know where they’d be.”

“I think it’s pretty clear they’d be in Bertram’s office,” Melanie said. “He’s the one in charge of logistics for the bonobo program. Hell, you’re the one who suggested he had them.”

“Okay, they’re in Bertram’s office,” Kevin said. “But what about security? Offices are locked.”

Melanie reached into the breast pocket of her animal-center coveralls and pulled out a magnetic card. “You’re forgetting that I’m part of the animal-center hierarchy. This is a master card, and not the kind that competes with Visa. This thing gets me in every door of the animal center twenty-four hours a day. Remember, my work with the bonobo project is only a part of the fertility work I do.”

Kevin looked over the back of his seat at Candace. Her blond hair was luminous in the half light of the car interior. “If you’re game, Candace, I guess I’m game,” he said.

“Let’s go!” Candace said.

Melanie accelerated and turned north beyond the motor pool. The motor pool was in full operation, with huge mercury-vapor lamps illuminating the entire staging area. The motor pool’s night shift was larger than either the day or evening shifts since that’s when truck traffic between the Zone and Bata was at its peak.

Melanie zipped past a number of tractor trailers until the turnoff to Bata fell behind. From that point, all the way to the animal center, they didn’t see another vehicle.

The animal center worked three shifts just like the motor pool did, although in the animal center the night shift was the smallest. The majority of the night staff worked in the veterinary hospital. Melanie took advantage of this fact by pulling Kevin’s Toyota up to one of the animal-hospital doors. There the car had lots of company.

Melanie turned off the ignition and gazed at the animal-center entrance that led directly into the veterinary hospital. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel.

“Well?” Kevin said. “We’re here, what’s the plan?”

“I’m thinking,” Melanie said. “I can’t decide what’s best: whether you guys wait here or come with me.”

“This place is huge,” Candace said. She’d leaned forward and was gazing at the building in front of them. It ran from the street all the way back to where it disappeared into the jungle foliage. “For as many times as I’ve been to Cogo, I’ve never been out here at the animal center. I didn’t have any idea it was so large. Is this part we’re facing the hospital?”