Free The Brotherhood of the Rose by David Morrell

happening at once.
    If the KGB decides I failed...
    Appalled, the priest inspected the body, praying the death was natural. He found no sign of violence, except for the bruise on the throat, but that could be explained by a fall against the chair.
    He quickly calculated. Malenov had come here, distraught, in need of a rest, requesting drugs to treat his rage and hypertension. He'd nearly been assassinated. Possibly the added strain, combined with the drugs, had caused a heart attack.
    But now the American had disappeared. Too much was happening. The priest rushed to a phone. He called the local KGB. The Bangkok bureau chief called his superior. An unexplained death in an Abelard safe house qualified as an emergency, requiring immediate investigation.
    One hour after the priest's discovery of the body, a Soviet IL- 18 cargo plane took off from Hanoi, North Vietnam, battling a headwind to fly the 600 miles to Thailand in slightly under two hours. The KGB's investigating officer, in tandem with a team of expert physicians, studied the position of the body, taking photographs. They rushed it to the cargo plane and took off for Hanoi, this time helped by a tailwind, returning in ninety minutes.
    The autopsy lasted seven hours. Though the Russian's heart had not occluded, his brain had hemorrhaged. Cause of death: a stroke. But why?
    No embolisms. Blood tests showed the presence of Dilantin, which the Russian had been taking; also opium, which Malenov had been addicted to. No other unusual chemicals. After a microscopic examination of the body, the coroner discovered the needle mark in the distal vein of the Russian's penis. Though he couldn't prove it, he suspected murder. He'd seen a handful of cases like this before. Potassium chloride. The separation of the chemical into its two component parts would cause a stroke. A body normally contained potassium and chloride, so the evidence was hidden. He reported his suspicion to the investigating officer.
    An hour after that, the KGB bureau chief for Bangkok was sent to the Church of the Moon. He questioned the priest at length. The priest admitted that an American, a friend of Chan, had been staying at the rectory. "His name and particulars?" the bureau chief asked.
    Afraid, the old priest answered. "What did the American want?" the bureau chief asked. The old priest told him. "Where does this dentist live?" When the bureau chief heard the reply, he studied the priest across the desk. "So far away? Our coroner in Hanoi has established the time of death as 6 A.M." The bureau chief gestured toward the night beyond the office window. He pointed at his watch. "That's fifteen hours ago. Why didn't you tell us about the American right away?"
    The priest poured another glass of brandy, drinking it all at once. Drops rolled down his whisker-stubbled chin. "Because I was afraid. This morning, I couldn't be sure the American was involved. If I'd killed him for precaution's sake, I'd have been forced to explain myself to the CIA. But I didn't have any evidence against him."
    "So you preferred to explain yourself to us?"
    "I admit I made a mistake. I should have kept closer watch on him. But he convinced me he had no intentions toward your operative. When I found the body, I hoped the cause of death was natural. What point was there in admitting my mistake if I didn't have to? You can understand my problem."
    "Certainly." The bureau chief picked up the phone. After dialing and waiting for an answer, he spoke to his superior. "The Abelard sanction has been violated. Repeat: violated. Christopher Patrick Kilmoome. Cryptonym: Remus. CIA." The bureau chief repeated the description the priest had given him. "He's on his way to Guatemala." The bureau chief gave the address. "At least, he claimed he was going there, but given what's happened, I don't think he'll do the expected. Yes, I know-he's fifteen hours ahead of us."
    After listening for a minute, the bureau chief set down the phone.
    He turned to