Loh was watching the man carefully. He did not flinch. Nor did he tell Herbert what he wanted to hear.

“I’ll tell you what,” Herbert said. “You’re a cheap fake and a lowlife smuggler, but I won’t hold that against you. You’re not the guy I want.”

The man said nothing.

“The man I want is Jervis Darling,” Herbert continued. “You give him to me, and you walk.”

The man opened his eyes slightly. “You can’t offer that kind of deal.”

“You don’t deny that Mr. Darling is behind this smuggling operation?” Jelbart asked.

“Mr. Darling,” the man said with contempt. “You’d call the fallen prince Your Highness,” he suggested.

“Obviously, you do know Darling, then,” Herbert said.

“Only by reputation,” the man replied. He closed his eyes again and settled deeper into the seat.

Loh was surprised. Herbert seemed unusually calm. Like a grand master with a checkmate move that no one else saw.

“You look like the kind of tough monkey who isn’t afraid to face death,” Herbert said. “Much as I’d like to, I won’t threaten to throw you out the helicopter door or anything like that. What I am going to do, however, is change the plan. And since we found you in international waters, I don’t think Warrant Officer Jelbart has the will or authority to object.”

Jelbart nodded. The floor was Herbert’s.

“We are not going to take you to Cairns,” the intelligence officer went on. “We are going to land at Cape Melville where the local police will meet us and hold you. We will turn you over to FNO Loh. When her patrol ship arrives, you will be taken to Singapore, to the military police, and the ultimate justice of the magistrate’s court.”

The man looked at him. “Balls to you,” he replied.

Herbert shrugged. “Suit yourself, tough little monkey. Either way, I get Darling. Pilot? Make the change.”

The pilot looked at Jelbart. The warrant officer nodded.

“We will get the information we want,” Loh added, “because the chief interrogator will have it flogged or drugged from you. The military police have that authority under the Singaporean Nuclear Emergency Response Act of 2002. It defined nuclear trafficking as an act of terrorism. In Singapore, individual rights are suspended when evidence points to imminent deeds of mass destruction.”

Herbert gave her an appreciative look for the added push.

The man opened his eyes. They did not seem quite as relaxed as they were a moment before.

“We’re nearing the coast,” Herbert pressed. “What’s it going to be? Jail here and cooperation, or jail there and electrodes on the earlobes and God knows where else?”

The man looked out the window. The coast was coming into view.

“I’m guessing you’ve been pretty slick till this point,” Herbert said. “But your luck has hit a wall. Trust me.”