Page 31 of Everything That Kills Me
“How would you ensure that it wasn’t used for anyone else?”
Jack thought again. “What about an intramuscular dose of succinylcholine? A 40 mg ampule would be enough to cause almost instant paralysis. He’d be unable to breathe and he’d die. It would look like a heart attack.”
“He’d need to be found after his heart stopped beating. That drug has no effect on the heart.”
“But once the lungs stop working, there’ll be no oxygen surging around the body. Plus, the body metabolises succinylcholine after death so even if a coroner found apuncture wound and suspected foul play, they wouldn’t be able to determine the cause.”
“How are you going to get close enough to inject him and where would you do it?”
“Maybe he’d like me to massage him. I could ask the masseur to show me how to do it. I’d hide the syringe in the fold of my…that towel.”
“Peshtemal.”
Jack nodded. “Or you could have the masseur called away and I could take his place. Manipulating the right spot on Kubat’s neck would hurt enough to distract him from feeling the needle going in. Or I go with the flow and seize whatever opportunity presents itself. That might include leaving the hamam with him, letting his driver take us somewhere and, on the way, he has his heart attack.”
“No going with the flow. Right. Now let’s plan properly.”
Thoroughness could save Jack’s life, the slightest detail could make the difference at a crucial moment, so he paid close attention as Thomas talked. Their histories needed to be perfect. Since they’d already been to Türkiye and used alternate identities, it was straightforward. Jack was sure Thomas had taken him on that trip last year with exactly this in mind. He’d been Thomas’s son then, and he’d be the same this time. Thomas had already booked a hotel. Now he booked their spots at the hamam. If Kubat failed to show, then Thomas had a plan of his own that he didn’t share with Jack.
“Do you need me to source the succinylcholine?” Jack asked.
“Not this time.”
Thomas had already known it was what Jack would come up with. Not a surprise.
They spent the rest of the day practising their Turkish, acting out the killing and discussing the way to recognise a goodcarpet. Alex was accompanying his father, Michael, to learn the business.
By the time Jack went to bed that night, his head was buzzing. Amidst all the detailed preparation was the knowledge that this weekend a man would die and Jack would be responsible. Kubat might be a bad guy… Well, hewasa bad guy, but it was still unreal. All this time, all this work he’d done to make himself into someone who could do this and now he had to do it.
What would Zeph think if he knew? Would he be horrified or…impressed?
Pointless conjecture because he’d never know.
Jack still wondered.
When Zeph was the last to arrive for registration, Jack saw Mr Andrews frown at him. Not late but almost. Zeph kept his head down and shuffled to his seat.Uh-oh. Now what?Jack had thought Zeph would wait for him after registration and they’d walk to computer studies together but he bolted off and instead, Jack found Alice waiting at the door.
“Hi, Jack.” She smiled at him. “Did you enjoy the party?”
He nodded. “Thanks for inviting me.”
She walked down the corridor alongside him. Jack was uncomfortably aware of what Zeph had told him about her, but he didn’t want to be unkind.
“Was there a lot of mess?”
“Georgia and I spent ages cleaning up.”
Jack knew who he believed.
“You left early,” Alice said.
“My uncle had something he needed to do so he had to fetch me.”
“You could have stayed the night.”
Oh God.
“Not in my room or anything.” She forced a laugh. “We don’t know each other well enough for that… Yet.” Another laugh. More forced than the last. “Would—”
