Beyond a pair of guest chairs stood a large desk, made of mahogany like the door. Behind that, a leather chair rested, a man sitting in it, his fingers linked in a contemplating manner. And yet beyond this Mr. Zanderthal was a tall expanse of wooden cases that looked down on the spacious room with a plethora of leather-bound books, similar to a law library.
Zanderthal, dressed in a tailored black suit—like Jake—with a baby blue tie, scampered over to a conference table and rolled a third chair over the hardwood floor. He bid his guests to sit and snuggled again behind his desk, his elbows resting on the tabletop, hands clasped. Zanderthal studied Jake with a careful eye. He probably wondered if his seemingly equally matched opponent bought his suit from the same store. The only difference, Jake wore no tie, but appeared more relaxed with his top button undone.
"I'm Thomas Gregory, head of our research team," Jake said, then gestured toward Sarah and Tony. "This is Elaine Burke, marine biologist. And, of course, Douglas Fairfield, one of my research assistants." They carried passports and proper identification to match the names.
"Mr. Gregory, how may I assist you and... The Marine Sanctuary, is it?" Zanderthal posed the question in unbroken American English. This came as a surprise. After all, he was born in Australia.
The man's lips curled into a mild smirk as if he viewed their encounter as a game of sorts. A sheen reflected off the fair skin of his head, revealing he'd been bald for years. His ice-blue eyes stared back at Jake as if he could read his mind.
"The Sanctuary, as we refer to ourselves, has been conducting investigations in Tahiti, Paradise Island in The Bahamas, and now Australia on the Great Barrier Reef. At all three sites, the fish populations around the coral reefs have withered away to nonexistence."
"And you've come for my help?" Zanderthal gloated, leaning back in his chair.
"Actually," Sarah said with a British flare, which astonished Jake and Tony, "we came to inquire about a pair of cage traps we discovered in The Bahamas and off the Great Barrier Reef."
The billionaire chuckled, apparently amused by the accent. "Jolly ole England. You studied at Southampton?"
"But of course." With a furrowed brow and businesslike air, she pressed forward before he could probe further. "Concerning the traps, we couldn't identify the owner of the first one because of unfortunate circumstances. The second one, however, we found fully intact."
"I suppose that's why you're here?"
"That's correct," Tony said. As soon as the remark left his mouth, his eyes darted from Zanderthal to Jake, and then to Sarah. "So... we were... just..."
"Wondering why you found my traps in the depleted fish locations?"
"Yes," Jake said, jabbing his eyes at Tony. "That's exactly what my assistant, Douglas, was trying to say."
"I have no qualms with admitting the traps belong to Ocean Blue. We used them to capture fish for tag and release so our research teams could study the specimens for extended periods of time. That's not unheard of in the scientific community, is it, Mr. Gregory?"
"No, but a creature with a powerful bite punctured the pontoons on both traps." He wanted to keep secret the fact they captured and killed one of the barracuda-like specimens. He explained earlier to Sarah that it might work to their advantage if Zanderthal thought they were clueless in that regard. You don't tell everything you know, one thing he learned in naval intelligence.
"Sharks have sharp teeth."
"Do they bite through steel?"
Zanderthal smirked. "In rare cases."
Silence filled the room as Jake jockeyed for a competitive edge. He needed something to crack the billionaire's stoic shell of defense. He looked at Sarah. Anything? He tried to send a plea for help telepathically.
Her mouth parted, but she had nothing to offer.
Zanderthal made his move first. "My teams should have collected the traps, but it's obvious we failed to do so. Ocean Blue is approaching a decade of faithful service to the world's oceans. Our scientists devote themselves to saving all the magnificent creatures of the sea. Case in point, we are knee deep in efforts to have the global community enforce a ban on the cruel hunting practices of dolphins and whales. Whalers should be villains on both of our watch lists."
Jake flashed back to his days aboard the Sea Marshall anti-whaling ship. Tony and himself, side by side, prostrate on the front of an inflatable raft, passing binoculars back and forth.
