Free Charade by Kate Donovan Page B

that Sasha could keep her wits about her when plied with liquor, which apparently happened to guests with great regularity at official Kestonian functions.
    It was also possible that the pills could help Teal, assuming the girl was being drugged, and assuming further that the Kestonians were using an intoxicant that was susceptible to the anti-absorption process.
    A second bottle, this one labeled as airsickness medication, contained capsules filled with knockout powder she could slip into someone else’s drink. Fast dissolving, and even faster acting, they could hopefully get her out of a rough situation or two, especially since the subject would have a peaceful sleep and no direct memory of the events leading up to his or her nap.
    The final items were more complicated, at least for Sasha. A pair of silver earrings studded with crystals doubled as tiny feed recyclers that could be used on the cameras in Zelasko’s surveillance system. The image shown on the monitors wouldn’t reflect what was actually going on in the area being surveilled. The NSA had intel about the system used in Kestonia, and Allison had explained that the video quality was quite poor, but still enabled the security staff to distinguish an intruder. Disabling the feed entirely in a particular sector of the fortress would be the only surefire way Sasha could explore without risk of being discovered.
    Then there were packaged plastic bandages in various sizes, the type any traveler might carry in case of blisters or paper cuts, although some of the pieces were big enough to cover an enormous wound. The clear strips that peeled away from the adhesive bands were made of a sophisticated latex compound and could be used to copy fingerprints from a hand or a surface. The copy could then be used to trigger a print-activated security device. Similarly, the NSA had supplied silicon powder in a silver compact in case indirect prints were the only ones available.
    Finally, there was a pen that could memorize a magnetic code from a key card and transfer it to the security strip on a phony credit card the NSA had supplied to Sasha. It was hoped that between this and the latex prints, she could gain access to Teal. According to reliable sources, Zelasko didn’t use retinal scans, which would have been much harder for a novice like Sasha to duplicate, nor did he rely upon memorized entry codes. Assuming that intel was correct, she had everything she needed to deal with his digital security system.
    Because I can drink him under the table, knock him out, get his prints and codes and be halfway to Chicago before he wakes up? she asked the absent Allison. I think you’re being just a tad optimistic, considering that science has always been my weak point. And technology? Fuggedaboutit.
    The manuals for the pen, the latex and the earrings had been cleverly disguised as pages in a bestselling espionage novel Sasha could take on the plane with her and read in full view of curious onlookers. The NSA had also supplied her with a Kestonian-English dictionary and a travel book on Eastern Europe.
    And if you run out of things to do, you could always listen to the tape about Mom’s murder….
    It was the first thing she stuffed into her carry-on bag, but did she dare listen to it before successfully rescuing Teal? She honestly didn’t know which would be worse: knowing the tape was there but not listening to it, or subjecting herself to the details—or more likely, another set of lies—which were sure to undermine her poise and confidence.
    When the phone on her nightstand rang, it provided a welcome distraction, and Sasha dived for it without bothering to check the incoming number, hoping it was Allison with an update on Teal. Or her father with the green light for the trip.
    Or Jeff…
    Or with your luck, it’ll be Carmine, she teased herself before answering with a breathless, “Hello?”
    “Sasha Bracciali?” asked a clipped, heavily accented female voice.
    “This