the beard that belted the TV man.”
“Yes. From when he came in.”
“Notice anything about him?”
“He was not American. His voice ... it was very strange.”
“The tone or the dialect?”
Harry studied the ceiling a second, thinking. “Mostly his voice. Maybe he ... he had a cold?”
“He had a hole in his throat I put there once. What did you talk about?”
“Trifles. We discussed the beauty of the lady Vey Locca, the emergence of the lesser kingdoms into national prominence, the war in Viet Nam, but that was all.” He walked to the window, looked out, then turned around. “He knew when Teish would be leaving the main room. He was right there to go in, but he did not wish to go to the front Neither did I, so the arrangement was satisfactory.”
“Any talk about himself?”
“None.” Harry paused and reconsidered. “Once he commented that he did not like New York. He abhorred the odor of litchi nuts. I did not understand.”
“A Chinese delicacy,” I explained. “They used to have bowls of them in Chinese laundries for the customers. That was all?”
“It was not talk to think upon, sir. It was ... nothing talk.”
“He knew what he was doing.”
“But I heard more,” Harry offered. “It was after the ... the event. I was pushed to one side and was close to Teish and Sarim Shey when they were talking. The excitement was too great for Teish and Vey Locca gave him a pill. It was I who brought the water and at that time Sarim Shey was telling him that it was an American plot to kill him so that they could install their own king in Selachin. He was very insistent and Teish was inclined to listen.”
“They didn’t spot you, did they?”
“It is inconceivable that one would understand our language. No, they made no attempt to hide what they were saying. Yes, there was one other thing ... Teish was pleased with you. I don’t think he really wanted to believe what Sarim Shey was telling him.”
I perched on the edge of the table and thought about it. Even if Teish didn’t believe it, Sarim could make it look plausible, an American assassination attempt stopped by an American deliberately to make it look as if it had come from another direction. Men were expendable and there was nobody to prove otherwise. It had happened like that before when the stakes were big enough.
I said, “Okay, Harry, you did your job. Sign out of the hotel and head for the barn. I’ll take it from here.”
“Please, sir, I prefer to stay.”
“Uh-uh. It’s a rough game, my friend, a business for pros only. If I need you again I’ll call you. They’ll be checking every face that was at the reception and don’t think there weren’t cameras going somewhere. I don’t want you picked up.”
Listlessly, he said, “Very well, as you say.”
I picked up the phone and asked the operator for Charlie Corbinet’s number. He wasn’t at the first one, but the girl told me where he could be reached and I got him at the restaurant he usually frequented, a little annoyed at having his supper interrupted until I identified myself.
“I suppose you heard, Colonel.”
“Who hasn’t? You’re twisting a lion’s tail, you know.”
“Too bad. You have anything on the lab report?”
“Unofficially, yes, but I don’t think it will surprise you. That needle was loaded with condrin. Teish would have collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack in twenty minutes all nicely blamed on the excitement of the reception and seeing himself on TV. I doubt if a doctor would have spotted it. The stuff doesn’t leave a damn trace in a body for chemical analy sis.”
“Any source of it in the States?”
“I doubt it. The stuffs native to one area in South America. A tribe of natives use it for killing game or their enemies. It’s a natural plant product and can’t be synthesized chemically.”
“It fits then,” I told him. “Malcolm Turos’ last project was centered in Brazil. He could have picked it up
“Yes. From when he came in.”
“Notice anything about him?”
“He was not American. His voice ... it was very strange.”
“The tone or the dialect?”
Harry studied the ceiling a second, thinking. “Mostly his voice. Maybe he ... he had a cold?”
“He had a hole in his throat I put there once. What did you talk about?”
“Trifles. We discussed the beauty of the lady Vey Locca, the emergence of the lesser kingdoms into national prominence, the war in Viet Nam, but that was all.” He walked to the window, looked out, then turned around. “He knew when Teish would be leaving the main room. He was right there to go in, but he did not wish to go to the front Neither did I, so the arrangement was satisfactory.”
“Any talk about himself?”
“None.” Harry paused and reconsidered. “Once he commented that he did not like New York. He abhorred the odor of litchi nuts. I did not understand.”
“A Chinese delicacy,” I explained. “They used to have bowls of them in Chinese laundries for the customers. That was all?”
“It was not talk to think upon, sir. It was ... nothing talk.”
“He knew what he was doing.”
“But I heard more,” Harry offered. “It was after the ... the event. I was pushed to one side and was close to Teish and Sarim Shey when they were talking. The excitement was too great for Teish and Vey Locca gave him a pill. It was I who brought the water and at that time Sarim Shey was telling him that it was an American plot to kill him so that they could install their own king in Selachin. He was very insistent and Teish was inclined to listen.”
“They didn’t spot you, did they?”
“It is inconceivable that one would understand our language. No, they made no attempt to hide what they were saying. Yes, there was one other thing ... Teish was pleased with you. I don’t think he really wanted to believe what Sarim Shey was telling him.”
I perched on the edge of the table and thought about it. Even if Teish didn’t believe it, Sarim could make it look plausible, an American assassination attempt stopped by an American deliberately to make it look as if it had come from another direction. Men were expendable and there was nobody to prove otherwise. It had happened like that before when the stakes were big enough.
I said, “Okay, Harry, you did your job. Sign out of the hotel and head for the barn. I’ll take it from here.”
“Please, sir, I prefer to stay.”
“Uh-uh. It’s a rough game, my friend, a business for pros only. If I need you again I’ll call you. They’ll be checking every face that was at the reception and don’t think there weren’t cameras going somewhere. I don’t want you picked up.”
Listlessly, he said, “Very well, as you say.”
I picked up the phone and asked the operator for Charlie Corbinet’s number. He wasn’t at the first one, but the girl told me where he could be reached and I got him at the restaurant he usually frequented, a little annoyed at having his supper interrupted until I identified myself.
“I suppose you heard, Colonel.”
“Who hasn’t? You’re twisting a lion’s tail, you know.”
“Too bad. You have anything on the lab report?”
“Unofficially, yes, but I don’t think it will surprise you. That needle was loaded with condrin. Teish would have collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack in twenty minutes all nicely blamed on the excitement of the reception and seeing himself on TV. I doubt if a doctor would have spotted it. The stuff doesn’t leave a damn trace in a body for chemical analy sis.”
“Any source of it in the States?”
“I doubt it. The stuffs native to one area in South America. A tribe of natives use it for killing game or their enemies. It’s a natural plant product and can’t be synthesized chemically.”
“It fits then,” I told him. “Malcolm Turos’ last project was centered in Brazil. He could have picked it up
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