"In addition," Zanderthal continued, "we have a division that focuses research on finding cures for illnesses that plague our planet, hindering our societies from evolving into a greater species. Humanity is not some medieval civilization, Mr. Gregory. We can change things for the better, and that's what this corporation is all about."
Jake had to admit the man played chess like a master statistician.
"We are, of course, willing to assist The Sanctuary," he said the name of their fake organization with a hint of sarcasm. "Are you opposed to a joint effort to save the world's marine life in the areas affected by this strange malady?"
"Have you ever heard of Sea Lab International?" Sarah countered with a spark in her eyes. Jake glared at her, but she went on not phased. "You were instrumental in the organization's development. A co-founder, were you?"
Zanderthal appeared astounded that the low level research team before him had access to such privileged information.
"Why was it you left?" she asked.
It amazed Jake how Sarah tilted her words with an English accent. He noted how she carried herself with confidence. She looked his way, as if she were trying to warn him not to bring attention to her.
"I departed Sea Lab, as you probably already know, because of my declining health," Zanderthal said.
"Parkinson's disease, was it?" Sarah raised an eyebrow.
Zanderthal appeared shaken for the first time, off balance. Anger flared across his face, but he recovered in a microsecond and delivered a masterful response. "My affliction prohibited me from carrying out my duties. I resigned at my discretion. I have no regrets or ill will toward Sea Lab."
"I thought they forced you out." Sarah lost her British accent, a slip of the tongue.
The billionaire locked eyes with her. "Not in my opinion."
"So, why is it you show no sign of your affliction?" Tony asked, this time more sure of himself.
"I simply went into remission."
Jake let out a brief laugh. "I've never heard of Parkinson's disease going into complete remission. It's a one-way ticket to misery once it progresses to the advanced stages."
"There's always a first time for everything. As for my departure from Sea Lab, I was and still am saddened by it. But as you can see, I've moved on." Zanderthal waved a hand about the room.
Jake nodded. The entrepreneur had done well for himself, but did he achieve his success ethically?
"And again, I extend an offer of help to The Sanctuary." Zanderthal's face brightened with a smile again.
"We shall notify you if the need arises," Sarah replied, remaining true to her alias.
Jake, Sarah, and Tony rose from the chairs and shook hands with the chairman. When it came Jake's turn, Zanderthal clutched his hand, applying pressure in a show of strength. Jake noticed the muscular build beneath the billionaire's suit and tie. As if toying with him, Zanderthal squeezed a bit more.
Jake sensed a confrontation brewing, a challenge.
A leering grin emerged. Then Zanderthal released his hold and gestured for the door. "My secretary will show you out."
Jake stared a moment longer and then cracked a smile. "Thanks for seeing us."
As they left the office, Jake suspected there was more to Zanderthal than what they uncovered this morning. Before the elevator doors closed, he watched as Zanderthal's polite expression held true. On the ride down to the lobby, he pondered in silence the meeting with the chairman. Tony and Sarah did the same, and no one spoke until they were back in the car.
Sarah came out with the obvious. "I think we need to know more about Roland Zanderthal and Ocean Blue."
"I didn't realize you were from England, Ms. Burke," Jake replied.
She grinned. "I wanted to have a little fun with my role."
"Maybe the traps we found were just a coincidence?" Tony said. "Maybe Zanderthal has nothing to do with what happened in The Bahamas and at Sarah's house? Why would a giant corporate head use murder as a tactic?"
Jake looked in the rear-view mirror. "It makes little sense, I know. But why am I surprised someone hasn't shot at us since we arrived in Sydney?"
"They could be lying low," Sarah said. "Maybe they hope we'll come up empty-handed and decide to leave. And, our aliases could be working to perfection. They may not have a reason to suspect us of anything."
"Don't bet on it. I could tell by the look in Zanderthal's eyes that he knew who we were. I'm sure he already has a complete background and history on each of us. I could tell your phony British accent entertained him."
"It wasn't good?"
"No, it was brilliant, but he was on to you."
Jake sank into thought, listening to Sarah drum her fingers on her lap. Her habit helped their next move crystallize in his mind. "I have an idea of how to learn more about Ocean Blue. Anyone care to partake in a friendly game of spying?"