Kings of Many Castles by Brian Freemantle

Author:Brian Freemantle [Freemantle, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: det_espionage
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

“We need a new-a better-psychiatrist,” insisted Olga. She hadn’t liked seeing Zenin so openly opposed.

The man shook his head, not looking at her across the car in which they were driving, again without discussion, back to his apartment. “This will go to trial, whether Bendall’s got a mental condition or not. The caliber of every Russian witness will be important in front of an international audience. Agayan will look good in a witness box.”

Olga’s embarrassment became admiration. “I still think he’s hiding behind psychiatric mumbo-jumbo. Bendall’s understood what’s been going on.”

“I want you to talk very closely to Kayley, see if Bendall was trying to fight them off.”

“From doing what?”

“Something being done to him physically.”

Olga twisted in her seat to stare directly at Zenin. “You surely don’t imagine …!”

“Kayley’s FBI, a counter-intelligence agency, probably the other man, too. Maybe even the supposed lawyer,” argued Zenin. “Scopolamine is a known part of their lie detection equipment, just like it is with our people. Pentothal too. In similar circumstances the FSB would use them: the KGB certainly did.”

“We should have asked Badim to check for puncture wounds,” said Olga, reflectively.

“What?” Now Zenin looked at her.

“Supposing the Americans did inject Bendall,” suggested Olga. “The violence-the mental collapse even-might be the result of their drugs against whatever other medication he’s on.”

Zenin made the call from his apartment. Badim said he hadn’t looked for injection marks on Bendall’s free arm, which would now be punctured by the sedatives he’d had to administer to calm the man. There was one failed injection, which would have left two marks. Reluctantly he agreed to take a blood sample to test for any drug other than those recorded on Bendall’s hospital log. Even more reluctantly he agreed there could possibly have been a violent reaction if Bendall had been given an unauthorized drug.

Zenin remained on the line for both security group leaders to be brought to the telephone. Each man insisted that the briefcases of the three Americans had been thoroughly examined but that their orders had been that no body searches could be carried out upon accredited diplomats. Those orders had been reemphasized after such a search was attempted upon the British embassy visitors.

“A prepared syringe would have been no more obtrusive than a pen,” said Zenin, as he replaced the receiver.

An hour later Nicholai Badim called back, as instructed. There was what could be a puncture mark on Bendall’s uninjured arm where no hospital doctor would have attempted an injection. Blood had been taken for tests that would take at least twenty-four hours.

“They’ll deny it,” said Olga.

“They won’t be able to if we can prove he’s been drugged,” said Zenin.

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