The Swede

The Swede by Robert Karjel Page B

Book: The Swede by Robert Karjel Read Free Book Online
Authors: Robert Karjel
Tags: thriller
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will be affected by that?
    GZ: Very much so.
    RK: [ Laughs. ]
    GZ: There’s nothing funny about this.
    RK: No. [ Clears throat. ] Judgment has been made, I am going to die. For five murders, quite impressive.
    GZ: Accessory to five murders, and a bank robbery.
    RK: Right, accessory, absolutely right. My lawyer tries to keep my spirits up, sweating over endless contingencies. Contingencies! A judge has already sentenced me to death.
    GZ: The conviction could be appealed.
    RK: Not in Kansas. Not given what happened. Someone’s blood must be sacrificed. And look, they even got ahold of a Pakistani. America cares about its Muslims, when they are dressed in orange jumpsuits.
    GZ: There are extenuating circumstances. You know that.
    RZ: You mean this here.
    GZ: Mr. Khan was shot in the head in connection with the arrest, it—
    SF: I know the facts.
    RK: Suddenly she opens her mouth. [ Silence .] Gordon and I are already well acquainted, but you . . . you are new—correct?
    SF: Yes.
    RK: And we have not met before?
    SF: Never.
    GZ: Mr. Khan’s memory . . .
    RK: She knows, she sees the damage to my head. Everyone does. You, Gordon, I have not seen in several months, and now you appear with a new woman by your side. Ongoing investigations, you say—how many additional life sentences do you hope to pile on me? Surely you can only kill me once.
    GZ: It’s not that.
    RK: Do you hear how Gordon here is always trying to keep me calm? He knows that I sometimes start a fight. That is what he fears. Where did you say you were from?
    SF: FBI.
    RK: Kansas State Police, US Marshals, FBI. Is there no end to how many police you have—DEA, ATF, Secret Service—
    GZ: Reza, stop with the tirades.
    RK: Shauna, Shauna was it?
    SF: Yes.
    RK: [ Inaudible reply. ]
    GZ: Reza, we cannot hear you.
    RK: My apologies, Shauna. It was the shot, you know. My psychology, there are many explanations for it now. For how I function. Memory loss in connection with murder—so timely, no? But even the doctors concede that the damage is there. My skull is sunken, look for yourself.
    SF: Thank you, that’s enough.
    RK: But that’s just it, a shot to the head was not enough. I will be strapped down, given the injection, and only then will you be satisfied. And it all takes so much time.
    SF: Do you still claim that you were not involved?
    RK: Are you sure that we have never met before?
    SF: Quite sure.
    RK: Did you have long hair?
    SF: That was a long time ago.
    GZ: You missed her question, Reza.
    RK: Yes, I miss questions, and I slur a little. What was it, right, whether I was involved. I never said that I was not involved. It is very likely that I was there, but I do not remember. They say we robbed a bank.
    SF: What about the others, the ones who were with you, do you remember them?
    RK: Gordon, weren’t you asking just now if I was born in Peshawar?
    GZ: We can come back to that later.
    RK: No, no, the doctors have specifically pointed out my need for structure. The brain damage, the slurring, the memory—after so many operations, structure is the sole path to rehabilitation. Before I am strapped down for the final injection, that is. Given this, we must finish what we started. I believe I was born in Peshawar, because that is what is written in my passport. Can anyone have a reason to question that? And my answer should be consistent with all my other answers to this question. I thought you had given up long ago, Gordon?
    SF: It was I who asked Gordon to ask you again.
    RK: He could have given you the answer.
    SF: We have not been able to trace any members of your family.
    RK: No, you say that, and I do not remember them. Now what was your second question, Shauna?
    GZ: Ms. Friedman is the proper form of address, Reza.
    RK: [ An angry scream. ] Half my brain is gone, and you give me this shit!
    GZ: Sit down, Reza.
    RK: You heard the doctors, we have gotten sidetracked. Focus! I need to focus.
    SF: I’m wondering about the others you were with, do you

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